Free Evanescent by Andria Buchanan Page A

you going to whimper for me? Cower away like a kicked dog? Like your mother used to?”
    There was another brief flash of light, and the pain in my throat loosened as my lips unsealed with a sharp rip . I took a deep, shuddering gulp of air and tried not to let him see how much I was shaking.
    “You will never rule this country through me.” I kept my eyes fixed on his and tried not to let my voice waver, even as I fought back another terrified sob. “Not even over my dead body.”
    “Oh, my darling, that can certainly be arranged.”
    “If you kill me there’s an army full of men and dragons who’ll come after you,” I managed to get out through gritted teeth. “There’s nowhere you can hide from them. They’ll hunt you down and kill you, and I’m pretty sure at least a few of them will enjoy it.”
    The Fate Maker tapped my nose with his finger. “Then it’s a good thing that killing you serves no purpose right now. Then again, not killing you doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you. Think about it. I can always get from Nerissette to the World That Is, and your mother is still there—unattended, unloved, with nothing but nurses and doctors to care for her while she lies trapped in that coma . All alone .”
    I tried to lunge at him but couldn’t move, no matter how much I wanted to struggle against the bonds tying me to the throne. “If you touch her then you can forget about the army of men that will come after you. I’ll kill you myself.”
    “No, you won’t. You don’t have it in you. So be warned, little girl: if you don’t want me to bring her back here to die at your feet you’ll do exactly what I say—and you’ll do it with a smile on your face.”
    “Stay away from my mother.”
    “Why? Wouldn’t it be a mercy to end her pitiful life?” He squinted and wrinkled his nose before touching my cheek, then gripping my chin with his thumb. “I could put her out of her misery. Don’t you want her to be at peace?”
    “You don’t know what mercy is.” I tried to bite his thumb since my mouth was the only part of my body that I could actually move, but he jerked his hand away too quickly. “You’re not capable of having an emotion that complex.”
    “True.” He shrugged and stepped away from me. “Then again, I made you queen. Once the cat brought you through, I was the one who made you a queen. Remember who cast the spells that let your silly friends stay here in the World of Dreams, too. If you don’t do what I say, then I’ll simply have to pop back through to your world and find another girl who’s better at following directions. I’ll replace you.”
    It hit me then. In all my fear, I had forgotten one very important detail. “Oh wait,” I started with a smirk. “There is no way back to my world.” I paused while his brow furrowed, letting it sink in. “The mirror is no more. Not even a fragment. When it shattered we collected all of the pieces and ground them into dust. Then the dust was scattered to the winds. Your link with my world is gone.”
    His eyes narrowed at me. “You wouldn’t have destroyed your only connection to your mother. There must be a piece remaining somewhere, something you kept for sentimental value. Besides, you can’t destroy magic that easily. It’s not something that you can just throw away.”
    “No, I destroyed it. All of it. And now you’re trapped here just like the rest of us. There’s no way back into my world. For any of us.” I tried not to blink as the lie slipped off my tongue. How could he have known? No one knew that I’d smuggled a shard of the mirror out in my pocket that day. That I’d saved a final link to my mother. That one last shard of the mirror remained, hidden in the toe of a pair of shoes inside my closet.
    “You think that stupid mirror was the only link I had to your worthless version of reality?” The Fate Maker laughed and leaned forward to slap his thighs. He snorted out a few more chuckles and then shook his