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If only they understood that they lost that opportunity by not being killed by my flames.
"Why don’t I demonstrate what will occur?”she began.“Loki.”
I stopped in my tracks and pulled the cigarette from my lips to blow out the puff of smoke. It was a distraction from the nauseous feeling settling into my stomach while I felt the heaviness of this collar around my neck.
Turning without a moment’s delay, I was back at the woman’s side and staring at the line of men until my gaze landed on the man who was still begging mercilessly.
“Please, Queen.” His raw voice trembled in pleading hope, and it actually made me feel sorry for him.
At least his suffering would be shorter than the rest…
As if my thoughts triggered the inevitable, the rest of the men in line flinched as the begging man's scream pierced the sky. My eyes couldn’t pull away from the sickening flames that flooded his frail body.
Whatever energy he had left went to him running out of the line and desperately rolling through the piles of snow in hopes that it would put the flames out, but it was becoming rather apparent that nothing was going to extinguish them.
I knew the men in a row all held their breaths while waiting for the man’s screams to dwindle into whimpers while his flesh melted off his bones and he was left in a pile of lifelessness, but that was the problem.
The screams didn’t stop, his flesh burned but wasn’t disintegrating into ash, and as the seconds turned to minutes, the horror began to seep into the lines of the remaining men.
“Why…isn’t he…” The cocky man was rendered silent and no one else could finish his sentence for him. They were beginning to see their true fate now that they hadn’t accepted death with open arms.
Now it didn’t matter how many times they begged for death to come and take their souls away. They were doomed to a cycle of burning flesh and endless pain, and they were about to find out.
“This is the punishment for those who do not submit to me.”Her revelation forced the remainder of the men to return their horrified gazes to her as she stared at the nails of her right hand as if there were an imperfection along the black, matte surface.“If you’d all just accepted death, Loki would have set you all on fire with regular flames and you’d be dead in a few short minutes.”
She paused from inspecting her nails to lift her gaze to the lot of men who were utterly speechless. The tips of her nails were burning with the same sick-colored flame that was still burning the man’s flesh.
Now his flesh was burnt black, but his skin wouldn’t get any more charred than it already was. He’d stopped running, realizing how it had done nothing to aid him, so now he resorted to clawing at his own crisped flesh in hopes that it would fall off.
“If you truly believe my army is to face one child, you’ve overlooked your worthiness,”she hummed.“My real puppet has been chosen, and it’s only a matter of time. Everything will all fall into place, and then I’ll have it all ready to go to make this circus a fulfilling show!”
Her laughter was manic before she sighed dramatically.
“So while your souls are stuck in these burnt bodies that will never die until my flames are extinguished, feel free to think of your princess. Think of that little he-she who waltzes through the world thinking it’s hers to rule when no one would willingly encourage a woman to lead an empire of wolves. Ask for her aid. Beg for her arrival and mercy and pray you can handle years of this anguish. Then, when she’s ready to rise upon this apparent empire, let’s see what you say. I’m sure five, ten, maybe fifteen years of this burning agony will make you submit to me. What do you think?”
None of them dared to speak, and she giggled and turned her attention to me.
“Loki, what do you think? I know you’re still learning the ropes, but shall we start with five years?”
I knew it was a test. A test to determine if I’d be merciful or be as villainous as she was.
“Why put a time limit?” My answer made me cringe in self-hate. “Life has no time limit until the born shifter makes a wrong decision that leads to their demise. Why should death be any different?” I offered, and my hard gaze landed on the wise man. I could see his fear now, and I couldn’t allow an ounce of pity to grace my emotionless orbs or I’d be joining them in an eternity of burning hell.
“They questioned your rulership. If they believe this princess is worthy of going against you, why don’t they wait until she comes back and saves them?”
I could feel my pride being chipped away, and if I wasn’t so broken, I’d be shedding tears on their behalf.
“Excellent idea, Loki,”she squealed, and her hand with burning flames reached out to grab my chin. My heart slammed to a stop, noticing how the flames shifted from the sickly green-blue shade to normal red and orange.
The scorching heat began to burn my flesh, scar my chin and cheeks, and spread along my flesh. I didn’t say a word, my expression blank of any form of emotion even as blood began to pool from my open burn wounds. My entire head would be engulfed in flames at any moment.
“You’ll always be loyal to me, yes?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I vowed.
She let go then and there, and it took everything in me for me to remain standing as the pain was literally unbearable. I was sure she was enjoying the seething agony I was enduring, but she flicked her wrist and I felt the swiftness of her healing magic.
“You’re lucky to have a merciful queen like me,”she hummed.“Though I guess I’m doing myself a favor. Wouldn’t want you bleeding all over my delicate sheets while you please me with the other slaves.”
