Chapter 61 #2
“When has she….” My words trailed off when I caught sight of his grin.
It was far too wide to be anything but a double entendre, and his meaning slowly registered.
“You are about to be forbidden from spending time with Cameron. Actually, I am forbidding him from spending time with anyone. That should be enough punishment. It might actually kill him.”
His laugh cut through the dense air, a sound I had not heard in months. “Hey, I am just saying. Hate sex is a thing, you know? You guys could do what you and the Queen of Trugarum did when you couldn’t agree on that small territory.” He shrugged. “Get it out of your system.”
I stopped so suddenly that Logan spun, searching the shadows for threats, an ablaze weapon forming in his hands. “There is nothing in my system from Dianna that I’d wish to remove. The thought of just being a simple fuck to her makes me wish to get disemboweled repeatedly. That would hurt less.”
Logan held his hands up in mock surrender. “It was just a suggestion.”
“You, above all, know it is not like that with Dianna or me. Even when she is throwing her anger at me, I do not think I could fully have her and not wish for forever.” I paused, the truth washing over me. “Regardless, her feelings for me have changed. So this entire conversation is pointless.”
Logan scoffed, the sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?” I stared at Logan blankly until he realized I didn’t understand what he meant and tried to clarify. “Joking. You can’t be serious.”
“Very serious, and I do not wish to speak about it further. We are in Yejedin. That is our focus.”
Logan shook his head but remained quiet and fell into step beside me as I turned and walked down the hall into what had been a large foyer. A rusted railing held back the ledge, keeping passersby from falling to their deaths.
“I don’t think we’ve been inside this one. It doesn’t resemble the last few. I don’t see any weapons here, and there is less of that strange machinery.”
“This may just be an entrance to some other part, not the stronghold itself.” I grabbed the rail and looked down at the smooth, rocky bottom. I jumped over, landing in a crouch. The ground shook as Logan landed behind me.
I summoned a ball of silver light, the orb dancing on my palm as I raised it.
“Yeah, we definitely haven’t been here,” Logan said. His palms lit with celestial energy, and he lifted them high.
A grunt was my only response as we headed further inside, silence falling between us again. Logan still seemed shut off. He was my best friend, and I had known him forever. I had assumed his spark would return once Neverra was back, and it had to a certain extent, but there was still something off.
This quiet was unnerving, and I wondered what waited in it.
We reached the entrance to a cavern, and I raised my sword, the flat of the blade clanking against the armor over Logan’s chest, stopping him from entering.
I could see the surprise in his eyes, even with the helmet covering almost all of his features.
“What’s troubling you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know you, Logan. You have not been yourself, even since Neverra got back. What is it?”
“You know me so well.” Logan shook his head, attempting to step around me. “It’s not important. Not right now.”
My blade only pressed harder, making him take a step back. He sighed, flicking his finger across his ring to remove his helmet. I did the same. He held my gaze, rubbing a hand across his mouth as if he couldn’t find the words.
“Just say it, Logan. Whatever it is. Just tell me. If I can help you, I will,” I said, meaning every word. He had earned it, whatever it was, but more than that, I wanted him happy again.
He took a deep breath and finally blurted, “I want you to release us. Once Kaden is dead and this is done, I want out. I want Neverra out. I want a life with her, a real one, with a home and children. Something normal, or normal for us, at least. We’ve already talked about it.
We can still work at the council, but we want out. ”
His jaw clenched, but he held my gaze, and I could see everything he didn’t say. The fear and hopelessness he had felt when he’d lost her. He couldn’t go through that again.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Logan nearly croaked.
My brow lifted. “Were you expecting something else from me?”
“No. It’s just I know everything is terrible for you right now, and I didn’t want to add to your misery, but I have to think of Neverra. I almost lost her, Samkiel.”
My chest ached for him. I knew how distraught he’d been the last few months and how often he checked his hand, making sure the Mark of Dhihsin hadn’t disappeared as she had.
“I almost lost her, and I don’t want to miss out on anything with her again. I know you and Dianna are still fighting whatever it is between you two, but I also know some part of you understands.”
I forced a smile. “I understand, Logan. It’s a harsh reality that nothing lasts forever, not even us.
My immortality is a curse. I was never meant to hold the realms together alone.
So when this is done, just live, Logan. You both deserve it.
You all do. I would never be upset. All I ever wanted was for all of you to be happy.
