Chapter 32
W e were joined by all the priestesses in the cavern, which amplified my worries.
I settled into my seat at the table, with Amyra on one side and Spencer on the other.
Both offered their hand to me, and I held them together in my lap.
The rest settled in, and once Juniper sealed up the door, Spencer didn’t waste a moment with niceties.
“During that meeting, Lyla noticed Denenbaum had a glazed overlook. His mind was wide open, and I could hear a conversation. Well, sort of. I couldn’t make out actual words, but I could sense the feelings.
There was someone speaking to him, and he was responding.
He felt fear, intense fear. And the other feeling I felt was anger, but not from him.
The other’s words held that. That was a male voice.
I couldn’t say it’s the God of Death, but the power I felt,” he trailed off, and his face twisted.
“It wasn’t good. If that’s not a God, it’s a powerful person. ”
An icy wave washed over me, and my skin turned to ice. I knew it was Death.
“Well, now we know. He’s involved.” Ethan offered.
“What do we do?” Amyra asked, panic lacing her voice. I squeezed her hand, using our language to say I love her and that it’ll be ok. Her expression showed appreciation, but disbelief, when I looked up at her. I couldn’t blame her; I didn’t believe me either.
“We plan. We strategize.” Juniper said in a determined tone. Her face reflected the strength we needed.
I inhaled deeply, drawing strength from her to lead us away from the panic. “If it wasn’t a God, how far away could that other person have been, at most?”
Emberly answered, “Not much more than a room or two away. These walls act as a dampening agent, preventing long distance connections.”
“So, then it’s most likely Death?” My heart fell. “Do we know how close he has to be to enter our minds?”
“We have no clue. The Priestesses at the temple have found nothing to tell us from the past. For all we know, he could still be entombed, though it’s more likely that he has been present in Scoria Bay, and maybe elsewhere.”
“Do we know if Denenbaum has been to Scoria Bay?” I turned to Father for that answer.
“He was last there two years ago. He went for official business.” Father replied.
“Did you send him, or did he volunteer?”
“I selected him. He didn’t want to go and tried to make a case for another Councilor to go.”
I nodded. “So, if Death is at Scoria Bay, it’s safe to assume that’s where they met, and he’s been in contact with Denenbaum for the last two years.”
I turned to Ethan. “How are things with you and Katelle? Do you think she’s involved? Is she using you?”
He struggled to hide his emotions.
“I genuinely don’t know.” His voice was almost a whisper, reflecting the betrayal he felt from her. Juniper, who was sitting next to him, offers a comforting hand to his shoulder. He turned and offered her a small smile.
“I will end her if she is. No one hurts my brother and gets away with it.”
He offered me a look of gratitude mixed in with heartbreak .
My nervous energy continued to rise. I stood up to pace. My emotions caused the flame on the torches to flare up.
“I can’t do this anymore. We need to manage this. I hate living in fear of my life. Why in the blazing HELL is this goddamn God targeting me?” I turned to Juniper and Emberly. “Please, what can I do to end this?”
The plea kicked everyone into motion. We brainstormed, and we planned.
I practiced my breathing to keep the magic at normal levels as each step of this plan fell into place.
By nightfall, Denenbaum will be in one of our deepest dungeons, hopefully isolating him from the god.
In a few days, Emberly would join one of the best interrogators to talk to him.
They would also restrict the movement of his family and advisors.
Emberly and Spencer will work to clear them one by one, using their abilities, and working with interrogators.
And Father and I would brace the kingdom for war.