Chapter 56 #2
The Dreamwalker says that I play a role in this grand scheme. I want to believe that I don’t, but I have flipped both sides of the coin; I have lived two different lives. I have seen things I never wanted to see, experienced things I never wanted to experience.
I know what it feels like to have nearly had my powers cleaved from me, to live with a fractured soul.
Neither of these factions can be allowed to reign.
“This is why a Mage army is important,” the sovereign says, snapping me out of my thoughts. “We can protect Erleya in case it does happen.”
I don’t say a word.
“Lady Gwyneth. I require your assistance to convince the Shadow Wielder. Tiernan Kilkenny is stubborn. I know because he was one of my soldiers years ago. He is exceptional and an undefeatable fighter, even at a young age, but he is dangerous. And for that reason, he is the perfect ally. Convince him with the truth. Tell him what you’ve been through and the world you and the Zenith envision for this kingdom.
But whether he agrees or not, you will be helping me close the Veil. Are you in agreement?”
My throat goes dry, but I nod. Because I have to pretend for as long as I can so I can help the Dreamwalker with her plan.
“What a madman,” Neris says with a giggle as soon as we step into our room and close the door behind us.
I turn to her, my face drawn. “It’s no laughing matter.”
She sobers rather quickly. “You don’t believe all of that, do you?”
I wring my hands together and bite the inside of my cheek before releasing a breath. “Every word.” My throat feels too tight. “You know about my visions. You know what the Purists believe.”
“The Purists are—”
“Neris, please listen to me.”
Her mouth snaps shut. I finally tell her about the Dreamwalker and details of the visions I’ve been having.
By the time I’m finished, she’s sitting on the bed with her eyes wide as saucers. “Did you see the sovereign’s eyes when he was talking to us?” she whispers. “They seemed darker at times. Shadowy.”
“I did see that. I just wasn’t sure if I was imagining it.”
“No. And that Lynx woman is like something out of a nightmare.”
I nod. “I think she had bandages on her arms today.” I rub my hands over my arms, suddenly cold as a chill runs down my spine.
“If I can’t get out of here, I need to somehow get you out of here, Neris.
I don’t know how, but I don’t like the way the sovereign was looking at you, or how he spoke of transferring powers after asking you if you ever wished for them yourself. ”
Neris’s eyes widen again. “I didn’t even consider what he might’ve been implying.”
We talk for a while longer before a knock sounds on my door. “Bring that gorgeous face of yours out here,” Lynx’s voice calls from the hall. “Time to convince the Shadow Wielder.”
My stomach turns over.
Neris frowns at me. “Good luck,” she whispers.
I leave her in my room and answer the door to Lynx. She tilts her head at me for a moment, and without any discussion, she grabs my shoulder and vanishes us away.
We touch down in the cold cells below where urine and other pungent odors flood my nose, and I hold my breath. Behind the metal bars ahead of me sits the man they all think is the Shadow Wielder. He’s huddled near the wall, his body trembling, but he glances up at us with weary eyes.
“Well, get on with it,” Lynx says to a guard, gesturing toward the cell. The guard steps forward to unlock the gate, and the bars swing inward, allowing us entry. Anxiously, I follow Lynx into the cell.
Confusion marks the man’s sickly pale face, his brows scrunched above bloodshot eyes.
Lynx nudges me forward roughly. I gather my skirts about me and crouch a small distance from the man—Tiernan, the Dreamwalker and the sovereign had called him.
There’s a small cut on his right eyebrow, a trickle of dried blood down the side of his face.
His lips are pressed together so firmly that they turn white.
Lynx clears her throat, and I recall the sovereign’s words. Convince him with the truth. Tell him what you’ve been through and the world you and the Zenith envision for this kingdom.
I inhale deeply. “I’ve spent my whole life hiding who I am,” I say.
“My powers, my desire to paint the world rather than rule it through affluence. My mother rarely allowed me to wear dresses with short sleeves lest others see the muscles unbecoming of a docile highborn. My only fate was to be married to another notable lord. I want nothing more than to live in a kingdom where people are allowed to be who they truly are. Where a person does not have to go to great lengths to rid themselves of their power only to live half a life for the rest of their existence.”
I pause, fighting to hold back tears.
Tiernan’s eyes narrow, his lips turned down. Despite his silence, I can tell he’s listening attentively, so I continue.
