Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
RAELLE
After what I’ve been through, I wouldn’t think a pile of snow-covered rocks could bring me such joy.
It feels like Greer, Ashavee, and I left this place ages ago, yet it’s not been two days.
The snow is brighter and the sky an immaculate shade of blue.
Perhaps nothing has really changed, and it’s just the adrenaline from accomplishing what we thought might be impossible.
Pliris is closer to restoration and peace, and because of that, everything seems a little brighter.
I urge Nortus into a gallop and race for the alcove where I left Kyron.
He’s going to be upset with me. That’s a given.
But I expect his anger to be short-lived when he sees the stone in my pocket.
He never gave up on the possibility of fixing everything that had gone wrong.
It was his determination that fueled mine and gave me the strength to climb that spire.
I don’t care if the man throws a fit as long as he has his arms around me while he does it.
The smile on my face widens, bunching my cheeks into tight balls that hurt.
When we reach the rocks, I dismount and guide Nortus through the winding turns.
With each step, butterflies take flight inside me.
The fluttering quickens until it feels like my feet might leave the ground.
I release Nortus’ reins, letting Greer tend to him as I run the rest of the way.
All I want is to touch him, make sure he is all right, and tell him that we have what we came for.
I round the last corner, ready to see the cropping of rocks where I left him.
My feet skid to a stop. The sight that greets me sucks away my bliss and leaves me in a panic.
Ulric and Terro are bound and gagged, propped against the far wall of the cave.
Their faces are battered, and their clothes are rumpled and torn.
My gaze falls to the bedroll and discarded blankets next to the dwindling fire. Terror slices through me.
I dart forward and yank the fabric from Ulric’s mouth. “What happened? Where’s Kyron?”
“They took him.”
“Who took him?” I ask, the words a screech.
“I took him.”
Everything stops. The conversation. The world. My heart. For as long as I live, I will never forget that voice. It lives in my nightmares and is always followed by the cracking of a whip against my back. I inch my head around to look over my shoulder. It’s worse than I could have ever imagined.
Niko holds Kyron to his chest, his sharp claws piercing the tender area under the king’s chin.
Blood trickles from a gash in my parah’s head, and the weak hold he has on his captor’s arm will do nothing to stop him from ripping out his throat.
The minute Kyron’s lifeless body hits the ground, the wolf and gorilla flanking Niko will tear him apart.
“How?” I say.
Niko doesn’t need more depth to my question.
He knows exactly what I mean. “Come now. We knew where you were taken. The question was, when would be a good time to take you back? We thought about it when you crossed the border into Sibyl, but your little mission for answers was intriguing. Then to learn the Cruel King’s stone really exists.
I had to see if you could do it. We just didn’t want your king to get his hands on it.
So, we attacked to make sure he was out of the game.
Our air unit says it was impressive how you made it out of that temple alive. ”
The Allaji have been a step ahead the entire time. They’ve toyed with us and hurt my friends. No more. This ends now.
I hold my hands up and slowly get to my feet. “Don’t hurt him. I’ll go with you.”
“No,” Kyron grits out, pulling harder on Niko’s wrist.
The smile that spreads over the bear shifter’s face has my stomach turning. It won’t be that easy. It never was with him. He wants screams and blood. Nothing is worth it if he can’t inflict the worst kind of pain. “I know you miss me, but you have something else I want. Give me the Imperium.”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t say you don’t have it because that’s the only thing I will trade for your king.” As if to prove his point, he pushes his claws deeper into Kyron. Blood forms at the sharp points and slides down his neck.
My hand slams inside my pocket, gripping the stone.
If I give it to him, Pliris is defenseless.
But if I don’t, we have no king to wield it anyway.
No matter what I choose, the Imperium is useless to me.
At least I have the chance to walk out of this place with Kyron alive.
It’s a miniscule chance, but one all the same.
Kyron glares at me, his dark eyes burning a hole so deep it sears my soul. “Raelle,” he whispers in warning.
I extend my hand and uncurl my fingers. The Imperium lies in the center of my palm.
