Chapter 49
Forty-Nine
MANU
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
D rip. Drip. Drip. I focus on the sound of water dropping from the ceiling into my dark cell.
It’d be annoying in any other circumstance, but here, it’s proof that I’m not dead yet.
I barely feel any pain. The cuts on my face and arms have already healed.
Queen Maewe didn’t want me to enter bloodlust due to starvation, so she fed me Nightingale blood, which is stronger than human blood and filled with magic. That probably accelerated my healing.
I doubt I’ll have a scar, but knowing her, she wants my face unblemished so she can cut me again, and again. I don’t care what she does to me, but Karl… I can’t stomach watching him suffer. She broke his legs to make sure he couldn’t shift. I’ll never forget the sound of his screams.
A tear rolls down my cheek, and I wipe it off hastily.
I can’t succumb to despair. I need to believe we’ll find a way to escape.
I’m counting on King Ruel and his thirst for power.
He’s gone too far to stop now. He must know Queen Maewe captured us.
It’s crazy to think our freedom depends on a Nightingale.
I curse the day Uncle Raphael agreed to help those motherfuckers.
My only solace is that Karl is in a cell nearby. I can sense him. I wish there was something I could do, but I’m useless.
I lie awake on the cold ground, imagining all the horrible manners in which I could kill Queen Maewe. Throughout my long life, I’ve seen the most gruesome ways a person can die, but no scenario is painful enough for her. I want to make the bitch suffer for all eternity.
And poor Adrian. I don’t know why she loathes him so much, but I could feel her hatred for him pouring out in waves. She’s the one who trapped him in the Valley of Lost Souls. It’s hard to wrap my head around Vivi and Rikkon sharing the same DNA as that vile creature.
Suddenly, my skin tingles. I recognize the sensation at once—it’s the touch of magic.
I jump to my feet, getting in position to fend off an attack.
My cell is pitch-black, and there isn’t even a window to allow light in.
When the small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, I realize I’m no longer alone.
My pulse accelerates, but my claws and fangs are at the ready.
A pair of glowing blue eyes appears in front of me, then blue markings that glow as well, allowing me to see the shape of a massive wolf’s face. Oh my God. The queen sent a beast to toy with me.
“I’m not afraid of you,” I grit out.
“Bullshit. Your heart rate says otherwise.”
Wait. I recognize that voice. “Cheryl?”
I see her silhouette standing next to the giant wolf. “Yes. Are you ok?—”
I run into her arms and hug the female for the very first time ever. “You’re here. You’re really here.”
She stands stiffly without returning the hug. I don’t care. “Yes, I’m here. Luna and I are busting you out.”
My heart is still running at the speed of sound when I step back. “We need to get Karl. He’s nearby.”
“Ronan and Castiel are on it. Come on. We have to go. Hold on to Luna.”
“All right.” I reach forward until my hand connects with soft fur. I curl my fingers around a tuft, not wanting to lose my grip.
In the blink of an eye, the floor disappears from beneath my feet and wind rushes over my body as I free-fall. Hell, I’ll never get used to traveling like this. Mercifully, the sensation lasts only a second, and then I’m standing on solid ground again just outside my prison cell.
“I thought you were busting me out,” I say.
Cheryl spins around, looking at our surroundings. “Shit. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
A moment later, Ronan appears in front of us carrying Karl, and next to him, another giant black wolf.
“Karl.” I run to him but stop short of touching him. I almost forgot we’re still cursed.
“Manu, are you all right?” he asks.
“I’m fine.” I glance at his legs, which are bent at odd angles. He must be in terrible pain. My eyes fill with tears. “I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
Castiel and another female materialize. He has Adrian, and the lady has Selor. They’re accompanied by wolves too.
“Curse everything. We weren’t supposed to still be inside,” Castiel blurts out.
“No.” The female closes her eyes for a moment. “A new ward has been put in place. It’s preventing us from leaving.”
Malignant laughter echoes through the hallway, giving me chills. “You didn’t really think it’d be that easy to escape, did you?”
