Chapter 36 Ariana
ARIANA
Awall of my mist encased me before expanding out. It circled Kole, keeping him from the others before stretching forward, pushing everyone around Clause aside, except for him. The three of us were walled off from the rest in the room.
Though separated, I felt their attacks and sensed their steps through the thin film of mist I left in the room, surrounding their feet.
Gregory’s movements rushed towards Olive, who stood deathly still.
A sensation of whips slammed against the side of my wall. There was something odd about those blows, the depth of them, but they did not last. An intense heat followed the several blows as Iver’s flames pushed him back, keeping the conjuror away.
Eislyn seemed to engage with the whisperer, and Kiora kept her distance while preoccupying the air conjuror.
Soren danced with blades, keeping the sight conjuror busy.
I forced my attention to pull inward. Those outside my barrier were a distraction. They were all skilled, and I needed to trust in that, to let them go, so I could focus on the obstacle standing before me.
Clause glanced at the wall of moisture before centering those cold eyes on me. He could walk through my mist if he wanted to, but he wouldn’t. Because he wanted this, the two of us with limited distractions.
Kole said nothing, and asked nothing as he approached to stand at my side, briefly drawing Clause’s eye.
“And why are you here?” The Sidhe King asked, displeased at having anyone else sharing this space with us.
“I am her blade,” Kole answered easily, standing at the ready, sword drawn and poised. He knew his purpose, for he truly was the blade, the only one of us who could get close to the Sidhe King without fear of death from a simple touch.
Clause grunted and turned to me. “You continue to push me, Ariana. To wear thin my patience.”
My jaw clenched. “You pushed me first.”
He shook his head as though he did not agree. “You stand on the edge of a decision. Do not make the wrong one.”
“I have already decided. The only one here with a decision is you. To surrender or force our hand.”
“Fire away.” A smile curled his lips as he opened his hands, as if inviting us to try. He spoke again when neither of us moved. “Tell me, when all that I have done was to strengthen you, to help you survive this cruel world, why is it that you try to turn on me?” His thoughts remained misguided.
“It is not the world that is cruel, but you. The darkness, the pain, the torment that surrounds me is your making. You have tried to destroy me, to break me, not this world.”
He took a single step, his lips pressing into a thin line.
Darkness oozed from the surrounding atmosphere, stemming from him.
“I have opened your eyes to some of the lies spoon-fed to you so others could more easily control you. If the things you learned were cruel, that is only because I have only ever been honest with you. I have shown you this world for what it is. Do not hate me for only bringing you the truth.”
If only that was the only thing he brought. “You forced me to take the life of an innocent man. Where is the kindness in that?” That one act tainted my soul. Never would I be the same.
The tension between us pulsated with every steady beat of his heart. It drummed through the air, brushing up against me. Keeping me surrounded by his ominous presence. “That was a lesson you needed to learn.”
I snorted. “You sound like Edda. A lesson I needed to learn.” I shook my head in disbelief, for he appeared so delusional that he may have actually believed what he was saying.
“You did lie, for I thought I saw glimmers of kindness and hope in you over my time here, but that was all a facade. Wasn’t it?
A trick to have me lower my guard so that when you cut it would be that much deeper. ”
His brows furrowed. “It was not. I have nothing but love for you, Ariana. You are the most important thing in the world to me.”
Kole’s jaw clenched, though he remained silent, with his eyes trained on the threat before us.
Even if Clause believed he loved me, I doubted it would be enough, but I still tried to reason with the unreasonable. “Then stand down. End this suffering. Show me you can at least attempt a compromise.”
He broke our stare, glancing to the floor as though in thought. My heart nearly stopped, hoping he was considering my words.
“Clause, please.” The soft desperation in my voice troubled me. After everything, why did I continue to carry hope for him?
Gray eyes pinned mine, and within them there was turmoil.
“I don’t want us to hurt one another any more than we already have,” I said, having to stop myself from approaching him, propelled by the possibility that he may actually hear me.
There was a flicker of sadness in his gaze, and I knew he would not budge from his stance.
