24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kya
“ Y ou want me to create the Glaev?” Holding my broken wrist, I took a step back from the pearlescent shield.
“Yes,” he said flatly.
My brows furrowed. “Why?”
Not that I understood his diabolical reasoning, but I could make sense of him wanting to destroy the land on Taeralia. What I couldn’t fathom was why he would want sacred land, touched by Odes, to be ruined. On his own world at that.
“Does it matter?” He tilted his head to the side just a bit.
“Yes,” I bit out. I wanted to know, damnit. I was sick and tired of not knowing a fucking thing.
He shrugged. “Too bad.”
Loathsome bastard…
I glanced to the ground, curling my bare toes into the soft green grass and feeling the soil beneath me. I couldn’t help but reach out and feel everything with my terbis. I missed it too much. I wanted to use everything at once. I wanted to use my invisibility, I wanted to use my Waalu.
Magic is energy.
My eyes snapped up, and I looked around at the dome shield he had erected over me.
I wonder if my energy could break the barrier. I bet if I could get him distracted—
“It won’t work, Diamond,” Daegel said, clearly knowing where my thoughts were as I continued to observe the dome structure.
“You’re sure about that?”
I let go of my wrist, reaching for the jade orb inside me and wrapping around it, releasing streams of Waalu down my arm in a soft glow. The feeling of releasing my magic was intoxicating, filling me with hope and confidence. Without the collar and absorbing magic from the island, I was stronger than when I fought him at the Rip.
I could kill him this time.
Daegel’s expression remained cold and closed. “Yes. I’m much more powerful than you. Especially here.”
He’s bluffing.
“If you’re so powerful, you wouldn’t need me caged. You wouldn’t need me at all, would you?” I asked.
His nostrils flared, and he bared his teeth in frustration. I could feel his heart rate increase through the ground.
I kept my lips tight, preventing myself from smirking.
That’s it! He needs me. He doesn’t have a choice.
Though I didn’t know what he needed me for exactly, it still gave me an advantage I hadn’t realized I’d had. It was something I could use against him.
“Why don’t you just do it? You can create the Glaev. I’ve seen you do it.” I raised my chin.
“I’m not going to ask you again.” Daegel raised his hand, and the collar levitated off the ground coming up to me.
My eyes widened. I didn’t want it back on. I didn’t want to have my magic suppressed again. “Okay, okay.”
Of course he wasn’t going to tell me …
He dropped his hand, and the collar fell back to the ground with a light thump.
“Fjold,” he said as he flicked his hand at me. I assumed it meant he wanted me to start.
The more I thought of it, the more I realized this wasn’t such a horrid thing. At least it wasn’t Taeralia. Not to mention, this would give me the time to figure out a plan without the collar on.
I took a deep breath and backed up, still facing Daegel—I wasn’t letting him out of my sight—leaving about ten paces between us. Taking a deep breath, I reached my hand out toward the ground tentatively. Then, I was stuck, not knowing how to do what he was asking. I knew how to cure it, not how to create it. I dropped my arm to my side.
“I can’t make the Glaev.” I shook my head and looked up at him. “I don’t have dark magic.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, and I tensed defensively. I didn’t want that abhorrent ability. “You have Waalu right?” he asked with a raised brow.
What the fuck? How does he know what it is? How does he know the Spirits’ name for it?
My mouth gaped, silently answering his question.
Daegel crossed his arms and nodded. “Energy can be used in almost any way imaginable. You’ve used it to counteract the Glaev, but you can reverse that. Instead of restoring the land, you can destroy it.”
“Why would I ever want to do that?” I asked, completely perplexed.
Daegel pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “Because I will leave her here if you don’t. Remember? And if you do what I ask, I’ll take off her collar.”
I glanced over at Leysa, rocking back and forth on her knees with her fingers pulling at her hair. I hated that she was being punished for something that wasn’t her fault.
“I’ll be sure to let her know you’re the reason for her prolonged suffering,” Daegel stated pointedly.
