14: Iris
“Absolutely not!” My mother-in–law screamed at lone, her anger more than just palpable. The surrounding air was heated with her rage. The margot cannot come with us. Have you finally lost your mind?” tone shrunk in the face of her mother’s anger. I fought back the urge to look away. But I had to ensure that I followed them if I wanted my plan to work. I needed to leave the castle, a luxury that I was not afforded
“But mother she is one of us now,” But lone was not given the chance to complete lier sentence when she was dealt a hard slap by her mother.
“This maggot will never be one of use. Get that through your skull child.” She reprimanded her daughter harshly. I was shocked beyond the ability to comprehend what I had just witnessed.
I walked forward against my better judgment, the hairs on my neck s
neck standing
gat attention. This was my father all over again, but this time lone was
ine.
“It was my fach…” I tried to call attention to myself. Watching another victim of their parents‘ tyranny was hard. I could not let it happen and do
nothing.
Like I had wanted, my mother–in–law promptly turned her anger on me at the speed of light. “Of course,” she took a threatening step closer to me. “You were the one that put my foolish daughter up to this. You have not spent three full moons here, yet you are already wreaking havoc
She grabbed me by my arm and squeezed tigluly, as though she was ensuring that she would leave marks on my skin. “Please, I just want to feel the sunlight a bit.” I knew I sounded beyond foolish.
My mother–in–law grinned menacingly. “You should not be able to feel much of anything, if not for the fact that you survived his touch. But here you are already crossing boundaries, like your kind. I dare to give you just a bit of freedom, suddenly you think you deserve more privileges. It is a privilege that you are alive! She spat in my face.
“Mothercame a voice from beyond me. “Why don’t you let her go! You will kill her with fright before she can serve her purpose.” I recognized the
voice. It was her son. Cassian’s brother.
“Rolan,” my mother–in–law called her son as she dropped me. “Don’t try and show her mercy. It will get into her head.” She tried to sound reproachful, but she ended up sounding amused as though she was sharing a secret joke with her son.
“But we have to remember what is doing for my darling brother, however unwilling.” He walked forward to stand by his mother, facing me. He shared his mother’s light blue eyes. Out of all his siblings, he was his mother’s only twin
His stare was sly, and I felt my skin crawl. He and his wife, Zahila, were a good match for one another. It seemed as though they enjoyed torturing
those around them who were beneath them.
His eyes raked my body as though he was contemplating how many other ways to make me squirm. He finally turned to his mother again. “Let her come. This maggot is not capable of escaping us. And even if she does, I will ensure it never crosses her mind.” He glanced at me, has gaze filled with cruel Intent.
“Well, tone,” my mother–in–law said, turning to her daughter. “She will come, since Rolan has promised to watch her.”
Jone threw me a relieved glance, one that I returned for an entirely different reason that she was not yet aware of Phase one was complete.
The sun indeed felt freeing for the fint time in what felt like years instead of a few months. It was amazing, but I could not fully enjoy my freedom, 1 would never be free again. If I escaped this place, I would become a prisoner in another place. But I steeled myself from the wave of despair that wanted to drown me.
We were all on horseback, my horse flagged by two intimidating guards. But all I needed was a single chance. Their underestimation of me would be mny weapon. I was not just any damsel Back home, before I father became the monster of my nightmares, he taught me how to ride. If my captors wanted to completely cut off any escape of mine they should have given me a sick donkey, But the steed that I sat upon was young and energetic. escape was so close I could taste it. It was during these times that I regretted not having found myself my wolf. If not, I would simply have let my wolf take over my escape.
lone came closer to me on her horse, her expression tight. “You are not trying to leave, are you” She looked at me, hopefully. If I did escape, she would be the one to blame, not her brother who had given the go–ahead. Guilt gnawed at me, but I pushed it down like bile in my throat,
“Could I even succeed? 1 laughed, trying to sound self–deprecating.
“No, you will not be able to.” She said, her voice distant. “There is no escaping this hell.”
1 was taken aback, but there was no way that I was not going to at least attempt it 1 let out a mirthless laugh and she echoed ir.
For the hunt, Rolan, Zahila and their guards accompanied us. By the time the moon had taken over the sky and reached its peak, it was when we would begin the hunt. It would be during the moment that they would begin dismounting their horses that I would make my escape.
And indeed, that tinte came. Rolan was the first to dismount, and the others followed his lead.
I stalled getting off my horse, pretending to have some trouble dismounting.
“Get down, niggai,” One of the guards that flagged me ordered
“Tam..stuck,” I lied.
“If you don’t get down right this moment.
I slammed an elbow into the tree covered with snow and let snow fall on my guards, effectively distracting them I mapped the reigns of my horse
and took off just as the others realized what had just happened.
***Get the maggot!” I heard Rolan yell behind me. If she does, you are all dendi” –
15: Iris
15: Iris
