Unlikely Queen (Crystal Castle 1)

Tatiana was friends with her at one point, and I wonder if she ever knew what was happening.

“The spell has to be chanted when the moon is at its highest, and a blood sacrifice must be made.”

“What?” My voice squeaks at his words.

“Someone must die for you to work the spell. The blood you use has to come from someone you killed by your own hands. Then and only then can you say the spell and all barriers she has created will be broken.”

Kill someone!

Again.

This is not something I’m willing to do. I cannot sacrifice an innocent, the blood will be on my hands if I do so.

“Even if the lives of everyone you love depends on it?” Viper asks, reading my thoughts. “There has to be a sacrifice. There is no other way. You cannot break magic this powerful without it. Surely your angel told you this?”

“No, he did not.”

“I was only going to give you one of your companions to take with you, but now I am feeling generous, and I’ll let you take both, so you have a choice on which one you will kill.”

“I won’t kill anyone again.”

“You say that now, but Talia…” he leans forward before continuing, “…your destiny says otherwise. One day, you will be a warrior queen. Why do you think your sister has trained you so hard? She knows one day she will no longer be there for you, and you will only have yourself to depend on.”

“You don’t know me.”

“But I do. I know you crave the touch from Death… or Grim, as you like to call him. I know you do not understand your feelings toward him. And soon, they will become even more tangled. You are going to be my favorite soap opera. In case you don’t know what that is, it’s what the humans used to watch for fun.” He lifts his glass of wine and takes a drink.

“Sir.” We turn to Cinitta.

“It’s time.” Viper stands, pushing his seat back. He walks over to me and leans down until his mouth is basically touching my ear, then he whispers the spell. When he pulls back, his face shows a blank expression. “You have two hours to reach the border. It takes three. Good luck.”

I watch as he walks away and Patrick strides out of the room straight after he leaves.

“My head hurts.”

I manage a somewhat weak smile and turn to Cinitta. She hands me a small bottle, and I take it, placing it in my jacket pocket, then follow her to where my sister is waking from her sleep. She appears rested.

“We have to leave.”

“Take this.” Cinitta hands Tatiana a small bag, then she disappears as quickly as she came.

“Shit! She can move fast,” Tatiana states.

“We have the spell, and we only have a couple of hours to get to the barrier. But, Tatiana…” My sister is moving before I can finish my sentence. She doesn’t know the consequences of what we are about to do, but I also have no idea how to stop her. My feet are unable to move as I watch her walk out of this place that has held us captive.

Patrick looks back at me in concern. “You are drenched in fear.” He steps close and sniffs, using his perfect wolf nose.

“We can’t do it,” I tell him.

He eyes me suspiciously and looks over his shoulder at Tatiana, whistling to her. She stops and comes back to us.

“What are you doing?” She’s flustered, I can tell by the way she is holding herself. Her eyes are flicking around, checking for problems. Her breathing is shallow but fast. She wants to leave here as much as I do, but she has no idea what leaving means.

“Your sister is worried,” Patrick says, and Tatiana’s eyes finally lock on me.

“Why? We need this to get Tanya back. Is that not what you want?”

“Of course it’s what I want!” I scream at her, then instantly regret it. “There is a price to pay for breaking the damn barrier.”

“And did you think it would be free? Not in all hell would it be free,” my sister says while shaking her head. “You’re smarter than this, Talia. Everything worth fighting for comes at a cost. Why are you being so stupid right now?” Tatiana only speaks to me like this when I have pushed her last nerve.

“He said the spell only works with a sacrifice…” neither of them speaks before I continue, “…and that only the blood of the person I kill by my own hands will work.”

Tatiana starts walking again. “Hurry up! We have a ways to go and we can’t be wasting any precious time.” She ignores everything I have just said, but Patrick does not.

“We will figure something out. Come, before your sister kicks both our asses.” He turns and follows Tatiana.