SIXTEEN
CAZ
“What is this? Set me free right now !” I turn back to look at The Regals. Hassha has a hand raised to keep the thorny sphere in place. Her burning blue eyes have narrowed to slits.
“You will only be freed if you agree to the instructions I give you.”
I clench my jaw as she steps closer.
“Tell Willow there was nothing we could do to save Warren,” she orders, holding my gaze.
“ What ?” I damn near choke on the word. “Why in the fuck would I do that?”
“Because it will be better coming from someone she loves and trust,” Korah answers.
“Cowards, like I said,” I growl. “Perhaps I should go to Inferno Isle and wake Selah up. Figure out what her true intentions are.”
That seems to piss Hassha off. Her eyes flare and narrow as she locks on me.
“This is no longer a game, Caspian!” she roars. “You follow my orders or this world burns. How do you not understand that? Everyone and everything you love will be swallowed in flames if you wake her. Is that what you want?”
“Of course, it’s not what I want!” I bellow.
“So do as you are told. Deliver the news to Willow and wait for more instruction. Korah will go with you so she can sooth her mind while you tell her, that way the devastation doesn’t strike so suddenly. The emotions she’ll feel will be muted for at least a day or two. This will give you both time to process what we’ve told you about Selah and your gift from Yuri. Within a few days, Korah will return again to help you with your powers and prepare you for what’s to come.”
“Fine,” I grumble. Whatever it takes for them to send me back home.
Hassha assesses me. I’m starting to sweat in this bubble of heat. I swipe my sticky forehead with the back of my hand, and she finally drops hers to get rid of the sphere.
“Milandra?” Hassha calls.
Milandra appears at the door in a split second. “Yes, your majesty?”
“Bring Warren to me.”
With a nod, Milandra exits the room only to return moments later with another warrior. Both of them carry the cage with Warren inside. He’s no longer screeching. He simply stares around, as if searching for something. His sister? His mate?
“What will you do to him?” I fight the wave of guilt as Milandra and the other warrior place the cage on the middle of the floor.
“Take him home, sister,” Hassha murmurs, standing in front of the cage and blocking my view of it.
Korah marches toward me and grips my shoulder. I step to the left to see Warren again, and my chest tightens as he stares right back at me.
There’s a knowing look in his eyes. He’s helpless. They say his soul isn’t there, but the way he looks at me proves otherwise.
This is my fault. I sent him here hoping he’d get better. Hoping he’d return with a smile so Willow would be happy. How am I supposed to tell Willow what’s happened? How can I expect her to live with this when she’d searched for so long to find him?
Korah’s grip tightens on my shoulder, and her lavender eyes seem to intensify in color. The crackling of the fire in the hearth transforms into the deafening sound of ocean waves crashing against a shore. The air around us becomes saturated with a salty scent, and I feel a familiar drop in my stomach.
We’ve returned to Blackwater.
When I glance over my shoulder at the black sand being licked by the waves, Korah releases her hold on me and steps away.
“How can you let her do this to Warren?” My voice is laced with anger. “Is there no other way to save him?”
Korah looks away, tears accumulating in her eyes. It’s strange seeing a Regal come this close to crying. There’s clearly something Korah isn’t saying. She was quiet during the majority of the conversation. She’s been holding back on something, and I can sense it.
Just as the thought occurs, she straightens her back and locks eyes with me. “If there were another way, I would’ve been the first to do it. We are not as heartless as you make us out to be. We are just doing what’s best so you and Willow remain safe.”
I hate their vague answers. I hate all of this. I knew I was right about these Regals and had good reason not to trust them. All this time…all those years…all the blood shed on these lands.
All the suffering I went through, the lonely nights, the guns I pointed at my own damn head because my life felt so fucking hard. All of that could’ve been spared, yet they let this world strip me of most of my humanity.
“The sooner we do this, the better.” Korah gestures past me to the castle in the distance.
I grimace at her before trudging to Blackwater Manor.