Page 82 of Into the Abyss
Two more jinn pounced on Magnus, and thesickening thud of fists hitting flesh filled the clearing. Mystomach lurched when Magnus’s legs gave out and he nearly wentdown. Catching himself before his knees hit the ground, Magnuslurched forward and sank his horns into the belly of a jinni. Thewoman screamed as Magnus propelled her into a wall, but the otherjinn were already tearing him away from her and dragging himdown.
“If he dies, I die, Paupi!” I screamed, andmy father’s eyes swung back to me. “He’s my Chosen. Don’t let themtake him from me!”
Magnus managed to tear the heart from thechest of another jinni before they succeeded in pinning him down.He thrashed against their hold, but they yanked his hands behindhis back, and two of them sat on his torso while two more kept hislegs restrained.
Magnus’s silver eyes were black with wrathwhen they met mine. Restricted like that, there was nothing hecould do. None of the jinn would fall for his illusions, andcloaking himself would be useless while they held him.
I could not stand here and watch him die. Ijerked forward again, but my father and Nalki didn’t budge thistime.
“Olgon, do not kill him!” my father shoutedas Olgon approached Magnus.
A sneer curved Olgon’s mouth when his gazeswung back to us. “Don’tkill him?”
“He’s Amalia’s Chosen.”
“Please,” I pleaded. “I’ll take him fromhere, and we’llnevercome back.”
“And will you return their lives to them?”Olgon inquired and waved his hand at the six dead jinn litteringthe ground. I hadn’t realized how much destruction Magnus wageduntil they succeeded in taking him down.
“You would defend yourself and your Chosenif you had one,” I said. “That’s all he was doing. You shouldn’thave taken me from him.”
“Until you brought him here, he had noreason to defend himself against us. We would not have attacked theChosen of one of our own.”
“But you did attack his camp, and you areattacking the Chosen of one of hisfriends! She may be deadalready! You have also killed numerous friends of his! What you didto them and what you are continuing to do is wrong, and you knowit! Younevershould have brought the horsemen here, and nowyou’re allowing thosethingsto cloud your judgment!”
“Things?” Lust purred.
Magnus jerked against the jinn holding himas a cold chill ran down my back. Lust’s emerald eyes glitteredwith amusement when they swung toward me, but malevolence oozedfrom her.
“Now, now, I’m sure the child meant noinsult,” Pride said. “She’s frightened for her Chosen.”
“You could have helped us to bring the demondown,” Olgon said to Sloth. “Before he killed so many of us.”
Sloth covered his mouth with his hand as hefaked a yawn. “Why would I?” he inquired. “I do so much enjoy agood show; the demon provided one for us. I was duly entertainedand impressed.”
“I must agree,” Lust murmured. Full-blownrage tore through me when she licked her lips and eyed Magnus likea treat she intended to devour. “And what an attractive, enticingdemon he is. I wonder….” Her voice trailed off as she ran a handover her breasts and turned her attention back to me. “Perhaps wecould keep him alive, but you must be made to pay as you did betrayyour kind and you did call usthings. I’ve killed for less,and I could never allow such offenses to go unpunished.”
My heart lodged in my throat when she nudgedher horse, and the beautiful beast made its way toward Magnus.
“Youbothmust be punished as thisone follows the king.” Lust swung from the back of her horse andlanded on the ground. Her step was so light she seemed to floatacross the rocks as she made her way toward Magnus with her whitehair trailing across the ground. “And the show this demon put onand the destruction he wrought is just so…arousing.”
CHAPTER 35
Amalia
The hunger emanating from Lust beat against me andleft me with a hollow sensation. The jinn sitting on Magnus lookedready to bolt from her approach, but they stayed where they were,and Magnus remained helpless to escape them.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” I cried asMagnus shrank away from Lust.
“What must it be like for one Chosen towatch their lover fuck another,” Lust pondered.
“No,” I moaned. When she knelt at Magnus’sside, my legs gave out. My father and Nalki kept me up, and myfather cradled me closer to him.
“Olgon, stop this,” my father said. “ForAmalia to witness such a thing is a punishment worse thandeath.”
The look on my mother’s face mirrored myfather’s words as she spoke. “Olgon, do not allow this.”
Olgon didn’t acknowledge my parents as heremained focused on Lust and Magnus. The indifferent airsurrounding my uncle shredded my heart further. Until then, I’dheld out some hope he would let his anger go and become the lovingman he once was, but that Olgon was lost forever. This vengeful manhad taken his place and would destroy anyone who he felt stood inhis way.
