The rebels couldn’t be that far away—she’d spoken to Ryker only a few hours ago. Some of the men wore suits and ties, so they must’ve been taken on their way to the Reunion. How had the rebels pulled this off without the women realizing their husbands were missing?
Her fingers dug into the back of the couch, and she stared behind the rebel.
The dark room appeared windowless, and the walls and floors were made of cement. Maybethey were underground?
The Chancellor strode with authority to the TV. “I’m ordering you to let them go.”
The man on the screen laughed. As if this was a joke to him. As if he knew something no one else did.
“That’s funny, Chancellor. You still believe you’re in charge. However, that is not the case.” He gestured to one of his armed companions. “Pick one of them and bring them to me.”
A cry of alarm erupted from the women on stage.
Even Valentina hissed, “Mother, put a stop to this.”
But the Chancellor did not respond to any of them. Not even her daughter.
One of the masked gunmen strode into the group of captives.
The rebel in charge looked back to the camera.
“You see, Ignatia, this is not a negotiation. You will do as we say, or Representative blood will spill.”
The one with the gun made a show of looking around the group. He bent, but a hand covered the camera before anyone could see who he’d picked.
They could still hear, though.
“That one.”
A grunt. The sound of flesh against flesh. A moan.
It was the worst soundtrack Brynleigh had ever heard.
Someone on the stage was crying.
The shock in the Hall of Choice was palpable, and horror was a bitter tang in the air. Even the Chancellor’s guards didn’t seem to know what to do.
Suddenly, the camera was uncovered, and visibility was restored.
Now, the rebels were in a smaller space. A light dangled from the ceiling, casting dark shadows on the room. Kneeling between two masked men, hoodless, bound, gagged, and struggling against their iron grip was….
“No!” Valentina screamed.
The fire fae broke free of the guards circling the other women and ran to the screen. In a show of emotion that Brynleigh hadn’t known the other woman possessed, Valentina grabbed the television.
“Edward!”
The fae’s head reared up. He screamed against the gag. His words were garbled, but there was no mistaking the fear in his eyes.
“Release him!” For the first time that evening, the Chancellor’s voice shook. “Let him go.”
The masked man reappeared, and the look in his eyes was darker than ever.
“No, I don’t think I will.”
A red ribbon of magic slipped from his palm, slithering through the air like a deadly snake until it hit Edward and vanished into him.
For one long, drawn-out moment, nothing happened.