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We reached the entrance and I saw the remnants of the gate, half-torn from the wall and crumpled. Nyana’s forces had lost their first line of defense, but they were far from defeated. The entrance to the underground castle was just as formidable as the gate had been, with heavy stone doors carved with intricate designs that seemed to writhe in the flickering torchlight. It was stuck open, boulders preventing them from securing the gate if their force retreated. They had no choice but to keep sending out more and more men.
My mind raced as I debated my options. Should I let them continue to come and whittle down their numbers? Or should we push through now, rather than risking them getting the inner gate shut? It would be dangerous, funneling us to a point where our numbers would mean nothing. Tykas panted next to me, his exhaustion evident despite his best efforts to hide it. We needed to act quickly before the enemy regrouped and closed off the entrance.
At that moment, I felt Kael’s anxiety through our mate bond. A low hum filled my mind as her fear and worry reached a fever pitch before fading away. I shuddered, panicking as I realized she had gone unconscious.
“Kael. Gods, no.”
My chest tightened, and I fought my forward desperately. I had to get to her. Had to find her. The enemy forces were caught off guard for a moment, but they quickly rallied, their blades flashing in the dim light. The heat of their breath fanned my face, their bodies pressing against mine as we battled in the cramped passageway.
The sound of steel on steel echoed off the walls, drowning out all other noise. My muscles screamed in protest, but I kept fighting, my mind focused on getting to my mate. Sparks flew as our swords struck each other, and I shoved hard, forcing them back. Tykas was right behind me, his ax swinging fiercely. I could hear his blows as they landed, the sickening thud of metal hitting flesh, and I was grateful that he was there.
“Theron!” Raenisa shouted from behind me, no doubt wondering why I was taking so many risks. But I couldn’t tell her. There wasn’t time to explain. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was likely only a few seconds, we had them retreating. The air shifted as the pressure in the room lessened, and I sensed Tykas’ relief.
But it was short-lived.
Theodas waited on the other side, a cruel smirk on his face with a full company of men at his back.
Chapter 28
Kael
MyvisionblurredasI blinked, struggling to see my surroundings. I couldn’t focus on anything, my mind wandering as I tried to string my thoughts together. My entire body ached as if I had a bad bout of the flu. I groaned, managing to open one eye. A room stretched out before me, unfamiliar and daunting. Bathed in an eerie light from high chandeliers, the chamber exuded an imposing, shadowy grandeur. Candlelight filled the space, casting elongated, angular shadows that played across a floor of gleaming alabaster tiles. The tiles were meticulously arranged, their intricate patterns of swirls and whorls dancing under my gaze. Towering columns of marbled perfection flanked the vast room, holding aloft an ornate ceiling painted in shades of gold, black, and crimson. The scenes depicted were unsettling—images of victory and dominance that either boasted of past conquests or heralded brutal intentions for the future. Runes adorned the walls that I’d never seen before, yet somehow seemed familiar.
At the chamber’s far end, a grand throne carved from what looked like a singular piece of dark, obsidian-like stone seemed to absorb and reflect the fractured light from the chandeliers above. Beside it, massive tapestries cascaded, their surface alive with symbols and serpentine patterns I didn’t recognize.
A jolt hit me as I realized my armor was missing. Instead, I found myself clad in my sturdy underclothes. Worse still, my swords and necklace were gone. The absence of their familiar weight against my skin felt almost like a physical wound.
Pain thrummed through my limbs, and I moaned, trying not to move. Dust coated my exposed skin, creating a jarring contrast against the polished floor beneath me. Even the air I drew into my lungs was unfamiliar, holding a sterile, metallic tang rather than the earthy scents I knew.
I shifted and chains clinked; the sound cutting through my thoughts. Fuck. The metal was like ice against my skin, preventing me from reaching my magic. What the hells had happened?
Memories crashed over me, rushing in like a turbulent tidal wave. The explosive surge of my powers, the walls collapsing around us, and the deafening roar of thousands of tons of stone rolling down the mountain. And then? A void. Blank, cold nothingness. I pressed harder, struggling to remember more. Xadrian and Herrath had left to collapse the tunnels because I was tired, so tired. We’d started to descend... My heart raced as realization set in—I’d been taken. Poisoned. Captured.
A shiver coursed through me. This wasn’t just any chamber; it was the throne room. Which meant Nyana was coming for me.
The metallic chill of the manacles seemed to seep into my very bones. I remembered the time I’d put Theron in Earthborn iron, thinking it was a lesser evil to keep him alive. I didn’t realize the torture I’d put him through. Why was it hurting so much now? It hadn’t affected me like this before. Was it my Ascension?
The balance of power had shifted inside me. The world and I’d changed together, and some evolutions came with their own set of consequences.
Drawing in a deep breath, I tried to center myself, to bring my swirling thoughts into order. “Focus, Kael,” I whispered. “You’ve survived worse. You can handle this.”
What did the Empress want? And where were the others? Were they safe? Or were they captured, just as I was?
I needed a plan, a way out of this mess.
A scream split the stifling silence and jolted me from my thoughts, ricocheting through the air like a jagged shard of glass. I knew that voice. Roza. Fear knotted my stomach as I rose, stumbling as I moved toward that heart-rending sound. Each step took a monumental effort, half my body still refusing to cooperate.
I stumbled into a dim chamber, bathed in the blood-red hue of strategically placed lanterns. My eyes darted across the room, taking in the gruesome tableau. Roza, her expression blazing with fury and desperation, was chained to a pillar on the opposite wall. Her hands pulled at her restraints, muscles taut as she writhed, struggling to break free.
“Don’t fucking touch him,” Roza shouted, her voice cracking.
Zerek, pinned to a cold stone table, was at the mercy of Tannethe. Malice filled her eyes as she traced an ornate knife down his cheek, drawing a rivulet of blood. His chest was a mess of blood; large cuts and patterns were carved into his chest. He let out a shaking breath, refusing to scream.
Tannethe smirked at Roza. “Aww. Look. He’s trying to stay quiet, so you’re not scared.”
Zerek’s eyes burned as he spat at her. “Fuck you.”
An ugly expression twisted her beauty into something unrecognizable. “I will. And I’ll make her watch as I ride you,” Tannethe swore, cutting his face again, her knife dangerously close to his eye.
