Just as before, we put the two men in the empty cells before moving on. Unlike the west dungeons, the east dungeons are almost completely full of prisoners. They begin to stir once we start unlocking each cell, and Kane quickly tells them to stay quiet. I notice that none of them wear power dampeners, but still, they look starved and tortured.
Kane starts explaining the situation to them, and they listen closely as if he is their leader. He’s agreed to escort them out of the mountain before joining me in the Throne Room. His sacrifice is one I don’t take lightly. He has even more of a reason to want to be there than I do. It just shows what kind of personhe is that he is willing to help these prisoners make it out safely before joining the attack.
Once all of the cells have been unlocked, Kane turns to me. “I won’t stand here and tell you what you already know. Just please be careful.” He wraps me in a tight hug, and I push down the emotions threatening their way to the surface.
He lets go and pulls my hood back up before commanding the attention of the scared prisoners. As I walk back down the corridor listening to Kane take charge, I can’t help but wonder why he wasn’t the one born from The Mother.
I’m extra cautious when I reach the main floor of the palace. Most of the hallways are empty, but there are a few Strellesians still wandering about. I’m much smaller than Cylas, so I’m hoping the red cloak deters them from looking too closely. Either way, I do my best to walk in a way that exudes power and prestige.
Just as I’m nearing the Throne Room, a pair of strong hands pull me into an empty room. I instantly direct my heat to my hands and grab hold of their wrists, letting my heat radiate.
“You’re alive.”
I’m thrown up against the door I was just pulled through, and my hood falls back. As the heat flares from my hands, I see why it has done nothing to release the tight grip still holding onto me. I pull back my power, knowing it’s useless against the man I once loved.
“You can’t be here,” his low, husky voice warns. “You need to leave.”
“No.” I push Damien away from me, and he retreats a small step.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but you should’ve never come back here.” His voice is strained like he’s trying not to say the words.
“Don’t act like you care.”
I think he’s about to say something else, but he drops to his knees in pain. His hands clutch his head, and I can tell he’s holding back his screams. Everything in me is telling me to help him, but I remind myself he isn’t the Damien I fell for. Instead, I lift my hood back up and slip out the door.
With each step, my mind and heart battle against one another.
What if the Damien I loved is still in there? What if he was trying to protect me? Or what if he’s a decoy? What if the king knows I’m here and sent him to find me, hoping I’d let my guard down with him?
Each thought feels valid, but I block them all out. This isn’t about me anymore. This is about what is good for the Great Six Realms. Nothing else matters.
Music and chatter come from the Throne Room. When I turn the corner, the large golden doors are wide open with crowds of people pouring out of the packed room. I keep my head down and hands folded in front of me as I pass through. Thankfully, everyone is so distracted with their own conversations that they don’t even bother to look in my direction. I’m not even sure they’re aware of the extra room they make as I pass by them. It must be an automatic response to the Circle members and I’m grateful for it.
I’ve just reached the middle of the Throne Room when the wide double doors slam shut. The sound has everyone but me whirling around.
It’s time.
Chapter 15
While everyone is still trying to figure out what is going on, I continue drifting through the room closer to where I know the king is perched on his throne.
It’s not until I hear Ryder’s voice overhead that I stop in my tracks.
“My father has been lying to you.”
Heads whip around, looking for the prince, but he’s nowhere to be found. His voice ricochets off the marble walls as he continues.
“It is your beloved king who attacked the Training Sector. It was his orders that led to the deaths of your sons and daughters.”
By now the king is standing with a ring of Royal Guards surrounding him. I watch as he orders theothers nearby to search for his son. It’s pointless, though. They won’t find him until he wants to be found.
The crowd around me has begun to stir, looking to one another with confusion. I can tell just by their reactions who is from Strellesia and who is from the other realms. Most Strellesians have turned a blind eye for so long that this news is not as shocking to them.
“Bombs have been set, sir. Everything is in place.” I recognize the voice echoing through the room as Cylas’. Eyes burn into the back of my head, but I keep the hood up, waiting for someone to make the first move.
"Good. If the attack is successful, everyone will believe it was the rebels who bombed the Sector.” I’m not sure how Ryder pulled this one off, but there’s no denying that it’s the king’s voice, and King Cimmerian’s deadly expression only confirms what everyone else is already wondering.
Suddenly, I’m being pushed around by the crowd of people as they move away from the center of the room. I fight against the current, slithering in and out until I can see what all of the commotion is about. I push through the last barrier of bodies just in time to see the last of his black smoke fade away. The room of people has split open, leaving an open space for their prince.
