68. Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Zalen
“ A re you sure you’re feeling okay?” I asked Maera.
She had slept for most of the day and only just woke up a couple of hours ago. I made sure she had plenty to eat and drink and insisted she try to sleep a bit longer since there wasn’t much time before my Drehiri.
“I’m fine. I promise,” she assured me. “Honestly, Zalen, I feel better than I’ve ever felt. I feel so alive right now.” Her lips spread into a wide smile.
I breathed a little easier. “Good. Because it’s time for us to go.”
“Not that I don’t want to, but why do I need to be there?” she asked as I began to usher her out of the room.
“Because it’s not safe for you when I’m not around, and I’m going to be in a vulnerable state for a bit. You’ll need to be protected.”
“I don’t know if you know this but I’m a pretty powerful Queen of the greatest Kingdom that has ever existed,” she said with a playful smirk.
“You are. But you also don’t know how to use this new power of yours, love.”
“Yeah, there’s that,” she grumbled as we made our way out of the castle. “When we get back, and you’re recovered from your transition, we can work on our new magic together. I’ll make it my goal to create a potion that can beat your spells.”
Such a fiery little witch.
I chuckled and placed my hand around her waist, pulling her closer to me as we walked along the road before dusk.
“See to it that you do,” I challenged.
Something pounced on my leg, and I nearly kicked it out of instinct but stopped myself when I saw it was that fucking cat.
“Oh, Anera. How did you get out?” Maera gathered the cub in her arms and began walking again.
“No. That mangy beast is not coming to my Drehiri,” I stated firmly.
“Oh, she’ll be fine.”
I rolled my eyes. “If she so much as tries to disturb my Drehiri—”
“You’ll eat her. I know,” she rolled her eyes with a grin.
Damn right I will.
I released a sigh, and we continued on to the House of the Elders.
Thane waited for us just inside the entrance. He was there purely for Maera’s protection. As were the hidden Vord all around the city and House of Elders. While we had kept everything quiet about it, there was the possibility that word of our temporary vulnerability got out and was exploited.
It’s what I would have done. And that was why I wanted every King dead before I went through my ritual.
“Thane,” I greeted shortly and continued walking toward the stairs. I wanted to get this done as soon as possible.
He nodded in acknowledgment and followed. His orders were to keep his eyes on Maera until the end of my recuperation. But there were so many Vord outside these walls it was practically impenetrable.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” I asked him.
“I did.”
“And?”
“Riva.”
My brows raised. Interesting choice, a human for a wife.
I nodded, respecting his decision and leaving the rest of the conversation for later.
We made our way down the winding staircase, and I kept Maera by my side as we were once again greeted by the Elders.
I was pleased to see Oveus step forward to preside over my Drehiri.
“King Zalen Drolvega,” he began. “It’s time to complete your Drehiri. Please, follow me.”
For tradition’s sake, I went along with it despite having heard it only this morning. We approached the heill basin, and I stopped before it, Maera at my side. Thane waited by the entrance to the alcove to guard.
Oveus turned around to face me. “Please remove all worldly possessions and enter the heill in the way in which you were born.”
I nodded and began removing my robe, shirt and pants. I had kept my attire simple. I stood bare before everyone, ready to finally do this.
“Breathe,” Maera whispered behind me, giving me the same order I had given her.
I turned my head and winked at her, then returned my attention to Oveus.
He raised his chin. “You will immerse yourself in the heill. Completely . Accept it into your lungs and allow the Drehiri to breathe your power into you. Keep your eyes open. The Drehiri wants you to see your transition. Once you submerge yourself, the Elders will begin. Your magic will sing your new name to you once the ritual is complete and you have come into your higher power.”
I took a step back and turned, grabbing Maera by the nape of her neck and pressing my lips to hers, invading her mouth with my tongue. It was quick, but it gave me the jolt of excitement I needed. I’d be thinking about that mouth the entire time, ready for more once this was done and over with.
I released her, leaving her breathless and blushing as I went into the stone basin of silvery heill, submerging myself immediately.
I could feel the change in the liquid the moment the Elders began to chant their incantations, beginning the Drehiri. The heill felt as if it solidified above me. Even if I had tried to get out, I couldn’t, and I understood then how Maera was able to thrash without disturbing the liquid. I didn’t blame her for being unsettled by it. It was a daunting sensation.
I kept my eyes on the surface, waiting to see her face appear above to give me something to concentrate on when I breathed in the burning liquid into my lungs. But after a minute, I began to worry. Especially when I saw faint flashes of light.
Another minute.
I wouldn’t be able to hold my breath much longer, and I needed to breathe it in to begin.
That worry was washed away as I saw a figure come into view. But as it leaned closer, becoming clearer through the thick substance, all the breath finally left my lungs.
