“And here I thought you would want a cure. Was I mistaken?” he asked, voice almost mocking.
Even if he had a way to create a cure through Saydren, Lora knew well enough he wouldn’t give it up for free. He hadn’t threatened her out loud yet, but clearly, he wanted something from her.
She was sick of the games, lies, and veiled threats. “Spit it out already. What do you want from me?”
The room was eerily silent until Karwyn said, “Your power.” He started pacing in front of her cell.
Of course, fae and their obsession with power levels. Yet Lora had never heard of the possibility of a power exchange. “Isn’t that impossible?”
“Oh, I know all about how impossible it is. Fortunately for me, there is always a loophole. You are the living proof of that. I cannot take power from other fae. But I can take it fromyou,a half-fae.”
Understanding dawned on her, the dots finally connecting into a twisted puzzle. Everything she’d learned from Eyden came together in her mind. “You’ve been trying to steal power from high-level fae. What happened to them?”
“That is nothing for you to worry about.” Karwyn continued his slow walk.
“You don’t care, do you? You’re sick. You disgust me,” she said, her voice layered with icy repulsion.
This time, she got a reaction. The fae halted in his tracks. Turning to her, Karwyn moved closer to the bars as his eyes settled on her once again. “Come now, that is no way to speak tofamily.” He smiled unpleasantly as her mouth dropped open. “Oh, did I not mention we are cousins? If I am sick, the odds are not in your favour. I see you got the Adelway eyes. I wonder how far the similarities run.”
“You’re lying.” Her voice had dropped to a furious whisper.
“You do not wish to be royalty? Or is it the fact that your father is a traitor to the crown that is bothering you?”
Lora’s mind was on overload. Too many life-changing facts were being thrown her way. She didn’t know where the lies ended and truth took over. “Why are you so certain we’re related?” He couldn’t be. Her mother would have known if her father was fae royalty, wouldn’t she?
“I had my witch do a spell to be sure,” Karwyn answered.
“Assuming you’re right, where is my father?” Was he here, on the same ground as she was? In the same building? Her hand went to the empty spot on her collarbone, pulling on the invisible chain. What she wouldn’t give for her reminder of home right about now.
Karwyn’s smile grew vicious. “My father banished his brother after he tried to overthrow and kill him in cold blood. Your dear father is a murderous traitor. Be glad he is gone.” His tone suggested he was anything but sorry.
Lora doubted “sorry” was an emotion he ever experienced. If there was one thing she knew about her apparent cousin, it was the fact that he was nothing more than a bloody psychopath.
“Even if that’s true, you’re no better,” she said.
He drew even closer, almost touching the bars. “You should watch your mouth, dear cousin. I hold all the power here, and I am growing impatient.”
“Get to the point, then. Take my power. What are you waiting for?”
Karwyn let out a cold laugh. “If only it were that easy. I would have taken it the second I walked into this room. No, the only way this is going to work is if I follow an ancient ritual. A merge of powers only works under specific circumstances. I need a relative of blood with a similar level of power who participates willingly. From what Saydren told me, your power is still uncontrolled, foolishly so. You will need to train. The ritual cannot go wrong. I want you to join this merge with me, willingly. And then resign, giving me all your power.”
“Why the hell would I choose to participate in your plan?”
“I can get you that cure you so desperately want.”
Her breath caught. “I have no proof you’d even manage to create one.”
“I already have it ready,” he said with a satisfied grin.
All other thoughts stilled as her mind spiralled. “Why? You clearly had no intention of delivering a cure to my world.”
Karwyn’s grin grew bigger as if he took notice of her inner turmoil. “Well, the fools have not reached out to me. Their mistake. I was merely waiting for the right time. I knew if they got desperate enough and I offered a cure in exchange for one human, they would not hesitate to find you and hand you over. Survivor’s instinct always wins out. I was about to contact them, actually. But you saved me the trouble.”
Her mind spun. She was closer connected to the fate of her world than she ever thought possible. There was too much information for her to process in a matter of seconds, but something drifted to the forefront of her mind. “If I give you all my power, what will happen to me? Won’t it drain me completely?” Lora asked, remembering how closely tied a fae’s power was to their life source.
Karwyn shrugged. “Not my concern.”
Lora laughed. It sounded broken, desperate, to her ears. “Right. Why would you care?” She swallowed the tears that threatened to come. Lora couldn’t fall apart. She swore she’d fight. Shehad to.Everything depended on her move in this cruel game the king had set up. “If you want me to participate in that bloody ritual, you’ll have to distribute the cure to everyone. Hand it over to my family and the government.”
