Chapter 29

Panic swims through my chest and attaches itself to my heart like a parasite, and i cannot stop myself from whimpering and dropping to my knees, ready to beg for my brother's life. Because although a part of me is angry that he would have killed me, i know that it would have hurt him to do so, even if it was only a small amount.
My father has already lost me, i cannot allow him to lose a son too, it’d destroy him, especially after what happened to my mother.
“Please Mihai.” I plead, my voice small, “Let my brother go.”
Mihai glances back at me, but he does not loosen his grip on my brother who is slowly turning blue. He's going to suffocate, and i can’t even muster to strength to do anything about it. I feel so broken inside.
My brother was going to kill me, and i was going to let him, why? Why should i give up my life because i haven’t taken the path that my family wanted me to?
“This vermin is your brother?” Mihai asks, looking at me in disgust. “He was going to kill you.”
Tears slide down my cheeks, “He thinks he’s doing the right thing, he’s loyal to the council.”
“All the more reason i should kill him.” Growls the Nati, “He will bring others here if i let him go.”
“We can just move again.” I say quickly, my eyes shifting to my brother, “Please, i know he was going to hurt me, but he is still my family, my blood. Let him go.”
Mihai growls but he drops Sean, his body crashing into the dirt as he coughs and chokes for air, vomiting a small amount into the mud. He looks between Mihai and i, hatred in his eyes, and then he reaches for another blade, aiming it at my chest.
Mihai snatches the blade from him and punches him in the jaw, knocking him backwards, “Do not take my mercy as a sign of weakness, i will still snap your nexk if you try that again.” he warns, “You are only alive because you sister asked for it.”
Sean narrows his eyes, looking directly at me, “She’s a traitor and a whore.” he says, “She deserves to die.”
Mihai punches Sean in the jaw again, knocking him backwards onto his ass. Serves him right, i just saved his life and he calls me a whore. What an ass.
Maybe its him that deserves death, not me.
I should have known this would be how he reacts, my family is more interested in their place among the council than actually caring about each other. I'm nothing to him, just a means to an end. He never loved me, not like i loved him.
“You're on very thin ice, boy.” Mihai says, his tone cold. “Call her a whore again and i will tear out your heart and feed it to the pigs.”
Sean looks at Mihai, and for a moment, just a small second, i saw the fear in his eyes, though he quickly replaced it with rage.
“I don’t need my sister to protect me.” He snaps, “I can do it my self.”
Mihai laughs, “Is that so?” he asks, “Because from where i am stood if it wasn't for her, you’d already be dead.”
Sean scoffs, rising back to his feet, “I’ll be seeing you again, sis.”
He moves to leave, but Mihai grabs his arm, “I didn’t say you could leave.”
My eyes widen and so does Sean’s, and i take a step forward, ready to protect my brother, even though my mind is telling me to let him rot.
He would have slit my throat and gone home to tell father what a failure i am, he’s get glory and I'd be dead.
Mihai points at me, but doesn’t look at me, “Don’t move, Mae, i will deal with you in a minute.”
Deal with me? What have i done?
Fuck, I'm so screwed, it’d be safer to be dead.
“What are you going to do?” asks Sean, “She told you to let me go.”
“All actions come with consequences, Sean, you should know that by now.” Mihai says, mocking him. “And despite my affections for your sister, she does not command me, and neither do you.”
He grabs my brother by the wrist and drags him down to the floor, quickly picking up one of the discarded blades.
My heart rate quickens, my body shaking, but i don’t move, if i do, I will only make it worse, for the both of us.
“Please Mihai.” i whisper, once again pleading with him for the life of the man who just tried to kill me.
I really don’t learn, but i can’t let my brother die because of me, if i didn’t call my father and ask for help, he wouldn’t even be here. It was my mistake to think they’d spare me once they learned i had been branded. I was stupid, and i won’t do it again.
“Shut up, Mae, this is the only time i will warn you.” He says, his voice filled with venom.
I've really fucked up.
Mihai holds Sean down, even as he tries to struggle his way out of his grasp, and he picks up the large knife pressing it against my brother's wrist.
My eyes widen when i realise what he is about to do, but i keep my mouth shut. Nothing i say will help him, and it’ll only make things worse for me.
Sean screams until his voice cracks and his body sags further into the mud as Mihai begins to slice through the flesh of his wrist, cutting all the way to the bone and then snapping what he couldn’t remove with the knife. He's taking his hand, the same hand that would have killed me.
I drop to my knees, covering my ears in an attempt to drown out the sound of his screams, but it doesn’t help, and i vomit all over the forest floor.
When Mihai is finished, we are sounded by guards and Sean is unconscious, his screams having died out long before Mihai was done cutting off his hand.
He looks pathetic, pale and covered in blood, but he also looks small and weak, just as we both did as children when our mother was killed before our eyes.
A pained sob escapes my lips and Mihai turns to me, the darkness in his eyes softening a little, but i could tell he was still angry with me.
“Take his body back to his car and leave him there.” Mihai instructs one of the guards, walking towards me as he wipes his hands on his trousers.
It doesn’t help, they are still drenched in blood, my brothers' blood.
“Come to me, Mae.” he orders, holding out his hand for me to take.
I do as he commands, stumbling to my feet and taking his hand, but i cannot stay on my feet, my body feels too weak, too tired.
I collapse back into the dirt, watching as the guard drags Sean’s body away, and wondering if he’ll even survive the journey to his car. He's losing a lot of blood.
The world spins as Mihai lifts me into his arms, “Don’t look, Mae, you are going to make yourself pass out.”
But it is too late, i have already seen my brother’s severed hand laying in the mud, and the world quickly turns black.
The darkness is a welcome escape.