Lleu

It’s strange wearing my old lady’s maid uniform. The whites with gray undertone. Though, I’ve always hated how the dress is shorter in the front. The regular maid’s outfits are designed like this.

Alarik throws his head back with a steamer in hand. “How many more dresses do we have to do?”

I laugh, strutting across Margot’s dressing room and swipe the steamer from Alarik. “About ten more, in red. Then we start on the black dresses.”

With a kiss on my head, Alarik ties his hair back. “I love you, but can’t the dresses be pressed as she needs them?”

“It’s an aesthetic thing. If Margot is to act as Columess again, everything must be up to perfection, and these dresses have sat too long in storage.”

Alarik sighs.

“Okay pouty, how about you organize the bins of shoes by color?”

His face relaxes. “I’ve never been so excited about women’s shoes in my life.”’

“That’s more like it.”

Alarik heads to the bins and kicks the lids off, but as he does a piercing screech comes from his pocket. We both cover our ears. He pulls out his communicator from his pocket and silences it as he reads the screen.

Then his eyes widen. “Milo hit his panic button.”

“Maybe it was an accident.”’

“He’s never pressed it before.”

I gulp. It makes sense why Alarik was just as confused as me by the ear shattering noise of the communicator.

The dressing room doors fly open, Dune strides in, fit with his kaleidoscope mask.

“You got it too?” Alarik asks.

Dune nods. “It says his location is in conference room C.”

“Let’s go,” Alarik grabs my hand.

The proditors and I run down the halls to the south wing.

Lights flicker as we near the conference hallway, causing the men to slow their steps. Alarik places me behind him.

“Some of the proditors are already here.”

“Using a great deal of magic, no doubt.”

I gulp and hold tightly onto Alarik’s belt.

Just a few doors down from conference room C, we hear it. Knox’s cackle. Nausea crawls up my throat. Knox is here—laughing. But Milo hit his panic button. This can’t be good.

Dune places a finger to his mask for the three of us to stay silent. They tiptoe, and I do my best to mask the sound of my flats.

Alarik and Dune press their backs to the wall right outside the conference room, me snug between them.

“Let her go Knox,” Milo’s voice says from around the wall.

Knox laughs. “You kept her from me so long. Lleu too. Now you’ll watch as I have my fun.”

My lunch threatens to leave at the mention of my name. But also what may be occurring on the other side of the wall.

Dune looks to Alarik, then takes a silver dagger from his belt and holds it in front of him, using the reflection to see inside the room. I lean into Dune to see.

Knox’s hand is around Margot’s throat, her eyes in a far off world, while Crux holds her up. Onyx has a gun against Milo’s head. Behind it all, dead arbitors lie across the table and floor.

The metallic scent of blood passes my nostrils and my hands numb.

Alarik’s eyes paint a picture of many emotions—confusion, betrayal, fear. But he doesn’t let It last long, and his brows harden. He signals me to stand further back and hands me gun, then pulls two small crimson balls from his utility belt and hands one to Dune. They both place goggles over their eyes. Both nod to each other.

Mistress of the Imnicus - Deleted Lleu Scene

This scene takes place between chapters 26 & 27.