Fucking prick.
“Fine,” I whispered and blew out a breath.
I had no idea how to change what my energy did. I had never had the time to truly explore its capabilities. I supposed now I was about to learn. I extended my hand once again. Calling to the orb inside me, I pushed the streams of energy to the ground and continued to hold it for a minute before letting it go to see its effect.
No Glaev. No spots of decimated land. I only made a small patch of grass in front of me grow taller.
I looked at Daegel and threw up my hands. He stared at the patch of grass for a few moments, and I hoped he would see I couldn’t do it and realize I wasn’t able to give him what he wanted and let me go.
“Try again.”
Hours. I spent hours trying and failing, pouring out as much energy as I could to do as Daegel asked. Hours of listening to the wails of Leysa as she was filled with more and more unreleased magic.
At one point, I had tried hitting the shield, but all it did was absorb the impact and make it thrum. From the scowl on his face, I knew Daegel wasn’t happy about it, and he likely had some kind of punishment planned for later.
But I continued to pour the energy into the ground over and over until it was nearly dark. I was trying. I really was.
I bent over panting and rested my hands on my knees. While Kitall Island continued to replenish my reserves as fast as I was depleting them, it was still taxing, and I was completely exhausted. The only good thing about it was that I healed incredibly fast. My broken wrist was slightly sore after only a few hours. But I kept pushing and pushing, keeping the thought of Ryker and Leysa on my mind for motivation.
It was useless.
“My standards are not being met, Diamond,” Daegel scalded.
“Yeah, well, maybe you should lower them,” I quipped irritably.
Daegel sighed, and I raised my head to look at him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We will continue this tomorrow.”
I groaned. I wasn’t looking forward to going back to my cell, or coming back here and doing this again.
“And the next day,” he added, now glaring at me. “As well as every day after until you do what I ask. And Leysa will be joining us each and every time. So, unless you want to keep coming back here and forcing Leysa to endure this torture, you better figure out a way to give me what I want.”
That’s it!
I was sick of being here. I was sick of him constantly berating and threatening me. I was exhausted, tired, and hungry. I wanted to go back to my mate. Fuck him and his power.
In a fit of rage, I spun around and released a large flare of my energy, slamming it against the barrier. Magic was energy and the barrier was magic. So, in theory, my energy should have done something.
Except it didn’t.
Daegel crooked a brow. “Are you done?”
Gods, I want to kill him. How can someone be so cruel?
But I nodded. Too physically and mentally drained to argue.
“Good.” He waved his hand, and the collar lifted from the ground up to my neck then clasped around my throat.
“Lauss,” I whispered, hoping his same words to free me would work.
He chuckled. “Our magics are different. But nice try. Fjoturr.”
The collar came to life, and I felt the designs moving. The intensity of my magic being suppressed again was just as crippling as before. It was a brutal reminder of what Leysa had been enduring all day. But I remained on my feet, fighting against it.
Daegel released both my and Leysa’s shields, then he released her from her collar.
I looked at her with pleading eyes, desperately wanting her to use her ability to fight against him and get out of this wretched place. She refused to look at me, keeping her head down and wiping her tears as she obediently went over to stand behind Daegel.
Before, I never understood how she could give up and stop fighting to get back to her mate. Now I did. I didn’t know what she had gone through, but if I had suffered this for fifty years, I wasn’t sure that I wouldn’t do the same.
“Are you okay?” Leysa whispered, finally looking at me.
“Not while I’m here,” I said. “Sorry you have to be part of this too.”
Her lips tightened, and her eyes flicked to Daegel. “It’s not your fault. ”
Daegel gripped my arm, tight enough I couldn’t get away, and led me to the stepstone while Leysa followed. We all stepped up on it and Daegel didn’t hesitate to speak, “Fara,” taking us away.
