Chapter 41
The sight before me will cause nightmares worse than my own for years.
Silas grabs my hand, rushing me toward the door.
I’m unable to peel my eyes away. Rohhit remains hovering over Elrod Madden, devouring his dead body like he’s not had a meal in months.
Another strong tug makes me blink out of my daze.
“Briar!” Silas screams in my face, his voice bringing me back once again, except this time, it’s in a nightmare I can’t wake from.
“We have to run,” Silas commands.
Maines softly sobs in the doorframe.
Holstering both of my axes, we bolt.
As we move down the hallway we dodge fallen stones, our feet moving as fast as possible around the jutted corners.
Just as we round the first corner, a loud thud ricochets down the hallway, likely Carobon realizing we didn’t stick around enough for him to finish us off.
Maines pauses for a moment, looking at Graven’s headless body—the death she brought upon the creature.
Graven’s massive torso lies motionless, blocking most of the hallway floor.
I grab her hand. “We have to keep moving.” I plea.
She remains in a daze, focused on the creature. I pull on her hand in my direction.
“So much death, Briar.” She blinks, tears still falling down her cheeks.
“I know, Maines, but we must keep moving. We can’t stay here or will be the next to join the fallen. Please,” I beg. “Think of Oak. He’s out there!”
“Everything that’s happened goes against everything I stand for. I’m supposed to heal people, not kill them.”
“Maines, you have healed people. Look at me! Look at Silas and Oak. We are here because you’ve saved us all in more ways than one.”
She nods, allowing me to pull her forward down the tunnel again.
“Don’t look at him,” I caution behind me as we jump over the creature’s massive body.
We make it back through the fire of my father’s study. The flames open like a curtain being ripped back, dimming for a moment before returning to a blazing fire. The study is quiet and looks untouched. We catch our breath momentarily, glancing toward the fireplace.
“I need to go to my room! I have to get the letters.”
Maines snaps, “That isn’t going to happen, Briar. We must leave now. They will be coming down that hallway after us any second now.”
I know she’s right, but the pull to head toward my room tugs at me. Even though they aren’t from my mother, they are a connection to her, and the only thing I have that makes me feel close to her.
“Well, where the hell are we going to go?”
“If you would have stuck around longer, we have a plan.” Silas nods in Maines’s view. “But we have to move quickly. Can either of you shift? We need to get outside.”
When I test my magic quickly, the flicker of power dances in my veins. “Yes. I think so but I’m not sure how far!”
Maines checks, shadows swirling around her for a second, giving Silas a thumbs up in response. “We need to move now,” she demands, pulling us through the wide study doors.
We leave the study, slamming the door behind us. The dark hallway is silent. The candles that line the walls remain lit. The flickering flames put me on edge, and each movement makes me flinch.
Silas turns to us. “Are you ready?”
Maines nods, already prepped and ready to leave while we still have a fighting chance.
“I don’t know where we are going!” I gasp as Silas grabs my hand, turning into mist.
I use small bursts of my magic to help propel us forward.
Silas’s magic works in tandem with mine as we travel through the shadows faster than I ever have.
The castle, streets, and houses blur past me as we continue to move like shooting stars, as far away from the castle as we can.
Or so I hope. My magic burns as it leaves my body, the intensity beginning to fade with each passing moment as we keep moving forward.
We land on the shoreline first.
Maines leans forward, hands on her knees, and inhales deeply. “Gods, I could barely keep up with you two.”
My vision clears, and I see Oak standing and waiting at the end of the pier.
Maines's face is flooded with relief upon seeing him. She sprints to Oak as he embraces her, checking her entire body to ensure she’s untouched.
He hugs her again, closing his eyes as if he thought this moment wouldn’t come.
“Thank Gods,” he sighs. He peers around Maines, looking at Silas and me. The color drains from his face when he notices Rohhit doesn’t stand alongside us.
“What happened?” he snaps.
“We have very little time to discuss things, Oak. We couldn’t stop it,” Silas mumbles, still breathless. “Calia was too far gone with the ritual. Rohhit’s gone.”
I click my tongue. “He’s not gone! We will figure out a way to save him. How dare you give up on him so easily?”
“Briar, we will find a way to save him, but we can’t do that if we are all dead.” He kisses me, and the rage dies down at his gentleness. It was a moment I thought I would never experience again. We pull apart, his forehead resting on mine.
