31. Soul Sucker （For You Only）
LUCIAN
A Folk, an Armanthine, and a Lucent form an efficacious trinity. One can see the past, the other the present, and the final the future. It is well advised that every leader has one of each at their disposal.
— THE WRITTEN WORDS ON SOMAN GOVERNING AS TOLD BY PRESCOTT AIBEK
You wouldn’t send your strongest unit,” Yuki says. “Not at first.”
Mr. Ickehart’s stone-cold face shifts slightly. “Why wouldn’t you send your strongest soldiers?” He’s looking at me now.
In our mock battle, we are defending the Great Sea in Soma, the strongest body of water in Elysia. As with all of these mock wars, we are fighting the Nepenthe—who have barely a fraction of the population of Soma.
“To move yourself from defense to offense,” I answer. “You use your weakest soldiers as collateral, tiring the enemy before sending in your best for the kill.”
That stone-cold face smiles—I know what he thinks, have heard it many times before, you’ll make a fine king. “Fine” meaning ruthless.
He pushes forward gray pieces on the battle board—gray representing the lieutenants: the soldiers who have seen the least battle.
“If it’s the Nepenthe you face, you can wear them out quickly by forcing them to play their hand.” He goes on saying what we all know—they tire quickest of the orphia—when Olwen steps into the room.
I expect him to come to me, but he stops in front of Kai, then waits by the door while Kai pulls his pack on. I do the same, following behind him. Kai looks at me, only to scowl, and doesn’t say a thing.
“You’re not called to Soma, Prince Lucian,” Olwen says, using my title in front of the other prince.
“Not a bother,” I say. Lilac is awake, it’s the only reason Kai would be called to my kingdom. I have to be there. “I’ll be joining.”
Olwen frowns and says nothing. Kai doesn’t look at me as we go to the foramen room and portal to Soma. The bite of the air makes Kai shiver. Olwen and I are more than used to the bitter cold.
Depositing us in front of the room where I’d last seen Lilac, the look in Olwen’s eyes is an apology.
“Lucian,” Lilac’s voice quivers. She strains, but her body barely budges. Something is restraining her. “Lucian,” it’s more of a whimper than a word.
I walk right through the electrical barrier and to the side of my sister. Indigo energy hums around her—they’ve restrained her body with the same power that locks her in the room. Her head is facing the ceiling, but her eyes swivel.
Her voice cracks on every word as she says, “I can’t move.”
Looking at Kai, I say, “Get her out of this!”
He shakes his head, his eyes growing wide with concern I knew he had. They glow indigo as each of our parents appear behind him.
We’re only missing Calista.
“Take down the barrier, son,” Easton says, almost sounding like Labyrinth. Kai does not do so much as turn to his father.
He gives me a look that’s almost an apology. Then he lifts his hand, and I can see the growing tension in his face as the barely visible indigo light tugs its way into his now-shaking hand. Out of breath and falling over, his hands go to his knees to hold him up.
The kings and queens step inside the small room.
“No,” Lilac cries. “No!” her voice is barely strong enough to shout. “Let me out!” I can tell she’s thrashing against the holds, yet her body barely budges. Her eyes move down, pinning on Lusia. “Mother! Mother, please!” Tears fall from the corners of her eyes. “I love someone, Mom,” she whimpers. “Please.” Lusia’s face stays stone. “Father! Father do something!”
“Son,” King Easton says. The dissension is readable on Kai’s face. We both know who she loves, and when he looks at me, I know he’s thinking of his sister.
He steps forward, a foot from me, holding one of Lilac’s hands without being shocked. Kai’s arm shakes from the pulsations of the magic. “Kai, please!”
“I told you she’d be a pain,” Queen Melody mumbles.
My head swivels to hers. “Excuse me?” My eyes water with anger.
“Your sister should follow in your suit.” Her hands clasp in front of her, and my shadows wrap around me.
Then they wrap around her and Easton, up their bodies, around their throats.
“Lucian,” Lilac cries.
I tighten the shadows around their necks until I can hear their gags echo through the small room. Lusia smiles without teeth.
