Page 39 of Caroline the Cruel
The God’s power floating through her body felt terribly similar to the Gift. If she could take just a little of that power, compel Love to give some up, she could heal herself. Maybe even prevent the Gods from stealing her way to punish her for using the Gift they themselves had granted her family line.
Caroline sensed Love was the easiest target, perched across her like she was. Pitiless pale eyes stared down over, only a foot from her face. This close she could see they weren’t pupilless. White centers, nearly the color of the pale irises around them, pulsed with an inhuman glow.
Another scalding wave crashed through her. She had to get ahold of the pain. As she fought, more of Love’s power flooded into her, a chill against the scorching heat. Seizing the moment, Caroline pulled on her own threads, heaving them up from the depths of her core and unleashed everything she had at Love. What the Gods didn’t know was the will the steely woman they had helped create possessed. No one would be so bold as to attack a God. But Caroline was.
Give it to me.
A new agony rocketed through her, whiting out her vision. It was Love’s power. Her compulsion had worked. And it wasn’t the trickle she’d intended to take. It was a flood.
Love stiffened, fighting against Caroline’s desire, but it was too late. The queen had caught her off guard, had her compulsion sunk deep into the God’s mind and was forcing her to expel all their power out. Caroline was becoming stronger with each drop. When she had taken everything, she released the pale creature. Love’s eyes had lost that unearthly glow, and they raised a hand to their mouth, scrambling off Caroline.
A fearful Love would alert the others to her newly formulating scheme. A thought, and Caroline froze Love and forced the powerless God to re-approach the others still kneeling over healing her and speak.
Love’s voice quavered. “She’s no longer in pain. Our daughter will rest now.”
Caroline kept her hold on Love, as she used her power to send a compulsion to Pain and Justice.
Feed me your power. Release it into me.
Their arrogance shielded her from their suspicion. They stiffened, shock bleeding from their features as she slipped in unnoticed. Justice rattled as he fought her control, teeth clenched. Seething. With Love’s power, and the energy she was siphoning in from Pain, it was too late. Like it had happened with Love, excruciating seconds of white-hot energy licked through her, and she relished it. Holding on, she drained them to a husk. The power funneling into her was making her heady, and she moaned at the sensation.
Life and Death looked up at their fellow Gods in alarm right as Love slumped to the ground. Or her white robes did. The two remaining Gods and Caroline stared as Justice and Pain shriveled up and disintegrated before their eyes, drifting through a swirling breath of air to the edges of the vacant space until they were no more.
Before, the Gods had suffered no consequences for their torments. They would pay the ultimate price for it now, at Caroline’s hand.
Armed with her new power, she came to her feet and turned her attention to the remaining two.
“How could you?” Life breathed.
A wicked grin tore across Caroline’s face. Life was all too easy to take.
She batted Death’s hold away as she accepted what Life unwillingly gave her, reveling in the anguish. “You’ve earned this. For hundreds of years, you tortured my ancestors, my father, for using the power you gave us.”
“What you asked for was too great,” Life spit between gasps.
“Then why did you allow us to have it?”
“We were bound to give it to you. When the kingdoms were separated, we vowed to arm each with one power, anything of their choosing. What the first King Ivanslohe chose wasn’t an overreach. Your ancestors were too bold. There had to be a balance.”
“And your family accepted the bargain willingly, daughter,” Death cut Life off. “Still, it wasn’t enough. Your ancestors used it, accepting the consequences far too easily. We feared we’d created a monster too powerful to tame. You needed a leash.”
“So, you created the rosenwood tree and gave it to the Veetula royals.” Caroline swallowed, looking at the crumpled white robes at their feet.
“We did. It was the threat they needed to keep your ancestors at bay.” Death’s jaw flexed as they ground their teeth. “Now I see you’ve become the monster we were afraid of.”
Caroline laughed. “You have no idea.”
Life thudded to the striated white stones, then followed the others into oblivion as dust.
Death studied his fallen companion’s robes. “I won’t be so easy to claim, daughter.”
A wind whipped around Caroline, and a new torment rode on its wake. Her chest drew to the sky, feet lifting off the ground as Death’s power ripped through her. A scream unleashed itself. She fought back, willing him to stop the onslaught. As their powers clashed, his hold on her was released and she crashed to the ground.
Glancing up from her hands and knees at the God looming before her, she shot out a new web, trying to wrangle control of every cavern of their mind. A thought occurred to her. Caroline narrowed her eyes as she stared up at the God.
“You said when our ‘kingdoms were separated.’ They weren’t always separated? Who separated them?” Her mind raced alongside her aching heart. Caroline brought both hands over her mouth, unable to hide her shock. “It was you. The Gods created the rift between our kingdoms. The hate, the distrust that have existed through the generations. That was you who sowed it?”
Death sneered, not denying it. “Sometimes endless time is not a gift.”
