Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
King Ambroyss
Plans have come to a nearly screeching halt since Kalliope escaped.
She’s the key to making all my dreams a reality, and all those responsible for letting her slip away will be dealt with…
in time. However, that’s a later issue. Right now, I have to get all my little ducks in a row for when she makes her return.
Descending the staircase, my shoes echo as they pound against each cement step, allowing me deeper under the castle.
The lowest level is where we’ve been keeping the most unruly of them.
Higher security measures have been put into place since Kalliope’s escape, and to my dismay, there are a few guests putting up more of a fight than anticipated.
All of them…so ungrateful. Not an ounce of appreciation for me or what I’m doing for them. This is all for the greater good, for the people of Siderium. Soon they will understand. Soon they will worship at my feet.
Reaching the bottom, I’m greeted by the unmistakable clank of buckets ricocheting off the bars down the hall.
I told them they were supposed to be reinforced in all the cells.
Pressing my fingers to my forehead, I can already feel the tension headache brewing.
Letting out a long, heavy sigh, I deviate from where I was originally going and head in the direction of the chaos.
The steel door sticks a bit as I pull it open, sending out a high-pitched squeak and announcing my arrival. Upon entering, I’m shocked to see Katerina standing in the middle of the room.
“Daddy!” she exclaims, rushing toward me.
I hold out my arm to stop her advance. “What are you doing in here?”
“I, uh…was giving them their next dose.” Her explanation is unconvincing.
“Please enlighten me on who gave you that authority.” I stare her down, intently watching her eyes bounce back and forth, not daring to look me in the eye.
“You’re always so busy. I thought it was about time I lend a hand around here.” The corner of my lip quirks up.
“Right. And where is the staff I had assigned to this task?” The candidates begin hollering as we continue to chat, but with the ball of my fist, it slowly dies out as their air supply gets dangerously low.
Katerina visibly swallows with fear. “Oh, I let them off. Everyone has been walking on eggshells lately.” Rage. Pure, blinding rage settles over my vision as I look at my offspring and wonder how I went so wrong.
“Out. Now.” Her shoulders steel, and like a scared mouse, she scurries past me. Turning abruptly, the dust doesn’t even begin to settle before I’m slamming the squeaky door shut behind us with brutal force.
Katerina’s eyes follow the spider web of cracks branching off the doorframe. “Now, Dad, before you start yelling—”
“I am your king, and you will address me as such,” I interrupt. “Don’t speak. Listen. Nod if you understand.” She does, her head bouncing uncontrollably like a bobblehead. “You are not permitted to administer any treatments, nor are you authorized to give my staff any ‘breaks.’”
“I’m bored without Call–” Her lips slam closed, realizing her mistake as soon as she says it. “—763 here,” she finishes on a mumble.
I push out a gust of wind, knocking her off balance and causing her to crash into the wall.
“I said don’t speak!” I hold her against the rough stone with the force of my power.
“I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re bored.
Don’t think, for one moment, because you’re my daughter that gives you free rein.
Put one more toe out of line, and I will throw you in there with the rest of them.
” She nods her head in understanding, fighting back the tears glossing over her eyes.
I spit at her feet and allow the air that’s been holding her to fade. My head ticks once to the left, indicating for her to get out of my sight.
I’m tired of wasting such precious time and energy on the little brat.
Wordlessly, she runs off, and I don’t take my eyes off her retreating form until she disappears up the stairs.
My chest slowly rises then falls when she’s fully out of view, the weight of this hiccup in my plans finally setting in.
I think back to my brilliant idea fifteen years ago and how I thought the fates gave me Katerina on a silver platter.
It took some time. She was resistant, but in the end, her biggest goal in life is to make me proud.
And I’ve used that to my advantage.
When she was old enough, I decided it was finally time to start putting the pieces into motion.
To put it lightly, finding Kalliope was no easy task that came with lots of trial and error.
Unfortunately, there were a few humans that got caught in the crossfire—not unfortunate for me but for them.
Katerina has a bit of an unstable temper, which I blame her mother for—she was always a hothead.
She watched Kalliope for some time, and we decided the best plan of action was to appeal to her sympathetic side.
Weak and pathetic, but it worked beautifully.
She was so naive she invited Katerina into her home.
Granted, we didn’t know it then. We didn’t know the magnitude of her powers until recently, and that was all Elizabeth’s doing.
I don’t know where I went wrong, how I missed when she switched from my side to theirs, or when she became suspicious of my plans.
Maybe I was too caught up, too focused, that I never noticed, but I thought, in time, she would come around and be the queen I so desperately wanted by my side.
This realm was to be ours to rule, hand in hand.
But she became weak, just like the rest of them.
Suddenly, my arm begins to tingle, starting at my fingertips then rapidly spreading up the length of it. All too quickly, the tingles turn into limb-dropping numbness, pulsing like it’s angry with me before it starts to feel like my bones are liquifying.
Looking down at my arm, I grunt out in pain as my eyes land on veins webbing from my usual injection spot.
Fuck, what time is it? Surely it’s not time yet.
I just had a treatment this morning. But with another wave of agony through my limb, I know it doesn’t matter.
Using my right hand to apply pressure to the crook of my arm, my feet sluggishly carry me a little farther down the hall until I reach the main lab.
The door is secure, made of impenetrable steel, and kept locked all hours of the day, only being able to be accessed by approved personnel.
