Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,57

reason she sounded so sincere. She looked at her mother, but Lumina’s face was a carefully crafted mask, giving nothing away.

“I was very furious at you,” the woman said, her voice sorrowful. “I meant to eradicate the Tsarevich line, but you saved Ivan’s son. I knew you would live through it, my love. I had every right to be angry. You left me.”

“I came to my senses, Annelisse,” Kay Warnock corrected her, his voice hard.

“Our love was a wonderful madness, dear heart. Renew your vows to me, and I will forget your betrayal and give you everything. I will restore your youth and your immortality. We can rule again, you and I. Surely you cannot tell me that you don’t miss what we had?”

“I would rather die and vanish into a pile of bones and ash,” her father said, “than spend another day with you, you daft old crone. Kill me now if you have to. You bespelled me like you bespelled that poor boy. Nothing about us was ever true.”

The Snow Queen drew back like she’d been slapped, her onyx eyes bright with a sudden dreadful energy.

The Snow Queen had a consort once. The Scourge of Buyan. The Snow Queen and Kay.

Her father.

“Goddammit, Kay,” Tala heard her mother growl. “Can’t you lie for once and buy me a little more time?”

But the Snow Queen was already hunting for fresh new targets, and her eyes alighted on Tala and Lumina. “It is they who have bewitched you, my love,” she snarled. “The Makiling bitch took you away from me, didn’t she? She wooed you with honeyed lies, enticed you with a daughter.”

The full force of the Snow Queen’s fury was now directed at her, and Tala would have scrambled away if she could. But she was still pinned down and could only watch as the Snow Queen bore down on her with terrifying speed, helpless to do anything but—

“No!” Ryker planted himself in between them, his hand raised. “Mother, control yourself.”

“Step away. Her heart is mine.”

“She’s a Makiling too. She’s more useful to us alive, and you know that.” Ryker’s voice was as calm as the air before a storm, but his hand betrayed him; it shook, ever so slightly. “No use throwing away our advantage for a moment’s satisfaction. If you have to torture someone, you can always start with the others. We don’t need them.”

Tala watched the Snow Queen’s expression shift, her eyes momentarily falling shut. “We shall take my Kay and the spellbreakers,” she finally said. “You are right; there will be more than enough time. Leave the rest to your pet.”

“Pet?” Zoe muttered. “What pet?”

As if on cue, another horrible sound raked through the air.

“Exactly how many damn ogres did they bring?” Ken burst out.

But even as the beast appeared, bearing down on them, Lumina gave a frenzied shout. Tala could feel the waves spiraling out of her mother as the force of her agimat thawed the ice keeping her in place, heard the delighted yelps from the others as it did the same to them.

The firebird chose that moment to jump out from behind the car, let out a thin cry of victory, and promptly shoot fire in the Snow Queen’s direction.

With a gasp, the Snow Queen reeled back and exploded. Shards flew around them, but Tala’s father had leaped forward, shielding Tala, who was closest, from the blast. He grunted, clapping his hand against his side, which was now streaked with blood. The Snow Queen was gone, and in her place the ice maiden lay in a puddle of ice water, her own midsection shattered from the force.

“I’m okay!” Kay shouted. “Get to Lumina!”

Tala scampered toward her mother, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. Tita Chedeng was already there, checking her pulse. “She fainted,” she said. “Too much energy used to negate the Snow Queen’s body-switching spell, even with an agimat as strong as hers, but she’ll be all right.”

“Get the younglings to the sanctuary immediately,” Lola Urduja instructed, staggering up. “Carlisle! Inoue! Fall back and let us handle this! Bring both Lumina and Kay with you!”

“We’re not leaving any of you!” Ken shouted. “That wasn’t part of the plan!”

“Of course it’s not, you fool! I don’t intend to die today! We’ll distract the ogre, but your priority is His Highness. Get to the sanctuary immediately!”

Reluctantly, Zoe and Ken backed away from the ogre, while the others rushed in to engage. West was keeping Lumina upright, and Loki was doing the same to