Chapter 67

Elaine felt herself magicked back to the damp, cold dungeon. It smelled like mold and Elaine shivered at the shock of cold air, when she had just been in a warm, comfortable room. The hard stone beneath her felt even more brutal than the soft chair of the queen. As her eyes readjusted to the darkness, her mind spun in different directions. Why would the queen try to recruit her? She had hunted her for months? Was it all for the sake of gaining more power?

All of a sudden, Elaine felt a rage well up inside her. She felt useless just standing here in the cell. She could not magic herself out; she was not that strong. So why did the queen think she was?

The word "useless" rattled inside Elaine's head, clattering like a dropped marble. She rushed at the bars, gripping them, and started kicking them with her foot. She felt like a caged tiger. She knew she had power, if she could only use it!

"Stop, you'll hurt yourself," said a voice in the darkness.