10. Binds that Brand
Binds that Brand
CASPIAN
“Did you truly believe you could escape me?”
Sorva gripped my hair tighter, her foot slamming into the back of my leg as she forced me to my knees in the ritual room once more. Hand flattening, she dug her taloned fingers into my scalp, and an indescribable agony rippled from the top of my spine and shot down its length.
My irrepressible scream only humored her as she clamped down even harsher. “Because of you and your pitiful fucking father—who still fails to protect you—one of my Calyxirs is dead.”
Shoving me forward, my palms slapped against the parquet floor.
My attention settled on the relic they’d used to summon creatures from their realm.
Seeing it still lined in my blood brought bile to the back of my tongue, the realization settling with a heavy weight.
Because of my ties to not just one, but two of the Damned, the nuances of my essence had destroyed the lands I once roamed.
I was the reason the townsfolk were dead, just as I was the reason Rohen had nearly joined them.
“I am glad you are well aware of your faults,” Sorva hummed as she stepped around me.
“Ellira may have believed herself to be clever in her decision to save you that day, but now you and your very lineage have become a valuable tool in ensuring Wraelira’s fall.
You wish to protect her daughter? You yearn for her, yes? ”
My lips parted, denial blooming in my mind, but before any of it spilled, that familiar burn snuffed my ability to speak. At the same time, searing heat lashed at my back, and my nails clawed at the muted floor. Shoulders heaving, I retched, but nothing came out.
“Are you that fucking foolish, Caspian Vayne?” Another bloom of affliction carved through my skin, warmth sprawling across the uniform I still wore.
“You believe that your escape to rescue Ellira’s daughter had nothing to do with your capabilities as a mercenary and the power your father has lent you.
” She cackled, every syllable carrying a seething poison.
“You adorable boy. The only reason you left this room is because of me. To test your intentions, I loosened your leash, only to find out they reside heavily with the woman who butchered your men. Which you were just seconds away from lying to me about. So let me ask you again. Do you yearn for that woman?”
My throat bobbed, and the billowing anguish etching its way through my flesh blurred my vision. “Y-Yes.”
“Do you love her?”
The question shattered something in me. “I-I don’t—”
A deep growl rolled from Sorva, transforming her words into an utterance of many voices. “Do you love her?!”
“I said I don’t fucking know!”
My bellow transformed into a pitiful cry as another bout of pain surged, and my body swayed as that continued, serrated presence sliced through my soul with blistering torment.
Trying to level myself beneath its wrath, I inhaled through my nose right as a tremor seized my frame.
Exhaling, a hiss escaped between my gritted teeth, and with it, nausea bubbled.
“Interesting,” the blonde Other crooned, dropping to a squat in front of me.
Talons curling under my chin, she drew my attention to meet her scarlet irises.
At her touch, I felt the wound Rohen had carved into my flesh meld together, and I had to swallow my growl at her ability to rid me of her mark.
“Your mind says one thing, yet your heart says the other, darling.”
Struggling to hold the weight of my own head, I leaned into her touch. “I-I don’t know… I don’t know what you all desire of me.”
Her bottom lip jutted out as her decrepit features lifted toward Sorva. “Aw. He’s cute. Let’s keep him.”
From the corner, a snarl was birthed. Out of my periphery, I watched Sorva’s second step into view, arms folded and tucked into the sleeves of his cloak. Chin lifting with superiority, he glared down at me, expression divided between smooth flesh and charred skin.
“He is a pathetic human, Vrax. One Sorva should have milked dry by now.” With the click of his tongue, he tossed a look of disbelief at their leader. “His blood is valuable; he is not.”
“I don’t believe you are in a position to pass judgment, Maulix,” the dark-haired woman muttered, her soft-spoken demeanor a warning for all that lingered beneath her mask. “Whatever Sorva decides determines fate, and we follow.”
Carved smile growing, Vrax brushed my cheek with her ashen fingers. “Kyrn is right. Besides, no human has ever been able to withstand a relic branding besides this one right here.”
Relic branding?
Gathering my consciousness, I pulled away from Vrax to sit on my heels.
Ignoring the bile that surged with the movement, my attention settled on the newest Other who remained in the darkest corner of the room, lip upturned in amusement.
He watched me for a breath before the vibrancy of his emerald stare rippled, and with the sudden pulse of their color, the room spun.