“The sovereign says he aims to create a world where Magekind and Ordinaries can live in harmony. Where people like you and me don’t have to hide. Where people like my friend, who has an ailment, don’t have to be afraid of being taken away from their loved ones. Or being persecuted or killed.”
Something softens in his expression, his uninjured brow raising slightly.
“Don’t you want a world like that? A world of balance?” I ask him.
He licks his lips and clears his throat. Then, with a scratchy voice that sounds like he’s not had anything to drink in ages, he says, “Yes. But Rheon is not the one who’s going to create such a world. He can burn in Lugda’s fires.”
I stare at him.
“He’s stringing you along like a puppet. He’ll make you forget who you are.”
The truth of his words stings.
Laughter rips through the tension. I stand upright again and glance at Lynx as she continues to cackle. “Predictable,” she spits out behind her veil. “Give up, little Terraforger. Tiernan is hopeless.”
I keep my eyes on him. “Would you prefer that they keep maiming you—that they take away your powers and likely destroy you in the process—rather than just joining the Zenith?”
His dark eyes do not even falter. “I will never relinquish my values for some delusional tyrant. I know who I am, and I refuse to play any part in his twisted schemes.”
I swallow, shame scraping my throat raw. I wish I had his strength. I wish I had the Dreamwalker’s strength. Oh, how I hope I can prove it’s not too late to grow a backbone, because soon, I will hopefully be getting Tiernan, Neris, and myself out of here.
When I turn and hurry out of the cell, Lynx begins to cackle again. “Oh, gods, this is top-notch entertainment. Who needs theater?”
I don’t turn to look at either her or Tiernan. I simply wait until she joins me outside the cell to jump me back to my room.
And give me time to think and prepare for the escape.
Once I’m back in my room, I change into my midnight blue Zenith uniform again and take to exploring the castle. As I’m walking past a corridor I’ve never dared to enter before, I hear voices whispering. I stop, pressing close to the wall to listen.
“Unpleasant effects are bound to happen, Sire.” The feminine voice sounds familiar, but before I can try to place it, the sovereign responds.
“Unpleasant effects, yes, but otherwise mundane. They are burning out too readily; it isn’t working.”
“Patience, Sire.”
The sovereign huffs. “I’m not sure how much more Lynx can take. If only we can find more with her skillset. Before I arrived here, the damn fools had Kenna Gallagher right in their grasp. How in hells did they let rebels break her out?” He makes a scoffing sound.
Kenna Gallagher? As in Murtagh’s daughter?
“I could’ve skinned every last one of them,” the sovereign continues. “If Carys hadn’t broiled them all like the dragon she was. Do we need to find her again? Or more like her?”
My mind tumbles endlessly, trying to process and pry details apart.
“Sire,” the feminine voice responds. “It’s a rare power. Lynx is enough for now. I’ve just healed her once more; she’s taking strengthening elixirs to replenish the lost blood. It’s similar to elixirs I’ve made for victims of the Cleanse.”
The puzzle pieces fall into place. Elixirs. The Cleanse. Realms … A knot forms in my throat.
“We are on the right path,” she continues. “A magical talisman, like an amplifier stone, would help shorten the process. But it has to be given willingly by the person who owns it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Amplifier stones are elusive. They choose their Wielders and mysteriously appear in their possession. Some people believe it’s a gift from the gods. But they don’t necessarily work for everyone, and they have to be imbued and runed before they can work.”
There’s a pause before the sovereign says rather than asks, “You know where I can find one of these.”
“I do. But as I’ve said, it must be given willingly. Or else it is futile.”
My hand flies to the pocket watch in my trousers, and I back away as quietly as I can.
When I’m far away enough, I turn and run back toward my room, not stopping until I’m behind closed doors.
It’s only then that I let the panic consume me.
Sinking down to the floor, I try to grapple for all I have learned.
There must be a reason for all of this. There must be.
When I finally get up, I take half of my last elixir—made by Radika who has been working with the sovereign all along.
Too distraught to care, I climb into bed, still in my uniform.
Tomorrow, I’m supposed to witness the sovereign’s attempt to cleave Tiernan’s powers from him.
Powers that I’m sure he doesn’t even have.
I hope the Shadow Wielder and I will succeed with this risky plan.