“Those attacking my castle are not just Lysian and Bavadrins, but some are Sidhe. They need to be punished and reminded of their place. I am their King, and I will not give them mercy for their actions. I will not give up my crown. But I can offer you this, to be the Queen of the Sidhe territory. Stand with me.”
We found ourselves in the same position we started in, both unwilling to budge. “A Queen without a voice. Only given the space to stand in your shadow.”
“You will have a voice, but it will match mine. For after you see the world as I do, I know we would stand together as a force others could not dream of opposing.”
My head remained high, my tone hardening. “My voice will never match yours.”
“We shall see.” He glanced at his foot. That was when I noticed the thin vine wrapped around it, disappearing beyond the mist wall. A lifeline to someone outside my barrier.
When I encircled Clause, that vine already must have connected him to one of his conjurors, making my power inert against them if Clause wished it so. I did not have time to consider the possibilities before the Sidhe King moved his leg, pulling on the vine.
From the left, a form stepped through the mist as if it were just moisture he moved through and not a true wall. The male was Sidhe, with pointed ears. His limbs were long, willowy, making him appear incredibly tall and thin. Half his face looked freshly burned. Iver.
My power pushed past me, down the stranger’s lungs, but he did not react.
Clause didn’t utter a word before vines erupted from the man’s fingertips, lashing out at Kole and me with a speed that made them seem alive with intent.
On instinct, my blades were in my hands before I’d even thought to reach for them, I slashed at the vines, but his movements were incredibly quick and unpredictable, easily evading me.
A whip of green shot toward me from the left, and I barely managed to lunge right, falling and rolling across the floor before springing back to my feet.
The vines were relentless, darting and curling, striking from every direction.
Each swing of my blade bought me mere seconds of reprieve before more lashed out, as though he could summon an endless supply.
They came from behind, thick, unyielding vines wrapped around my waist. I twisted, hacking at them, and they loosened briefly under my blade’s edge.
Only to grow back stronger, winding tighter with each cut I made.
They spread, as if a second skin, circling around my legs, my chest, my arms, encasing my hands with the blades still in them until rendering me completely immobile.
Only my head and neck remained free enough to move. Kole was in no better of a position. They too easily took control.
“That’s enough,” Clause said, stilling the vine conjuror from crushing us. Though by the looks of it, neither Kole nor I could draw a full breath any longer, our lungs constricted by the pressure.
“You care for this Lysian?” Clause asked, taking a step towards Kole. Darkness shrouded him, his intent menacing.
Panic shot through me. I shoved a wall of mist towards him in a futile attempt to keep him back, but he simply moved through it.
Gray eyes met with mine. “I will take that as a yes.” He turned back to Kole, shaking his head at him. “Look at this conjure-less fool, so weak.” He took another step. “Unable to protect himself, let alone someone like you.”
Danger emanated from Clause as his lip curled in disgust. Hatred condensed into the sharpest of blades directed fully at Kole. With me unable to do anything as time slipped away.
“You need to kill me,” I said, earning the Sidhe King’s full attention. “I will never stop fighting you. I could never love you.” Provoking him so that his focus remained on me was the only thing I could think of until one of us came up with a better plan.
Kole looked at me with wide eyes as though I had gone mad, and perhaps I had, but we needed time. He drew breath only because Clause allowed it at this point, and I was going to do everything in my power to keep him breathing.
Beyond the wall, the fighting continued. Not a single body hit the floor from either side, though Olive and Gregory seemed to have left the room.
My mind scrambled, grasping at flickers of ideas.
If I lowered the mist wall, we would be emersed into chaos.
Perhaps that would help or perhaps make things worse.
I would release Clause without the barrier, freeing him amongst the conjurors with a deadly touch.
Keeping the mist up at least kept his focus contained.
“I will never take your life,” Clause stated flatly, as his cold unyielding gaze bored into me.
“I will never stop until I take yours, then.” I stood on a dangerous edge, and instead of fear, I felt emboldened to push him farther. To show him that he did not harbor the love he believed himself to.
His eyes narrowed. “You do not mean this.”
My body shifted, attempting to move, but it was impossible with the bindings. “I doubt you would enjoy finding out which of us is correct.”