I gasped, my magic burning brighter and brighter with every step in Krew’s direction. Gauntlets? That prick put gauntlets on my husband?
“The princes have gauntlets on,” I informed Owen, my voice sounding as full of rage as I felt. “Be prepared for anything.”
He grabbed my arm and slowed me for just a moment. “I have trained you well, Jorah. You are ready for this. Do whatever you have to do, and donothesitate for even a moment.”
I gave him as much of a smile as I could muster and brought my fingers on one hand up, brushing each fingertip to my thumb as I made the last strides to the doors. I knew what I wanted. I was imagining it before I even hit the doors, giving my magic directions. But I let my magic flare and burn hotter and hotter until it matched the erratic beating of my heart.
And then Iattacked.
I sent the magic along the floor, blowing the doors wide open at once. Any guards standing by it were blown back by my silver magic.
I kept walking right up the aisle, one hand aimed at the king on his stupid throne, the other at any guards about to make a move on me.
There were numerous gasps as I made my entrance, but I was focused on one person only. My magic headed in droves at the king where he now stood at his throne.
I looked at Krew’s gray eyes for the briefest of moments, only to know he was still alive, and then I gotangry.
Judging by the trail of blood I’d seen on Krew’s forearms, he’d fought against the gauntlets. Hard.
The king had made Krew bleed.
Both princes were in their throne chairs behind the king’s, wearing gauntlets. In front of all of parliament. Angry didn’t even begin to cover how I felt.
The element of surprise worked to my advantage. The king was still looking at me in shock as my magic gripped his hands first, squeezing them into his legs. I cocked my head and sent out another blast of magic, each of his guards and himself further getting trapped with my silver magic. I had a coil of magic around the middle of the king and I was strengthening it with every strand of magic that left my body.
If it crushed him in half, so be it.
The king finally found his voice and tried to say something. “What do you th—”
I sent my magic out to silence him, making him feel pressure around his throat as if I was choking him. His words cut off immediately. “It is my turn to speak,Your Grace.”
One guard I hadn’t seen, up above in a balcony, sent magic at me to get me to stop.
Before I could react, Owen already had, and he was immediately pinned down with green magic.
I was almost to the dais. I wondered if the parliament members were stunned or shocked as they saw me approach the king, but I wouldn’t let anything take my focus off the king. The parliament members were at least not attacking me.
“Where are the keys?” I demanded of the king.
He just stood there, trapped with my magic, his eyes going wide.
I wouldn’t stop until I had Krew out of those gauntlets. I had half a mind to just kill him now. I was certain he would only be immobilized for so long, but I had neglected to grab a weapon in my haste to get to the throne room in time. I wasn’t even sure I could hold the king long enough to kill him without Krew’s magic to join to mine.
“Where?”I repeated.
He tried to speak but couldn’t, the pressure I had on his throat too much for words. I let off just a little, only to let him choke out, “On my belt.”
I kept my magic in constant motion, fortifying the hold I had on the king’s hands as I stepped onto the dais. With every step closer to the king I took, I felt a buzz of magic that was not my own. The king was going to retaliate if I let go of my magic for even a moment. I wanted to put the king and I in a dome as we sorted this out, protected from any guards sure to show up any second and any parliament members who got any ideas, but I also knew I needed to focus, and if I had the king stuck for now, I should move as quickly as possible. For now, parliament was frozen in shock.
“Give her the keys,” the king demanded to his guards, his voice sounding strained.
“They can’t,” I offered. “They’re busy. Allow me.” I finished closing the distance between us. Who knew how long my magic would hold. But I needed those keys. Krew couldn’t help me with his magic, weakened or not, until I freed him from those gauntlets.
As I reached down for the keys, I saw for the first time fear in the king’s eyes. He truly believed he might die. And considering the panic he’d given his own sons today, the fear I’d felt from Krew that he might die, I relished in it. I had half a mind to unsheathe his sword next to the keys and drive it into his chest. But would parliament sit back and watch a blatant murder attempt of their king? I had only thus far immobilized the king, I had yet to draw any blood.
Despite an intense feeling of wanting to grab the sword which traveled all the way down my spine, I grabbed hold of the hook of keys instead. Not knowing which key it was, I threw them to Owen as I backed away from this despicable man.
A flash of emotion crossed his face as he closed his eyes a moment. An emotion I had never seen on his face and couldn’t figure out. “How?” the king demanded.
