Chapter 19 The Sins of the Father will not be that of the Son (1/2)

Phillip watched as the fruit was force fed to Anna, who struggled but had no choice but to swallow in order to get air. She coughed, and the men stepped back as Anna's body convulsed. She cried out in shock, the screamed as pure silver life lines began appearing on her skin, burning into it. Phillip shouted for it to stop, but to no avail.

After what seemed like hours, Anna hung from her manacled chains, breathing heavily.

”Maybe she's not entirely useless then,” the Duke sighed, looking at the life lines, then he turned to Phillip, ”But that doesn't mean I'll let her live”.

He turned to the man in the cage and nodded. The man produced another piece of fruit and Phillip froze.

”You knew,” he said, ”You knew what would happen when more than one fruit was eaten and you still made the deal”.

”Of course I made the deal,” the Duke said, ”Can you even imagine what an Empire full of Magicians would look like? We would be unstoppable”.

”We have no need for a larger or more powerful Empire, we already rule the entire continent!” snapped Phillip.

”Naïve boy,” the Duke scowled, ”Since when has that ever stopped us?”

The man approached Anna and Phillip screamed, ”NO! No Please!”

Bu the Duke barely glanced at him as they once again force fed Anna another piece of the Volotun fruit. Again, Anna's body convulsed and she screamed as more lifelines appeared. This time it was longer than the first, and the Duke and Francois watched with wide eyes as Anna withstood the pain and the change before passing out.

”How is this possible?” asked the Duke, ”I thought no one had ever survived the second piece?”

The man in the cage shrugged, ”I have no idea, my lord. Perhaps she has elf blood?”

”Ridiculous, if I want the damn girl dead, I'll just have to do it myself,” the duke stated, drawing a sword from a nearby guard. Phillip stood and stepped in front of his father.

”No,” Phillip said, ”You don't get to kill her. You don't get a say at all”.

”Move aside,” the Duke ordered, raising his sword to Phillip's chest, ”Or you die too”.

”Then kill me,” Phillip replied, ”I'd rather that than whatever putrid future you have in store for me. I will not bow to the whims of a power crazed Emperor and his extended family”.

The Duke seethed, pushing on the sword, but in the blink of an eye Phillip stepped forward around the sword and disarmed his father before pulling the duke into his chest and holding the sword to his throat.

”Move, and I will kill him,” Phillip said as the guards stepped forward.

For the first time since Phillip had arrived home with news of the fruit, Francois showed an emotion other than indifference. He looked scared. That was the brother that Phillip had come to know but had been reluctant to see. The brother who seemed strong, but was only a puppet for his father. Too obedient and submissive to lead himself.