Chapter 17 #2
“The strongest vessel for Kalix to ever live.” He taps his index fingers on his lips. “Tell me, can she hear us right now?”
“No, she can’t. I can control her, and right now, she isn’t here.” I place my hands casually in my lap. “Right now, she isn’t even a thought in my mind."
He laughs wildly. “You cannot control her. She only lets you believe that you can.”
“And how would you know?” I question.
He pauses, thinking of his next words carefully, and the slightest change in his eyes lets me know that he’s trying to enter my mind. I glance at his wrist, noticing a bit of grey discoloration on his skin. I tilt my head and let my thoughts swirl.
“That’s a story for another wonderful meeting, Queen.”
That title on his lips makes my skin crawl, and I can’t help but fidget in my chair.
I narrow my eyes, carefully considering my next move.
He’s currently playing a dangerous game of back and forth, and what he doesn’t know is that I was made for this game.
A subtle tap in my mind makes my insides squirm; the tattoo is blocking him right now, and I’m thankful for the pain I experienced at this moment.
“You know,” he says, clearing his throat.
“I was truly upset when Silas found a way to block my talents a few years ago. I had such a great time tormenting him as he grew older.” He smiles, fully aware of the weight of his words.
“Given how your mind is closed off, he must have shared this knowledge with you. Tell me. How much did it hurt?”
“Like hell,” I respond. “But, all the pain was worth the miserable look on your face right now.”
He leans forward in his chair, scratching his chin, “Do you think Barlowe felt it that much? When the poison entered his veins?”
The words hit me like a blow to the face. Anger rises within me, and the darkness creeps up.
And, it doesn’t quiet down. The dark veins on my hands vibrate, and for a moment, I think that Kalix coming forward and wiping this man from this realm sounds like a great idea. He wants to provoke me, and I refuse to give in to his demands.
“Malachi, the only power you hold over me at the moment is your words.”
“And other things,” he smiles.
“I can promise there is nothing you could say that would hurt me.”
“Is that so?”
I nod, crossing my arms.
“Then let me try,” he insists, grinning maniacally. “I like games.”
“Go ahead. I have all night, and nothing to do.”
Malachi tilts his head. “Does Silas know?”
I freeze, and the air leaves my lungs. “Does he know what?”
“Oh, Briar. You know exactly what I’m asking. Do you think he loves you because of you? Or because he was designed to?” He leans forward. “It would be such a shame if his love for you wasn’t real.”
I stand with such force that my chair flips and I rush toward him. I bring my face inches from his and snarl, “You are a fucking child.”
“Am I?” He laughs. “Seems like I just won.”
“This isn’t a game,” I spit.
“But,” he grins broadly, “it is.”
“Instead of taking the fate of this kingdom and our realm seriously, you sit in your velvet chair of misery and taunt people, because after all these years, you’ve realized that’s the only control you truly have.”
Before I can react, his large hand wraps around my throat and squeezes.
He stands and pushes me backward against the wall.
His hot breath brushes the nape of my neck, and I try to fight against his grip, but it holds.
His eyes pierce into mine, and in this moment, they are unlike any Wielders I have ever seen.
They are dark, ancient, and animalistic.
They are inhuman.
“You don’t know what you’re up against,” he whispers in my ear. “I’m not the only one playing games; you are, too. You think you can win, but you’re wrong.”
I gasp against his hold, feeling the burn in my lungs.
“You’re living in a delusion, and I will make sure that I’m the one who snaps you back into this harsh reality,” Malachi says.
He releases my neck, and I fall to the ground, inhaling as hard as my lungs will allow. The handprint around my neck burns, but I don’t touch it. I don’t dare give him the satisfaction of knowing he can hurt me. Malachi sits back down in his chair and gazes at the fire.
I stand on unsteady legs and grasp the edge of the dark velvet chair. He ignores my struggle, and I pull myself up again, sitting across from him once more.
“The only one living in a delusion is you,” I say. “I think you are scared, and I’m going to find out what of.”
This meeting is over.
Taking a deep breath, I stand. “You might think we don’t have a chance, but at least we’re trying, Malachi.”
He places his elbows on his knees, listening to every word.
“Carobon has possessed the Prince of Eddris, Rohhit Harte, while Calia Thornfield is orchestrating plans that have been years in the making with my apparent half-brother, Nolan. They have the resurrection stone and are planning to raise an army.”
He snaps his head from the crackling fire. “Lornx had a child with Calia Thornfield? There’s another Blackbyrne son?”
“Is that what caught your attention? My father’s infidelity?”
He nods, facing the fire once more—lost in thought.
“If you’re not going to help us, then Andorwood will cease to exist. Carobon plans to rid the realm of all Shadow Wielders.”
He shrugs, but I continue.
“You know a ship is sailing here with those creatures aboard. We need to be prepared to fight in four days. Are you willing to help us? Are you going to prep the Andorwood army to fight? Or, will you let Silas lead?”
