Thirty-Eight
[A/N]: And FINALLY, the Robyn anthem. Gods, I've been holding on to this one forever.
Emperor's New Clothes - Panic at the Disco (I. Love. This. Video.)
I watched his smug smile from across the table.
He was damn pleased.
I was shaking. Not from fear but from the absolute anger I felt at his actions towards my parents. They struggled against the invisible grip that held them to their chair. They were trying to talk to each other but nothing would come out. It was as if he had taken their voice as he pinned them.
"Let them go," I growled. "They don't have anything to do with this."
Robyn smiled. "On the contrary." Damien's voice was like ice -it chilled me to the bone. "I will keep them as long as necessary so that you behave." He inhaled deeply. "Besides, their human fear is quite delicious. Such a high."
His words fueled my anger. I mustered my power within me and was able to stand raising my hand in front of me. Another wave of power from him and I was slammed back into the chair so hard the chair leaned back on its hind legs. The power he was using was oppressive, heavy and dark.
Once all legs of the chairs were back on the floor, he laughed.
"My, my you have gotten more powerful. I haven't had to use my nephew's power this extensively yet.
" His smile didn't falter. "Who took you from me all this time, dear?
Who has been training you, nursing you back to health?
" He laughed. "Whoever it is, you two share a powerful bond.
There is no way you would have become this powerful in such a short time without them. Tell me, who is it?"
He only laughed. "Is it Asmodeus? I learned about the bargain that you two made - don't worry, he won't be able to bring that to fruition."
It was the way he said it that made me worry about him. Despite whatever bargain he made to benefit himself, he had tried to help my parents. "What did you do to him?" I whispered.
He shrugged moving the glass in his hands to his lips. "I took him to the dungeon. He's either dead or hanging by his thumbs by now, who knows?"
My parents exchanged a glance with each other then looked at me.
Robyn took a long drink. "In any case, he won't be a bother for much longer." He looked at me pointedly. "You're welcome. I know you didn't want to be a part of that bargain."
Had Asmodeus told him everything? I licked my lips. "How did you know, Robyn?"
He smiled. Putting his glass down on the table, he crossed his long legs over each other and folded his hands in front of him.
"The copy, whoever it was glamoured as you - her power was waning while she physically got better.
It was little things as well. At first, I dismissed them as you not being yourself after the 'traumatic events' but I knew better.
Your copy was doing Dust, I knew the symptoms - Tianna taught them to me.
" He placed his folded hands on the table and leaned towards me.
"I could sense your power - I knew you were training to take me down.
Whoever was helping you was speeding up the process in ways I couldn't do on my own.
" He smiled. "I played my part so that your copy wouldn't suspect until I knew you would come back.
I needed to give you enough time to become as strong as possible. "
I was shaking with fury still fighting against his power. It was useless. I couldn't move.
He frowned. "I didn't think you'd come back under my very nose though.
I expected pomp and circumstance and an ultimate battle for your triumphant return.
This was quite unexpected but fit into my plans very well despite it.
" He smiled. "When I knew you were back, I had to test you.
You killed those faes perfectly. I was incredibly pleased.
For the record, now that I have my nephew's power, it would have been very easy to defeat you.
" He signaled towards my parents. "I had collateral, after all.
There was a guard on them at all times - they would have slit their throats at my word. They're all very obedient."
I watched my parents' eyes widened in fear.
"Don't," I hissed at Robyn, "threaten my parents."
He frowned, placing a slender pale finger to Damien's lips. "Aren't you the least bit curious about who your real parents are?" He laughed. "Of course you are." He turned to my mother. "How did Emylin come to be your daughter?"
As soon as he finished, my mom's voice came back. She was panting, sweating, still struggling against the dark magic on her. She shook her head as he addressed her. "She's my daughter, I gave birth to her. I nursed her -"
He waved his hand and she stopped.
He leaned forward as he watched her with curiosity. I watched them stare at each other with bated breath as I tried to move from the chair. I took a breath and closed my eyes starting to build the power within me.
Robyn then laughed. "Good! Now tell them what you just showed me."
I opened my eyes and stopped. My mother looked at me expressionless, like she was a robot, reciting the same lines for the thousandth time.
"A small silver-haired girl came out of the woods," all warmth from my mother's voice was gone, it was a mechanical tone.
"She needed to hide, she was turning human.
She used the last of her powers to find a human couple to take her in.
She found us. We were her parents now. The magic bound us.
We were never to have children of our own.
We were hers, hers alone - our job was to protect her identity. "
I watched her stunned. I had thought a secret adoption was the worst thing that could happen.
This was much, much worse.
I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek.