I closed my eyes, remembering the blinding light from last time. When I opened them again, we were back in the forest where Talum was waiting. The relief of being off the island was immediate, and while my unused magic still clawed to get out, I was grateful more wasn’t pouring in.
Daegel shoved me off the stepstone, and Leysa stepped off as well. “Do better,” he said from behind me.
When I turned around to tell him to fuck off, he was gone.
“Let’s go,” Talum said.
I followed without dispute. I wasn’t eager to get back to my cell, but I wanted to lay down and sleep. The walk back was short, and I was pleased to see food and a pitcher of water, but I was confused when I approached the bed and noted there were two trays and a small bucket of water on the floor. I turned around at the sound of the door shutting.
Leysa stood by the wall. “I’m to stay with you until you’re convinced to submit.” She shrugged.
“I’m already convinced, but I’m happy for the company,” I said politely, hoping she didn’t blame me for her suffering on Kitall. Despite her saying it wasn’t my fault, I still felt bad about it.
“I’ve also been permitted to clean you,” she said with a small smile.
I looked at her with a confused expression.
She moved her arms together in a motion that I recognized. The water from the bucket lifted as she wielded the element over to me.
I was right. She is a water wielder.
Happily, I extended my arms out to my sides as she ran the water over every inch of my body. It wasn’t really a cleaning since there wasn’t soap, but it felt amazing to have the sweat and grim washed away from my clothes and body. I really wished I had something to remove the grease from my hair but I wasn’t about to complain.
Once she was done, she twisted her arms in a swirling motion, pulling all the water from me, leaving me dry and free from the filth I had been covered in for days.
I released a sigh and smiled. “Thanks, Leysa.”
We ate in silence, sitting on the edge of the bed and sharing the pitcher. They only ever gave me enough to keep me fed, never enough to fill my stomach. It was better than starving to death, I supposed. Leysa had tried to offer some of her food, but I declined. I knew she had to be hungry too. We both needed our strength if we were going back on that island.
Once we were finished, we rested with our backs against the wall. My mind wandered with so many questions. I wanted to take this opportunity to learn as much as I could from Leysa while I had the chance.
“Why can some of them speak our language?” I broke the silence with the first question that popped into my head.
“I’m not sure. At least I don’t know where Daegel learned it, but Talum learned from him, and I helped. I think the others just started picking it up from us, but most don’t bother.”
“You helped Talum learn?” I asked. “Why would you help him ?”
“I didn’t want to at first. I was a lot more stubborn and hard-headed back then—like you. But it was more beneficial to have someone who could understand me, other than Daegel.”
That made sense.
“Do you understand their language?” I asked.
“Some. Mainly just a few words and phrases. Most of them don’t talk around me, so it’s been difficult to learn.” She shrugged.
“Talum didn’t return the courtesy of teaching you his language?”
“No,” she shook her head.
I picked another topic.
She gladly answered each of my questions to the best of her knowledge, seeming happy to have someone from her world to talk to, especially one mated and married to her son. I learned the stone cell I was in when I first arrived was far away and remote. Its intended purpose was to isolate me while I acclimated to the new realm. At least that’s what Leysa gathered.
She opened up after a while, and told me about some of her horrid experiences. How she had a collar on for over thirty years until she had proven herself trustworthy with good behavior, and then continued to behave so she didn’t have to suffer quite as much. She told me how, for over ten years, she had tried to escape over and over, but every time she tried, they caught her and punished her again.
“Tell me about Daegel. What do you know about him?” I needed her to tell me everything she knew. The more I could learn, the more I could use against him.
“Not much I’m afraid,” she sighed. “Though I wish I did.”
“Well, you have to know some things about him. You’ve been his captive for half a century. What… What is he? Is he a Lord?” I asked.
“No,” she huffed. “They don’t have Lords here. They have Kings.”
“What are those?” It was an odd term, one I had never heard before.
“I think they’re similar to Lords. They rule over their respective Kingdoms of magic users and humans. ”
My brows creased, utterly confused. “What?”
