My sentence was cut off. I hadn’t realized where Kallon was standing. I hadn’t realized the purple and black smoke until it was too late. Until she fucking portaled us back to the camp.
My knees sank to the ground outside the shield once Kallon released me. The snow started seeping into my wet clothes, but it felt like nothing compared to the numbness inside me.
Distantly, I heard Kallon crying… heard her sob, “Your fire is too important to risk, Tez. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I called to my Dark ability, cursing myself that my veins were void of it. If I could, I would’ve compelled Kallon to portal me back, to drop me off in Lux and leave me there. I’d rescue Scottie by myself if I had to. But no matter how many times I willed my Dark powers to manifest, nothing happened, the vapor Alluse was already consuming too much of my veins.
I screamed, but I couldn’t hear it.
I was dragged back through the shield, but I couldn’t feel it.
Scottie was left in Lux completely alone.
Without any abilities.
And in the hands of Athler.
TWENTY-SEVEN
SCOTLIND
Darkness engulfed me.A bag was thrown over my head, but I knew I was being dragged through the castle. I just didn’t know which part of it they were taking me to.
“Send word to the King,” Athler ordered. “Tell him we have an urgent matter, and he’ll want to return immediately.” The only response was fading footsteps. I couldn’t tell what scared me more—seeing the Lux King in person or Athler using his ability again.
My elbows slammed against the floor as I was thrown into a room. A click sounded, then brightness flooded my vision. Brown eyes burned into me as the bag over my head was removed.
“Scotlind…” The words came out more like a question, and for a brief moment, a look of shock ran across Kole’s face before it was gone.
“Chain her to the floor,” Arcane said. His voice was so much lighter than Athler’s, less grating.
Kole nodded as he pulled the chains around my wrists. Using his free hand, he lifted a rug to reveal a circular hook embedded into the floor. He dragged my shackles down, connecting themto the hook, and I realized I was in the King’s personal chambers. It was the same room he ordered Tezya and I to come to before the meeting with Tennebris. I remembered the rug—noticing the bump under it even then—and the large mantle across from it where he stood as he assessed us.
Disgust filled me, making me want to vomit all over again. The King had a permanent place for a prisoner in the middle of his room…
I pulled at the lock, but it wouldn’t budge. I kept trying and trying as realization of what I did finally caught up to me—
“If you keep fighting, I’ll chain your ankles and neck down too.” Athler let out an amused chuckle, before turning to Kole. “Compel her. The Alluse we used in the vapor was Vir so abilities will work on her.”
Kole straightened, his voice taut. “What do you want the compulsion to be?”
“I want information. I want to know where she’s been and what they’ve been up to. Once the King comes back we’ll hook her up in the monitor room.” Athler turned his glare toward Arcane. “And she better revealeverythingabout your siblings’ whereabouts since you couldn’t manage to capture any of them, not even the stupid brute who was half dead.”
Arcane didn’t reply.
Relief flooded me for a brief moment. Everyone escaped and was safe. But the feeling was washed away as quick as it came before the terror set in. The camp. They couldn’t find out about the camp. Once I was in the monitor room, I’d be forced to reveal everything that had happened since we escaped. The King would know the truth about Tezya. He would find out the rebellion was still very much alive and ready to fight against him. I prayed Tezya and Dravenburg would be able to evacuate everyone to the new location before that happened, but I would still ruin our only advantage in this war. I would be forced to reveal our hand, forced to tell the King everything about theprophecy and about Tezya. And if that happened, he’d make it his mission to killhimfirst.
I backed away from Kole as his fingers gripped my chin, and horror sank its teeth into me. I watched the golden spirals appear on his hand.
No, no, no.
“Where have you been hiding?”
His voice was musical, the same familiar octave I remembered, but it felt different. I could tell he was using his ability, but I wasn’t compelled to answer him. I said nothing, the shock was all consuming for a heartbeat. Then another.
He compelled me again, but the urge to obey didn’t come. I had no idea how or why his compulsion wasn’t working, but I wasn’t going to waste it.
I’d forced myself to obey, to pretend. If I could lead them astray… If I could manage to keep everything about Tezya and the camp a secret, we could still win. “We were staying close to Tezya’s condo in the mortal territory.”