“No. They won't fight,” he replies, still focused solely on the flickering flames in the fireplace. “I won’t allow it.”
I step into his line of sight. “You’re a coward.
I hope you spend what’s left of your miserable life trapped in this castle.
When the time comes, I’ll gather whoever I can to protect this kingdom.
When you don’t show up, they’ll see who will truly rule and who chooses to languish in the shadows.
” I step back, leaving him with my words.
“I used to hide there, Malachi, and I can promise it’s not the way.
The people of Andorwood will see Silas as the future, and you will be forgotten. ”
He doesn’t turn his gaze to meet mine, and I exhale sharply, creating distance.
“Who will you haunt then, Malachi, when no one remembers your fucking name?”
I move toward the door and reach for the handle.
A shift in the room causes the candlelight to flicker chaotically, but I ignore it and move faster to exit.
An unseen breath brushes my hair aside, inches from my face, and I freeze.
Fear envelops me, and even though I can’t see the threat, my senses scream at me to look around.
An invisible claw grazes my shoulder as if tracing the spot where my tattoo is marked on my body.
The claw begins to dig in deeper, and I spin around to see Malachi standing there, facing me.
An unnaturally broad smile spreads across his face, and I watch madness creep over his aged features as the flames crackle behind him.
“It would be so easy, Briar, to end your life right now.” Malachi rests his hands on the chair before him and leans into it. “You are distracted and only worry about the things right in front of you, when you should be concerned about the things that creep in between.”
The claw digs deeper into my shoulder, and I grit my teeth against the sharp pain shooting down my back. I don’t move; it’s as if fear has trapped me once again, taking me back to the dinner table the day before, when I couldn’t move, only blink in horror.
“I will not fight alongside you, because you are reckless. You are not prepared, and associating myself with you would be suicide.”
I fumble behind me, trying to get a good grip on the door handle to yank it open and make my exit.
Malachi steps closer.
“I haunt and dwell in the shadows to remain hidden. You have no idea who—or what—I’ve dealt with in my life.
I’ll torment, hunt, and torture for the rest of my life if that keeps me safe.
” His face moves closer to mine. “I’ll continue to hide, and I don’t intend to be found.
You should know all about hiding in the shadows. You are a coward, just like me.”
I angle my head, unsure of how to interpret that statement. Malachi steps back abruptly, giving me space to open the door.
“I’ve worked hard to be here, and I don’t plan to go back,” he mutters.
I cross the threshold and glance back once more. He remains frozen in the doorway, watching me walk down the long, dark hallway. The shadows around him distort his face, and for a moment, all I see is a monster as a broad smile spreads across his face.
He calls down the hall, “That tattoo won’t protect you for long. She’ll come forward, and you won’t be able to stop her.”
His words echo in my ear as my steps pound against the floor, making my way down the hallway once more.
Just the mention of the tattoo makes my shoulder throb as the poison continuously burns through my veins.
The hallway ends, and I stand in the wide opening of the castle.
The corridor behind me resembles a tunnel of darkness, and I quickly turn to ensure my back isn’t facing that direction.
The dark castle looms above me, and the vaulted ceilings creak from the roaring wind outside.
Each noise has my senses on edge, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t steady my racing heart.
Something about this castle scares me—as if each shadowy corner holds a secret just waiting to be revealed.
Even though my curiosity sometimes gets the best of me, I believe that most of the secrets should remain just that.
Andorwood has been as confusing as I imagined it would be. Nothing since we have arrived makes sense, and I fear the longer we remain on this island, the more the tension between the group will rise.
I continue through the large room, my defenses dropping as I continue up the stairs, lost in thought.
The towering chandelier at the top of the stairs is decorated with black and silver jewels that snake to the ceiling.
The tall windows are stained with dark-colored glass, and the moonlight casts in, creating more shadows.
The shadows around me seem to build in my presence, and fear rises in my chest. My steps quicken as I turn the corner toward our bedrooms. I glance over my shoulder, and in the darkness, I can make out faint movements—something dark is following me.
I bound forward, and each time I whip my head around, the shadow quickly slips into a pocket, making it impossible to distinguish the figure stalking me. I start to run and whisper, “Gods, just give me some light in this fucking darkness.”
Did I just pray for light around me?
I hear a muffled growl behind me, and I shout, “Stop!”
Turning on my heels, the looming figure behind me steps out of the shadows, towering over me by three heads. My eyes widen, and I freeze in fear. I widen my stance as the nearly invisible creature crawls toward me on all fours.
“Leave me alone,” I scream, while pushing my palms forward, expecting a surge of black magic to erupt from my body.
My jaw drops when darkness doesn’t emerge from my hands.
Instead, a bright white light sends my entire body flying backward.
The hallway fills with a blinding radiance, and the creature shrieks in agony.
Stunned, I lie on the floor, gasping for breath.
Light.
I wielded light.
A small hand wraps around my arm, and I scream as I’m pulled through an open bedroom door.