Chapter 32 #2
I clench my jaw. “I promised Knox I’d stay alive,” I murmur to the shadows. “But I also promised Kenzie that I’d help her find Leira. I can’t just kill her. Look, she’s regaining control. Leira is still in there.”
“Just remember, you’re the one who’s going to get skinned alive,” Elgen rasps.
I let out a frustrated noise, because I know Elgen has a point. I want to save Leira, but I also don’t want to get myself killed in the process.
I think about my training and focus on the power simmering under my skin. The king wants me to put on a show, so I decide to give him one. My skin ripples as the shift begins, scales sprouting over my body, and I grow in size until I’m towering over Leira.
For the first time since the fight began, the Xalgrith warriors fall silent, and King Malgur’s lips curve into a satisfied smile.
I stretch my leathery wings wide, shadows dancing around my talons.
I look almost identical to the xalfret I encountered not too long ago, except for the shadows and the random black feathers that protrude in gaps between my gleaming scales.
They’re my own special touch. Elgen and Tarlaz hide behind one of my wings, keeping out of view.
“Holy crap, I had no idea if that would work!” I chirp to the shadows. “I look incredible!”
“The king does look pleased,” Tarlaz replies encouragingly.
Leira hesitates as she peers up at me, and the king gives me an expectant look like he’s just waiting for me to bite her head off or something. Which is totally gross and obviously I could never. But I have to do something.
“Kenzie misses you,” I whisper to Leira.
“And I refuse to believe you’re gone. When I hit you, and sorry in advance by the way, but stay down.
Pretend to be dead. My mates are coming.
See if you can escape and get to them.” It sounds far-fetched but trying anything is better than simply giving in to the king’s wishes and killing each other.
I’m not sure Leira understands what I’ve said, but when she runs at me, brandishing her sword, I turn my body and smack my massive, spiked tail into her and send her flying backward.
“Don’t get up,” I hiss at her. “Don’t—”
She gets up, and I curse internally. Damn it.
Picking up her sword, she stalks toward me again, and I let out an ear-splitting roar, but she doesn’t stop coming.
“That’s enough playing around,” King Malgur booms. “Kill her and be done with it. I’ve seen enough to give you another chance to join our forces.”
Oh crap. I’m running out of time to get through to Leira.
“Seriously, I know you’re in there,” I hiss at her. “Unless you want to die, you’re gonna have to help me out here.”
There’s no change in her expression, and she doesn’t slow, so I decide to try something different.
I send out some of my power, trying to help her break through that mental compulsion.
I feel the king’s hold on her, and I push against it.
It doesn’t budge, but I feel Leira trapped in there.
It’s like her soul is being held prisoner.
I send out more power as she steps toward me, but the king’s hold is too strong.
It’s like he has built this wall around her mind, and no one can get in.
But I won’t kill Leira.
I can’t.
I decide I need more power to get through to her, so I dig deeper inside myself, straining against the king’s hold.
King Malgur’s gaze snaps to me, and I’m guessing he can feel me trying to get in her head. He pushes against me, but I won’t let it go.
No. You can’t have her. I know I’ve made a mistake. If Leira had regained control and pretended to stay dead, the king may have been so focused on me, that she might have gotten away with it and escaped. But not now.
No, he realizes what I’m trying to do, and he might just kill us both for it.
He gives me a challenging look, like he wants to see what I’ve got, and I decide that no matter what happens, I have to show him that he can’t have the students. That his hold on Leira isn’t absolute.
When I reach for more power, there’s a strange sensation, and I realize it’s my soul bond with Tarlaz and Elgen. Power flickers along our bond, and I gasp.
“What was that?” I ask the shadows.
“We don’t know, girl,” Elgen replies. “We’ve always felt it, but the power is more apparent since you bonded with us.”
I frown. It’s like contained deep within their souls is this well of power, and it’s unlike anything I’ve felt before.
The moment I touch it with my mind, my power amplifies, exploding as it rushes from me into Leira.
The power obliterates the king’s hold, pushing him from her mind, and Leira’s eyes instantly turn black. She bends over, gasping and heaving.
“It’s okay,” I whisper to her, though I’m not sure if it is. I don’t really know what happened, other than the fact that the king’s not controlling her anymore.
I expect to find King Malgur fuming, but he’s smiling at me. Lifting his hands, he claps slowly. The Xalgrith warriors stay silent, like they’re not sure how they’re supposed to react. I get the feeling they’ve never seen anyone get their minds back once the king has seized control.
“It’s not often that I’m impressed,” King Malgur says. “Professor Yevar was right to bring you here.”