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“Either way, that’s not the time I was referring too. When I visited you in your dreams after. I warned you about the triquetra, I warned you about Kieran. Why didn’t you listen?”
I frowned at him, bewildered. “What are you talking about?” I had no idea what he meant, visiting me in my dreams? He swore softly under his breath.
“You don’t remember.” It was a statement, not a question. “That explains a lot. I came to you twice in your dreams. I guess the triquetra blocked the memory of that too. I tried to warn you Raven. If Ash Nevra hadn’t been in my court, I would have taken you across The Veil right then and there. It wasn’t safe with her here.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, disgusted. “Why would you even bring her here?”
“You think I had a choice? The only reason my court is not completely enslaved by her like the rest of them is because I damn near rival her in power. I was also the bearer of Bond-Breaker, until a few short moments ago.” Well, that helped put the gravity of Amon’s sacrifice into perspective.
“Enslaved?” I whispered. I had known she had taken over after The Origin had been frozen in stone. I had not known she had been enslaving the other courts.
“Yes. After Aleites was turned to stone, Ash Nevra went to work securing her chokehold over the Dominion. As you know, daemons are able to form a metaphysical bond with other beings. You and Rycon are bonded in this way.
“In anticipation of conquering the Dominion, Ash Nevra worked with the Nightshades to twist and pervert this bond into something much more sinister. She calls it a slavery bond.”
I thought of Rycon and how much he hated being bonded to me. I was sure from his perspective; the bond was close to slavery as it was.
“How is it different from the bond I have with Rycon?”
“Traditionally, the bond is consensual. You’re not the first daemon to create one accidentally, but usually it is an agreement made between the two parties. It is mutually beneficial. The daemon receives the gifts and powers from the being they bond too, but the bonded is gifted with the long life of the daemon, assuming they are not killed. They will live for as long as the daemon does if left unchecked. In many cases, the bonded can also borrow powers from the daemon as well.
“Also, most daemons learn how to block and unblock the bond at will, preventing the bonded from constantly being plagued with their thoughts and feelings. This is another thing I can teach you to do if you make the effort to actually leave your room once and a while.” I glowered at him again, but he ignored me and continued.
“The slavery bond is different. It is forcibly installed and if the bonded tries to resist an order they experience unimaginable pain. Traditionally, daemons do not bond with one another in the same way they bond with other beings. Whatever the Nightshades did to pervert the bond, ensured that no one would be immune from a slavery bond. Ash Nevra can enslave anyone she likes, and as far as we know, apart from using Bond-Breaker, it is irreversible.
“My father did not share the same reservations around slavery bonds that I do. My father was… an asshole. He was loyal to Ash Nevra and was against Aleites’ relationship with Elvira from the beginning. He didn’t waste much time aligning himself with The Court of Lust. He wanted me to mate with Ash Nevra, and I was forced to spend a great deal of time in her court while he was still in power. I think she liked the idea of me serving her, but knew I had too much power to risk a mating ceremony. So, I served for over two centuries as her unofficial consort and executioner.”
I gaped at him. Two centuries? I couldn’t wrap my head around living that long. Especially serving someone as evil and twisted as Ash Nevra.
“Because I had Bond-Breaker, she could not truly enslave me. But while my father was still in power of the Court of Pride, I had no armies, no allies, outside of Dossidian, who had been one of the first daemons Ash Nevra enslaved once she had perfected the slavery bond. I could not free him. I could do nothing but play the part of willing servant to the Queen.
“When my father was killed unexpectedly in a trade dispute with the Court of Greed, I took over his throne. I finally had the power to make a difference. With my father’s armies at my disposal, I was in a better position to stand against Ash Nevra. The first thing I did was use Bond-Breaker to free Dossidian from the slavery bond. I also freed Kasha, who had been a prisoner in Ash Nevra’s court long before Aleites had been frozen into stone.”
“Why had she been a prisoner there?” I asked, shocked. If I was tracking timelines correctly, that meant Kasha had been Ash Nevra’s prisoner for well over 300 years. Amon’s expression darkened.
“Kasha’s story is not mine to tell. If you want to know about her life before she came to live in the Court of Pride, you will need to ask her yourself.” I was starting to understand Dossidian and Kasha’s reactions to Amon sacrificing Bond-Breaker to The Eye. If they had been enslaved for that long, and Amon had used the sword to finally free them, it made sense that the loss of the blade would be terrifying to them. If they were to be enslaved again now, there would be no freeing them a second time.
“Since then, Ash Nevra and I have been walking a political tight rope. She knows I have the means to overthrow her. I have used Bond-Breaker over the last ninety years to free every daemon in my court. Other courts have noticed, and I have made allies among those who are unhappy with Ash Nevra’s reign. The Court of Envy and the Court of Wrath have been especially vocal about their discontent with her rule.
“So far, I have done my best to keep up the appearance that I am still a willing servant to her, so long as she allows me to run my court without interference from hers. She knows it is better to leave me to my own devices while maintaining her throne than to threaten me. I don’t think she believes victory would be guaranteed if I truly challenged her.
“That being said, if she requests an audience with me, I must comply. If I refuse, she will see it as open rebellion. A war between us would be violent and many innocent daemons would die. She could enslave my people again and force them to fight against me.”
The look on his face made me pause. He truly cared. This was not some facade or made-up story designed to trick me. Amon was terrified for his people and was desperate to keep them safe. This somehow did not fit with the image I had of him being a cruel prince who tortured innocents for entertainment.
“This is why I have been gone this last week. She summoned me. After what happened at the docks, it took a great deal of political maneuvering to convince her that you are not a threat. I explained that since you have not been trained you more than likely will not survive the Quickening. She has allowed me to…keep you, until then.” I grimaced at the word ‘keep’ as if I were some sort of toy or plaything.
“I don’t think she is foolish enough to have trusted me completely, but I think she is hopeful that I spoke the truth, and my interest in you stems from nothing more than the novelty of having The Origin’s daughter at my disposal. She does not want to risk a rebellion. She has given me until after your Quickening to either prove to her that you are broken or dead, or she will kill you herself.”
Suddenly I felt like my blood had turned to ice. We had arrived at the spot where we had started our hike earlier in the day, and Amon slowly lowered us to the ground. He set me down gently before stepping back.
“We can shadow walk to the palace from here. There’s something about The Eye’s energy that prevents shadow walking any closer than this.” He explained. He paused for a moment, before looking at me, and he almost looked…tired.
“We need to collect those items and figure out how we’re going to use them before your Quickening. Once we have them, I will take you to Ash Nevra’s court where we will convince her, together, that you are not a threat. While we are there, we will awaken The Origin, Aleites, and together we will make her pay for what she has done to us. To all of us.” I stared at him, wide eyed. His eyes flared and the look on his face was suddenly so intense, I shivered.
“I will not allow her to hurt you, but you must work with me, and you must survive the Quickening for this plan to work. We are running out of time.” He stepped forward, wrapping his hands around my shoulders. I felt as if his blazing green eyes were piercing through my soul.
“Will you help me, Raven?”
