"You will sit here until the earth eats away at your bones, and for you, my dear sister, that will be a very long time indeed ..."
*
After the use of dark magic, Liro is outcast from the sisterhood, stripped of her immortal grace and lifespan. Lef...
The obsidian of his eyes was the first thing Liro noticed. Then the sure, arrogant way he held himself. She fought the knot that grew in her stomach. Someone of her likeness, the Queen had told her. She couldn't be that ... cocky, could she?
"Olenna, please leave us," the man said, his eyes like the dark of the night. "I would like to repeat the conditions and terms that she is here by." He never once looked at Liro, his eyes only for the elderly woman whose lips were pursed too tightly.
Liro hadn't found an easy way to inform Olenna of her leaving. She'd simply let the words spill like ink, and when Olenna had asked if she was being ordered, Liro had let the woman believe. It was better than telling the truth.
Letting the woman know that she'd murdered a man and was being blackmailed into changing her position would not go over well. And it would defeat the entire purpose of the change.
Olenna purses her lips tightly. "I expect that she will be returned to me if there is a lack of performance."
"If she does not perform her duties right, she will be dead. Animals do not wish to keep their assailants breathing."
Olenna sighed. "Always the sunny person you set out to be."
Liro's mouth parted in surprise. They knew each other. At least, well enough to be informal, thought most of the palace's staff was when it came to each other. Perhaps the man before her would find out she had been planted here by the Queen ...
... and that word would surely find its way back to Olenna. The thought of having to face the woman she had lied to continuously tied Liro's inside into tight little knots.
"Kier, just don't push her too hard," Olenna reprimanded. "The girl has just seen someone murdered. Try to have even an ounce of sympathy."
The man - Kier - flashed an impetuous grin. "Perhaps not caving to her every wish will be just as beneficial as your endless coddling." Now, he did look at Liro. He did not look impressed with his new charge. "I do believe she's had enough of it."
Liro fought the urge to snap back. Leaving Olenna was certainly becoming more and more difficult, especially as she was staring at this monster who was now to be in charge of her.
No, not a monster, she reminded herself. Terms so harsh are reserved for you, not others.
Her, and her sisters. The horrific trio. Daughters of terror, bringers of darkness ... Liro had learned names from whispers around the castle in only her short time away from her sisters. Though none of the tales lived up to the images of her sisters that lit her mind constantly.
Yasri, with her ebony hair and smooth skin, and her tilted eyes. The anger that boiled beneath the surface of her skin, the pain that hid behind her smile.
Emina, who had a wrath like no other, who kept her rage bottled until the perfect time to unleash. Liro now knew what it was like to be on the opposite side of that rage, facing it rather than backing it.
She did not want to face her sisters again. They were much more cunning and cruel than she had ever anticipated. Especially once pitted against her.
Olenna pressed a single chaste kiss to Liro's cheek, her skin papery and dry, as if she'd spent one summer too many laying out in the sun. "If Kier bothers you," she whispered in her ear softly, "don't be afraid to bite back."
Liro hid her smile, her eyes sparkling as she beheld the man. Kier. The name suited him, its meaning the very colour of his eyes. Black. Perhaps the name was a perfect reflection of his soul.
Oh, she would enjoy this almost too much.
"Goodbye," Liro said, pulling away to gaze at the old woman. "And I promise you, I can handle whatever life decides to throw at me."
As Olenna turned and left, Liro wondered faintly wether or not life was going to throw a knife at her head next. With the way that Kier was looking at her, it couldn't be to far off of the mark.
"Wipe the smile off your face," Kier snapped, turning and walking away from her. "Don't expect sympathy for finding a man dead. If you have what it takes, you'll soon be the one delivering the blows."
Liro fought back a snarl. She wanted to shove the fact that she had killed Hexley in his face, watch his obsidian eyes widen with horror at the murderer that she was. Yet she simply pursed her lips and curled her hand into a tight fist.
"Then teach me how to become a monster," she purred.
His answering grin stilled the blood in her veins.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Thank you for reading my latest chapter! Remember to vote/comment if you enjoyed it :)
