And I felt fucking invincible.
Most of my days were now spent patrolling our side of the Sylis Forest, searching for Elianna’s potential army from the sky. However, I hadn’t seen a gods-damn thing and returned to check on the state of Isla as it was held in the death grip of the queen’s iron fist and the High Witch’s talons.
I mounted the beast bareback as it was perched atop one of the city’s watchtowers. A growl brewed in its chest as it looked out at the crowds passing by, who persistently worked to avoid its gaze. Females and younglings shook in fear whenever they beheld the sight of the crimson-eyed creature beneath me, bringing the sense of power I forever longed for to an entirely new height.
The queen was many things, and while I had deemed her foolish for striking a bargain with the witches, I couldn’t help but feel that I was, for once, very wrong. The queen sought power, just as I always had, and she knew that the simplest, and easiest, way to gain such influence derived from inciting fear among the masses.
People wanted to live, and what guaranteed such was abiding by the reigning queen’s law. With her constant foot patrol on the streets, and my own in the open air, she swiftly eradicated the possibility of another wave of rebellion forming.
“Captain Adler!” a voice called from the bottom of the watchtower.
I peered over the beast’s shoulder and found William on the street below, craning his neck up at me.
“Aye, William?” I grumbled.
“The queen requests your presence in the throne room,” he informed me. “The High Witch has presented an idea to her that she wishes for you to be present for.”
William had taken over my patrolling at the queen’s side while I was tasked with bonding with my mount, which I thought was pointless thanks to our cuffs. However, the witches insisted that forming such a bond would only serve us further in battles.
Elianna’s wyvern obeyed her commands without the use of magic, which aggravated me to no end, but false bond or not, my beast submitted to me as demanded.
“And do you have any knowledge of what this is about?” I asked him.
“No, Captain. I was given orders to collect you,” he answered as he shielded his eyes from the blinding sun.
I scoffed.Collectme.
“Very well, William,” I huffed.
Every day, I thought of the use of having William around. While he listened to orders and was a decent replacement for Vincent, I didn’t trust him entirely like I had with his predecessor. He was the only one who knew the truth of Callius’ fate and had kept it to himself so far. If he knew what was good for him, it would remain that way.
I took my fist and pounded the wyvern’s scales on its right side. “Fly, beast!” I ordered, and it let out an ear-shattering shriek into the sky as it beat its wings, sending us shooting upwards. The stones of the tower creaked as his weight shifted and left it.
He landed in one of the side courtyards of Castle Isla, and the staff that were spread out in the mix quivered with fear at our arrival, quickly pivoting in the opposite direction from where we stood.
I climbed down from his back and stalked toward the pillars that led to the side entrance of the castle.
“I would make yourselves busy elsewhere. He may decide he’s hungry,” I announced with a menacing laugh before waltzing through the doors.
Once I entered the throne room, the queen sat upon her royal seat with the High Witch lingering at her side—the place where Callius had once always been, and a place I intended to be. Both females stared me down, their gazes narrowing in on me with each step I took to approach them.
“You sent for me, Your Majesty?” Iinterrupted the silence.
“Yes, thank you for joining us, Captain,” she answered. “Azenna has informed me of magic that may come of much use to me.”
“And what might that entail, Queen Idina?”
A chilling smile leisurely spread across her ruby lips, and my eyes drifted to the witch at her side.
“Captain, you do recall what it felt like when I took control of your body, yes?” she taunted.
My jaw locked at the reminder. “Indeed,” I said through my teeth. “How could I forget?” I cocked my head to the side.
“What if I were to tell you that there is a way to take over what the eyes beheld? To transport someone's consciousness to be across the realm in a non-tangible form. Presented to someone as if they were immediately before them.” Her face remained unreadable as she stared down at me from the top of the dais.
My mind wandered for a moment, unsure of where exactly she was leading with this. “Forgive me for asking, but how does projecting one’s consciousness elsewhere assist us in a war we are already bound to win?”
“It ensures an early victory,” Idina answered. “We shall corner her where she hides and cut off her sense of self. Forever making her wonder if we can see her every move, or when I will appear before her again. She is impulsive and childish. It will force her out of hiding to rush back into our war—wherewewill be ready. If she were prepared, she would’ve made it known by now, and you would’ve spotted her from the skies.”
