“Now, now, surely you can come up with a better insult than that,” I murmur. “My moniker is the Witch Queen, after all. It’s hardly even an insult. But, no matter, I will overlook your unremarkable intellect and get right to the point. Tell me who you take your orders from and what the rebels’ plans are. Why are you trying to get out of Thayaria?”

He only glares at me, and I sigh. I could force the confession from him, could use the aether-voice that commands any fae with less power than me—which, in my case, is every fae—to do as I command. One order to tell the truth and he’d be spilling all his secrets. But it’s a skill I use infrequently, uncomfortable with the idea that I have the power to remove someone’s agency and free will, especially considering what’s been done to me with this power by other monarchs. Not to mention, I do enjoy a little bit of torture.

“Fine, we’ll do it the hard way.” I tap into the aether around me, letting it guide me to the ivy growing along the stone walls. The vines creep toward the rebel, then wrap up and around his body, covering his mouth and eyes. They squeeze him tightly. At the same time, I force the air from his lungs. He struggles against the bindings, choking sounds filling the room. After a few moments, I release him slightly. “Ready to talk?” He remains silent.

The vines burrow into one eye socket, piercing and then crushing the eye within. His screams grow louder. For good measure, I send one tentacle snaking down his throat, gagging him, before ripping the air from his lungs once again. His knees collapse, and he dangles from where he is chained against the wall. When his body begins to convulse, I release the magic. With a snap of my fingers the light in the room vanishes except for an unearthly glow around me. As I approach him, the smell of piss wafts over me.

“We’ve only just begun, and already you’ve pissed yourself. Surely you knew the risks of angering the Witch Queen. Surely your leaders told you what would happen if you were caught unleashing a magical bomb in my kingdom that injured dozens of innocents.” I practically growl the words, my fury rising. With clenched fists, the control I have over my magic slips slightly, and I feel the room quiver around me.