Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
~ Shade ~
Everything hurts.
The king tries to break into my mind for a long while, but when he can’t, he goes into a fit of rage and beats me until I lose consciousness.
I come to when the guards dump me back in my cell, and I land face-first on the floor.
Grime presses against my cheek, but I don’t move.
I’m not sure how many bones are broken, but everything aches, and I wheeze as I struggle to get air into my lungs.
My eyes are swollen, and I don’t realize the professor is there until Tarlaz warns me.
“I told you not to embarrass me,” Professor Yevar says.
I grunt in response because if he has come here for an apology, he’s going to continue to be disappointed.
“Have you forgotten that I have your creature’s egg? I should destroy it after that pitiful display.”
My heart jerks. “Don’t,” I croak. “Please.” With what feels like a mammoth effort, I lift my head, then the rest of my body, and I cry out at the pain. Heaving, I slowly drag myself to the nearest wall.
Professor Yevar exhales as he watches me. “You know it doesn’t have to be like this. Prove to King Malgur that you’re a worthy weapon. You could be comfortable here. I don’t know why you’re fighting this.”
I shiver as I rest my head back against the wall. “I’m not going to help you destroy my friends. Destroy…everything.”
His harsh laughter fills my cell. “Now that’s ironic, considering you were training as a student at Shadowbone. You still think Queen Krosia is any better than King Malgur?”
It hurts when I frown. “She’s trying to save the shadow realm.”
“Is she?” he counters.
I pause. Now that I know Queen Krosia is after the same thing as King Malgur, I’m not sure of anything. “Well, she’s not the one brainwashing the students and making them cut their fingers off,” I finally reply.
“No, you’re correct,” he agrees. “Instead, she’s executing them when they don’t suit her purposes.”
“That’s different,” I say, but even after the words leave my mouth, I’m not sure if that’s true.
I understand that the weaker students would be liabilities on the battlefield, but for Queen Krosia to simply eliminate those who don’t prove themselves is brutal.
I think of how she’d tried to execute me.
And of how she’s treating the creatures in the shadow realm.
Maybe she isn’t so different from the Xalgrith king.
I cough, and my ribs scream at the pain.
“You hate me for abducting the weaker students, but they have a greater chance of survival here with the Xalgrith,” Professor Yevar says.
“They’re not surviving,” I reply. “The king has control of their minds.”
“Yes, and they’re alive.”
I shake my head. “That’s not living. That’s torture.”
His lips thin. “Whatever your thoughts are on the treatment of the students, it changes nothing. Now, I will leave you with some access to your power for the time being. That will allow you to heal at a more accelerated rate. But this is the only time I will offer you that courtesy.”
I almost whimper with relief. My body tingles as my magic slowly heals me. It will still take some time, but not as much as it would if I only had my human healing abilities. I know he’s probably only helping me because he wants to save face with the king, but I’m still grateful.
“I’m not the weapon you think I am,” I murmur, and a tear leaks down the side of my face.
He regards me. “Denial doesn’t change the truth. You have great power, Shade.”
I laugh and instantly regret it when pain shoots into my chest. “You must have me confused with someone else,” I wheeze. “I don’t have great power.”
His dark gaze bores into me. “Is that what you think?” he says, and he clasps his hands behind his back. “Did you know all the originals received their own prophecies?”
When I don’t answer, he continues. “Oh, the focus was on your mates’ prophecy, of course. Queen Krosia took particular interest, because they are the key, aren’t they? The key to closing the fold and severing the connection between our realms. But do you want to know what mine said?”
I stop breathing as curiosity holds me hostage. I don’t think he’ll really answer, so I’m surprised when he says with dry humor, “The one who sees but hardly speaks, all roads lead to defeat. Endure the darkness or the light, nothing will change your plight.”
I blink at him, suddenly feeling like I understand the professor a whole lot more.
I mean, if I’d been given such a crappy prophecy, I’d probably be upset, too.
I wouldn’t go around abducting students, but I can see why he’s so crabby.
He was selected to become a shadow warrior, only to be told that no matter what he did, he’d be defeated.
“That’s terrible,” I comment. “Did the oracle say anything more?”
“No, but I didn’t wait around, because I’d heard everything I needed to.”
“You did?”
He nods. “So you see, I understand you better than you think. Your mates are the prophesied heroes in this story, and you’re the one who can break them. So what does that make you?”
I swallow hard. “The adorable sidekick?”
He gives me a pitying look. “The villain, Shade. But like me, you can embrace your destiny.”
“I’m nothing like you,” I whisper.
He turns to leave. “You have power, Shade. More than you realize. Don’t let the prophecy stop you from using it.”
I sit there in silence, his words sinking in. He reaches the door, then pauses, twisting to look back at me. “Oh, and embarrass me again, and I will not be so tolerant.” His fingers brush over my phoenix’s egg, and he exits the cell, closing the door behind him.