Emma The Red

on think to try to get out of your punishment by going back to your precious mortal plane, wench. Your magic has been sealed and your properties and assets are now where they belong, in the hands of the Delacroix clan that will utilize them better than you ever could. ”

Emma thought she was about to vomit so sick did she feel at Oriannas words.

Everything. Everything that she had worked for the last century -her wealth, her status, her freedom, all gone.

For a brief twelve hours, shed been free. Now, she a Delacroix again, little more than a slave. A pawn to Oriannas ambitions and greed. Without her magic, she could not hope to combat the woman, let alone her brothers and sisters that watched her as if she were a rebellious dog that needed to be brought to heel.

Struggling to get her muscles to listen to her, Emma pushed herself up until she was sitting on the wooden floor instead of laying on it prone to their abuse.

She could see the outline of a magic circle that had been burned into the wood during the casting of the spell that her family had used to seal her magic away.

Everything else had been left as she remembered from when shed been banished: extravagant, but spartan. A four-poster bed with high-end linens, a dresser, and a vanity made of wood from a tree that was now extinct. No pictures on the wall or any other means of expressing her personality. You weren allowed to have opinions in the Delacroix home, even if it was what color one should paint their walls.

Emma looked back to her mother, feeling strong enough to at least square off with her verbally, even if she was as powerless as a trapped firefly.

”Your right. ” Emma huffed, ”You never loved my father. Hell, I don think youve ever loved anyone. You married him in order to get your hands on Valorium mines in the south, and once his use was up and you produced a child that tied the two families together, dear old dad suddenly died under strange circumstances, especially for a witch. ”

Rising on shaky legs, she rose up enough to at least look down on her mother by a few inches.

”Let me guess. There was more riding on Philly than just winning the Trials. You needed her for something else, something that only an heir could do. You couldn give it to Laurette, shes too important to your goals because shell do what you tell her to without question. No, you broke my banishment because this gets rid of me while keeping your plans in motion. The only question is, what deals have you been making that you need to sacrifice another child. ”

Oriannas hand struck her so fast she didn have enough to shield herself. The blow to her cheek was so strong it sent her crashing back to the floor. Emma coughed, spitting blood onto the hardwood floors as she held her stinging face.

She looked down at her daughter, a haughty scowl twisting her face. ”Philomene knew the importance of putting this family first above all things, as we all should. She knew what was expected of her, as should you. But in this case, you won be my problem for much longer. ”

Orianna stood up straight, like an empress that got to the top by blood and violence. ”Tonight, as the moon rises, you will be wed to Prince Tragethaneus, Third Prince of the Serathak Demon Kingdom. After that, you
e no longer the property of the Delacroix clan, but the property of the Serathaks. ”

Sneering, she added, ”Youll be useful to the clan for once in your life and ensure a trade deal between us is completed. Then, I can wash my hands of your disappointment and never have to think of you again. Truly, I think Im getting the better deal. ”

Without another word, Orianna turned on her heels, her other children following behind her. ”Don try to leave, daughter. ” She said over her shoulder, ”You have no magic to cast to aide you nor will you receive any help from the staff. Best you save your energy for the wedding if you wish to live long enough to have some kind of use. ”