Cyrus might look ancient with his long-flowing beard trailing upon the dirt and grass and his weathered skin, but he brimmed with power so strong it felt like her skin was being stroked by thousands of volts of raw electricity.
She’d found it odd the day she’d stood before the council that not only Rivet but Babak had deferred to Cyrus’s wishes in the end, and it seemed her first impression had not been far off the mark. Cyrus might not hold the centermost seat of power at the table, but he was the final authority on all things genie.
“Leave. Us.” The old man’s voice did not quiver as he stared up at the younger, more virulent Rivet.
With a hard clench of his teeth, Rivet tossed her one final withering look before vanishing in a puff of brilliant smoky gray shadow.
“Girl.” Cyrus glanced over Nixie’s shoulder. “Stand up, please.”
Realizing he spoke to Luminesa and not herself, Nix took a step to the left.
Swallowing hard, Luminesa stood. It was easy to see she was still horribly nervous; her fingers twiddled over her plain blue dress and her legs trembled. Nixie had hoped to have enough time to strip the memories from the girl’s head, taking the last few hours away from her completely so that she’d never need to remember the violence and brutality of what Josiah had done to her, but Rivet had found her too quickly.
Cyrus walked slowly up to her, stopping at a respectful distance, and holding up his hands in supplication when she jerked away like a startled rabbit seeking shelter.
“Stay right there.” She pointed at him. “Don’t come closer to me.”
“As you wish.” He bowed his head. “What has been done to you cannot be undone. There are no words of comfort to take away what Josiah has stolen from you. You must understand”—Cyrus patted Nixie’s wrist gently—“Nix had no choice but to follow her master’s orders. I’ve reviewed the incident and she followed every protocol exactly. She did not force you into his bed, she did not even force you to come to him—would you say this is true?”
Luminesa sniffed, rubbing the back of her nose with her wrist. “Aye. ‘Tis true. She told me why I was wanted, I came of my own accord. But you must know that I never expected him to—”
Nodding, Cyrus said, “Yes. We know. He has violated you most cruelly and for that, I shall give you a boon. I can erase your memory, make it so that you never remember what took place, not even Josiah himself.”
She clenched her jaw.
“Or,” he continued on, “you can have one wish. The option is yours.”
Nixie bit her bottom lip, pleading silently with Luminesa to take the first option. To take the comfort of forgetting.
“One wish, you say?”
“Luminesa,” Nixie piped up, “don’t do it, forget this. Forget him. Please, you don’t need to—”
Grabbing her shoulder, Cyrus shook his head roughly, giving Nix a hard and angry stare for the first time. That look, from the one genie she’d always felt to be a semi-ally, quelled Nixie’s words immediately.
Cyrus was angry with her. More than angry. For a second she’d allowed herself to hope that he’d understood, that he’d seen she’d done good, even if she’d broken genie law to do it. That hope died a swift and brutal death.
“It is not for you to decide for her, Nixie. You’ve done more than enough.”
The words pricked her heart and had her hanging her head in humiliation.
“I choose the wish then.” Luminesa’s voice was altered, no longer quivering and full of pain, but steely determination.
A cold and ominous chill snaked down Nixie’s spine. Her gaze flicked between Cyrus and the girl. Had he heard that too, or was it merely her imagination?
But the man stood thoughtful and seemed unfazed by the girl’s sudden about-face.
“I wish to never be at the mercy of a man’s hands again.”
Such benign words and yet Nix didn’t trust them.
“Granted.” Cyrus flicked his wrist and Luminesa was encased in a wall of ice.
Nix twirled on him. “What have you done?”
“She wishes to be cold and so I am making her cold. Do not worry, she is not dead, and when she is reborn she will be made of ice.”
She looked at the girl and as impossible as it was to believe, the thick block of ice didn’t seem to be imprisoning her, but rather seeping through her pores. Like Luminesa was ingesting it into her very soul.
Nix shivered.
“You have done wrong, my dear, and there is no escaping your punishment.”
“You saw what that madman did.” Nixie pointed to the spot where Josiah had last been. “He didn’t deserve to breathe, let alone—”
“That was not your decision to make! Even on Earth there are laws, Nixie. You must know this. Even the vilest must stand trial before a court. You cannot be judge, jury, and executioner.”