A woman with hair the color of fire and the eyes to match leaned over to look at me, her skin so pale she seemed to glow. I forced myself to resist taking in the liquid as she spoke.
“The great King Zalen, conqueror of Kingdoms. But can you truly be called a conqueror when I did most of the work for you? ”
My eyes widened. Her ethereal voice was clear, as if there wasn’t a thick fluid pooling in my ears.
She killed the Kings? Killed Makkor?
Time seemed to stop when she pulled Maera up over the basin by her hair. Her face was bloodied and her shirt torn. I couldn’t see much else.
Where the fuck is Thane?!
I opened my mouth to scream for Maera to get away, and my lungs filled with the heill. It felt like fire and ice all at once, burning and freezing every bone, every drop of blood in my body. But I hardly registered the pain, too concentrated on Maera being held by this wretched witch as she clawed and struggled against the woman’s hold.
“Witch? Ha! I’m a Goddess, you mortal ,” she spat the word like it was rancid on her tongue. “You think a witch or a sorcerer or a realm full of them could stop me? You Kings are arrogant fools, the lot of you.”
She yanked Maera’s head back, making my wife grunt in pain, and ran her long, sharp fingernail across her delicate throat, drawing precious blood even as Maera tried to push against her arm while she screamed. It wasn’t deep, but I understood the threat.
I thrashed, trying to free myself from the heill to no avail.
“Here’s the thing, King Zalen,” the Goddess started. “You want your little witch to live, and I want someone to die. So I have a task for you, one all of the past Kings failed to accomplish. But perhaps someone as powerful as you can finally complete what needs to be done, and I won’t have to kill you, too. Maybe you mortals just needed more incentive.”
I thrashed even more, muttering every spell I could, but magic didn’t work during the ritual. Not for the one enduring it.
“Let her go!” I roared, my voice swallowed by the heill.
“I will. But only if you give me the power I need.”
I stilled.
She wants me to give a Goddess power? She’s fucking deranged.
“Oh you don’t need to worry. I will be gracious and give you the tools suitable to complete my task. Your heart is black and so shall be your blood, imbued with the power of two, to wield the dark magic required.” Her hand flourished and a large book materialized, floating by Maera.
Dark magic?
“Fuck you! Let Maera go now!” my words were garbled, but she clearly understood them.
“I could kill her where she stands if you prefer.” Her lips curled into a sneer.
I stopped thrashing. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t fucking do anything but watch her threaten my wife.
“No? Then behave like a good little King. I’ll keep your pretty witch until you get me the power I need.”
I stared into Maera’s eyes, telling her I would get her out of this no matter what with a single look. I knew she understood. She tapped the imperceptible mark on her wrist and nodded subtly.
“I’ll keep her safe, far away from here. She won’t be harmed unless you fail,” she promised darkly.
She raised up, dragging Maera with her, and I heard her cry out, the sound of her feet kicking against the stone reverberated even through the thick liquid.
The Goddess’s lips drew back with sinister delight, exposing the glossy whites of her teeth. “I’ll be back once you’ve made your choice.”
And then they vanished, gone like they had never been there to begin with.
I began screaming, thrashing, and fighting to get out and go after her. All I could see was the fear on Maera’s face over and over again, the pleading in her eyes as she realized I had broken my promise to protect her and keep her safe.
A voice sang in my soul, but I barely heard it over my own screams of rage.
Then, the Drehiri was complete, and I was able to lift myself out of the basin of heill.
The Elders were still in their magical trance, and I saw Thane lying on the floor, barely breathing in a puddle of blood on the damp stone.
I crawled out of the silver liquid and stepped onto the cavern floor covered in shattered glass of potion bottles where Maera had to have fought back.
The Elders stopped their chanting.
I couldn’t hold myself up, and I fell to my knees, slicing my skin on the jagged shards.
The Elders gathered around me with horrified looks, aware of what occurred but were unable to do anything about it during their chanting, having been held inside the ritual just as I was.
“King Zalen…” Oveus breathed in disbelief, assessing my magical transformation. “Your power…”
“Complete the ritual.” I said in a cold, lethal tone. I glanced over to see a familiar leather-bound book on one of the steps.
No one moved. They remained in stunned silence, our collective breaths the only sound in the quiet space.
“COMPLETE THE RITUAL!” I roared.
They all trembled as my wrath boomed off the walls, shaking the stone beneath us. I breathed heavily, wishing I wasn’t so fucking weak right now so I could burn the realms down to find Maera.
Oveus swallowed nervously. “Reborn in the magic of Vansera you are the first… Dark sorcerer. State your title. ”
I inhaled deeply, my reborn name searing itself into my soul as I stood. Black blood dripped from the wounds the glass had opened in my flesh, and I spoke the word that changed everything.
“Daegel.”