Chapter 61
Heavy footsteps grow louder,and I lift my head weakly from where I’m slumped on my cell floor. I expect to see Lynx’s masked face, but instead, it’s Rheon. Without a word, the guards unlock the gate and Rheon steps in, though he moves no farther. He levels a steely gaze on me and says with cold detachment, “Last chance, soldier.”
I straighten slightly, but my back protests, the newly made and half-healed flogging wounds stinging. “I’m not your soldier,” I grit out.
So far, I’ve survived two trips to the whipping post. I’ll endure one hundred trips if it means Durvla remains safe—if it means Rheon never finds out I’m not the Shadow Wielder he seeks.
A smile stretches his face and his pupils dilate, inky darkness swirling in his eyes, melding with his irises for a moment. My heart jolts. His eyes return to the usual dark blue, but I swear shadows creep across his skin. The veins standing out in his neck appear darker than they should, and his skin is paler than his usual complexion.
Lowering my mental shields slightly, my senses immediately catch the vile, murky aura that surrounds him. It feels tainted,wrong, causing my skin to itch and crawl and my stomach to twist with queasiness. I pull my shields up and scuffle back on my ass, away from whatever beast Rheon is turning into.
His smile turns into a sneer as he steps closer. “I know you aren’t the Shadow Wielder,” he says.
My stomach drops like a damn rock.
“Either you surrender the information ofwhois, or I will continue to send you to the whipping pole until you submit.”
I keep my lips firmly sealed.
“Whatever your power is, I will have it. Whether you are willing or not.”
I breathe slowly. “What have you done, Rheon?”
“What needs to be done, boy.”
“It’s dangerous to fuck around with forces you don’t understand. Whatever shit you’re mixed up with could destroy the whole kingdom.”
Rheon only laughs, a rumbling, unnatural sound in his chest. My blood crawls. I shudder, wincing as pain ripples across my back. My body feels too worn—the lack of sufficient food and water weakening me with each passing hour. It makes it harder for me to keep my shields up and block out the discordance of emotions around me.
“Will you give me the information I seek?” he asks.
I keep my mouth shut. I’ll be damned if I give in to this monster and whatever twisted plan he has.
“Very well,” he says with a sigh. “Come tonight, I won’t have to deal with you,andI will have your powers at my disposal.” He gives no further explanation, but leaves my cell, the gate clanging shut behind him.
I’ve overheard Carys reading countless stories about dark magic corruption. Rheon has all the classic signs: the darkening eyes, the shadows, the murky aura. Whatever plans he has for me tonight … I cannot even fathom it.
Chapter 62
Already,my palms are slick with sweat, my clothes sticking to my skin. Sitting in the common room of Murtagh’s safehouse, I close my eyes and try to center myself, blocking out the rest of the team waiting for the moment we have to jump into Paramount. Our plan is beyond risky, but there doesn’t seem to be another way to do it outside of gathering an entire rebel army to storm the castle. Arguably, that would be even riskier.
The moonstone is in the pocket of my trousers, feeling heavier than ever as if it, too, understands the weight of this situation. There’s an overwhelming feeling of urgency that overtakes me, causing nausea to gather in my throat. We have a set time we’re supposed to jump into Paramount, but something is practically shouting at me that the time is now.
“We have to go!” I announce. Everyone turns to me. Chiyo’s eyes are more kohl-lined than usual, her hair pulled back from her face, her vest adorned with a multitude of blades. There’s a bow and quiver of arrows at her feet where she rises from the couch. Ava’s equally armed though most of her hair still hangs down. She also jumps to her feet.
“Now?” she asks. “How?—”
“Now,” I repeat as Isobel enters the room nonchalantly, as though we’ve not been waiting for such a scary plan. Even more sweat breaks out around my neckband and trickles down my sternum. “I know we had a time, but something’s telling me?—”
“Then we go,” Ava interrupts, glancing at the others. Chiyo grabs the quiver of arrows, slinging it across her back. I spin the vanishing ring on my finger as Isobel holds her hand up and grabs her sibling, pulling them close. We gather at the center of the room, Chiyo and Ava grasping hands before Chiyo grabs mine and I grab Isobel’s. Sloan closes the circle, and I quickly take in everyone’s determined expressions.
“If all fails,” I blurt. “I love you all like you’re family.”
“Beautiful heartfelt words,” Ava says dismissively. “But let’s go!”
I close my eyes and all I can somehow picture in the moment is my old bedroom in the castle. Now Winnie’s bedroom. We’re pulled through darkness and space, an endless somersault until our feet touch solid ground again. We take a few seconds to get the dizziness under control before Ava says, “You know where you are?”
I nod and swallow back the nausea. “When we get out of here, we head right and keep going.” Everyone nods and we rush out of the bedroom, only to run straight into a group of soldiers dressed in midnight blue. Zenith members.
