“Galen,” I hiss, the name venomous on my tongue. “What’s he done, Darius? What the fuck is he planning?”
“He’s... he’s working with Malric,” Darius mutters, the words tumbling out in a rush as though saying them faster will lessen the impact. “They’ve been planning this for years. Galen wants control, Kade. Of the council, the warlock factions. Of everything. He said the Senior Council’s too weak to survive, and that we need someone stronger, someone like—”
“Him?” I cut him off, my voice rising. “You’re telling me Galen thinks he’s the answer to our weakness? And you just stood by and let him scheme?”
I pause, my chest heaving as the pieces slot together in my mind. Galen, Malric, the Council—this isn’t just about power. It’s about rewriting the entire fabric of our world. My jaw tightens, a bitter taste flooding my mouth. I trusted Galen and was blind to the scheming cunt. I wonder how many decisions he’s shaped under the guise of loyalty, and how many times Darius has stood by and let him. Darius has always been the weakest of us, but this is more than stupidity. This is betrayal. On a scale that burns in my veins like a poison that will never fade.
Darius shakes his head frantically.
“I didn’t know the full extent until recently. I swear, Kade. I thought he’d just take power and we’d be fine. I thought…” Darius pales again and his eyes screw shut. “They’ve been plotting for years. Planning to consolidate power.”
It’s my turn to screw my eyes closed and see the moves that Galen’s been making on the chessboard. Fuck, I’ve been blind. I’ve played into his hands. He’s played me for a fool and he didn’t even have to lie to me.
“He was the warlock Zara’s coven sold her to, wasn’t he?”
Darius drags a hand through his hair, trying to ground himself as my rising tide of rage threatens to consume us both. He nods deliberately and I lose my goddamn shit.
The magic bursts out of me like a dam breaking, an explosion that reminds me of the way my power used to feel. The air thickens, crackling with a charge that tastes like metal on the tongue. Shadows spill from the corners of the room, curling and writhing as though alive, hungry for destruction. The ground trembles beneath my feet, fine cracks spider webbing across the floor.
Dark tendrils of magic lash out, slamming into the walls and leaving scorched, jagged streaks in their wake. Glass shatters behind me, shards suspended in midair for a breathless moment before crashing to the ground like a symphony of chaos. The flames in the lamps flicker wildly, shrinking to smoldering embers before surging higher, blackening the ceiling with soot.
I don’t even notice the roar that rips from my throat until my voice cracks, my chest heaving with the effort. The world feels like it’s tilting on its axis, the very fabric of reality bending under the weight of my fury.
Darius stumbles back, his face pale as sweat beads on his forehead.
“I didn’t think it would go this far. I thought Galen just wanted to replace the Council and make us stronger. I didn’t know about Malric until a few weeks ago.”
“Bullshit,” I snap, the venom in my voice making him flinch. “You don’t get to play the ‘I’ve been played’ card now,Darius. You knew enough to see the danger and you did nothing. Or maybe you thought you’d get a seat at the table when he tore everything down.”
Darius shakes his head furiously, desperation etched into his features. “No, Kade! I swear, I never wanted this. Galen said it was about saving us, saving the warlock world from itself. I thought it was for the best. For both of us. And when I found out about you and Zara, I thought the blood weave would consume you.”
“And Malric?” I demand, my voice a razor’s edge. “What the fuck does a cunt like him have to do with saving us?”
“You went to him yourself, Kade,” Darius snaps back before he silences himself, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.
I pace the room, my mind racing. Malric doesn’t work with anyone unless there’s something in it for him. Power. Influence. Destruction. Galen and Malric working together means this is worse than I dared imagine. They don’t want to save the warlock world; they want to burn it to the ground and rebuild it in their own image.
And Zara’s an enchantress.
She isn’t just collateral damage in this twisted scheme. Fuck, she’s the keystone. An enchantress, powerful enough to tip the scales, to weave magic strong enough to rewrite the rules of our world. A weapon they can use to annihilate anyone or anything that stands in their path, if they can control her. If they can break her.
“They can’t win without Zara,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper, but it carries the weight of certainty.
Darius looks up, his face stricken. “Kade, I didn’t know—”
“Save it,” I growl, cutting him off. “We need to get her out of there before they break her. Before they destroy the blood weave and harness her magic for themselves. They’lldestroy everything, Darius. Witches and warlocks, even magic as we know it. The bloodlines will vanish. Our entire fucking existence will be erased in a matter of minutes.”
The words hang in the air, heavy and suffocating.
“They’ll break her,” I continue, my voice low but filled with steel. “They’ll push her until there’s nothing left but shards of who she was. Malric’s specialty is destruction, Darius. Of people, not places. He’ll tear her apart from the inside out until he gets what he wants.”
Darius nods, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard.
“I’ve seen it,” he whispers. “What he’s done to others. He won’t just want her magic; he’ll want to break her spirit. Make her compliant. Make her his.”
My fists clench so tightly that my nails dig into my palms, the pain grounding me. The thought of Zara—fierce, defiant Zara—reduced to some hollow, obedient shell is enough. My thoughts spiral like dark, jagged shards of obsidian cutting through my mind. Heat prickles beneath my skin, sharp as needles and scorching like irons, and my breath comes shallow, tight, labored.
Images flash unbidden through my mind: Zara on her knees, her head bowed, her eyes empty. Her fire snuffed out, her will crushed beneath Malric’s hands. Something snaps inside me. It’s not my control, not yet, but a line that should never have been crossed has just been breached.
