“BACK!”
Abraxasslid across the room, and my chair slammed onto the floor.Heshook his head and grinned asJunput his body between us.Jun’spower had been growing ever since his collar had come off.Bythe gods, he’d just decimated the mist district bridge.Abraxaslooked unbothered as if the command had been nothing more than a gentle spring breeze.Hesmiled.
“Itseems you are in good spirits,Prince.”IheardJungrowl, a soundI’dnever heard from him before.Theking’s smile dropped, but it wasn’t because ofJun.
“Abraxas!”Toristormed into the room; her face full of menace. “Whatthe hell are you doing?”
Ididn’t hear how he responded.Icouldn’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears.Icouldn’t breathe.Icouldn’t breathe.
“Pallas, you’re alright.”ItwasJun, and he held my hands, kneeling in front of me.
“Takeher to your room.”Tori’svoice was filled with rage, but it wasn’t aimed at me.IfeltJungently guide me, and allIdid was focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
Chapter 44
Hadeon
479 years ago
Iremembered the dayIsaw the manAbraxastruly was.Thememory was very clear.Hehad bent the knee to me, but his loyalty had been untested.Imay have been a new ruler then, butIwas no fool.Wordsmeant nothing without action behind them.
Thesettlement was small and already half dead from the war.Evenin its withered state,Icould still feel the cold sweat creeping up my neck asIlooked upon the stone temple to the old dragon gods that lay at its center.Thosewalls held my blood and my greatest shame.Theycouldn’t stand any longer.Whynot deal with two problems at once?
Ilead my horse up to the edge of the rise that looked over the town withAbraxasclose behind me.Hisblack stallion pulled up alongside mine, and he pulled off his helmet, his long hair fluttering in the gentle fall breeze.
“Thisis why you have summoned me and a full cohort out to the middle of nowhere?Somedefenseless town?”Hisface twisted in disgust, and he refused to meet my gaze.
“Thistown is home to traitors against my new empire.Itmust be dealt with.”
Finally,Abraxasturned to me, andIcould see the hatred burning in his eyes.Howhe despised me and howIreveled in seeing him bend, nonetheless. “Whatintelligence do you have on the traitors?Whereare they located?Wecan engage without unnecessary casualties if—”
“Oh, no.Youmisunderstand me,General.Thisentire settlement is condemned.Iwant you to raze it to the ground.”
Isaw that hatred light into a burning flame in his eyes, and just as in the throne room, a part of me wished he would act on it.Hewouldn’t survive it, but what a glorious ending that would be.
“Youcan’t truly mean—”
“Areyou unwilling to fulfill my command,GeneralAbraxas?”
Hisgrip tightened on the sword at his hip, andIfelt a great surge of power in my heart asIpulled on my own magic.Itwas different from the magic beforeMalech’sdeath; it was rawer.ButI’dmaster it, just likeIwould master the man before me.Iwatched as the loathing in him burned even brighter before it was snuffed out, and his hand fell.
“Ofcourse not,YourEminence.”Helifted his hand and signaled to his army, and they took off down the hill.
Hekicked his horse to ride to the front of the ranks whenIcalled to him. “Remember,General, every single one.”Hedidn’t turn back or acknowledge me, butIknew he had heard.
Iwatched as the townsfolk who had been performing their daily duties stopped in their tracks.Theireyes widened in fear as that great dark army descended on them.Manyfled back into their houses while a few men approached the oncoming horde andAbraxas.Icouldn’t hear what they said, but it was irrelevant.Helifted his great sword above his head and cut through theirs.Troopsspread out into the village.Screamsfilled the air as cottage roofs were set ablaze inAbraxas’ emerald flames.Peoplewho fled from the burning buildings were slaughtered.Allthe while,Abraxasmoved through the scene without faltering, andIsworeIsaw his eyes were blazing with something much deeper than hatred.
Hemoved like no oneIhad ever seen.Hemay have only had a fraction of the magic he once wielded, but he was still a sight to behold.Theflames of the town seemed to call to him, and he bent them to his will.Hissword moved through body after body as if cutting through softened butter at a midsummer picnic.Absolutelynothing stood in his way as he called the flames to him and set them spiraling into the ancient temple.Stonemelted in on itself, and the entire building collapsed with a thundering crash.Hewas a power unlike anythingIhad seen besides myself.Myfingers tightened on the leather of my reigns thinking about it.
Whatit would feel like to press myself against someone who could stand against me, our naked power unleashed.Whatmight it feel like to feel him succumb to me, to surrender?Hispower my equal but his soul mine to devour.
Asthe walls came down and the dust settled, that terrible and great dragon statue emerged from the haze.Abraxasstood before it, unmoving.Imade to call out, to taunt him, but he summoned his pure emerald flames and shot them at the beast.Theold gold exploded into nothing but dust.
Chapter 45
Tori
“W
