“What do you mean?” Evie walked to my side, pulling my attention to her when she grabbed my arm.
“If he needs to fuel his magic to continue extending his life, then he might also—”
“Need to fuel his magic for everything else,” Imogen finished, standing from the start of our revelation.
“Perhaps he is not as powerful as he is making us all believe,” Kingston added with renewed drive, stepping closer and bringing my mom with him.
Glancing back at the lake as more scenes played before me, I remembered our fight in the mindscape, when Tharion and I broke through his control. “When I escaped his mindscape after I found out about my father, I did so by stoking the fury in him. He was so enraged by my taunting that he became distracted from his control, and Tharion was able to break free. We both attacked him.”
“No magic is absolute,” Mom blurted. “My granddaddy used to tell me that during our secret meetings. “Never forget, little darling. No magic is all-powerful. None.’”
“No magic is all-powerful,” I repeated, focusing on the memories of our recent confrontation—seeing it more clearly.
Those standing before me were replaced by the scenes we lived that day, and I lifted one hand towards the bed where Azazel now hovered in my mind’s eye.
“The Warlock King disappeared from atop Azazel to appear next to me. And the beast’s eyes glowed a brighter green when he threatened to raze our kingdom with his fire breath,” I recalled out loud, doing a play by play. “I’m Raithian,” I announced, stepping back to see everything from his perspective. “Imogen, you are me.”
She walked to my side, and Evie immediately walked across from us in the room, retaking her place from that day. Kingston joined her.
“Tharion rushed the four-headed beast, slamming into him and injuring him,” I continued, “but I no longer have to control Azazel because he will fight Tharion on his own.” My left hand lifted toward Evanna. “With my power free from my biggest weapon, I attack you to force Braxton to leave with me.” I waved Imogen closer. “He tries to stop me, but I freeze him on site because it is much easier for me to do that when I don’t have my magic tied to Azazel.”
I faced the doorway where my mother now stood.
“The Elevated Warriors attack, but I can still use my ability to turn their weapons on them. Their Dragons lunge forwards to best me.” Lowering my arms, I pointed them towards my mother. “I let go of Braxton, Evie, and the spears to knock more than thirty Dragons unconscious at once, which I can do because, although I can’t handle everything at once, I’m still incredibly powerful.”
A burdened breath burned my lungs as I looked at Evie once more.
“With all of you falling through the sky, Braxton orders Venom to take us away, bending to my will so he can try to save you all. With him doing what I want, I pull my magic from the Sky Legion and focus on controlling Venom while he takes us away. He won’t be able to attack me as I, once again, manipulate and bend Braxton to my will.”
Anger and hate all battled inside me, followed by a new determination.
“Raithian isnotall-powerful,” I declared.
“It’s all just an intricate and masterfully conducted symphony of horror,” my mother finished. “He’s always been a brilliant man. No one can deny that. It’s how he turned on our kingdom, stealing the throne right from under our noses.” Resentment engulfed her admission, distorting her soft features with shadows of her painful past.
“The right moves at the right time and he seems unstoppable. Keeping us all fearful and using that to his advantage,” Evie considered. “Making us fight smaller battles because we don’t want to lose anyone else, and we thought we knew what he was capable of.”
“He still controls Azazel,” Kingston interjected. “Even without the illusion of absolute power, Raithian’s might is far greater than anything we can defeat on our own. We have no true weapon against him.”
“Yes, we do,” Imogen countered, a certain pride and proclamation guiding her words when she looked at me.
Right. I was the weapon.
“So why has he been wasting all these years playing games with us?” Evie’s question triggered something in me.
“Because he stillwantsto be all powerful. He’s looking for something that will increase his strength and control like the Dragons once did.” My pulse raced, mind whirling again with the possibilities. “Thathasto be it. Raithian didn’t need to juggle his abilities when he was connected to the Dragons, right? He had theCelestial’sblessing and the power that came with it, so he was basically invincible.”
“He was, but everything changed after the Uprising,” Imogen countered. “Without that connection, he became weaker, which drove him to start feeding on people’s life force and use that energy to fuel himself.”
Walking to my side, Evanna’s gaze became sharp with understanding.
“That is why he’s kept us at bay all these years, recusing himself to the Crimson Fortress. Controling Azazel must take everything he has, so he is looking for something powerful enough to stabilize his magic again. But what could be so formidable to replace his lost connection to the Drag—?”
Dread made her words lodge in her throat, and she swallowed.
“You. He senses the power inside you and wants it to stabilize his own. That is why he wants you, Braxton. It is why he has become obsessed with you. He wants to drain you like he did his own father.”
“TheAnima Crystallum!” Mom’s loud gasp reverberated through the house, her eyes widening in both realization and dread. “He must have been looking for it all these years…” she added, more to herself than anything else since everyone around her seemed as confused as I was. “Evie is right. If my father gets his hands on you, he will drain you like he did with everyone I loved. Yet, that won’t retore the kind of power he lost.”
