He nodded downward, shifting our focus away from the stairs and small pools to a much larger pit of lava. A line ofFae stepped through a wide opening opposite the end of the staircase. A Guardian stood, arms crossed, at the edge of the molten pool, tapping his fingers on his forearm as he waited for the Fae to approach. When they made it a few feet from the ledge, the guardian waved his hand, beckoning the first Fae forward while simultaneously drawing a dagger from his side.
“Do you accept your fate and pledge yourself to the darkness?” the Guardian asked as he handed the dagger to the woman.
She bowed her head and clutched the dagger, slicing across the palm of her hand. “I pledge myself to the darkness.”
The blood from her palm dripped into the lava below, sizzling. Black smoke swirled into the air, reminding me of what the darkness looked like when Lana banished it from Ian’s body, and exactly what had exploded out of Andras at his death.
The hair on my arms rose as I watched the woman hand back the dagger and step off the ledge, directly into the pool of lava. Her body erupted in flames before completely disappearing from sight.
I inhaled sharply as a chill crawled over me. Her scream lasted a mere second, echoing around the walls of the cavernous volcano before it died.
Thames breathed in deeply, his eyes rolling back in his head as if in ecstasy at the sight of the death. “You see, for those who accept the darkness willingly, it’s embedded into their body. Into their essence. It overtakes all rational thinking almost as soon as they accept me. Those who sacrifice themselves willingly fuel my weapon.”
“How does their sacrifice translate into a weapon?” I forcefully tried to keep the rising bile down, swallowing the foul liquid before it could crawl up my throat. Thames was marching the people of Mysthaven to their death and relishing it. A lineof willing participants continued funneling in, despite seeing the path only led to death.
“When the volcano is at full capacity, we let it erupt. With the power I’ve funneled into it, it will explode, releasing my magic with it, and we will cover the entire world with my darkness, the magic I have harnessed for a thousand years. It will be so strong, we won’t need to infect the Fae directly with daggers or other weapons.” He chuckled under his breath. “No, they will simply breathe, and it will enter their system. I will be able to control them all and Atheria will be mine.” His knuckles whitened as he gripped the railing.
I staggered on my feet as the world stopped around me. Thames would destroy everything good, everything kind and beautiful remaining in Atheria. The entire world as we knew it would be gone. Lana’s light wouldn’t matter if he infected her, but even if she stayed safe from her clear immunity to the darkness, she’d be wholly alone.
Focusing my gaze on the dark ones sacrificing themselves, I lifted my chin. I needed more information to formulate a plan. I refused to leave Lana alone for one second in this world. While my shadows may have been in agreement, they rolled in agitation.
We will find a way.
I kept my face neutral. If I had any hope of defeating Thames, I needed to play along. Make him believe I would follow his every command.
Stepping back from the railing, I bowed, hoping he would ignore my momentary hesitation if I showed him some reverence. “My king, it’s a genius plan, but what happens to those who are disloyal? Those who do not accept it willingly?”
Thames ushered me toward him, placing a hand around my shoulders and pointing down to the line of Fae. A few appeared through the opening, this time with chains around their ankles,unable to move more than a few inches at a time. Their sluggish movements made it look as if they were under some sort of spell.
“Their death is still a sacrifice, even if it is not to the darkness itself. A sacrifice of magic is better than no sacrifice at all.” He watched me carefully as he spoke. Then he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Besides, what better way to deal with traitors? Hm?”
The Guardian below reached for the first man in chains and, without any warning or hesitation, threw him over the side. His horrific screams still echoed throughout the chamber as his charred body sunk into the molten pool. It had to be torture burning alive.
“Sacrifice. Is that what all of this comes down to?” I asked, swallowing my disgust.
Thames’s entire face twitched. The calm facade he wore faltered. “You don’t even know the meaning of sacrifice.” Thames’s lip curled. “I was forced to live a thousand years in the void, in utter darkness. Mymate”—spit flew from his mouth—“thought she could rid Atheria of me. She was mistaken. Now the world will pay for her transgressions.”
Thames paced back toward his chair, grabbing his glass and swallowing the remaining liquid. A decanter sat on a small table a few feet away, and I snatched it, moving toward him to refill his drink. It might keep him talking if he thought of me as a loyal guardian.
He shoved the glass toward me, shaking it in his hand. My shadows tightened inside of me suddenly, and a glimmer of evil twinkled in his eyes. Once his cup had been refilled, he took another large gulp and I took a few steps away, putting space between us.
“She betrayed me all those years ago.”
Thames stalked toward me. He continued to approach, forcing me to keep retreating until, without realizing, my backwas to the volcano wall. I tried to call upon my shadows, but they didn’t come.
Fuck, there was something in that drink. I knew better than this. He did this to us once before and I had been so stupid for believing he wouldn’t do it again.
“But you know who else has betrayed me?” Thames whispered. “You.”
I jerked against him as our bodies practically touched. Fuck.Fuck.
I tried to focus on the tie to Lana, the bond filling me with light. My shadows twitched in response but wouldn’t come forward. They were there inside me, fighting to break through whatever barrier Thames had poisoned me with.
His power was terrifying, and if I didn’t find a way to stop him, Lana would be his next target. He snapped his fingers and my body lifted off the floor, slamming into the wall as his mist secured my wrists and ankles in iron grips against the volcano.
“Thames, what are you doing?” I tried to remain calm, but the growing pit in my stomach filled every part of me with dread. “I can help you.”
“Did you know my own mate poisoned me?” Thames lifted his glass in front of his face, staring at the liquid. “It’s how she made me weak enough to unleash her sacrificial sorcery and trap me in that miserable void.” He took a sip and sneered in disgust. “Did you really think, after living through her deception,youcould betray me, and I wouldn’t find out?” Thames roared so loud I flinched. “I sent you on a mission and you didn’t return. You killed my soldiers and weakened my army.”
