Valdis snarled, wings flexing, “What good is having one of my Oracles if you can’t use her for something as simple asthis?”
The Overseer bent his forehead to the ground. “My apologies, My Lord. I’ll have him replaced immediately.”
Violet smoke spread to the corners of the keep, crawling its way up the walls as it stretched towards the Overseer, lapping at his mouth and nose.
Valdis pressed his foot into the back of the mage’s neck and pushed his face into the floor. “I told you failure was unacceptable. I allow your little brotherhood to exist at the sole purpose that you could beuseful. I’m beginning to think your uses are running thinner than my patience.”
The Overseer didn’t bat an eye as he pressed his face further into the stone. “Please forgive me, My Lord. I will not fail you again. Allow me another chance, I’ll send someone new. Someone far more powerful.”
“You will not,” Valdis hissed as his mist pried open the Overseer’s mouth and poured in, gagging him with its vile essence. “It seems I was a fool to trust you with this task.”
“If you’ll allow me, My Lord,” the creature crouching next to the Overseer spoke, wings tucked in to protect himself from the violet haze. “I will take care of this. I understand the situation and will make sure the mage doesn’t live through the tournament. I will crush her mind, body, and spirit until there’s nothing left.”
The night sky filled with the purple mist as it poured from the window and the stars fought to be seen through the display.
Valdis turned to his emerald-eyed second who threw his blond hair over his shoulder as their gazes met. “End this.”
Casimir bowed his head, eyes blazing. “It will be so.”
Chapter 31
Ambrose shifted in her seat and chose her next words carefully, afraid to reveal too much.
“There’s this light,” she began slowly. “It just kind of comes to me sometimes. It shows up when I’ve needed it the most and saved me quite a few times. It happens so quickly and it’s so blinding it’s almost scary, but I always know it’s going to be okay. You said the Alkijin couldn’t survive in the light and when they had me surrounded it just came. When it touched them, they turned solid and I could fight back. I could kill them.”
“You killed one?” Akadian’s gaze bore into her over his goblet as he took another drink.
“More than one. Quite a few actually,” she admitted.
He eyed her, mouth slightly agape. “That’s…really impressive.”
“I thought you weren’t giving out any more compliments,” she teased lightly, trying to lighten the squeeze in her chest.
“Well…” He ran a hand through the dark waves that fell down around his face, pushing them back and away from his eyes, the corners of his mouth tilted into a sly smile. He moved to sit on her bed and pat the seat next to him for her to join. When she did, he laid back, resting a hand over his eyes the way he had the first night he brought her to their chambers. “It is.”
Blood rushed to her cheeks as she laid down next to him, her bones and body aching for sleep. The image of the Alkijin flashed across her mind and she knew she’d be seeing them in her nightmares for many nights to come. Just one more thing to haunt her in her dreams.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t get used to it, Little Rose,” he teased back and she cracked a smile. A real smile.
“Can I ask you something now?” She stared at the prince half lying on her bed, legs dangling off the edge, his feet still firmly on the ground.
“You can ask.”
“Why do the royals hide their wings?”
Akadian stiffened. “It used to be common knowledge. That was before my time, when the gods still lived in the kingdoms, so I’ve never shown anyone mine.” He paused for a moment. “Well, no one until now.”
Ambrose could still see the vision of his wings displayed so incredibly, even though they were long gone now. Magickally tucked into wherever he was hiding them.
“Why hide them now?”
“Direct orders.” He moved his hand away from his face and stared at the painted ceiling. “As you know, the royals were the first race the gods created…”—‘Your gods invaded this land. They did not find an empty continent, they found our continent. Our home.’—“They created us almost exactly in their image and strength, but they didn’t give us their immortality. It’s why many refer to us as ‘near gods’, because we’re comparable to the gods but we don’t quite measure up in a one-on-one fight. We can still be killed. Though, we’ll long outlive any of your natural deaths. The gods would never create something more powerful than they are.”
“So that means…” The realization hit her.
He nodded. “The gods also have wings and they no longer want anyone to know that.”