When this is done, you and Neverra are free to leave.
I will stop none of you who wish for a different life. ”
Logan rushed forward, hugging me. He would have knocked the wind out of me if I hadn’t been wearing armor. I clapped him on the back, refusing to think about him not being at my side, and stepped back. He clasped one armored hand on my shoulder before dropping it.
“You’ve always been better than the other gods. I think that’s why they hated you.”
I merely shrugged. “Hmm, that and several other reasons.”
Logan chuckled, and we started down the small carved-out hallway.
As we proceeded, I raised my hand, manifesting a single silver ball of energy.
Logan fell back as the tunnel narrowed, protecting my back as always.
As we approached the opening, I saw the flicker of flames and allowed my light to fade.
Something waited for us, and the icy chill amongst the oppressive heat raised the hair on my arms. I remembered the runes I’d seen when we first entered this section and knew death lay ahead.
We emerged into the cavern, and I heard Logan’s helmet slide into place as he drew his ablaze weapon.
My blood ran cold when I saw the symbols carved into the walls.
It wasn’t a beast or monster in front of us.
No, it was much worse. The light died in my hand as Logan stepped to my side, his head tipping back as he looked up and up and up.
Rows and rows of doors were carved within the cliff wall. Long grate bridges crisscrossed from wall to wall, spanning an open, empty pit. All of that registered, but the engraved runes above every door made me stop. Those weren’t doors. They were cells.
“What is this?” Logan asked, spinning on the narrow ledge, taking in the enormity of this place.
I shook my head in disbelief.
“Yejedin is not just a pocket dimension, Logan. It’s a prison.” I pointed at the runes above the cells. “And those runes are meant to hold ancient, powerful beings.”
* * *
I sent all of them back to the remains of Rashearim. Hours passed before I returned to the council halls, but by the look of The Hand all sitting around, it may have been longer than I thought.
The portal to Yejedin closed behind me, the cut on my palm sealing. Cameron shot to his feet, abandoning his seat beside Xavier and the bag of snacks between them.
“It’s about time. We were about to go in and get you.”
Xavier cocked his head, continuing to munch on his snacks. “No, we weren’t. We can’t open portals.”
Cameron glared at him as Imogen stepped forward. “Well? You’re not covered in guts or intestines, so I assume it’s empty? Which also scares me a little.”
I was unsure what they saw on my face, but Logan slowly rose to his feet and stood behind an armored Neverra.
Vincent eyed me, his expression unreadable.
“I need to show you all something. It has to stay between us. No one in the council can know. Understood?” My eyes pinned each of them, waiting for their nod of agreement.
* * *
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Xavier whispered, looking at all the empty cells. Some were so vast they were the size of small realms. Large chains engraved with the same containment runes lay broken on the ground.
The others remained silent, taking in every inch. I had searched almost the entire place, preparing myself for what I might discover, but finding empty cells was far worse than the battle I’d expected.
I stopped, and they fanned out around me, standing beneath the jagged cliffs and open sky, in position to see what I needed them to see.
“So, Kaden was a prisoner here? If he and the other prisoners escaped, where are they? We haven’t seen any colossal beasts on Onuna,” Logan said, hovering close to Neverra.
“Because he didn’t escape recently, did he?” Vincent asked, his throat bobbing as he looked at what I’d brought them to.
“No, he did not. I should have thought of it sooner, but it was impossible. During the Gods War, the creatures seemed bent on destroying everything. I thought it was retaliation for what my father had done, but it was worse. They were intent on vengeance.”
“You think your father locked them up?” Neverra asked.
I shrugged. “Possibly. He was always quite busy, hours turned into days at a time, although my mother never worried.”
Cameron inhaled deeply and narrowed his eyes, examining the rocky wall. I wondered what he scented here. “So hypothetically, your father locked up a bunch of ancient, powerful beings, and what? They broke out?”
“No.” I pointed my blade at the large fissure in the cliff. A jagged broken area that made my stomach revolt. “Look again. The tears, the cracks. Someone broke in.”
They all spun toward me. “If what you’re saying is true. What would have enough strength to punch through a dimension?” Xavier asked.
Vincent’s voice was a deathly whisper. “A god?”
But it was my answer that had them staring at me. I saw the fear run through them.
“Possibly a god or something far worse we don’t know of yet. Something not only capable of releasing so many but also has the ability to control them all.”
As the truth of my words sank in, fear filled their eyes.