Kaelith smiled lazily, retracting his tongue as he stretched his arms behind his head, reclining comfortably.
I don’t really think I need to explain it to you. Do I?
Her face flushed.Get out of my head! And don’t ever touch me like that again.
“You’ve had your fun, Kaelith.” She sat back in the chair, gripping the end of the table with both hands. “Now give me something I can use.”
He pouted theatrically, though the self-satisfied smile never left his lips.
“If you don’t provide something useful, these sessions end.” She let the threat hang between them. “And I rejoin my Commander with the Third Regiment.”
“The wolf.” Kaelith’s face twisted into a frown before adding, “Very well, pet. I’ll provide what I know...or at least some of it.”
She stepped back, sitting in the chair again. “Get on with it then.”
As Kaelith spoke, a slow, creeping horror began to settle in Rynna's stomach. By the end, he had shared far more than she ever expected, but two things absolutely terrified her.
“They seem to be using the Source to draw elemental power from the planet,” and “An army of the dead.”
The implications hit her like a punch to the gut. If they were using the Source, a substance she knew to be foreign to this world, to pull enough power to reanimate and control the dead on such a massive scale, the corruption of the natural magic here would be devastating. It also meant that the corpses fueling this army were the very people slaughtered in the villages along their path of destruction. And that would include any Hollow-born who died fighting them.
The Alliance army would have to change its tactics drastically and fast if it hoped to survive. Every corpse added to the horde would make it more unstoppable, all while draining this world of the very magic that gave it life.
“But what about the Great Phoenix?” she asked, her mouth suddenly dry.
She was still missing something vital. What was the point of the Phoenix if they had enough power to turn everyone into zombies?
“I don’t know,” Kaelith replied, scratching his chin. “I’ve tried to piece it together, but there’s another player in the mix, and he remains hidden.”
“Shit.” She frowned. “This is bad, Kaelith.”
“Why do you think I’m here, sitting in this...room?” He gestured to the cell around him. “If the world crumbles too soon, so does my second chance.”
She snorted. “I guess that’s one way of looking at it.” This was the calculating bastard she remembered, the one who would do the right thing, eventually.
“But what does it all mean?” He leaned forward, watching her closely. “Is this what brought you back?”
“What does it mean?” She wrinkled her nose. “Nothing good. I’ll say that much.”
“You know more.”
“And I’ll share it with the Wardens.” She paused, giving him one last look. “Anything else you want to add?”
Kaelith’s eyes gleamed with a dark amusement. “Tomorrow. Come see me tomorrow, and I might have something for you.”
You’re so irritating, she thought, turning to leave, knowing she’d have to do this all over again the next day. The bastard was definitely holding something back, something important.
And you taste delicious, my pet.Pleasant dreams,his voice purred in her mind as the door clicked shut behind her.
Free of him, Rynna leaned heavily against the wall on the other side of the cell, shaking, her body struggling to find calm.
Get your shit together, she told herself.He’s an asset. Nothing more.
“You okay, ma’am?” The guard appeared beside her, offering a glass of water.
“Yes, thank you.” She took it, draining it in one gulp.
“I can’t believe you actually got him to talk,” the guard marveled, looking at her with awe. “And Vessel Dent says the body indicators showed he was telling the truth.”
