Chapter 33
Kaden
T he halls of Yejedin groaned as I walked down the long corridor.
I stopped at the balcony edge, gazing into the pit of molten metal below.
Another large container of iron poured in, steam rising in waves to the open ceiling.
The thick liquid bubbled and spat before consuming the iron.
The Irvikuva clamored across the walls, their sharp talons carving away small pieces of rock as they jumped from one ledge to another.
Some took flight, screeching and mocking the dead that continued to walk single-file toward the crater in the middle.
“You went to Onuna. Can’t stay away from her, can you?” Tobias said, joining me. I grabbed the obsidian rails, watching them pour even more iron into the pit. It wouldn’t be enough. I needed more.
“She is going to surpass you soon.”
He snorted dismissively. “Doubtful.”
Machines clanged and groaned, molding yet another batch of weapons.
“Your plan worked, it seems. I heard that a building in Silver City almost fell.”
A smile tugged at my lips. “Good.”
“If he has caught her, he will keep her with him.”
My fingers tapped against the railing. “I know. Everything is going exactly to plan.”
“Easier to take them both?”
I nodded. “Exactly.” And I would take them both, even if I had my own plans for Dianna.
“While they are busy, I’ll get more iron,” Tobias said before slipping back into the shadows.
I strode down the hallway, the Irvikuva trailing behind me.
I summoned a portal at the end of the hall and stepped through into an obsidian room.
Torches protruded from the stone, illuminating a red and gold tapestry on the back wall, a stark contrast to the unrelieved darkness that existed here.
A large desk sat beneath it, flanked by stacks of chests.
Ancient weapons displayed like art hung in groupings on the other walls.
Fabric, the same colors as the tapestry, draped the raised dais in the middle of the room.
I placed my hands on the side of the dais, the shimmering black pool in the center prickling and vibrating.
It gave me access to other worlds, connecting me to those beyond this realm.
Irvikuva followed me, the portal closing behind them.
They settled and perched around the room, looking expectantly at the dais.
“Is it done?” A distorted voice flowed through the inky pool.
“Nearly,” I said, dropping my head.
“The sister's death caused a fracture we needed, it seemed. I'm delighted.”
I made a noise low in my throat.
“Are they keeping each other busy? He and the girl?”
The girl.
I felt the muscle in my jaw flex and my power mantle. The Irvikuva bristled with aggression and snarled, crawling toward me as if they could sense the threat.
I bared my teeth at them but otherwise ignored their posturing. “Yes, even if Samkiel trails after her like she’s in heat. They are at war with one another. Everything has returned to the plan.”
“Good, to be fair, it's all your fault, really. You turned her and then decided to care for her. I gave you strict orders, but you decided to listen to your cock instead.” The mirror rippled, the voice neither male nor female but pure, unrelenting power.
My low growl echoed through the room.
The disembodied voice chuckled. “Keep your temper in check. It turns out it was a good plan to keep her around until the weapon is formed. I just wish they would stay apart a little while longer.”
“I told you that was a mistake.” My fingers tapped against the dais. “I didn’t summon him back.”
“They will be drawn to each other like magnets. I’m surprised they stayed apart this long, being in the same realm. But you know they cannot be together. If they even get close—”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I assure you.”
The voice grew deeper, colder. “You preached that before, yet we all felt it here.”
“Well, I killed her sister, just like you wanted. Things change. She’s more Ig’Morruthen than she has ever been.
You saw that as well. They are back to being on warring sides.
Her only focus is revenge. She will hunt me down, and once she does, I plan to keep her here until it's time.” I paused, thinking of how to word my next sentence.
“She is strong, my king. Perhaps we can use her for what’s coming. ”
The mirror went flat. “Now, Kaden, you wouldn’t be propositioning me to let you keep her permanently, would you?”
“I am merely saying—”
“The ritual ends her. You know the outcome. The realms cannot open without it. Do you plan to fuck a corpse for the rest of eternity?”
“What if there was a loophole?”
Another pause. “You plan for Haldnunen to raise her? For you?”
“No, I can make the ritual take one part of her. The rest would remain. She could be another Ig’Morruthen to ensure your reign. Think of it, of what she is. My power runs through her veins, her entire being. It would be as if you had two of us. That’s more power added to our ranks.”
