Chapter 43
Ezra—what’s he doing here?
Relief washes over me for a moment, but then I see his expression. It’s nothing like the Ezra I know, but someone far more sinister than that of my best friend. I knew he was loyal to King Elion, but I never expected this. I scan his face, searching for the friend I grew up with.
His features are sharper, like a mask of someone I don’t recognize, but a deep part of me knows that this must be his true personality. He walks toward us, each step calculated—predatory. My stomach drops.
This isn’t the Ezra I know.
Rydian pushes me behind him, his hood lowered over his brow, casting a shadow over his features. He slowly tucks the map beneath his cloak unnoticed.
Ezra’s expression becomes darker, and a slow, unsettling smile begins to creep up the corners of his mouth, but there’s no humor there.
The warmth that once defined him as my friend has been replaced by something far more chilling.
The air becomes thick, and my pulse races at the new threat in front of us.
His voice drops, his posture reeking of earned arrogance. “I see you’ve been busy.”
“Ezra.” I smile cautiously, slowly grabbing the daggers at my waist. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
His eyes graze us as if assessing his own threat, leaving my body screaming at me to run, but I know we can’t escape—we can’t access the Veil. Rydian can’t even shift his appearance, leaving us no choice but to confront him.
“I thought you were on a mission,” I say.
“Who is this?” Ezra asks, tilting his head.
His attention swivels to Rydian, his eyes darting to him—studying—as if he’s finally seeing who stands at my side.
“Just some drunken fool I forced into coming here tonight. Are you jealous?” I smirk, but my stomach dips before stepping out from behind Rydian.
“And why did you come here tonight, Isa?” Ezra asks.
“Why do you want to know? Just let us walk out of here and we can forget all about it. The king doesn’t have to know, does he?”
With my shoulders back, I step forward, forcing his attention to remain on me. He slides his gaze away from Rydian.
A slow, eerie laugh emerges from Ezra, causing the hair to rise on my arms. “And why would I do that when I can just take your memories?”
No. My stomach twists, nausea curling the moment his words pierce the air, and I rapidly blink as images fly across my mind. Milena’s warning about the Siphon passes through me.
My face drains as I hold myself steady, his confession sitting on my chest like a weight. I can’t breathe. Rydian suddenly stills beside me, growling under his breath.
I feel betrayed—our friendship built on a lie.
It was Ezra stealing my memories and essence, but why? He disguised himself as a trusted friend, taking what was mine. But that means he’s King Elion’s second-in-command.
He killed King Andre.
Witt Dralor, Milena’s grandson. Never the Ezra who I was raised alongside—he was always the second-in-command, replacing the Ezra I once knew. I would have known if he was working with the king, right?
My mind runs through scenarios, wondering if he touched me without my knowledge, pulling precious memories.
“What do you need with my memories?” I ask.
“So you know.” He sighs dramatically. “I guess it was only a matter of time.”
“Of course I know. Do you think I wouldn’t figure it out? You underestimated me. I thought we were friends,” I get out.
His features darken. “Friends. What a… peculiar word. No, we were never friends, Isa.” He tsks with a low, eerie chuckle.
“I was forced to be your shadow after that event at the orphanage when you were a child. Ordered to make sure you knew nothing of your past. It was quite exhausting. Pretending to be your friend and enjoying… well, you,” he mocks, exaggerating the wave of his arms, and circles both of us—calculating.
But his words slice through me, leaving pain in their wake. My heart shatters.
“Oh, but the king wanted me there,” he continues, “making sure you behaved—that you remained unaware of your marks. That your magic wasn’t refreshing.
But it has been, hasn’t it? I can feel your power even from here.
I should have known, but it won’t matter soon.
We’ll kill your little friend here and start fresh, just like the last time.
Do you remember when I took them? You never told me who they belonged to. ”
Nausea rises, and I feel my stomach drop over his cold words, unsure of what he means.