Robyn broke the silence. "What about what you just told me? How you gave birth to her? How you nursed her?"
"Planted." She only said. "The magic used on us planted the memories as if they were our own. It used the hope and fantasies we had as a married couple of having our own children and created false memories."
I turned to my dad. He was still trapped in his chair watching my mom in equally stunned silence. He didn't know anything about it either.
Damien stood from the table. "Well," he said triumphantly. "That was a better story than I thought it would be."
Absolute anger rolled within me with his tone and I felt my fury come back in full. The anger I felt broke through the hold and before I knew it, I was pushing whatever power I could at him.
But I didn't move fast enough.
In one swift move, the contents of the table were thrown aside to the ground. My hands were slammed together by the wrists and I was pulled forward on the table. My thighs hit the end of the table as I was thrust down on it with such force the table buckled beneath me.
Robyn laughed. "You have almost worn me out by holding you, dear.
" I felt him move around the table until he was standing behind me.
"Fran," he called to my mother. "Be a dear, fetch that wonderful iron statue you have in the living room and bring it to the table.
It's time to fashion some shackles for your daughter. "
She moved mechanically from the table and out of sight into the living room.
"You know," Damien spoke from behind me. "I can see why my nephew was so taken by you. You have qualities that make a great queen."
"Oh," I hissed. "Shut up."
Damien laughed as my mother came back into the room.
"Good," he said. "Now, my dear, I need you stay perfectly still. Fran, place the iron over her wrists."
As soon as the iron touched my skin, I screamed.
The iron statue that she placed on me was an intricate vine design from their trip to Greece one summer. It was long and he'd used his power to elongate it and wrap it around my wrists.
It felt like a large red-hot metal band was placed over my wrists making me cry out absolute agony.
I was being branded with fire and ice and magic all at the same time.
I could feel my skin bubbling and smell the burning flesh.
My hair loosened, it was no longer in a long brown braid.
The silver tendrils fell across my face as I buried my face beneath my arm to muffle my screams.
I felt my power draining.
In the corner of my eye, I saw my father try to move towards me. He still couldn't move.
I trembled from pain, from fear even as Robyn walked around the table taking in what he'd done.
"This is to make sure you don't try to move on me again, stay still or it will hurt even worse."
I whimpered against my tears and looked up at him.
How?
How did it come to this? How had he overpowered me so easily?
I looked at Damien's amethyst eyes through my tears and pleaded with him, "Damien. I need you to help me."
He scoffed. "He's dead, dear. There is no one that can save you."
I shook my head. "Damien, please, I need you to help me."
Robyn smiled smugly. "This is pathetic, Emylin. Even for you."
I cried out as I moved my hand again. I stayed still. "Please. Damien, I can help you. I can help you reclaim your body. I can help you defeat him. But I need you to take control."
Robyn raised an eyebrow.
"Damien," I said again. "This is our moment. Here. Now. I need you to help me. Right now."
Damien dropped the wine glass in his hand. The glass crashed on the tile floor and he took a step back.
Then another.
I held my breath as he watched me and ...
Chaos erupted.
All of the glass around us exploded. The glass table beneath me, the glass framed pictures on the walls next to us, the windows, the sliding glass doors everything exploded into glass fragments all around us.
I fell into the pile of shattered glass that was the dining room table beneath me. The iron that had been on my wrists fell in front of me, finally freeing my wrists. The stifling dark force that had been holding on to me was finally released letting me move again.
I stood quickly and when I looked at Damien, he was holding his hands to his temples. He was stumbling back and the furniture around him moved on its own as if it was being pushed away from him by that same force.
I took a step towards him but was stopped by a large invisible wall in front of me.
I could see Damien straining - he was fighting something inside him. He was pulling his hair, his eyes were shut tightly. "Get them out of here, Em!"
My heart melted.
Damien.
My Damien.
I moved quickly, fighting the dizziness that was slowly creeping. Before looking at either of them, I managed to specter Woof into my waiting hands. He struggled against me. I handed him to my dad. "Hold his mouth open."
I reached into my pocket and opened the vial, pouring whatever was left into his mouth.
The small dog sneezed and thrashed but managed to drink the juice. I threw the vial on the floor and looked at each of them. "I need you to hold on to me and whatever you do, do not let go."
I didn't wait for confirmation and reached out to each of them, grabbing their wrists.
I thought of the safest place I could.
I couldn't go to the Keep.
I couldn't go to Asmodeus's home like the original plan.
There was only one place in the Underworld that I ever felt remotely safe.
There was only one person I could trust to keep the people I loved safe.
Mustering everything I could, I spectered to Skryen.