Then I’m shoved into the wall. I hear the ragged breaths of the king and queen of Lorucille, and I’m looking down at Kai. My shadows rise—but so do his currents. Lightning constricts my chest, and my shadows constrict his.
My heartbeat quickens—faster than ever before. His fingers curl in and his hand rotates with enough strain that it looks like he’s turning a rusted faucet that won’t budge. Faster and faster.
He’s going to give me a heart attack.
“Lucy!” Lilac shouts. “Someone, do something!”
I pull my shadows around him. He coughs, his face turning bright red, but he doesn’t let go. It’s as if his hand is wrapped around my heart, squeezing tight, and I’m about to burst.
With every ounce of my strength, I push him against the wall once. Then again, again, waiting for him to lose consciousness, to let me go. Blood deposits on the wall when his head smashes it for the last time.
“Enough!” Labyrinth roars. Both Kai and I release our magic, and all I am left feeling is the bliss of nothing. My entire body hums, as though this absence of magic is an enlightenment.
They begin to laugh, one of them even claps, and all I can see is the floor.
“Are you two done with your power-measuring contest?” Queen Melody says, as though the whole thing was amusing to her. Why is she not mad that I bested her moments ago?
Neither of us responds—I’m not sure that I can—and she says, “Wonderful. Kai, betroth the princess. And, Lucian,” she narrows her eyes on me, “remember what we’ve given you.”
I finally look up to see Kai staring at his parents the way I stare at mine.
Lilac looks at the ceiling against her will.
Kai barely manages to walk to her, grab her hand again, and say his vows.
* * *
The servants take Lilac to her room and bring her food, tea, and new clothes. She lays on her bed, the only noise she makes coming from her empty stomach.
When the servants clear away, she turns to me. “How could you do that?”
“Which part?” I ask carefully.
Lilac sits up, folding her arms over her chest. It’s nice to see her moving, breathing, and the thrill of it all could be enough to freeze me. “Attacking the only other two people who can make your life a nightmare!”
“I didn’t attack Calista,” I say with a humorous smile.
“Calista wouldn’t do anything akin to her parents.”
Calista isn’t a queen yet, nor am I a king. Who knows what we will do by then? If it’s anything like what we discuss in War Strategy, it won’t be good. Perhaps not as bad as the current rulers—that’s the impractical hope I hold.
“You’re right,” I appease her. “She wouldn’t.”
Tears roll down her cheeks, over her nose, and she doesn’t wipe them away. “I hate that she’s half of me.”
Lusia.
I sit at the edge of her bed. “You’re nothing like her,” I say with full conviction—she has to know this.
Yet, her bottom lip still wobbles. “I have her power.” Her head shakes, and her eyes won’t meet mine. “I’m a soul sucker.”
“You won’t wield it like her.” Her glassy, red-rimmed eyes narrow on me. “What? Are you going to use it to slowly kill your son?” I say it happily, jokingly, hoping for a smile. Lilac only sobs more. I hold the top of her hand. “It saved your life this time. Perhaps it will do so again.”
“I knew what I was doing the second it happened.” Her head falls against the headboard with a thud. “My visions were already showing me what was inevitable… they were pulling me out there. When I grabbed the moonaro, all I wanted was more. It was disgusting, like sludge in my blood, but I craved its power. The second I felt strong enough to pull away, it attacked, and I don’t blame it.” She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. “I don’t even know that I can blame Mother.”
Can’t blame Mother? I shift in my seat. Can’t blame Mother for the years of torture she’s bestowed upon me?
“No, Lucy,” she reaches for the wrist of my retreating form, but her eyes don’t meet mine. “That’s not what I mean.”
“I’m glad you’re awake, Lilac.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she says again, grabbing onto my hand and holding it tightly.
“It’s alright.” She nods, frowning. “Do you remember Desdemona?”
“The girl who brought you to my suite?”
“Is that all you remember about her?”
“She’s Calista’s roommate. Why?”
“Curiosity. Did anyone happen to mention why you awoke belatedly?”
Lilac finally meets my eyes as she scowls. “Yes,” she exhales, “Mother said something similar happened to her when she… they said I took too much power than what was sustainable for my body.”
“Okay,” I whisper.