As long ashis daughter was queen, with a son in her belly, the throne would be secured.
Over my dead body.
Like Tartarus wasI going to let Tariq and Zerlina sweep in and benefit from all the blood, sweat, and magic I put into making this kingdom my own. I wouldn’t put a crown on her head until everything was secure.
Unfortunately for dear King Tariq,that meant he wouldn’t live to see his daughter become queen. More fortunately for him, it also meant he wouldn’t live to see me strike down his son and heir. Though, he’d surely find out soon enough, once his son joined him in the Otherworld.
At least untilthe time came for me to assume my new position. Once I controlled the Otherworld, I would ensure its purpose was more suited to my own. Who knew how many useful creatures lurked within those realms, ones that could be put to better use protecting me in this one. They were wasted on the dead.
Bottling up the blood magic,I stashed the vials away in every pocket I had and refilled the vial connected to the chain around my neck. One couldn’t be too careful, and I needed access to magic at all times. The extra bottles ensured that whenever battle did come, I would be more than ready to meet my enemies on the field.
I openedthe old wooden door that led into the forgotten workroom I’d made my own, and exited into the dusty hall. Closing the door, I quickly locked it up. This section of the palace was unused by anyone else these days, but it wouldn’t do for anyone to stumble upon it by accident, either.
Makingmy way down the twisting halls, I came to the back entrance to the dungeons. A turn to the right would see me ascending the stairs up to the palace proper, while going through the door in front of me would put me right into the dungeons themselves. I deliberated for a moment before opening the door with an aggravated sigh.
Weakness wassomething I could ill afford, and yet…
Makingmy way into the dungeons, my guards jumped in surprise, their armor clanking with the movement. They looked with creased eyebrows from the main entrance to where I had suddenly appeared, a look of fear in their eyes.
I honestly wanted to laugh.They clearly thought I’d done some great feat of magic to appear before them like a specter, when all I did was use a Tartarus damned door.
“Carry on, men,”I instructed them, “I’m just here to visit one of my prisoners.”
“My King.”They bowed as I passed, and I rolled my eyes at the scent of fear that wafted off one of them. A guard here needed thicker skin than being scared of his own king.
I wrinkledmy nose at the smell coming from the dank hall before me. I watched my step carefully, not knowing what might be littering the dirt-covered ground. The lighting was incredibly dim, with only one flame at the end lighting the dark grey rock. All the dungeon cages had been formed with it, the cavernous space making for a wonderful place to keep prisoners.
No one was escapingthrough the magically enforced bars, and they wouldn’t be escaping through the thick rock deep beneath the palace either.
I cameto a stop at the end of the row, where the light was brightest. It illuminated the grimy form sitting slumped against the back wall. His brown hair was longer and shaggier than I’d ever seen it, and his golden eyes were missing the luster that so captivated the court.
His wife was lockedin a much nicer room up above in the palace. The usual standard protocol for noble prisoners. But Vissy was a special case. His betrayal cut deeper than the rest, and thus, his punishment had to be much harsher.
Havinghim under such strict guard in the dungeons also meant that no one could get to him through any of the secret tunnels throughout the palace. There was only one way in here, and one way out. Meaning I knew every single individual who might try to see him.
Not that anyone had.Which was certainly curious. Maybe my siblings wrote him off once he was imprisoned, and no longer able to assist in their plots.
The rebels had only gottenlouder, however. They’d become more brazen, attacking my camps under cover of darkness and trying to free my blood bags. Some had been caught and subsequently chained up themselves, but most of them remained elusive.
There hadto be someone helping them. Perhaps Kian or Vikal. Vikal had mysteriously disappeared, and while Kian claimed ignorance, I believed him less and less. It was no great leap of logic to see that he only left after I threatened his little slut. How he got out, however, was the real mystery.
I’d already killedthe guards who’d been assigned to watch him. Whether they were disloyal or incompetent didn’t matter. Either way, they could not be trusted. Their bodies now hung from the palace gates as a warning.
Gruesome,maybe, but effective.
The restof my guards had certainly straightened out and stiffened up when they saw what bad results garnered them.
Kian,however, remained. He didn’t disappear with Vikal, which was the only doubt I had about the whole situation. Would he not have fled to avoid treason charges?
Or wasit merely that he had greater plans in place?
These thoughtsall brought me to Vissy, or the beaten-down version of the friend I knew. Those golden eyes cracked open, and upon seeing me, he scoffed and rolled his eyes before closing them once more. He crossed his arms over his chest and hung his head, his long hair covering most of his face. He acted as if he was going to sleep instead of bothering to acknowledge me properly.
It was infuriating.The absolute disrespect he showed only proved that I had been too lenient with him. Perhaps it was time to take things further, and find out the truth of the matter.
“You know,Vissy, I once wanted you by my side as I took up my rightful place,” I told him, regret leaking into my voice despite myself.
He ignored me,and I clenched my fists together before lightning could strike out from my fingertips.