I whirl around, trying to find Queen Maewe’s location. Wind rushes through the hallway, whipping strands of my hair around. Luna peels her lips back, showing her fangs.
“Set me down so you can fight,” Karl tells Ronan.
“This isn’t a fight you can win,” Selor chimes in.
“He’s right. You cannot defeat me!” Queen Maewe finally appears at the end of the hallway, just before vines burst from the ground to trap us—only to be sliced off by magical glowing blades before they ever reach us.
“You’re forgetting one small detail.” The female with Castiel moves forward. “You aren’t the only queen here.”
“Bold words for someone from a powerless line, Endaya,” Queen Maewe retorts.
She shakes her head. “You’ve always underestimated me. Big mistake.”
A ring of glowing daggers forms around the female.
“Come on. We have to go!” Selor urges us.
“I won’t leave my mother behind!” Castiel argues.
Holy shit. That’s the queen of Lynx, then. I can’t believe I didn’t see the resemblance right away.
“No, my son. You should go. I’ll be fine.”
Luna moves to stand next to the queen while Cheryl runs toward us. “Where to?”
“The tunnels?” Ronan asks.
Selor shakes his head. “No, it’s likely they’re compromised. If we’re ambushed there, it’s over.”
“We’re going out the front door, then,” Castiel replies. “Let’s go.”
We all follow him. I don’t know how he can simply heed to his mother’s command and leave her behind, even though she looks more than capable of facing the bitch queen alone. I know I wouldn’t leave my mother.
We run in the opposite direction of the two queens, but before we round a corner, a loud boom makes everything shake. I lose my balance and would have ended up face-first on the floor if it weren’t for Cheryl, who keeps me upright.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“What was that?” Adrian asks, looking back.
“Two powerful queens coming to blows,” Selor pipes up.
Castiel hesitates, turning back. “I can’t leave my mother.”
Selor grabs his arm. “She sent you away so Queen Maewe couldn’t use you as leverage. Don’t fuck up now, boy.”
“Selor is right. We need you more than Queen Endaya does,” Ronan adds.
Castiel clenches his jaw hard, his cheeks hollowing before he blurts out, “Fuck! Come on, then. There’s a flight of stairs up ahead. It leads to Queen Maewe’s receiving room.”
Where she tortured us. My stomach feels queasy, but I push through the dark memories. There will be a time to deal with my trauma, but it’s not now.
The giant wolves take off ahead of us before vanishing from sight.
“Where did they go?” I ask.
“They’re hiding in the shadows. We don’t know what we’ll find.”
“Anyone thinking it’s suspicious that we haven’t seen any guards yet?” Cheryl asks.
“Very,” Ronan replies. “We must be heading straight into a trap.”
“There’s nothing for it,” Selor says. “This is the only way out of here.”
“You’d better not betray us, Selor,” Karl retorts.
“I couldn’t betray you even if I wanted to, wolf boy. That damn vow between us still holds.”
Castiel reaches the top of the stairs first, and the way is barred by a solid wall. It’s a fucking dead end.
“Are you kidding me?” Cheryl complains.
“Have patience, pup,” Selor replies.
“Do not call me pup unless you want to lose a limb,” she grits out.
While Cheryl glares at Selor, Castiel presses a hand against the wall.
Glowing cracks appear on the smooth surface before the wall vanishes completely.
Cheryl rushes in front of Ronan, but not before they exchange a glance.
Something has happened between them, but I don’t have the spoons to unpack any of that right now.
I bring up the rear since Ronan can’t defend himself while he’s carrying Karl.
“The coast is clear,” Castiel says before he vanishes from view.
Adrian and Selor follow him, then Cheryl and Ronan with Karl, but before I cross the threshold, I stop thanks to a sudden ache in my chest. It’s so acute that it steals the air out of my lungs.
Something is wrong.
The link between Karl and me snaps.
“No!” I run after them, only to be rendered immobile by an unseen force.
Our entire party is on the ground, writhing in agony, and surrounding the perimeter are the queen’s guards. I search for Karl and see him on the ground, next to Ronan. Unlike the others, he isn’t moving. He’s as still as a statue… as still as the dead.
