~Wren~

My eyes widened as I realized what my uncle was saying. I needed persuasion? He was going to hurt Astra, then. I couldn't let him do that. It was easier when I got hurt, when I was the pawn he used to force my friends' hands. I could handle the pain, and Astra had proven herself capable of never giving in, of finding ways around and out of impossible situations. Me, though? The only time I'd been put in this situation, I'd caved almost as soon as it had started.

"No, please, don't hurt her," I pleaded as Stillens let go of my arm and turned his attention on Astra. "I really can't do what you think I can. I don't know how."

"It's fine, Wren," Astra called. "Let him throw his little temper tantrum. Maybe then he'll realize he has more in common with a toddler than a grown man."

I winced. What had gotten into her? She had always been brave when facing my uncle, but since Colette had fallen it was like she'd lost even a healthy amount of fear. It was like she'd been saying things just to make him angry. Surely that wasn't her plan, was it?

A hand came down on my shoulder. I flinched away, but it was only Nico. "She can take it, Wren," he whispered.

To be honest, if I'd known what Stillens was asking me to do, I'd probably have already promised to do it if it meant he'd spare Astra. But I didn't know what he wanted. I could only watch in horror as he approached her.

She'd crossed her arms defiantly. "You're a coward, Henry. Did you know that?"

Stillens didn't answer, but he also didn't start torturing her, despite the fact that Astra had long passed the "walking on thin ice" part and simply plunged into the icy depths. Why was she acting like this?

"All you ever do is sit back and let other people do your dirty work," she said, rolling her eyes derisively. "You sit up in your office, torturing teenagers and bullying children. Are you too scared to fight people your own age?"

"Your insolence is beginning to bore me," was his response.

"How utterly predictable."

Stillens started to raise his wand, and some part of my mind that was far outside of reason took over. Before I knew what I was doing, I'd pulled away from Nico, crossed the few yards between me and Stillens, and grabbed his arm. "Don't hurt her!"

They both blinked at me in surprise, and I let go and took a step back immediately, feeling nearly as shocked as they were. What had gotten into me?

Stillens' glare was cold and terrifying as he loomed over me. "Is there something you'd like to say, then?"

Astra looped her arm through mine, and that might've been the only thing keeping me from shaking. I hesitated, trying to muster the courage I needed to say anything at all when he was this angry at me. My voice was only a whisper when it came out. "I'll never do anything for you."

Astra squeezed my arm, a grin spreading across her face. "I'm so sorry, Henry. It looks like you're out of luck with both of us. Though I'd question whether you had any to begin with..."

He seemed unaffected, though I thought I saw his eye twitch. "I think you're forgetting that I know what it takes to break both of you," he said stiffly.

"Oh, please." Astra laughed. "Maybe with me that might work, but if you want Wren's charisma or whatever, you wouldn't dare breaking her. It would only make people love her more and you less."

"You speak of things you don't understand."

"I think you're the one doing that, actually." Astra tossed her head, seeming so collected. Once again, I found myself wondering how she was keeping this up when all I could feel was my heart beating in my throat. "Wren's kind and genuine and good. Perhaps if you'd ever tried that, you wouldn't have had to use terror to keep all your followers in line. But Wren wouldn't be able to help you, because she'd have to lose all the qualities that make people love her in the first place."

I felt my face heating up. It was uncomfortable enough for Stillens to be paying any attention to me at all, but Astra was really laying it on thick. Surely he could see through it, or at least he knew she was exaggerating. I couldn't tell why she was leaning into this idea of people just being drawn to me or something. Was she just trying to make him angry?

Stillens was regarding Astra with thinly disguised interest, though. Did he actually believe her? This was all getting too ridiculous... I had to stop it, right? "There's nothing special about me," I said softly. "That's just... it's just part of friendship. That's all."

Astra opened her mouth, and I couldn't tell if she was going to argue with me or concede the point. She didn't get a chance to, though, because Stillens had let out a derisive laugh. "To this degree? Come, Wren, surely you know that's not true.

I glanced helplessly at Astra, but she was just frowning at me as if I was the one who had missed something. My words were far less sure than they'd been a moment ago as I said, "It's just friendship..."

My uncle's gaze was chilling, and I felt frozen in place as he considered me. "You have the power to turn people against me on a scale I've never seen," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "You can use that power for me, or you can die."

My head was already shaking. "I... I don't..."

"How do you explain your father? The Williams girl? Pollux Russey?" He took a menacing step towards me, and despite Astra's firm grip on my arm, I fell back a pace. "Denying this won't make it less true, Wren."

Really, if I thought about it, I'd always known it would come to this. I'd never be able to escape my family, not really. Physical distance couldn't fix the poison they'd left in my mind, and they would never stop coming after me. I was always meant to die at the hands of my own family, wasn't I? From the moment my mother had left me with my grandparents, this had always been how it would end. I wondered briefly if she knew that she'd doomed me by allowing me to grow up with morals, or if today had been the first time she'd thought about my death.

"Kill me, then."

I felt Astra stiffen next to me, and though I didn't take my eyes off Stillens, I could see her eyes widen. I couldn't imagine why—she'd said similar things to him before, hadn't she? Besides, if he really believed what he was saying about me, he was bluffing. He had to be. He wouldn't kill me yet, not until he was sure I wouldn't ever give in. It was the same way he'd never killed Astra, despite this being the third time he's told her this is her last opportunity. He wanted her power, and now he seemed to want something from me, too.

And if he wasn't bluffing, well... being dead couldn't be much worse than waiting the battle out and living in a world where he'd won.

His face twitched, but he didn't kill me right that moment. That was good for Astra's sake; I guess I'd prefer it if he didn't do it in front of her. She might have lost it if she thought one more person had died for her.

We were at a draw, though. Until Stillens decided to just kill one of us, the worst any of us could do was yell or cast curses. That wouldn't change until the battle ended, when we'd either be miraculously rescued or whisked off to a lifetime in the dungeons. I wasn't holding my breath for the first option.

Astra startled me out of my thoughts. She'd turned her focus back to Stillens, and was watching him with a raised eyebrow. "You're jealous of her, aren't you?"

Now I really wanted to back up, but Astra didn't move or let go of my arm, so I was stuck only a few feet away from Stillens as his eyes narrowed at her. Why was she still antagonizing him?

"What would I have to be jealous of?" Stillens demanded, a warning in his tone.

Astra didn't heed it. "You rule by fear, but Wren could rule by love, if she wanted to. And in the end, I think that's a lot more powerful. You envy it."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stand up straight, not wilt as his eyes roved between us. Was he simply annoyed, or had Astra really struck a nerve? It was impossible to tell. I wasn't sure which would turn out better for us, if I'm being honest.

But then his eyes darted to something behind us. They widened with as much shock as I'd ever seen on his face. We were facing the direction we'd come in, but I could see Nico over Stillens shoulder, mouth dropping open. Astra whirled around, letting out a loud gasp, but I found myself turning more slowly, almost dreading what—or who—I was about to see.

My heart almost stopped. I was staring at a ghost.

~~~~

Question of the Day: How much therapy do you think these children are going to need after this?

Answer: Probably not as much as me, the one who thought of and chose to write all of this...?

Vote and comment!

~Elli

Word count: 1582