Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
~ Shade ~
I’m too late to react. One moment I’m standing at the top of the wall, feeling like I could take on the world, and the next, the applause cuts off, and the queen’s shadows are wrapping around me and my creature, pulling us from the wall.
I might be stronger now that I’ve bonded with my creature and don’t have the queen’s curse on me, but I’m no match for the ruler of the shadow realm.
Soldiers step out of the shadows, lining the arena, and the queen lifts from her throne, walking on shadows that form a set of stairs leading downward.
She moves from the ceremonial box to where she’s deposited me and my creature in the middle of the sands.
Her shadows bring my mates behind her, and they’re back to struggling against her hold.
The other originals gather on the sand as well, standing near the queen.
I scan their faces, wondering if any of them might help us.
They’re all tense, but their expressions are hard and unforgiving.
All of them, that is, except for Professor Yevar.
He’s smiling as he stares at me, like he finds this entire situation amusing.
The guy has always given me a creepy vibe, but today, dread pools in my stomach as I study him, and there’s something so familiar about his eyes.
I search my mind, trying to understand why having his attention on me is making me feel sick, and it’s not until I lower my gaze to his arm that everything falls into place.
The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his forearms, and there’s a distinct tattoo inked onto his skin.
The two dark lines cross, forming a decorative ‘X’ that I’ve seen in my memories.
Holy freaking shit. Professor Yevar is the cloaked figure who kidnapped me.
A breath rushes out of me, and I think of something else the professor had said to me when I was in that cell.
“I had hoped you’d be more reasonable, just like the other students.
” My blood chills when I think of the missing students at Shadowbone Academy.
I can’t be sure that Professor Yevar is the one who’s been taking them, but I’m willing to bet that he is.
After the foxrets attacked Thane and the others in the forest, my mates theorized that the foxrets must have been contacted by someone who had inside information about where they’d planned to go that night.
And then there was the sky attack… I shiver, thinking about the times Professor Yevar has helped me at the academy.
At the strange way my body had reacted when he’d touched me not too long ago…
“You,” I rasp, managing to send a shadow whisper to him, and keeping my gaze trained on the professor. “You’re the one stealing the students. You kidnapped me. You’re working with the Xalgrith.”
His answering smile makes my stomach churn. “So…you’ve finally figured it out. I recognized you from the moment I saw you in the dining hall at Shadowbone. Of course, your mates were too dumb to realize who you were, especially Knox. Though, I suppose he did think his mate was dead, after all.”
I glare at him. “If you knew, then why didn’t you say anything?”
“Oh, I contemplated it,” he answers. “But by observing the students, I’ve come to realize it’s easier to control my new subjects when they’re in a more…willing state.”
“Where have you taken them?” I demand. I wonder if Jensen and Leira, Kenzie’s friend, are alive.
He clucks his tongue. “I suggest you focus on your own predicament, my dear. The other students’ whereabouts is not your concern.
When you arrived at Shadowbone, I couldn’t believe my good fortune, even more so when it became clear you had no memory of your mates or what you experienced here.
We decided to watch and see how far the academy could push you.
To observe how you interacted with your mates and see if you could gain their trust. That relationship would be useful when we finally used you against them. ”
I grind my jaw, even as the bile starts to climb up my throat. “I won’t let you hurt them.”
His lips curl up even more. “Perhaps. But first, let us see how this plays out, shall we? If the prophecy is correct and you truly are destined to destroy your mates and end the war, let’s see how you escape the queen’s wrath.”
My gaze flicks from the queen and then back to Professor Yevar. “She doesn’t know about you, does she?”
“Who? Our fanatical ruler? Mmmm, no dear. Her mind could not comprehend what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“We’re? Who’s we?” I look at the other originals, but they’re all staring back at me with the same hard expression. If anyone is working with him, they’re not giving themselves away just yet.
Professor Yevar doesn’t reply. He simply smiles smugly as he watches me.