His eyes suddenly flicker to my face with an expression I can’t quite place before it’s gone, his chin dipping, assessing us over his brows.
He inches closer when I notice the daggers in his palms. He must not recognize Rydian, or he would have said something by now. Wouldn’t he?
I know how Ezra fights. I know he could probably take both of us, especially without the use of our magic. He’s one of the most skilled fighters here, and if he’s the second-in-command, he’s capable of killing any king.
“You can’t,” I blurt. “King Elion wouldn’t allow you to pull my memories without his knowledge.
You’re his second-in-command, are you not?
Which means you must take me to him before doing so.
If you pull my memories, he’ll have questions as to why certain things are missing from his archives.
You wouldn’t want to be caught accused of stealing, now would you? That would be treason.”
He halts his steps, eyes darting from me to Rydian as if struggling with the decision to steal my memories or take me to King Elion.
His features suddenly twist back into someone who’s relaxed and uncaring. As if we didn’t just have a heated conversation. His face lights up, hiding the cold expression he was just wearing, and he assesses me again. Then he strides to the archive doors to bang on them.
Ezra’s personality would make him the most excellent second-in-command with the ability to detach from his feelings. This must be the switch Milena mentioned. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Rydian and I exchange glances, his face twisted in anger, realizing that he’s the same one who killed King Andre. A low rumble escapes him, fists clenched at his sides. I know he’s using every ounce of his control to keep it together.
Four guards storm inside, immediately flanking Ezra as their features line with shock at the sight of us. Do they know he’s Elion’s second-in-command?
In a flash of movement, Ezra pivots to his left, pushing his blade into the throat of the closest guard. The guard crumples to the ground, a pool of blood quick to follow. Then he smiles, the chilling expression sending a shiver down my spine.
What the fuck?
“Take this as a warning for not doing your job correctly. We’ll be escorted to the throne room. Find someone to fetch the king, will you?” he commands.
There’s no sign of the menacing Ezra we saw moments ago. He graces us with the casual male I’ve known for years.
“Follow me.” He begins walking down the corridor, urging us to follow. Once I step into the hall, my magic immediately warms my hands.
“I thought the king was gone,” Rydian says. “We can Veil out of here. We can fight.”
“Me too. But we’ll lose the upper hand if we vanish. We need to see what the king says, and if it turns for the worst, we’ll find a way to leave together. We’ll go to Aurelia—gather the army,” I say, and he shoots me a wary glance and reluctantly nods.
Two guards follow closely behind, one walking a step ahead of Ezra as he leads us to the throne room. The sun begins to rise, casting a soft pink glow over the horizon through the windows of the castle.
Our steps create an echo as we thud down the stone corridor, stopping twenty feet from the throne. The two guards following behind us suddenly grab Rydian, pulling him off to the side. Rydian pulls back, kicking one in the chest as dark shadows form around his hands at the surge of magic.
“No! Please, Rydian. Please, don’t fight them. They can’t know who you are,” I beg, my stomach lurching with unease.
He immediately halts, his head swiveling to me, allowing them to kick his knees in, and he drops to the ground. Rydian kneels before the throne of Elderheim, arms pinned behind him.
Ezra stands to my left, and after a few minutes, King Elion steps from behind his throne, followed by Ren and Theron. Ren freezes at the sight of us, his gaze locking with mine. I give the faintest shake of my head, a warning to remain silent.
Please, please just go along with it.
Elion pauses once he notices me below the dais and then silently surveys the chamber. But I don’t bow—I refuse to give him that respect.
“Witt, what is this?” He throws out a flat smile, using Ezra’s real name, but I have a feeling he already knows. Elion eyes Ezra and then narrows his gaze as it lands on Rydian kneeling a few feet from me.
“I’m sorry.” I push the thought to Rydian, knowing exactly where this is going. He throws me a concerned look.
