The crowd rumbled loudly.
I kicked the hill in front of me. “Goddamnit! This is why Connor stole the seduire stone, Cecil! It’s not to seduce me. It’s to seduce everyone else! He’s got Redmayne sucked right in, and if he gets the chance to speak, then he’s—”
“Now, as time is of the essence, we will hear from Prince Connor.”
Oh, shit.
“They call me the Devourer, and it breaks my heart to hear it.” Connor’s low, beautiful voice floated right into my ears, turning everything around me soft and foggy. “It is such a sinister name and entirely unfair.”
He sounded so sad. I itched to comfort him.
“Friends, I do not seek to consume spark stones to harm any creature; I do it to protect them. From her,” he said, his voice lowering, rumbling over the hill.
Oh, poor Connor.
“She will tell you herself that she seeks to close every realm’s spark stone so she can take the magic for herself.”
I rubbed my arms, trying to get rid of the buzzing feeling over my skin so I could concentrate on Connor’s beautiful speech.
Wait.
My skin was buzzing. I could hear his lies. No, a beautiful man like that wouldn’t lie. Not to me.
Vincent lied to you.
A jolt of pure panic chased away the last of the fog in my head. I clenched my teeth and concentrated, isolating the waves of Connor’s seduction magic as it floated out of the amphitheater.
“The Great Archer, Redmayne, is correct—the one they called the Chosen has an ulterior motive. Not only does she milk the last of the magic out of the stone before she closes it, but she also wants to close them so no other creature will evolve to challenge her.”
“Wow. What a fucking bitch,” Cecil snorted. “Chosen, why would you do such a thing?”
I slapped him on the back of his head, and his glazed eyes cleared. “I didn’t, you moron. He’s using the succubus powers!”
“The Chosen One is not even trying to deceive you. She will tell you all this herself. She wishes to close all the stones and keep the power for herself.”
Magic washed through me again, but it wasn’t as strong as before. I quickly looked. Cress, thank goodness, still battled with Grisela, ducking under her blows and fruitlessly stabbing at her ankles, while rolling under her stomping feet. Connor’s seduction magic wasn’t affecting her at all. Donovan, too, wasn’t affected, but Nate had dropped his flaming blue sword and had sat down, his eyes glazed.
Cecil let out a huff. “You sure had me fooled. I can’t believe you want to keep the spark stone’s power for yourself.”
“I don’t.” I slapped him again. “Fight it off!”
Cecil shook his whole body, and his eyes cleared. “Whoa, nelly. That’s some hefty magic, and that’s an amphitheater filled with people!”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Desperately, I looked up towards Donovan, furiously clashing swords with Agarthon. Nate sat in the grass, head tilted, eyes closed.
“I have a vision,” Connor went on. “A dream to share with all of you, and I hope you can see it, too. A dream of peace in all the realms. No more fighting, no more wars. All the Worlds united under one banner, under one rule. I alone can bring that to you. I alone am strong enough to fight the one who has committed herself to shutting down the spark stones that give you all life. I will keep you safe.”
His seduction power was already fading to almost nothing. His next words confirmed it. “I will return the stage to the Great Archer Redmayne, but first, I wish to offer you this chance to be a part of this glorious revolution. Join me,” he bellowed, a throb of magic pulsed through his words. “Join my army. Pledge allegiance to me, your true King of all Worlds, and I will keep you safe forever.”
This had been his game all along. Propaganda. Connor needed an army to fight me, so he was building one.
“We pledge allegiance to Prince Connor!” A voice shouted. Then another. And another.
I swore. The damage had already been done. It wasn’t too late to undo some of it, though. I had to get in there. “Cecil,” I spat through gritted teeth. “What will kill a troll?”
“I told you. Nothing will kill her,” he said, twitching his rump nervously. “The only thing that will stop a troll is distance.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do.”
I pulled on the heat in my belly, firing it with my outrage at Connor’s words. The bastard was trying to destroy my reputation, painting me as the bad guy. My fists clenched, and my arms grew bigger.
It wasn’t enough though. I needed more fuel.
A traumatic experience. That was it. I let myself sink into the depths of my worst nightmare—locked in a bare beige room, strapped to a table, head fixed in place. Forever and ever and ever…
My muscles bulged.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Chosen! Your ass is hanging out again! Hang on, let me—”
I barely heard him. I needed more. I thought of Vincent, stroking my hair, telling me he loved me while I wondered why I kept hearing strange screams coming from his studio. Courtney, shaking her head sadly while explaining that there was nothing she could do, and I’d have to plead guilty to manslaughter.
The ground retreated a few feet; I was growing. More.
Seraphina, stroking her pregnant belly in front of me. Gordon and Delilah, calling me a whore. A cold breeze hit my skin.
“Look, I’m just going to put you in spandex.” Cecil gagged. “God, I hate spandex.”
My muscles throbbed with power. My biceps were bigger than my head. It wasn’t enough. I needed more.
