Page 38 of The Final Battle

The man snarled, looking around the room. “Who has nullification magic?“

“Why would we tell you that?“ Jade asked, pressing the blade against his neck to make him bleed. “You’re not in the position to be asking us anything.“

I slipped out from Izel’s hold and marched right up to the man. “Do you have my father?“ I demanded.

“That’s the question, isn’t it? Is the man still alive or is he dead? Was what I did an illusion or did I steal the man’s face? One means he could be alive, the other he is most certainly dead,“ he said before he started to cackle, his eyes betrayed just how crazy he was. “The true king of this world has his own army full of people with special talents. In fact, he had your grim reaper doing his dirty work before he found you, little bird.“

Jade roared as he slammed the butt of his dagger into the man’s head knocking him unconscious, making him crumple to the floor. I stood there stunned, unsure what, if any of that to believe. What did he mean about Jade? Was my father alive? Could he be here?

“Becka, send one of our dragon riders to my home now. I need to know if they are still alive from a source I trust,“ I ordered without taking my eyes off the man at my feet. “Someone needs to alert King Thomas that he needs to be vigilant in every word that comes out of his mouth of those of his family. Nothing is as it seems here in Creisal, the Lost King has had more of a strong hold here than any of us assumed.“

Jade stepped up to me, reaching out to grasp my arm, but I shifted back not meeting his gaze. “Please, just give me a moment.“ I lifted my head to see his pale green eyes filled with worry and fear at my rejection. “We will discuss this, I just need a moment to gather my thoughts. Tonight has been one surprise after another.“

Turning on my heel, I walked to the balcony and flung open the door. “Vasin, I need you.“

“I will be right there.“ Vasin’s voice echoed through my mind. “Are you in danger?“

“No… I don’t know. One of the palace attendants just tried to pose as my father hiding in my room. He was spewing all this nonsense that I can’t even begin to wrap my head around. I just need to be in the one place I know I’m safe from it all.“

The whoosh of wind hitting me in the face alerted me to Vasin’s arrival. He hovered just under the balcony the best he could, allowing me to drop down onto his back. The moment I was settled he dropped down the cliffside but thrust his wings down before we reached the beach, shooting up into the dark starlit sky.

“Tell me, unless you want me to see it for myself so you don’t have to repeat it?“

“There is so much to tell it might be faster for you to see it.“ I explained as I started to funnel my memories from the feast up to the moment I looked into Jade’s eyes.

“It seems the Lost King wasn’t ignoring Creisal like we once thought. Instead, he’s been working in the shadows much like he did in Errit. I’ve heard of each of the skills that man was referring to. One can take the likeness of another and create almost an illusion to your mind of what he or she looks like. The latter though is dark, evil magic that they literally steal the face of their victim, using it as a foundation for him to create a likeness.“

“Do you think my family is dead?“

“Should we go look for ourselves?“

“How long would it take us to get there from here?“

“I can get you there before the sun starts to rise.“

“I can’t leave without telling the others, that would be wrong.“

“Agreed, it would be best if two of them came with you and the others covered for you. We don’t want anyone to know you’ve left. It might be wise for one of them in the morning to go to the king and let him know you still need more rest after traveling, since you planned to have breakfast. I will make sure to have you back for lunch instead.“

“Alright, take me back and I’ll grab Zan and Paxton to come with.“

“No, not Paxton. You need Jade for this, he can keep us hidden from sight as we fly.“

“Are you sure you’re not just trying to fix things between us?“

“Would I do such a thing?“

“Yes.“

“Either way, it fixes both problems, I’ve called Tahir and Ifra to gather their riders.“

“Bossy dragon,“ I muttered.

“Benefit of being your pair-bond. We are of equal status, and you know I’m right.“

Vasin dropped me off at the balcony and I was greeted by Zan and Jade who were waiting for me. “We’re going to check on my family. Vasin said we can be there before dawn and back by lunch.“ I said hurriedly as I strode into the room to speak with the others.

Gathering by the looks of the others, they’d obviously caught part of what I’d said and many were not at all pleased.