“Kingdoms are like Nations. I think. Witches and sorcerers are the magical people here—they all share similar characteristics—and I guess humans aren’t. I don’t actually know about humans, though. I’ve never seen one.”
“Hmm.” I bit my cheek taking in all this information. “So these keens—”
“Kin gs ,” she corrected my pronunciation.
“Oh. These Kings , rulers, who are they?”
Leysa inhaled through her nose, and I could tell she was getting tired. Learning the social structure of another realm was fascinating to me. I wished I had something to write this all down with. I tried to keep the rest of my questions to a minimum, sticking only to what I needed to know.
“Daegel is one of them, I know that. And I’ve heard a King Zalen mentioned a couple of times. I think they’re enemies.”
I perked up. That was something I could use. The enemy of Daegel could be my salvation.
“You think they’re enemies?” I needed to be sure.
“There was mention of some kind of fight or something, I’m not certain, but a King was killed. Then I heard talk from some of the guards about King Zalen and how ruthless and feared he is. I could only understand parts of what they were talking about, picking up a few words here and there. But my theory is that Daegel started whatever is going on out there.” She nodded her head toward the window.
“What makes you say that?”
“Because I’m pretty sure Daegel killed a King.”
So if we could get to King Zalen…
We didn’t talk for some time as I thought of how I could use this information to my advantage.
“What are you thinking about?” Leysa interrupted my thoughts.
“Oh, uh, nothing.” I didn’t want to tell her my ideas just yet. I wanted a plan in place before I said anything.
“I can practically feel your mind working. So let’s hear it,” she sounded so motherly and I was tempted to answer, but instead I diverted.
“What happened…when you were taken?” Leysa and I had migrated to lying down on the bed.
“Vicria never told anyone…” she said. I couldn’t tell if she was pleased with that or disappointed.
I shook my head. “No. No one knows. Everyone thinks you’re dead. Except Cadoc.”
“He can feel it too…” she whispered.
The bond. The fractured tether that made our souls ache for our mates.
“I shouldn’t be surprised she never told anyone. We were best friends. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same for her.” Leysa blew out a sharp breath. “Vicria and I had been working on discovering the cause of the Glaev for years, but we could never figure it out. One day, after an entire town had been wiped out, we decided to meet up with a friend—Rolim. He had been obsessing over the Glaev and was the most knowledgeable on the subject. Anyway, Vicria and I went to an area near the Rip. We were supposed to meet with him there about something he had found, but he wasn’t there.”
Because he was dead…
I wondered if she ever found out about that.
“Instead, we found Daegel. There was a skirmish, then he had me in his grasp and was about to kill me when Vicria pleaded for my life. She made a deal with him and became cursed.”
“What were the conditions of the deal?” I turned on my side to look at her.
“He agreed he wouldn’t let me die so long as she never spoke of him and did as he asked, telling him where the Spirits of the land were. I begged her not to. It wasn’t worth it. One life wasn’t worth it. But she took his hand anyway…”
She remained silent for a moment, staring up into the darkness.
“I’ll never forget the look on her face when he threw me into the Rip, bellowing to the skies. I thought for sure I was going to die, but I wound up here. He’s kept his end of the bargain, keeping me alive yet still ‘out of his way.’”
Gods, he needs to die.
“That’s why Vicria couldn’t say anything…”
Leysa turned her head toward me. “Because she knew I was alive. The deal hasn’t been broken.”
At least not until she spoke of him, and the curse killed her. But I didn’t tell Leysa that.
“How is she? Vicria.” Leysa asked.
“Oh, erm. She’s fine.” I didn’t particularly like lying to her, but the air was heavy enough with misery, I didn’t want to add to it by telling her that her friend was dead.
Leysa turned to me fully and propped herself on her elbow. “I want to go home, Kya. Please,” her voice broke. “Just do what he wants.” She rolled over and faced away from me.
I wanted to go home too. And now, I had a plan. His name was King Zalen.