Chapter 30 #2
A hooded figure steps into the road, blocking Myah from moving forward.
The suddenness startles the horse, causing her to rear up and knock me backward.
The fall makes my ears ring as I land hard on the street.
The hooded figure advances, revealing himself as a man I’ve never seen before but who is clearly an elder Wielder.
“You will bring this land to ruin. You are darkness, and you are evil.”
He raises a sword as I pedal backward, trying to escape the swing.
Sparks fly, the sword landing mere inches from my body.
Rage boils in my chest as shadows begin to dance in response.
I slowly rise, preparing to fight as Silas kicks the man in the chest. Stepping over his fallen body, he places his boot firmly on the man’s throat.
The man grabs Silas’s leg, but he remains unmoving, only applying more pressure to the struggle. “Stop!” the man cries.
Silas’s eyes darken, his voice rasping and hard, “If you try to harm her while I’m around, I will kill you.
If you try to harm her while I’m not around, I will hunt you.
Then I will kill you.” Silas moves inches from the man, towering over his frail body, “And if you even so much as think about harming her, I will haunt your dreams, your nightmares, and the harm I will do to you will make you wish you never have a thought again.”
The man’s eyes turn wild, “You are a fool. Don’t you see it! She will kill us all one day. Don’t you feel it? What’s inside her?” He points a trembling finger in my direction.
Silas leans in closer, “I’m warning you. Not another foul word toward the princess.”
“She… is… death.” The man hesitates but continues, barely a whisper leaving his shriveled lips.
Silas grabs the man’s throat and shifts out of sight. I slowly rise, whipping my head in all directions. I steady Myah and rush to grab Xena’s reins, “Shhh,” I whisper to each horse.
“Silas!” I yell, my voice bouncing off the stone walls surrounding us.
The night seems to freeze as I search in each direction for a shadow, a figure, a noise—anything to tell me where he took that man.
Myah and Xena pause, focusing on something moving and lurking down the dark alley.
Even the blackest nights aren’t as dark as the shadows billowing from the thin road.
Then I see the creature that’s been haunting me slide into view, the horses raising up in fright. A scream freezes in my throat as it approaches. I cover my ears, hoping to block out the unnatural hissing from its mouth, “You know what you are now, don’t you!”
I crouch down, wrapping my arms around my body, and the horses stomp and snort wild above me.
A gust of wind whips my hair in my face as Silas comes into view, no man or creature anywhere to be found. “Are you okay?” he runs to me.
“What did you do to him,” I ask, unsure if I want the answer.
“He’s dead, that’s what I did to him. I made him regret stepping in front of us,” he stalks past me, petting Xena gently.
He lowers his head for a moment, regret flashing behind his eyes, but quickly disappears.
Leading Myah closer, I stand before Silas, planting my feet.
“I never asked you to do that. By acting out like that, you are no better than my father or yours. We need to stay focused, Silas,” I snap, my chest heaving with anger.
He cups my face, raising my chin toward his. Even with blood splattered on his face, he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. “Briar, I want to murder any man who even looks in your direction. If a man puts you in harm’s way, I will make no promises of my actions.”
My face moves toward his, our lips inches away from touching.
“If you ever do that again without my say, without true need, we won’t be having this civil conversation.
Understand? If you care for me, then you will respect my wishes.
Enough people have died—we shouldn’t be the reason more deaths are happening. ”
He nods, but no regret shows behind his eyes, “What scared you while I was gone?”
I glance back toward the black alley, where fog remains where the creature disappeared. I’m still unsure how to explain this thing, so keeping it a secret is best for now.
“You shifting away with that man so quickly is what startled me, Silas,” I lie, the deceit tasting bad on my lips.
He gives me a cautious look as if he doesn’t exactly believe my words, “We should get going. I don’t want another crazy person to come out of the alleys after us.”
We mount our horses and move on again once they have calmed down from the events.
We ride in silence together, but one thought weighs heavily on my chest, and I need answers.
“During the third trial, one of the twins told me that my father promised you things as an incentive to bring you all here. Daramveer has a terrible reputation, so I can’t imagine everyone would be eager to risk their lives competing for me. ”
He remains quiet, pondering his following words, “Yes. That is correct. Your father asked us all what we wanted to sway our decisions to come to Daramveer. I, however, do not know what the others were promised. I only know what I asked for and was promised.”
The horses continue to move forward down the stone streets in perfect unison. “Well, what did you ask for?” I pry.
He grins softly, glancing around the town and doing a quick survey of our surroundings.
“I asked your father to keep you safe, to promise me that nothing bad would happen to you. When he allowed you to enter this competition and fight alongside us, our promise was broken, and that’s when my allegiance to him died. ”
My lips slightly part, my mind racing, “Out of everything you could have asked for, you asked for that? My safety?”
