Chapter Ten #2
“Nollie,” I said, knowing it was what I already told the drakin, and I couldn’t take it back now.
I looked past the king, toward the rider who brought me here.
His gaze was so striking, so mesmerizing—or maybe it was just intimidating.
I couldn’t tell. His eyes were also disconcerting—the pale brown made them noticeable from a distance—but they were softer than the king’s gaze.
It was an effort to look away.
“Last name?” the king asked. He had on thick cerulean robes that looked too warm to be wearing in this weather—or maybe I was only thinking that because I was still sweating.
A heavy crown with pale blue gems was tilted back on his head, turning some of his dark curls outward.
The rest of his hair brushed his shoulders.
He looked young. All non-commoners, who were blessed by the Gods or Goddesses, didn’t reach the effects of aging until centuries into their Staying Age.
But the king had lived through thousands of millennia and didn’t have a wrinkle to show for it.
He was nearly immortal, being a direct descendant from the Suns.
“I—I don’t have one.” It wasn’t a lie. I had no idea what my last name was.
The king turned toward the drakin. He didn’t ask a question, and I guessed he didn’t need to, because the rider spoke anyway.
“I found her in the Valdern Forest by Lake Inyaer. A Tallik was hunting her.” The king’s gaze widened before the rider continued, “It’s dead now.
She claims she ran away from Moriann, climbed the Senith, and crossed the Sands by herself. ”
I tried not to seethe. Maybe I was just used to Dahes’ blind faith in me completing his ridiculous, highly dangerous, I-shouldn’t-be-alive-afterward tasks without faltering, that now having the drakin insinuate I wasn’t capable of something pissed me off.
He thought I was lying, that my story didn’t add up.
In short, I wouldn’t have believed my story either if I was told the same thing. But I did climb the cliffs, and I did cross the Sands.
“Is this true?” I felt the king’s gaze slide from my body to my feet. They were still bare since I abandoned my boots in the forest, but I had the burns to show for it.
“Yes,” I nodded. “I climbed the Senith and crossed the Sands.” I kept my voice firm, not breaking eye contact with the king as his gaze snapped back up to my face. His expression shifted to shock, like he found an answer in what I just said, but he schooled his expression in a heartbeat.
A female with the ‘W’ uniform stepped forward from behind the throne. She was beautiful with long silky hair and full lips that came to a pout. “Truth.”
My breathing hitched. Her Token was veracity—the ability to determine when someone was telling the truth or lying. I’d heard about them through the exiles who once lived in Viven.
“Why did you leave Moriann?” the king asked.
I had to think about how to answer. Dahes told me I couldn’t tell him who I really was, but this Wielder would know the second I was lying.
“I hate Moriann,” I answered. Truth. It wasn’t why I left, but it wasn’t a lie. I thought about leaving every single day of my life, and I dreamed of it every night.
“Why did Dahes send a Tallik after you?”
I was trying to figure out how to answer, but I didn’t know how. Anything I said would be a lie because it was all a set up.
A different Wielder spoke up. He had sleek blonde hair with green eyes and was standing next to the drakin that brought me in. “I think it’s obvious.”
Everyone turned to look at him, and he smirked, happy to have the attention. “She’s the first person to ever climb the Senith, cross the Sands, and survive.”
The king turned his attention back to me. “How did you survive?”
“Luck,” I confessed, then thought more on it. “I grew up in Moriann. The winds aren’t new to me.”
“And you were willing to risk that to come here? Why? One wrong move could have sent you to your death.”
“My Token would have protected me if I fell.”
The king’s back stiffened and it turned my stomach. It reminded me so much of Dahes, the slight subtle movements that, if you were paying attention, would tell you they were getting exactly what they wanted. “You’re a Wielder?”
I nodded.
“Show me.”
“I… I can’t,” I tried not to blanch as I forced the words out, as embarrassment crept through me, threatening to swallow me whole. “I don’t have control over it.”
He laughed, his voice the only thing echoing throughout the crowded room. “Viven is the superior kingdom. We have schools that train Wielders to master their Tokens.” He kept staring at me as his laughter faded, but his smile lingered. “Tell me what your Token is then.”
“It’s…” I paused, collecting my breath. “It’s transparency.” I never spoke it out loud before. I barely even acknowledged the gift I had. It manifested a year after I became Dahes’ slave…
The king kept grinning. “Was that a desire or necessity?”
“Necessity,” I mumbled, my voice lowering as I stared at the top of my feet. I couldn’t meet any of their gazes.
“What the hell kind of necessity would you need to be transparent for?” someone else barked, and I wanted to crawl into my skin.
It brought me back to the night my Token manifested, the night I needed it. My heart rate skyrocketed, and this time, it wasn’t because of the altitude.
I needed Dahes to not be able to touch me. I needed to be transparent, to be nothing more than a ghost so he couldn’t hurt me, so he couldn’t do what he wanted to do…
“That’s enough,” a deep voice growled. I looked up, realizing it was the rider who brought me here. His eyes were narrowed as he assessed me, like he could see through me even though I wasn’t using my Token.
Whoever was laughing stopped, either just noticing my somber expression or the way the rider looked one second away from murdering them.
“I’d like to see it,” the king drawled. “I’ve never seen a transparent Token before, and if Dahes sent a Tallik after you, well, call me intrigued.” He paused, thinking something over. “You can stay in my palace for now. I’ll have Cash train you to access your Token.”
For some reason I found my gaze drifting toward the drakin again. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it until I saw a muscle in his jaw tick at the mention of Cash.
“Thank you,” I said, forcing my attention back to the king and awkwardly bowing again.
Elion nodded. “Learn control with Cash, and I’ll decide what Province you can go into after the tournament.” He waved his hand like he was done with me. “For now, you’ll be my honored guest for the Vargothi.”
And just like that, the first part of Dahes’ plan was working.