A Gadramick walks up behind Ryanne and grabs her around the waist. She looks down at his arm around her stomach and then back up at Zahtri, eyebrow quirked. “Just as a precaution, darling. I know you could easily take him down.”
The Gadramick holding Ryanne looks shocked, but keeps his arm around her. Ryanne doesn’t struggle, but looks bored. I see her glance over at Liam and Adam and shake her head as she reads one of their thoughts.
“I gave Ryanne two options tonight. One, she could stand by my side and rule with me. With our combined powers, we’d be unstoppable. I’d give her everything she could ever want, but she didn’t like that option. The second option was that I finally kill her in front of you all. This would solidify my position and get rid of our biggest threat. Ryanne, here,” Zahtri walks over to Ryanne and grabs her from the Gadramick. Keeping a tight grip around her waist, he pulls her against his chest. David and Conner tighten their grip on me. “Well, she chose the second option. Apparently, there’s another man in her life, and she’d never fight amongst the likes of me.”
Zahtri reaches forward pushes her hair off her shoulder. Ryanne flinches away from his touch. “It’s a shame though,” Zahtri says as he looks toward the Gadramicks. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” A chorus of shouts and hoots from the Gadramicks answer. Zahtri lightly trails his hand down Ryanne’s side before resting on her hip. The weight on me increases as everyone tries to hold me down. I notice Liam struggling to get away from the Gadramicks holding him.
Zahtri turns Ryanne around so he is facing him. Ryanne struggles in his arms, but Zahtri tightens his grip. Even from here, I can hear Ryanne’s gasp from the pain. She’s not strong enough physically to go up against someone like him. Why isn’t she using her magic?
Zahtri smiles up at the Gadramicks before he crushes Ryanne up against his chest and kisses her. She squeals against him, causing the Gadramicks to laugh. All the sudden, Zahtri pulls back and forcefully pushes Ryanne onto the ground. She slams into the platform, unable to catch herself because of the handcuffs.
“She bit me,” Zahtri tells Dravin.
“I warned you,” Dravin says as he walks onto the platform. Liam and Adam both start fight against the Gadramicks holding them as Zahtri slowly walks toward Ryanne.
Get up. Get up. Get up. Get up. I almost jump up when Ryanne doesn’t move. I can see her breathing so I know that she’s alright. Zahtri crouches down beside her and smiles. Ryanne lifts her head, flipping her hair out of her face, and looks toward him. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you how to treat a girl? Your mother would be ashamed of you.” Laughter rises amongst all the Gadramicks in attendance at Ryanne’s boldness.
“What is she doing?” Natalie asks.
“I’m hoping she has a plan,” I mumble as I watch. I know that Ryanne is not known for having a plan. She usually doesn’t think before she acts. She just goes for it—no matter how dangerous. I look toward Tom. He shakes his head at me. When are we going to make our appearance?
“Still sticking with option two?”
“First is the worst, second is the best,” she sings as she stands up. “Why don’t you tell everyone how you really got your magic, Zahtri? Hmm? Don’t you think that everyone should hear that?” Zahtri tries to walk toward Ryanne, but she apparently has a shield around her because he stumbles back a couple steps. “You’re a mage, yes, but not a very powerful one. Why don’t you tell them about how you acquired your magic?”
“What is she talking about?” David whispers.
“Yeah…didn’t think I caught that, did you?” she asks him. “Why don’t you tell everyone how the witches aren’t really in hiding, Zahtri.” Ryanne takes a step toward him. “You killed them off. You took the extraction process that Dr. Arden perfected and stole their magic. You decimated an entire magical race so you could pretend to be an all-powerful mage. You dabble in dark magic because that’s the only magic you have. You were born into a mage family, but you never came into your powers. Instead of telling anyone, you obtained it in other ways.”
Fuming, Zahtri moves forward until he’s standing a foot away from Ryanne, at the edge of her shield. “Why don’t you explain to everyone how you were in hiding because you don’t have any magic of your own and needed someone to formulate some for you, because you’re a fake. A phony. A poser.”
Zahtri is seething. Why is she instigating him? The Gadramicks around us start talking amongst themselves. I look toward the doorway of the compound and see a man standing there, watching the platform. Ryanne gives Zahtri her sweet smile as she drops the shield and swings her leg around to kick Zahtri in the face. He stumbles to the side. Ryanne jumps forward and grabs something around his neck. Taking a few steps backward, she leans forward and pushes her magic out. Zahtri flies back and lands in the grass beside the platform. Dravin runs forward and attempts to grab Ryanne, but she pushes magic toward him as well. Like Zahtri, he flies backward.