But I was too afraid to tell him sooner. I knew we would be taken to King Elion if we were caught. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to do this tonight, especially after finding out about the second half of the map.
Now I have no choice.
“I found these two digging through your desk. I’m happy to siphon for you, Your Majesty, should it come to that,” Ezra says.
Elion only chuckles, stroking his beard.
“We’ve been waiting for your return.” He pauses long enough to look at me.
“Did you think we didn’t know? With the wards I have in place, I know when someone new steps into my archives.
Then I saw something very important to me was missing.
” My stomach drops. “Tell me, Isa, which memories did you find?”
Rydian’s stare blazes into the side of my face, but I remain forward, though I know what masks his features now—betrayal. But I couldn’t say anything as a precaution to myself, not until I was certain of the truth.
And I didn’t want him to know yet.
“Isa, is that true?” Rydian asks, voice straining with hurt. “Tell me it’s not true.” But it is.
A white crystal with swirls of yellow was calling to me, buried deep into Elion’s desk when we searched the first time. Then when I went to return the first map, I stole it.
The moment the crystal touched my skin, it sent a thrumming power surging through me, and I knew then that it was mine. I finally found the courage to go to Milena two weeks ago, confirming my suspicions. She successfully placed my memories and essence back in their rightful place.
“Only the important ones,” I say, tilting my head to study the king.
“And who is that friend of yours?” He nods to Rydian, whose hood is drawn low.
Asking about Rydian only confirms that he remains unaware of who he truly is. And if we have access to our magic, Rydian should have been able to shift. I can only hope that he did.
I scoff. “He’s just some drunken fool I coerced into coming here tonight. Kill him if you must.” Elion chuckles at my response, almost as if he’s proud.
My eyes mistakenly flicker to Rydian, finding his head turned toward me, but the shadows of his hood conceal his expression. Although I know what’s there because I can feel it at the forefront of my mind, right between my eyes—pure outrage. His magic remains tucked away, no sign of his shadows.
I return my gaze to Elion, suddenly realizing that he just revealed he’s been waiting for my return. He knew we were in his archives, and nothing happened. Yet, he didn’t mention anything about his chambers or the map we stole.
Is he lying about the wards? Did he actually know we were in there, or did he only notice my missing memories?
I study him, realizing that I must use every ounce of my training in the brotherhood if I want to get us out alive.
“What do you know, Isa?” Elion grumbles, a bright white power crackling at his fingertips in warning. Only he doesn’t scare me—not anymore.
“Isa,” Rydian says.
A laugh escapes me, a slow smile playing across my face as I step forward. “I know that you’ve been stealing my memories, but I’m ready to step into my role now.”
Within seconds, I wear the mask of the skilled assassin he’s raised me to be, slowly tilting my head up. Locking my gaze with his, I continue to take slow, calculated steps forward. A mask of indifference slides into place as my smile turns cold.
Ezra moves to intervene, but I hold my hand up, fingers outstretched and freezing him in place. Not because he wants to, but because I make him. Fear spreads wide across his face like a wildfire, his feet slowly coming off the ground.
I could end him right here if I wanted to.
My hands burn from the heated surge through my veins, wild and unrestrained, eager to be unleashed. With a ferocious quickness, my body hums with power, and I close the distance, each step calculating. My gaze locks with King Elion when I stop just shy of the dais.
Elion grins, eyes glinting with something between pride and malice. The drumming of his fingers suddenly ceases as he leans forward, watching me with amusement, as though he’s been waiting for this moment.
“And what role is that?” His voice is smooth, dripping with curiosity.
I put it together shortly after speaking with Milena, but it was when she spoke of my mother that I began to question it. The depth of my magic was undeniable with how fast it was coming in despite my essence being siphoned—power strong enough to shake the realms, and I just knew.
I have only seen power like that a handful of times in my life—only royalty is able to obtain such strength.
Only bloodlines chosen by the Fates.
I smirk. “As heir to Elderheim, Father.”