23. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Cain
T he morning after I’ve sent the message, I hear a sound that makes me walk out of my tent and survey the surroundings.
My eyes fix on the northeast division just as I spot Koenig marching over to me. He’s one of the rare few allowed to approach me without being summoned, in part because he’s not foolish enough to abuse the privilege.
“General,” he greets as he comes to a stop in front of me and salutes. “It’s the Academy’s magic. It seems to have started attacking the soldiers.”
Narrowing my eyes, I scan the soldiers in question. They’re still standing at attention, but when I zoom in on them, I see a couple trembling with strain.
Then I see the source of the strain as well — the vines rising from the ground, wrapping around their legs and draining their life force.
Interesting. After all, it’s the first time I’m seeing, with my own two eyes, the reason father thought it best to abandon this place and make Dryvein his capital. The Academy doesn’t react kindly to the kind of shadow magic we’re using here.
As I think, the soldiers being currently attacked by the vines start struggling not to cry out in pain.
I told them not to move from their positions. I know they’ll sooner die than disobey my orders, but I sense the terror starting to spread, and what use do I have from dead men or even panicked ones?
“Dismissed,” I tell Koenig.
I don’t hesitate. I head straight for the northeast division, only stopping when I’m among them. It’s out of the corners of their eyes that they throw glances at me, but they don’t move.
They don’t even make a sound, except for one who abruptly starts sobbing. “Please, General.”
I frown. The only thing that sets us apart from animals is control. The thing that most efficiently brings about its undoing is emotion. It’s like a sickness of the mind that can only breed suffering. A sickness that the fae is currently allowing to poison him, to affect his mental faculties, to take full control of him.
Making sure everyone sees what’s happening, I strike the man dead, then look down, fixing my eyes on the vines already making their way to my boots. I reach down and grab one, lifting it up and turning it in my hand as it burns, sucking on my life force.
I take my time to inspect it, then use shadow magic to kill it, my power spreading to all the other offshoots as well.
There’s a sense of relief among the soldiers now.
But it’s at that very moment that a sound draws my attention to the spot where the Elevator is hiding.
I step away from the soldiers and watch the Elevator start slowly rising from the ground.
This is what I’ve been waiting for. This is the reason I’m here in the first place, not in the capital, not in Nasgard, not anywhere else. My body tenses, my eyes narrowing.
It will be interesting to see her.
But when the Elevator finally stops and she steps out of it, she only pauses for one brief moment. Then, seemingly losing her composure at the sight of the army before her, she starts running.
How disappointing.
I calculate for a second, then signal to Koenig that I’ll be going after her on my own.
It’s into the forest that she darts. I go after her, kicking off the ground and spreading my wings, all my attention on her movements down below.
She’s fast, but I’m faster.
It doesn’t take me long to catch her, landing with her body under my arm.
It’s as soon as I do that my eyebrows pull down. There’s something odd about her.
I turn her around, my eyes widening.
It’s not her. It’s just some magical decoy. Sophisticated, but a decoy nevertheless.
I keep standing for a second longer, then turn around and kick off the ground again with the decoy still under my arm.
As soon as I land back in camp, I go straight over to Fritz, my main informant. I pin him in place with my eyes and throw the decoy before his feet. I’m no less calm than I normally am, but when I say, “I’ve been led to believe the Resistance didn’t have this kind of magic.”
Realizing what’s happened, he shits his pants. For a moment, he just keeps looking at me, cogs visibly turning frantically in his head. “Yes, well,” he starts muttering, “apparently they do, I—”
I let out a sigh. Then I take my sword out and swing it at him, killing him with a single stroke.
It’s the worst thing to be in this world. Weak, useless.
My attention gets drawn by another sound coming from the Elevator.
I turn to see it rising again.
What they send out this time is a doll with black wings, its chest bare and the skin branded with the Aurora’s symbol.
Is that supposed to be me ?
Is it supposed to insult me?
I let out a scoff, but then I just keep looking at it, unable to tear my eyes away, my breathing turning shallow, my teeth gritting and my fingers twitching around the hilt of the sword.
“Do you want us to breach the walls, General?” Koenig’s voice snaps me out of it.
Quickly, I collect myself. “No. She’s set a trap, so we’ll be waiting, right where we are.”