“It’s him!” I shout, trying to gesture to Professor Yevar with my head because shadows are binding my arms to my sides. “He’s the one who’s behind everything!”
The queen who had been watching her soldiers assemble, narrows her eyes at me. “That’s enough!” she hisses, and one of her shadows wraps around my mouth to silence me.
My mates fight harder against the shadows binding them, and the queen fixes them with an angry stare as she struggles to restrain them, drawing on the power of the other originals. “I’m doing this for your own good and for all the realms,” she says coldly to my mates.
Professor Yevar winks at me from his position behind her.
“Warriors of Kiru,” Queen Krosia calls out, using her magic to amplify her voice.
“The games are over! I had thought the students were ready, but it’s clear their minds would be still too weak to resist the Xalgrith.
A handful of the strongest competitors will accompany me back to the palace and gain their immortality.
As for the rest, they will return to Shadowbone and finish their training.
” She looks behind her to Professors Lankin and Yevar, and Professor Yevar dips his head like he’s dutifully agreeing with her statement.
The queen doesn’t seem to notice the hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“Now, you may be wondering why I have captured this particular student, especially after her impressive display of…perseverance,” Queen Krosia says with distaste.
The warriors stay silent, listening to her every word.
Pacing in front of me and my mates, she continues.
“You see, we live by the prophecy set by the oracle. We die by it. But there’s more that you must know.
Another prophecy was made, specifically for these four before me.
” She indicates to Knox and the others who are kneeling on the sand, still bound and gagged by shadows, and she goes on to recite, “When the time comes to close the fold, four must stand against the bitter cold. Only one can make you break, beware the bond of your beloved mate.” She pauses then, letting the words sink in before explaining, “These four are destined to close the fold that connects our realm to the realm of the Xalgrith, and this student is destined to be their downfall.”
She points at me, and I cringe, suddenly feeling like I’m the villain in this story. “I had suspected before now, but after witnessing their lack of control and display of emotion in relation to this student, it cannot be denied. She is their fated mate.”
Gasps and shocked whispers come from some of the originals and warriors.
The queen’s gaze connects with mine, and I wonder if she knows that the curse on me has been broken.
She turns her attention to my mates. “Even knowing what they do, these four were willing to let her walk amongst us, free to roam the shadow realm. They were willing to let their mate gain her immortality and become even stronger, and an even greater threat to us.”
The crowd starts to turn now, as they realize what she’s saying. Their surprised features morph to anger as they understand I’m the one putting everything they’ve fought for at risk. All their sacrifices. All the blood spilled and the horrors they’ve seen.
“Which is why I must be the one to stop this before she grows more powerful and fulfills her destiny,” the queen continues. “It’s why she must be executed.”
A ringing starts in my ears. I’m not sure where I was expecting this to go. I mean, I’ve known it was bad news for the queen to find out that I’m fated to Thane and the others, but it’s not until she announces my execution that I really realize how much trouble I’m in.
My mates struggle harder against their binds, their eyes wild and frantic, and their power pulsing but unable to break free of the queen’s shadows.
Not when the other originals are providing their power as well.
Xena and a couple of the other originals look mildly sympathetic, but no one tries to help.
No one disagrees with the queen’s decision.
Not when I’m a threat to the war effort.
A howl cuts through the arena, and I spot Bonfang, Arizak, Kazer, and Rinoc as they step from shadows, prowling onto the sand toward us, no doubt answering the calls of their bonded, but the other originals send out their beasts, and so do a number of the warriors lining the arena.
My mates’ creatures are soon surrounded by a small army of beasts to keep them contained.
Bonfang and the others attack, but the queen sends out more power, restraining them as well.
Sweat beads on her forehead, and I see the strain as she draws even more power from the warriors in the stands to replenish herself.
I’m not sure how, but Knox gets his mouth free of his gag. “If you kill her, when the time comes, we’ll refuse to close the fold,” he says, his voice icy.