Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
Croft
The raiding party had just arrived, and the reports were better than she could have excepted. Sloan and her party had killed hundreds of the enemy, but more importantly, they had crippled the supply wagons.
This new Sloan, fueled by the recent loss of her friend, was the best thing that could have happened to Azra; with war at their door, having a weapon like Sloan was invaluable.
Croft entered her room. The cell that had been erected for her youngest daughter was still there.
Elizabeth lay sleeping behind the bars, with Abigail sleeping on the other end.
Her daughters were stronger than she could ever be, the bond they shared strong enough to overcome anything thrown their way.
Croft intentionally made noise as she walked into the room—the bracelet she held clanged against the ring of keys she palmed in the same hand.
“Good morning, girls.” Croft motioned for a sleepy Elizabeth to meet her at the cell door. An empty tray of food was at her feet. “I see you decided to eat for the first time since you’ve been to Azra.”
“Yeah, well…” Elizabeth let out a long yawn. “I was getting hungry, and it doesn’t look like you’re going to let me out of this cage any time soon. FYI, that bucket you gave me to poop and pee in is horrible.”
“Yes, well, I hope we can move past that soon.” Croft placed a key into the lock of Elizabeth’s cell door. “Before I let you go, I want you to put your hand through the cell and allow this bracelet to be placed on your arm.”
“And why would I do that?” Elizabeth rose and placed her hands on her hips. “I think you’re forgetting that you and I don’t exactly have the most trusting relationship.”
Thus far, Croft hadn’t said anything to Abigail, and neither had Abigail moved besides to stand from her sleeping position. Croft said a silent prayer that her plan would work.
Abigail finally broke the silence. “What’s the bracelet for?” She rubbed sleep from her eyes. “It’s going to stop her from using magic, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.” Croft directed her attention to Abigail, though she placed the bracelet into her open palm so both girls could get a good look at the piece of jewelry.
“It will impede a witch or a wizard from being able to touch the magic inside of them. Likewise, if it’s tampered with, it only bonds stronger to the wearer. The only way to get it off at all is if it’s removed by the person who places it on.”
“Bwahahaha!” Elizabeth shook her head so hard, her long, red hair swayed from side to side. “If you think I’m going to let you put this on me, you’re high.”
“Not me.” Croft nodded to Abigail. “Your sister should be the one who puts it on and the one who will be able to take it off.”
Abigail blinked, trying to understand her mother’s ploy. She looked from her sister to her mother and back again.
“And then she can come out?” Abigail picked up the proverbial pass in conversation. “We can get her out of this cage?”
“Yes.” Croft looked down at the bracelet like she was actually thinking of something instead of pausing for dramatic tone. “She’ll have free reign of Azra, under your supervision.”
The silver bracelet was a band of twisted steel that ended with yellow stones on either side. The yellow stones glowed with magical power. It was easy enough for a witch of her control to craft it, but it would be ten times harder to have someone allow themselves to be fitted with it.
“If you think I don’t know what you’re doing…
” Elizabeth huffed as she put her arm through the cell door.
“I know exactly what’s going on here. You forget, I have the ability to read people’s minds, and that’s not related to magic at all but to the experiments done to me in the cave laboratory in Burrow Den. ”
“If you can still read minds, then why did you believe Leah in the first place?” Abigail asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why didn’t you just read my thoughts when I was telling you the truth that I didn’t abandon you?”
“Because she was being manipulated by the best,” Croft answered for Elizabeth. “Someone with Leah’s power, to take control over another person … to them it’s an art. Leah is the very best at manipulating people to do what she wants.”
“So you’re going to do this?” Abigail looked over at Elizabeth for a final word. “You’re okay with this?”
“It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.” Elizabeth pushed her arm even farther through the cell bars. “Come on, let’s get it over with. I’ve been dying for a shower.”
Abigail nodded, opening her hand for Croft to drop the bracelet into her palm. Croft slipped the magical bracelet into her oldest daughter’s open hand.
“What do I do with it now?” Abigail turned the item over in her hands to examine it from every angle. “Do I need to say a special spell or do some kind of magical hand gesture as I put it on her?”
“Um … nope, it just snaps on.” Croft smiled at her daughter who was obviously disappointed by the simple answer.
Abigail approached Elizabeth with the open bracelet in her hands.
She snapped the piece of jewelry on her sister’s left wrist. The yellow stones on each end of the bracelet gave off a bright glimmer of light before dying down once more to a steady glow.
The bracelet shrank to fit Elizabeth’s wrist perfectly.
“How does it feel?” Abigail took a step back to admire the piece of metal around her sister’s hand. “Does it hurt?”
“Nope.” Elizabeth retracted her arm, twisting her wrist this way and that as she examined her new piece of bling. “But I can smell myself, so about that shower?”
Croft twisted the key in the lock. A loud click filled the silence before the cell door swung open in a wide arc. She stepped to the side and waved her younger daughter forward.
“If Leah’s hold on you is dulling now, you can read my mind and know that everything I’ve told you is the truth.
You may not love me, but you know that I love you.
” Croft looked over to Abigail. “I’m not going to have any guards follow you.
They have all been instructed that you and Elizabeth are to have free reign over the city.
As you both know, the fighting is about to start, and when it does, I think it would be best for Elizabeth to be as far away as possible from Leah’s manipulation. ”
“What are you saying?” Abigail asked, trying to piece together her mother’s words.
“She wants us to leave the city,” Elizabeth answered her sister. “She wants you to take me away.”
“What? No way.” Abigail looked at her mother like she was crazy. “I’m not going anywhere. We’re finally together. Elizabeth isn’t trying to kill us, and now you want us to go?”
“I can’t make you leave, but it would be for the best for you to go,” Croft said, hating every word. As a mother, it wasn’t about her any more. From the beginning of her journey it was never about her, and it could never be about her ever again. “You and your sister have to make your own choice.”
“Yeah, and right now, I choose to take a shower, unless you two want to smell a sweaty magic-bracelet-wearing witch for the foreseeable future.” Elizabeth took a tentative step out of her cell, expecting that she might be shocked, or somehow this had all been an elaborate trick.
When nothing happened, she let out a deep sigh.
Theo rushed into the room a moment later. The large shifter’s eyes were wide as he nearly tripped over his crutch. “Scouts are reporting that despite Sloan’s attack, the New Hope army is pushing forward. They’ll be here by nightfall.”