“Don’t say things like that, Silas,” I reply.
“I’m sorry, Briar. But it’s the truth. Rohhit isn’t with us right now.” He glances at Oak. “We were too late. But we will get him back.”
“You promise?” I whisper.
He pauses, his brow furrows, but he doesn’t respond. I know that’s a promise he can’t make me.
I turn back to Maines and Oak, who ignore us momentarily and quietly talk among themselves, their hands linked together. The crashing waves behind us are deafening, and my stomach rolls as I stand on this pier again.
“What’s the plan!” I ask, noticing the ship floating a few miles in the water.
“We are getting the hell out of here.” Oak replies.
“I can’t leave my people,” I snap. “My father never treated this kingdom fairly and I refuse to abandon them as their queen.”
Maines walks forward, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the dim town behind us. “Briar, they left. Most of everyone in Daramveer has abandoned their homes. No one is left to help and there is no kingdom to rebuild right now.”
I scan the dock that leads back to the cobblestone streets. No lights flicker in the homes and the night sky is entirely black—except for the glow of the moon and the stars—showing no signs of life except for us.
She continues, “After the fourth trial, they started leaving. It was too much for them to witness. Daramveer has been deserted. The House of Hedro remains, however. The healers refused to leave their patients or work. I’ve placed Eden in charge.
She will care for the House and what she can of Daramveer. ”
I feel the bile rise in my throat, and I almost spill my stomach on the dock beside us. “No! Eden is in on all of this. She helped my father five years ago when he performed the ritual on me to resurrect Kalix. She’s been assisting them this entire time. She’s known everything!”
Shock travels through Maines as she staggers backward. “Gods! We need to go back then. I can’t leave those poor people.”
Oak grabs her arms, stopping her in her tracks. “We can’t go back. We would never make it in time, Maines. You know that. We must leave now!”
Maines lets out a sob, knowing he’s right.
Oak embraces her. “We will fix this and put both Greats back to rest. We will rebuild Daramveer together, but we must live to do that!”
Only dread fills my core as I gaze out at the sea, my dreams feeling all too real.
The darkness before me now mirrors the darkness behind me—the wasted kingdom of Daramveer, which I devastated.
I turn, expecting to see my kingdom burning as I have on so many nights before, but it’s not. It’s silent, barren, and hopeless.
This is real—a nightmare I have no chance of escaping.
A crack of lightning streaks across the sky as a storm rolls in from the deep sea. Rain begins to cascade from the night sky like the Gods above weep for us. They sense our hopelessness and our sorrows. I tilt my head back, allowing the rain to slap against my face.
My senses sharpen, and my darkness beats against my chest like an animal trapped in a cage.
Run.
Oak’s voice quivers, "You guys… we need to leave."
A thud shakes the dock as we spin to see Rohhit rising from the hard landing. Lightning dances around his fingertips, and a blinding light forms at his back like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Oak’s mouth drops open. "That’s… not Rohhit, is it?"
No one needs to answer for him to understand what happened.
Who stands before us is different from Rohhit.
He’s been trapped deep in his mind. A prisoner now in his own body and the Great Wiitch controlling it.
His face is the same. His familiar dark eyes, sharp jawline, and messy blonde hair—but who truly stands before us is no friend.
I say a silent prayer, hoping that he holds on until we figure out how to help him.
Carobon’s voice snakes through our mind, "An army is being raised—my army—and you will all fall to my power. Shadow Wielders will be a part of the forgotten. Why do you side with them, Lumor Wielder?" He points directly at Oak.
Oak’s eyes grow wide, but his voice remains steady and harsh. "This is my family, and I’ll fight to the death against you to save them—I swear to you that." He steps in front of Maines.
Carobon’s eyes lower. "That’s an unfortunate future you’ve just sworn. It will be a shame to lose a Lumor Wielder to such horrors."
Maines grabs Oak’s hand, her eyes fluttering, as if she cannot blink fully.
"How about a trade?" Carobon echoes through the darkness. "Bring Kalix forward, and I will spare each of your lives."
His hand moves slowly from Oak’s direction and lands on me. Kalix within me responds, her magic beginning to bubble like smoke. She’s begging to break free as I grit my teeth, keeping her down. She wants to fight. And for the first time, Kalix and I have something in common.
Silas steps before me, ready to challenge Carobon or die trying.