The obsidian mirror went still, vibrating lightly.
“Hmm. And you think she will listen to you after you killed her sister?”
“She will once she learns the truth.” I shrugged. “Besides, feelings can change after a few hundred years. If she doesn’t listen, we can keep her locked up until she does.”
Another long pause of silence. I chewed at the corner of my lip as the Irvikuva yipped above me, sensing my nervousness.
“I would like more weapons to use against those trying to rebel. Given what she is, it is promising.” The voice seemed to soften and grew thoughtful. Hope flared in my chest.
“It will be done. I swear it.”
“Very well. Open the realms successfully, and you may keep your pet.”
Triumph filled me, and a smile spread across my face.
“Now,” the pool rippled, “do I have my spellcaster?”
I scratched behind my ear and glanced to the side. Fuck. I could not lie. It would be so much worse if they returned and discovered the truth.
“Santiago is no more.”
Silence fell, and I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. The dark material in front of me frosted over. My shoulders tensed, expecting wrath, but a small ripple formed instead as that voice flickered through.
“If he was so easy to kill, then he is useless to me. What of the other one?”
I pondered the question, my clenched fingers releasing the edge of the dais as the tension left me. Other one? My mind raced, and then I paused.
“Camilla?”
“Yes,” the voice purred, “Camilla. Bring that one to me.”
“As you wish.”
I knew exactly how I could get Camilla. It was just a matter of timing it right.
I slid a hand over my jaw and nodded. Compared to our last conversation, I felt good about this one.
Maybe the broadcast was just what we’d needed for The Order to see I had this under control.
Alistair’s death had halted plans and brought fear to the fearless.
My fingers tapped a rhythm against the dais, and I asked, “Where is Isaiah?”
“He should be back soon. I have him taking care of a minor problem.”
“A problem? Is this about The Eye?”
“Worry not. Stay focused. You focus on opening the realms. The Eye is pointless if those do not open.”
I smiled. “Of course, my king.”
“One more thing, Kaden.”
I paused.
“Do not fail me again. We will not wait another thousand years. If I have to rip the realms apart with my bare hands, you will not like the outcome. Are we clear?”
“I miss you, too.”
A slight chuckle flowed through the connection. “See you soon.”
The mirror jumped before going still and smoothing out.
I pushed away from the dais and opened a portal.
The room I stepped into was an assault after the obsidian room.
It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the richness of the colors.
I sat in the twisted bone chair and propped my feet on the carved, clawed desk.
A small coin glinted at me from the desktop.
Leaning forward, I grabbed it, twirling the aged metal between my fingers, the ridges worn smooth.
“ Not that much. You’ll kill him, and we don’t need a body trail.”
“I did it. This is the first time I fed and didn’t accidentally kill someone,” She practically squealed.
I couldn’t stop looking at her hair. It was inky black and fell in glossy waves past her shoulders. She cradled a man in her arms, blood dripping from her new fangs.
She noticed my focus, and her face dropped. “What? Did I get blood in my hair?”
“Not at all.”
I didn’t feel the encroaching darkness that normally prowled beneath my skin.
She’d ingested enough that the beast should be in control when she rose, but the other part of her stubbornly remained.
I knew she was accumulating too much power, even given her lineage.
I kept waiting for it to backfire and destroy her from the inside out.
A part of me feared that, and it had been a millennium since I had felt fear.
She smiled as she leaned down, picking up the crumpled man.
I kept my hands behind my back. She needed to learn and become stronger, especially if I intended to keep her.
She steadied the man on his feet. He had followed after her willingly, beguiled by her beauty and charm. Now, even as he swayed and his hand covered the puncture wounds on his neck, he gazed at her adoringly. He groaned and tipped his head to the side.
“The compulsion works if you concentrate hard enough. You can not affect their will, but you can convince them they are fine and safe. It is like a suggestion.”
She smiled at me, the wind ripping at the long layers of her dress.
Her coat floated around her like a dark cloak.
A goddess, I thought. She was a dark goddess, and I had created her.
It shouldn’t have aroused me as much as it did, but she pulled at me in a way that even Tobias and Alistair were starting to worry about.