Chapter 398

Rian's hand tightened in Elain's hair as he marched her though the Throne Room, and tears of pain welled in her eyes. One of her hands reached back to his, scratching at his fingers as she tried to get him to loosen his hold, but he just pushed her forward, and she slipped on the blood-slicked floor as she tried to stay on her feet. Through her tears, Elain kept looking for Lucien, her eyes moving back and forth. She had seen Sheera, still darting among the fighting, and then she saw Tisia and Ales. When Tisia spotted her, the dark-haired faerie had gone to move toward her, but Ales had put a hand on her arm, keeping her back. Elain thought that was probably a good move as Rian would no doubt have struck Tisia down without a care. It was a relief to see that her friends were still alive despite the horrendous violence that had engulfed the Throne Room and it gave Elain a little strength.

She was going to be the Lady of the Day court in future, and Elain knew that she should act like it. Ashk would have said the same thing, and Elain straightened herself, pushing her shoulders back and forcing herself to bring both of her hands down by her sides. None of this made Rian release his painful hold on her hair, however. He yanked her head back a little, his other hand jabbing sharply into her lower back as he pushed for forward. "Walk, bitch." He snapped, and Elain swallowed the retort she wanted to snap at him. "What do you think?" he asked, "If I put you up on that dais; do you think that might draw your mate out?"

"He won't do what you want." Elain said, despite knowing for a fact that if Rian put her up on that dais, Lucien would come directly for her. She wondered then if she wanted him to. Elain knew that Lucien would let nothing get between them if she was in danger, but she also knew that he wasn't exactly going to be careful about it. If that was what Rian was counting on, then Elain worried that her mate wouldn't be prepared for whatever was going to be thrown at him.

"We'll see."

"You're losing. Can't you see that?" She asked, noticing that most of the soldiers under Colm's command had seemed to disappear. The Day Court were winning the battle, and she didn't think it would be all that long before they had control of the Throne Room.

"They're inconsequential." He said, forcing her up the steps of the dais, hand still clenched in her hair. "It's the High Lord and his heir that will make the difference." Elain shuddered. Rian thought that if they killed Helion and Lucien, they would have complete control of the whole Court. He was probably correct, she figured. With no other heir, who would have the greatest claim to the throne? Colm clearly thought that he did, and Elain didn't know enough about the families and bloodlines of the Day Court to know any different.

"What are you doing with her again?" Colm asked, standing near the throne atop the dais. Rian shoved Elain forward, and she stumbled before righting herself.

"She's the heir's mate." Rian said, "If we have her, we have leverage."

Elain lifted her chin, looking Colm directly in the eyes. She was trying hard to act like Ashk would, to show them no fear, but she knew that her face hid nothing of what she felt. "She's a seer…" Colm said, his eyes moving to Rian over Elain's head.

"So what?" Rian asked, "If you want a pet Seer we'll find you one who isn't the heir's mate."

"What do you want to do with her?"

Elain shrieked as Rian's hand clenched around the back of her neck and he pushed her down to her knees on the dais. "We're losing." He snapped, "Look around…" There was silence for a moment, and Elain assumed that Colm was looking at the fight. "We need to end this now."

"You want to bring them to us?"

"This will draw the Heir in…" Rian shoved Elain then, forcing her onto her hands, and she looked up to see him pull his sword free from where it had been at his hip. "I'd look at your hands," he told her, "If you want this to be smooth and painless…"

Elain did as he said, not knowing what else to do. If she tried to crawl, to run, then his blow would strike some other part of her, possibly taking off a limb or causing a painful and slow death. Besides, Colm was there and she wouldn't get very far anyway. She knew that Rian was about to bring that sword down onto the back of her neck, that she would be dead within moments, and she had no idea how to stop it. Fear shot through her, mixed with panic, and Elain couldn't think clearly. She had never imagined that she would die like this. She had never pictured being forced to her hands and knees while some horrible faerie cut her head from her shoulders. This had not been the future Elain had seen.

She thought then of the faerie younglings she had seen in her visions. The female with hair like her own, but with Lucien's russet eyes, and the younger male whose hair flamed like his father's, but who had gentle brown eyes like his mother. Elain's heart ached, for that future that she so desperately wanted, and for Lucien who had dreamed of having a home and family for far longer than she had even been alive. Tears dripped onto the backs of Elain's hands, and she realised then that she was crying. She had promised Lucien that future, she had told him that they would have peace and a family and that this would be their home. He had believed her.

She knew when Lucien had felt her. The bond flared in her mind, growing stronger and brighter, and she knew when he saw her on that dais. Fear and rage exploded down the bond, and Elain closed her eyes, expecting Rian's blow at any moment.