AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We all go in,” Zade said. “Our bodies will be delivered to the Crimson Kingdom if it doesn’t work out.”
I nodded in agreement but felt a tug of despair in my chest. They were all willing to risk their lives to not only get a wish but also to help break my curse.
“I will use my magic to protect us as much as I can, but I do not know what I am capable of when it comes to my magic,” I spoke the truth to them. I had never admitted that I did not know my own magic well. “Sometimes it gets out of hand.”
They all nodded as if they understood.
“If I am trapped, if I cannot get out, you will leave me,” I ordered.
“We cannot return without you, Thea,” Kace spoke. “You are the only one that has to make it back alive. It is our only mission here.”
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I didn’t. Cassius had ordered them to protect me.
We made a plan to split into groups of two to cover more ground and work from different spots of the castle. Zade, the magicless fae, was with me even though Haden had tried to stop it. I appreciated them fighting over who was going to go with me, but we didn’t have time, so I chose.
We rode swiftly to the castle through the thicket of trees outlying the Kingdom, splitting up on the way. Zade and I left the horses in the thick forest and moved closer on foot. We set up posts in two leafy trees that helped us see over the large, ten-foot wall surrounding the castle. We waited for an eternity to see where the guards were stationed, but none ever emerged. Something was not right, but we didn’t have time to wait. It was nearly nightfall. Jumping down from my perch in the tree, I moved across the large castle grounds first, but no traps awaited us.
The castle of Cerithia embodied everything Crimson didn’t. It was made with light gray stone, and the flowers that decorated the outside were lush and brightly colored. No dark colors were anywhere to be found. The blue flags that waved in the wind were the color of the sky and the crest was gold like the sun. My footsteps faltered as the crest showed me the same one from the wooden door in my dreams. Zade grabbed my elbow and rushed me forward, through the front door of the castle.
We figured it was such an obvious entry point that it would not be an expected move. The gamble paid off and we were met by no resistance.
Where the fuck was everyone?
Immediately, I took in the foyer which was so white and bright it hurt my eyes. Familiar. It was all familiar. Wisp appeared to my left, her blue flames lighting the darkened hallway. I followed without much thought except that it seemed like Wisp knew where to go. The darkened hallways still seemed bright with their light-colored walls and floors.
The tapestries that hung depicted mostly pictures of the sun and flowers. Beautiful blues, gold, and silver hung from everywhere. I froze immediately when the Wisp flashed red in a warning. I heard a noise down the hallway a moment later. Zade and I crammed ourselves against the wall in the darkest corner we could find. Two guards dressed in blue walked past us without noticing.
So, there were guards on duty. This was proving to be more unnerving than we had anticipated. We expected the castle to be on lockdown, but the fact that this seemed almost too easy didn’t sit right with me, and I began to think that maybe we should pull out of there. Zade started walking down the hallway again before I could protest going farther.
I headed down the hallway to join Zade but stopped when I heard the faintest noise behind us. When I turned, the two guards that had passed us had their swords drawn. Their eyes widened in recognition when they saw me. They didn’t drop their swords but made no move to hurt us. Wisp rammed at them, causing them to stumble slightly. It wasn’t enough to help me get the upper hand.
“I don’t want to hurt you, but I will,” I promised.
Before they could say anything, Zade had knocked both swords from their hands. We each took one. The guard that charged me was small in stature. His hair was bright blonde and his eyes so blue it was like looking into a summer sky. I was surprised when he landed a swift kick to my chest. Pain racked through me as I fell into the wall.
“You’re out of practice, Captain,” he said, hissing out my title. I flicked my wrist and wrapped him in a fiery mist.
“I don’t need practice when I have all this magic,” I snapped back venomously. He struggled against the mist, but I punched him, rendering him unconscious so that he would not awaken until we were long gone. Zade fought the bigger of the two, his fighting skills unmatched by the Cerithian guard. He put him in a chokehold until the guard passed out.
“Let’s get moving,” I whispered as we hurried down the hallway. We made turns in the hallways that felt right, but we really didn’t have any idea. I slowed when the Wisp appeared at a corner, not moving. We approached the corner, spying more guards sitting outside of a wooden door.
My heart pounded hard as I gazed at the wooden door from my dream. How many times had I wondered what this door was and now I was standing mere feet away? The large crest showed the Cerithia family crest. It had to be the throne room to the King of Cerithia. Dread filled me. Why had I dreamed of this door so much? Was it due to the witch’s bloodstone being in there? Six guards stood outside this entrance, but how many waited on the inside? I wondered if there was another less secure entrance that we could use. Gods, I wished I could remember.
I turned to Zade but was only met by four other guards instead. Zade was being restrained behind them. I stood up and raised my hands in defeat.
“If you move, we kill him,” one of the men sneered. “Move forward.”
I heeded his command and turned towards the throne room where the guards now all watched me. They immediately drew their weapons on me. Glancing over their faces, I felt tugs in my mind that let me know they were familiar. These were men I trained. I was their Captain. Fear trickled into my mind and immediately a calm soothing emotion spread through me. Cassius. I tried as hard as I could to push the image of me being caught to him, but I didn’t know if it worked. I felt nothing through the blood bond.
“Captain.” The guards bowed as I stood in front of them and lowered their swords.
They opened the door and ushered me right in. Their weapons were still drawn, but they weren’t looking at me with malice. When I walked in, I paused when the King of Cerithia stood in the middle of the room. In his hand was the witch’s red bloodstone. The guards shut the door behind me, leaving me and the king alone.
Chapter 26
My eyes scanned the room, dominated by a silver throne at the front. I focused on the King in front of me instead of the over-the-top décor, though. He was slightly heavy-set and extremely tall. His dark hair was highlighted with streaks of silver. His eyes matched my own, dark green that reminded me of the moss that grew in the forbidden wood. His crown was tall, gold, and decorated in blue stones that matched the blue robe he wore. He was good-looking, but years of being king had weighed on him and had weathered him a bit.
His dark, bushy eyebrows furrowed as I stood staring at him. His eyes widened as he gazed over me like he was seeing a ghost. I guess I hadn’t been here in seven years at least. He cleared his throat as if he was getting emotional.