He nods, “Briar, I don’t need much in my life, but I need you to be safe, so I asked for the one thing I want more than anything.” He turns his head, searching all around us.
I’m in disbelief at this man, who is so utterly dedicated to me and willing to do whatever it takes to keep me safe.
The houses around us are dim as many of the residents are settling down for the night.
We continue through the town together in silence, and with Silas around, I know I’ll never be alone again.
The gates before us send a shiver down my spine.
The black vines resemble hands reaching out to grab us, desperate to trap us inside once more.
The guards hear us approaching and rush to open the gates with a loud creak.
The hinges hardly budge, allowing us to enter through a narrow crack in the gate.
They bow in our direction as we both nod in thanks.
I tilt my head toward the old stables, signaling for Silas to follow.
A stableman ties up Myah and Xena and greets us, assuring that they will be well cared for.
Silas presses his face against the beast, sharing an unspoken bond between them.
“Don’t let a soul touch them, you understand. Exactly what I told you before still stands. I’ll be back when I can to see them.”
The young stableman quickly nods his head.
Maines meets us outside my bedroom, Oak nearby, eager to hear what happened.
My room feels cold, but for once, I’m glad to enter my room without a roaring fire.
After what I experienced in my father’s study, I could use a break from the flames.
We gather around the sitting area, with Maines sticking close to Oak and Silas settling in behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
“When you’re ready, Briar.” They all angle their heads, waiting for me to begin.
“I’m a vessel for Kalix,” I start strong.
Maines jerks her hand back, and Oak’s jaw drops. “What the fuck!” Maines gasps.
Without seeing Silas’s face, I know he kept a calm composure.
“My father held these trials as a distraction—he’s completing the rituals to resurrect Kalix in hopes of bringing back a strong, uncontrollable dark magic.
” I breathe, readying to continue, “He’s seeing who is the strongest, to see if they are a worthy match—a vessel.
These markings on my hands prove that I can handle that magic.
I already have.” They all stare at me with wide eyes.
“The third trial awakened something in you, didn’t it?” Oak asks.
“I’ve known something was deep within me for a while now.”
They all remain quiet about my confession, but I have more. “My father killed my mother thinking she was the vessel for the Great Wiitch. She wasn’t strong enough, but he was willing to risk that.” Tears fall down my cheeks as the vision floods my memory.
Maines chimes in, “I found something more about the rituals. The fourth ritual must be completed on war grounds, something to mimic the Great Battle. Once the final ritual is complete, the stone is charged enough to raise someone of that caliber. All your father needs are a duel and a fire element.”
“Three against one, those are great odds,” Silas finally chimes in, his voice husky.
“You clearly don’t know my brother very well. He has tricks; he always has. I can only imagine what your father has given him to ensure that nothing goes wrong," defeat laces Maines’s words.
“Well, then we will do what we can to stop Thatcher from completing the last ritual before the finale,” Oak responds.
“We need more help to win this. We are going to need the Prince of Eddris,” I interrupt. “He’s the strongest Lumor wielder in Daramveer and he’ll be someone who can combat the darkness if the time comes.”
Silas rolls his eyes, “Fine. But let me have some fun with wrangling the prince here.” He looks at Oak with a wink.
“Whatever the hell you two are planning, just do it fast. The final trial will be announced tomorrow morning,” Maines groans.
Silas kisses the top of my head before unwrapping his arms from around me. Oak nudges Maines playfully before they walk out into the dark hallway.
“I guess we’ll wait here for their stupid plan to unfold,” Maines turns to me, “You okay, Briar?”
“I’m fine,” I lie. “Things are about to get complicated, and I fear I’m not strong enough for this.”
She gives an understanding glance, “You are the strongest person I know. Strength isn’t measured by brawn. The strength you possess comes from your soul, your deepest wants, and needs. Your strength through all of this proves that you are the one who is going to save this kingdom.”
“Your mother would be so proud of you, Maines.” I walk toward my open window and peer out at the night sky, the stars shimmering against the tears streaming down my face.
I have always been fine remaining the Princess of Daramveer my entire life. Barlowe would be King, so he chose, and I would gladly honor him as such. If I can’t save this kingdom, I’ll one day be the Queen of Daramveer, the Kingdom of Ruin.
She walks next to me, resting her head on my shoulder, looking out over the kingdom with me. “I said this weeks ago, and I’m going to say it now. We will figure this out together. " She turns, smiling, but fear shows behind her green eyes.
“Promise you’ll say that again once this is all over, even though we have no idea what the future holds?”
“I promise.”