Unable to decipher up from down, proprioception became the only thing capable of quelling the chaos.
Reaching out in search of that stability, all I was met with was a dull sense of nothingness.
Unease spiking, my mind tried to piece together the abruptness of the disorientation.
But before I could even pull thoughts together, fingers coiled around my throat.
White-hot agony devoured my back as I was slammed into an unforgiving surface.
The affliction worked to outline the path of the invisible blade Sorva had carved my skin with, the pain from her assault making the collision minimal.
As if well aware of the fact, the unknown Other wasted no time hoisting me from the ground.
His right hand tightened while his left remained pressed against his face, and the eye nestled there peered at me with a languidness that felt far too casual.
“Caspian Vayne,” he hummed, the sound equally as unsettling as when Sorva made it. “Bound to my mother, but of Death. Tell me, what of the prophecy are you familiar with?”
Brows furrowing, I grabbed his wrist as my feet settled against the wall behind me for leverage. “E-Even if I wanted to tell… you… Y-Your mother has my voice b-bound to the point that I—”
Just as quickly as his hold had been there, he released me. As I gasped for air, he spun on his heel to face Sorva. “In what aspect of logicality does that form of restriction make sense, Mother?”
The corners of Sorva’s lips curled upward. “We all have our motives, don’t we, son?”
Knuckles whitening, his agitation became apparent in the sharp articulation of his utterance. “We will speak about this later.”
“Certainly.” Moving around him, she strolled toward me. Snaking around my mind and limbs, those invisible threads returned to demand my obedience. “For now, we focus on this lovely pirate and all he is going to do to aid us.”
“I’m not doing shit—”
Three prods of anguish hooked into my chest and ripped diagonally, that nausea-inducing pain returning.
Shoulder blades seeking salvation, they reached toward each other as I slid down the wall, my back arching as every lashing ignited at once.
A muffled whimper came from me as I bit the inside of my cheek, seeking solace in the essence my father provided.
“Since I’ve already had to repeat myself once today, let us both pay attention to ensure that does not happen again.
” Lowering herself to my level, Sorva closed her long fingers around my jaw before yanking me toward her until inches remained.
“You are now branded by the relics we have etched into our skin.
Though instead of the ancient language we worship, I stuck to the dialect of your lands, so appreciate my kindness in allowing you to know what word litters your flesh.
“The seven letters serve two purposes: reminding you who you belong to, while also polluting the bond you share with Rohen. The closer the two of you get to one another, the sicker you will become until you return her to me. If you wish to fight my order, I have no issues infiltrating your mind to ensure you butcher her with your own two hands.” Sharpened canine sinking into her bottom lip, she grinned maliciously.
“Your task is simple. I grant you autonomy in exchange for bringing that cunt back to me.
“When you return, like the obedient hound you are, I will revoke my bind. Once I do, you will be free from the confines of control and restriction, which will allow you to become the man beneath the layers I’ve sculpted.
” Her talons stroked through my hair as she continued, “I have controlled the webs of fate through you and your connection to the gods since you were a teen. The innocents you’ve murdered, the horrific decisions you’ve made, and the betrayals you’ve indulged in have all been spun by me.
“All the while you’ve desired freedom from the crown, it has really been me you’ve longed to escape—which is the opportunity I’m now extending.
” Planting her palms on her thighs, she pushed herself to stand once more.
“You will set sail with Malrik in two days to find Rohen, and if I had any suggestions, it would be to make sure you obey my demands. I would hate for that lovely co-captain of yours to be harmed in the crossfire. Or, better yet, your ex-best friend who still harbors a piece of your heart.”
“N-Neither prompt you’ve extended serves any benefit,” I hissed, pressing my hand against my chest to staunch the flow of crimson.
Sorva smiled. “They're not supposed to. Your choices are simple. Bring Rohen back to me so I can ensure you two cease together, while allowing your friends to live. Or go against me and watch as my possession of your soul becomes the very thing that ends her life, along with those you love.”
“The gods won’t—”
“Oh, darling. Your own father has done nothing to ensure your safety or bargain for your freedom, and the other four are not coming to rescue you either.” Her glare narrowed, irises blooming with heated intensity.
“We are the gods now, and it’s about time you began to learn who the fuck you kneel for. ”