Not wasting time, I press my thumb against the glowing red scanner, and I have to grind my teeth together as another hit of pain washes over me, and the machine takes its sweet time turning green.
Gripping the vertical metal handle, I yank it open, startling the workers inside. “Commander, is everything alright?”
“Does it look like I’m alright?” I bark, baring my teeth in his direction. “Use those fucking brains of yours, and get me another dose!”
“Sir, I would advise against another one so soon. The effects are clearly—”
“I didn’t ask for a bloody informational course. Get me another. That’s an order!” He looks like he wants to keep arguing, which would be a huge mistake. Thankfully, he decides against it. 452 reaches into the chilling compartment and grabs one of the vials that glows fluorescent blue.
The mere sight makes my mouth salivate, pupils dilate, laser-locked in on the one thing that will make all of this better.
“Make it a double for the inconvenience,” I rasp.
His footsteps stutter. “Sir, I really don’t—”
“That wasn’t a suggestion!” My eyes slam closed, and I fall into the nearby table, knuckles bleaching with the strength of my hold on its edge.
“I would advise you to choose your next words very wisely.” 452 takes a moment, and had it been any longer, I would’ve killed him where he stands and made 406 do what needs to be done.
Although, by the way he’s frozen in place, I wouldn’t be surprised if he pissed himself.
When this all started coming to fruition and the experiments were producing successes rather than failures, I began my own treatments. In turn, there were a select few in charge of my dosages so things didn’t get out of hand.
Now I’m severely regretting that decision.
With a short, frustrated exhale through his nose, he turns back around and takes one more precious vial from the cooler.
My tongue snakes out, wetting my lips in anticipation. I watch intentionally as the liquid is sucked up by the syringe and instinctively stick my arm out on the table, welcoming the bite of cold the metal offers.
The needle pierces my skin, and I relish in the euphoric feeling as the power rushes through my veins.
Instantly, I feel the effects take place.
The numbness dissipates, and the raw hunger for violence boils down to a simmer until I can barely feel it beat beneath the surface—just a touch out of reach.
My shoulders slump with relief. “It’s amazing what this stuff can do.” The words come out airy as the serum soaks in. “Another.” It would be foolish to ignore the tolerance I’ve built, but as 452 injects me a second time, I can’t find it in me to care.
There have been new developments over the last decade, fine-tuning the serum into something reliable, usable, especially after the mix-up that led to the first failure.
“What’s the problem?” I bark, entering the lab and peering down at the subject thrashing against the table.
“The wrong serum was administered—by accident, of course,” 452 admits, not looking guilty in the slightest, which under these circumstances, I believe. We have a lot of pea brains within, but he’s not one of them. He was handpicked for this position based on his knowledge and expertise.
“How is this possible?”
“Well, Commander, having both be the same color was bound to cause an issue.”
I grunt with irritation. He’s right. I know that, but there’s a system in place, protocols to follow, so this didn’t happen.
“Well, how’s it responding?” But as soon as I ask, the fae bows off the table, wrist and ankle straps the only things keeping it bound.
“There’s nothing to base it off of. She’s the first subject.” The weight of his words ring true as aspects of her body begin shifting.
“Keep it away from the others, monitor closely. I want updates on the hour,” I instruct. Glazing over the vials haphazardly around the lab, clearly panic erupted when they realized the mistake. “And change the colors,” I mutter over my shoulder.
That was the first and only time the mix-up happened, and the result of subject 1 was unfortunate. Completely useless.
“It’s time we raise the stakes with our special guest. Get the equipment set up for a transfusion.” 452 gives me a curt nod, and I turn to leave but not before adding, “And take Katerina’s access away.”
“Harrison, so nice of you to join us,” I coo. His pathetic, miserable existence stays lying on the table, unmoving. Not that he has much choice in the matter—limbs bound by brown leather straps, another matching around his neck.
But some eye contact would be nice. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers, I guess.
“I didn’t want it to come to this,” I state. Although, that’s not entirely true. The hope for him to come around was still there.
“Whatever you’re up to, it’s not going to work.”
“He speaks!” My hands clap together. “Was that so hard? I did figure all the screaming and wails of pain leaving your cell made you mute.” He doesn’t reply, which is fine. He’ll be singing like a canary soon enough.
452 rounds the corner, coming into view. “Everything’s ready.”
“Spectacular.” It’s been a while since I’ve been on this side of things.
After about the first hundred subjects, it became too much for me to handle on my own, and at some point, I had to render control.
And truth be told, I needed to enlist someone to handle the advancements.
Against his will at first, but eventually, he came around.
Ideally, this treatment would’ve been for 763—he’s the perfect specimen. But since he’s otherwise occupied, his transfusion will be at a later date.
Walking up to Harrison’s tray, I push at the food and wheel him into the adjoining room.
Harrison’s eyes stay closed, like he’s unbothered or has accepted his fate.
It’s bizarre to think he would go to such measures to protect her.
Even now, she’s out of his protection and running about our land.
My land. And despite their history, I have full faith in 763 that he’ll bring her back and do what needs to be done.
Everyone else is collateral, a means to an end.
Without her, everything I’ve worked so hard for would be for nothing.
I lock the wheels once I have him in position.
His eyes squint open, adjusting to the bright-white light above.
Unable to turn his head, he attempts to take in the room, only moving his eyes side to side.
The moment he catches sight of our guest of honor, his pupils grow wide, “What the fuck is that?”
“That is the start of our future.”