“Karl, please, no…,” I whimper.
The guards part to allow Queen Maewe to pass through. There isn’t a hair out of place on her head, and she’s wearing a completely different dress than she was a minute ago. The ground shakes as another explosion from the level below us reverberates through the structure of the room.
“How can you be here?” I ask. “I just saw you.”
She smiles maliciously. “Are you sure?”
My blood grows ice cold. I can still hear the battle in the queen’s dungeon, which means Queen Endaya is fighting someone, but clearly not Queen Maewe.
“That was a decoy,” I say as realization hits me.
“You finally caught on, then.”
I glance at Karl, who still hasn’t moved. “What have you done to him?”
“Oh, I just stopped his heart.” She waves her hand, and Karl’s chest rises above the ground as he gasps loudly, drawing air into his lungs.
“You fucking cunt!” I scream.
With a swat of her arm, she sends me flying across the room. I hit the far wall so hard, it cracks. Or maybe it was my head. All I know is that there’s a dull ache in the back of my skull, and I can’t move.
“Manu!” Karl calls for me. “Please don’t hurt her anymore. Please…” His voice cracks.
“I’ll do as I please. This is my court. My kingdom!”
That’s it. We’re all going to die.
Suddenly, the entire room is enveloped in a blinding light.
The glare lasts a few seconds, and when it dissipates, I have to blink a few times for my eyesight to adjust. King Ruel is here, accompanied by a female with strawberry blonde hair like his.
She’s wearing gold armor that shines like the sun.
They look so similar, they could be twins.
That must be his sister, the queen of Vega Kingdom.
I notice then that the torturing of my friends has stopped.
King Ruel smiles. “ Your kingdom? Enjoy it while you can, my dear. Aquila won’t be yours for much longer.”
Queen Maewe laughs. “You are delusional, Ruel.” She turns to the female. “I can’t believe you let your brother sway you, Merissa. You know what he intends to do. If he succeeds, nothing will stop him from doing the same to you.”
Queen Merissa smirks. “I have no such fear. I am an honorable queen, and when the time comes, I’ll gladly step down and let my heir rise to the throne.”
Queen Maewe’s face twists in rage. “Your brother will never take what’s mine!”
The double doors open, and I brace for more soldiers to come in and turn this confrontation into a bloodbath. But soldiers aren’t the ones coming through the doors.
Queen Maewe gasps, and for the first time, she loses her bravado as she stares at someone I never thought I’d see again.
I blink my eyes fast to make sure I’m not hallucinating.
But no, he’s still there, standing tall and proud in full black armor, restored to his prime before the curse—before the disease that was driving him insane.
“No, it cannot be,” Queen Maewe murmurs as she takes a step back.
Uncle Raphael unsheathes his sword and points it at her. “Release them.”
Recovered from her initial shock, Queen Maewe’s nostrils flare. “How dare you give me orders? You’re nothing but a beast I created.”
“ You created?” He arches a brow. “Much like my new friends here, who your husband brought back to life?”
Four shadowbeasts enter the room and stand on either side of my uncle, who doesn’t seem bothered by their presence. He used to kill those monsters, for fuck’s sake. Nothing is making any sense, but I’m mighty glad that the odds seem to be turning in our favor. It’s about fucking time.
Queen Maewe can’t see the shadowbeasts, but she can sense the deep-rooted fear those monsters cause. If I wasn’t so banged up, I’d probably be gripped by panic too.
“You made a vow to release us,” Karl grits out. “You’re bound to it.”
The guards in the room shift where they stand. They know their swords aren’t a match against an enemy they can’t see.
Queen Maewe doesn’t say a word, but her eyes are calculating. I can almost see the gears in her head working furiously, thinking of a way she can get the upper hand. But when Queen Endaya rejoins the group, I notice a change in Queen Maewe’s expression. She knows she can’t win this confrontation.
“You’re free to go,” she finally says. “But this isn’t over.”
“Oh, we know, my dear,” King Ruel replies.
The bitch vanishes from the room, and I can finally breathe.