Maybe he was working for Elion just like I was working for Dahes. Maybe he was trying to get a read on me and they didn’t believe I really escaped Moriann—which would all be valid because I hadn’t.
I had asked him last night if he was, but he could have been lying when he answered no. The Suns only knew I was.
I took in my surroundings as we flew over the Drakin Mountains, and I couldn’t help but gawk at how beautiful they were. Last night, I blacked out. I had no recollection of how I got into MonClem, and I wasn’t going to waste it now.
I took it all in. I saw a glimpse of a cave toward the back of the village and guessed that was the entrance to the tunnel. But we passed it before I could get a better look.
Hael’s dragon landed on the pad between the Dome and Elion’s castle too soon. He jumped down before I could stand up and was already ushering me forward.
“We have to move fast,” he said, taking the stairs two at a time.
I was trying to match his pace, and although I was used to the altitude now, I could barely keep up. “I don’t understand. What’s happening?”
Hael didn’t answer, but he glanced over his shoulder, looking at me, before his gaze drifted toward the Dome. “Shit,” he cursed, thenstarted making his way back down the stairs to where I was a few steps below. “Trust me,” he said, and I didn’t have time to think about it before I felt his hand wrap around my bicep, and then I was gone.
Literally.
I couldn’t see my body.
I was invisible. And I didn’t see Hael either. I went to scream, but felt his hand wrap around my mouth before I could.
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Elion’s men are on the stairs.” Then we started walking up together. I only knew I wasn’t going transparent because I could stillfeelhis hand around my arm.
Neither of us talked as we reached the base of the castle and started making our way through it toward my room. It wasn’t until the door closed behind us that he dropped the invisibility.
He immediately retracted his hold on me, and I staggered backward a few steps.
“What was that?” I gasped. “You just made us invisible.”
“I know.”
“You… y-you have a Token?”
He shook his head. “I told you about the Vinculum bonds last night. Aura is an air elemental.”
“Aura?”
“My dragon,” he said, but I must have still looked confused because he added. “That’s her name.”
“So your magic can makethingsinvisible?” He mentioned shields last night and for some reason I thought beyond making the wind stronger, that was all he could do.
“Items are easier than people, but yes, it’s one of the things I can do.”
I scoffed, or laughed, I honestly wasn’t sure. I’d never been so embarrassed about my own Token until now. I always thought it would have been more useful to become invisible instead of what I got, and Hael could, not to mention he had a whole ass dragon. I couldn’t comprehend how strong that made him compared to Wielders, and it was only one of the things he could do…
“Look, Nollie, I have to go. We can talkabout this later?—”
The door to my bedroom slammed open. We both spun to see King Elion standing in the frame flanked by multiple Wielders. Laxin and Cash were both standing behind him, the latter smirking.
“There won’t be a later,” Elion snapped, and Hael straightened.
“I was just coming to meet you—” Hael started to move, but Elion held up a hand, then turned to Cash.
“Bring the girl.”
Hael straightened, stepping slightly in front of me. “She has nothing to do with this. I took her against her?—”
“Keep talking and I’ll gladly let her pay the consequences instead of you,” Elion barked.
