Well, their lives were already in the shitter the moment they got exiled—the charred flesh across their forearms was proof of that, the exile burn—but I knew bringing them to Dahes meant it was most likely over.
They wouldn’t stand a chance here.
All because Dahes wanted their Token.
It was another reason I was thankful Dahes gave me the tranquilsfor the hunts. I didn’t want to see their expressions as realization dawned. I was too much of a coward to look them in their eyes as I ruined their lives.
Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. Exhale.
I tied the first triplet to my back without another thought.
Chapter Three
An Eye
MAGNOLIA
Isilently watched as the triplets shook in terror. I reacted the same way when I was first brought into Dahes’ castle.
They fully regained consciousness once I dropped them onto the stone floor in the middle of Dahes’ throne room.
Time passed too slowly as the girls freaked out in hysterics. Dahes let them, waiting patiently still for them to notice him.
I tried to make myself invisible as I watched the one I didn’t drag try and fail to calm the other two.
It took me over an hour to get them here. The triplet with the now broken ankle was tied to my back, but I dragged the other two across Moriann and it showed. Most of their skin was raw, scraped off from being tugged, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t have enough rope to tie them all, and I couldn’t risk bringing them in one at a time. Dahes said he needed all three of them and fear of disappointing him had me disregarding human decency.
They were alive. Deformed and severely injured, but alive. It was what mattered. At least it’s what I told myself as I avoided their gazes.
Their sobs only muted after they noticed the monster on the throne.
Dahes was wearing his devil’s mask. It was the same one I saw on him the night I made my deal. The same one everyone saw him wearing.He only ever took it off in front of me. Every time I came back from a hunt, he’d have it on. It made him terrifying, made him look more animalistic than human.
But I could still see his eyes. They glowed through the alabaster plaster. It matched his skin perfectly, molding to his face until it became a part of him. I could still make out his expressions—the mask moved as he talked like white paint dripped over him, leaving only his eyes untouched. Ivory horns spiraled from his temples, ending in spikes above his head. If I’d never seen him without the mask on, I would’ve thought they were a part of him. Everything blended so seamlessly?—
“If we read you a vision, you’ll let us go?” one of the sisters asked after going back and forth with Dahes.
They were beautiful, mesmerizing—despite their abraded skin. Well, only two of them were covered in blood. When I first saw them, I couldn’t tell them apart, and if I hadn’t seen the three of them huddled together, I would have thought they were all the same person. Long blonde hair with bright green eyes and figures I was envious of. Now, I could at least distinguish between the girl I carried on my back. The only one whose hair hadn’t ripped off in places and whose skin was still intact, despite the broken ankle.
“Ifyou give me what I want,” Dahes drawled, his voice bored. He was sitting on the throne while the triplets and I were standing on the pale stone floor below him. If he wasn’t daunting enough, his throne was. It was the only thing in the large room with white steps that led up to the dais, forcing everyone below to crane their necks.
Besides the smooth seat, the entire throne was covered in spikes. I knew they were used as weapons rather than for show. I had stood here multiple times as he used the spikes, when he’d make people walk into them. The red coloring wasn’t originally there. It was darkest toward the base of the throne, the blood drying almost black, while fresh blood still marred the tips. Dahes never cleaned it, and by how all-consuming the blood was, he had to have killed thousands this way.
One of the sisters, the one I carried, narrowed her eyes. “We’ll read your vision, but we won’t be held accountable if you aren’t satisfiedwith the answer.” Dahes tsked, but the side of his mouth rose into a half smirk as she added, “You will let us gounharmed.”
“Smart girl,” was all he said. He was right. If you were making a deal with Dahes, wording was everything. I would know.
“Fine,” Dahes spoke after a moment. “Read me my vision, and you have my word that you’ll be returned to my streets.”
“And left unharmed,” the sister’s gaze narrowed on him.
He smirked, the plaster of the mask tilting upward. “I promise I will not lay a finger on you.”
The other two sisters relaxed a fraction while the untouched sibling still spoke. “My sisters need to be tended to first. The dragon flew low over the Sands and some of the black grains stuck to them, blocking their access to our powers.”
I tried to remain emotionless as I envisioned the black desert. It was one of three land masses separating Viven from Moriann.
The Sands were dangerous, not only because of the blistering heat during the day and the potential for sinking dunes, but it was the only place in Hilithia where Tokens were rendered useless. Magic didn’t work there. Something about the black grains stopped it.