As if it is breathing, it pulsates against my skin.
The stone is powerful. I never felt the presence of the Eporri the way I feel this energy.
Not even the colors can remain motionless inside the delicate surface, swirling in constant motion.
In my hands is the power to give and take the gifts of the creator.
Retrieving this one small stone was to be my redemption, but I’d rather be damned than live in a world without Kyron.
“Take it,” I say.
“Elle, what the hell? You just left...” Greer comes around the corner with Ashavee at her heels. They stop in their tracks, sizing up the situation. I hold my other hand up, signing for them to stand down. They don’t come any closer, but the hackles of the two shifters guarding Niko rise.
The tension in the air is so palpable that to move I’d have to swim through it. It’s saturated with the brutal truth—not everyone here will make it down this mountain alive. In fact, some will die right where they stand.
Niko lifts his chin, motioning me forward. “Bring it to me.”
I keep my eye on Kyron as I close the distance between us.
If I could find a way to sneak the stone to him, we might have a fighting chance if he could tap into this power.
Unlike the Eporri and Posseda, he was made to wield this energy.
There will be no need to acclimate, no training to wield its power.
I have to believe it will bend to his will as soon as he touches it.
Otherwise, what was the purpose of sending us on a mission to find it?
Our kingdom will fall if he doesn’t command it.
I lower my hand with the intention of slipping the Imperium into Kyron’s, but Niko misses nothing.
“Careful, girl. Keep that stone where I can see it, or I’ll be knuckles deep in your king’s throat.” He pivots Kyron away from me, shielding him with his massive body. “Slip it into my pocket and I’ll let him go.”
With all options gone, I cram the Imperium into the pocket of Niko’s pants. “It’s yours. Let him go,” I say.
Niko shoves Kyron forward. He rams into the alcove wall with a thud. Greer rushes forward to catch him. The shifters charge in her direction. And everything erupts into utter chaos.
“Let’s have one more go for old time’s sake,” Niko growls as hair sprouts from every inch of skin, covering him in dark brown fur.
His mouth and nose stretch forward, distorting his face.
Razor-sharp teeth grow out of his maw. Bones crack and rearrange.
The leather of his pants tears at the seams until they’re nothing but panels hanging from his waist. It takes only seconds before I’m face to face with a bear standing on its hind legs.
I pull my sword from my side. Every emotion that was ripped out of me with a whip as he watched washes over me.
The humiliation of clinging to Zek’s throne while topless.
The breathtaking pain jolting through me with every crack against my skin.
The terror of him holding me to the floor as Zek straddled my legs.
And the rage. All the rage thrashing through me as I was sliced open.
He took and took, and now it is my turn to make him pay.
We clash—blade, teeth, and claws. He slams his paws into me, the tips sinking into my skin.
I stumble back, but only for a second before I’m running and slashing my blade through the air.
It glides through his fur and pulls away, dripping with blood.
He roars and swipes at me as I back out of the alcove, desperate for space.
With his head lowered and black eyes on me, he stalks forward.
I shouldn’t look away. I need to keep alert, but I can’t help but spare a glance at Kyron.
He has made his way to Ulric and Terro and is working to set them free.
I take in the sight on the other side of me.
Greer uses her water to combat the wolf, hitting it in the face with a steady stream as she moves closer to it with a dagger.
Ashavee and the gorilla aren’t as tactful.
They bat one another with extended claws and fists while searching for the perfect opening to sink their teeth into the other.
A shadow crosses overhead, and I find Niko standing before me.
He lifts his arms wide, exposing his stomach.
I plunge my sword toward his vulnerable spot.
His claws sweep down and clank against the metal.
The impact vibrates through me, rattling my teeth and making it difficult to keep hold of my weapon.
He swipes at me, and I duck just as his claws cut the air where I once stood.
We find our tempo. It’s fast. Swipe, thrust, jab, and kick, we battle like a vengeful woman and a wild animal.
I want his screams, his blood, his last breath, and he wants mine.