Chapter 46 #2
"Why of course. The blood that seems to run through their veins is quite interesting," he answered all while keeping an eye on me.
"Forgive me for my tardiness, Your Majesty.
I was attending to the prison wardens before I could join.
" Cillian bowed and when the king raised up his hand in acknowledgement he pulled up a chair and brought it in between Colfe and Izlana.
I tried to control the slight warmth of happiness that spread across my chest at the confirmation of the arena arriving in Apollo tomorrow.
That happiness seemed to die down when the war general settled into his seat and laid his scheming eyes on me.
"I wouldn't have figured you'd attend considering the dinner is almost over." The prince gestured to the table that had the red tarts upon the plates. The war general's very own plate of dessert was brought forward to him.
"Come now, Adrion, you of all people know I much prefer dessert.
" Cillian gave a half-hearted smile. Upon the array of spoons and forks at my disposal, I secured the tart with my fork and cut with the spoon, lifting it up to my mouth.
The crust of the tart was buttery and rich whereas the filling was bitter with the taste of wilder berries.
"Interesting. Out of the array of utensils sat at your disposal you picked up the correct ones to eat the tart.
I did not know the arena had taught such etiquette.
" Cillian's voice cut through the table to me.
The king scrutinized and even the prince looked a bit confused once he glanced at the utensils I held.
I swallowed the contents in my mouth that seemed to instantly lose their flavour.
"My arena master is a true lady in all her might," I spoke slowly and tried to make sense of what I explained.
"She raised me to act like one too, aside from the fighting of course.
We are not the brutes that are usually associated with the arena. "
"Interesting," Cillian murmured before winking and lifting up another piece of tart to his mouth. His scar looked more gruesome under the light of the dining hall.
"And what are your goddess blessed powers?" The king's eyes were on the goblet of wine he held. I dug my fingers into my palm, clutching tight and controlling my nails from biting into the flesh.
"I have blades that can be commanded alight by fire." I hesitated before I answered, which was a mistake because the king rose from his chair.
"Can you kindly provide a demonstration?" I shivered in fear of what the king had planned. Was he testing me, was he going to kill me once I had shown him?
"With all due respect, my King, are we really going to do this at the dinner table? There are guests around." Colfe sputtered and seemed to lower himself in his chair.
"Do not question the king." The prince bit out and how I wished he had actually agreed with that pig of a man for once.
"Go ahead, Mor." The prince gave me a slight look of stern encouragement.
The war general smirked and leaned forward as if he didn't believe I could wield such a power.
I detached the fire blades strapped to my thigh, the king's eyes glowed iridescent upon seeing blades.
Before I could command the blades alight, they whispered harshly in a foreign language that was too hard to decipher until they slowly murmured to me in a language I was already familiar with.
"Of my kin. Burn. Bleed. Make them bleed.
Kill everyone and everything. Destruction.
My kin to my kin." My apprehension was so sudden that I nearly stepped back.
They were not responding to me; they were responding to the king whose eyes glowed a brighter red than before.
I fought a difficult mental battle of control for them to submit to me and quieten.
The fire beings that wielded these blades were related to the royals. I swallowed the thought as I commanded the blade alight. Controlling the flame and the sinful desires that burned inside me to set the whole world aflame.
"That's a neat party trick." Cillian scoffed.
I wasn't in complete control when I struck the fire blade to his half-eaten tart that burnt to a crisp. The plate rattled and cracked on immediate impact. I vanquished the fire upon hearing the startled gasps in the room. Even Izlana’s wide eyes seemed fearful.
The king, full of surprises, instead of calling his guards on me, chuckled and picked up the blade on the plate to inspect it.
"My ancestors once wielded blades like this, funny how they found their way to you.
" I didn't respond to his remark. I could feel it; feel him try to take control of the blades.
They wanted him to. He flipped the blade from hand to hand.
I was so focused on control that I had not noticed he now stood in front of me, extending the hilt to me.
"Perhaps you were always meant to be a warrior for Apollo.
" I took the blade from his hand, making good work not to make contact with his fingers.
"It is a shame however that you have such an unfortunate name.
" He gave a cruel smile. I bit the inside of my cheek, embarrassment eating at me.
The prince who was silent through it all let out a slight growl.
The king stepped towards the dais where the sparkling cauldron purred at the king's presence.
What in Riaan's name is that...?
"All rise." His voice boomed as he dragged a long finger across the golden rim.
"The prince, my son, has had a successful conquest in Terran.
For that, a tribute shall be made to the cauldron of Apollo.
" The king stood before it and I was nearly brought down to my knees with the power that enveloped my senses.
The prince beside me gave my hand a squeeze, as if to warn me not to panic.
"They once said that the fae who paid tribute to the cauldron possessed such strong magic that when tribute was paid, the cauldron would provide an equally strong boon to the worthy.
For now, the boons that are gifted are either temporary or of little value but nonetheless it is a tradition that must be followed in Apollo. " The quietly explained.
"Don't pay much attention to the power in the room.
He loves showcasing for those to remember how insignificant and weak they are.
This is just a show of dominance, pay little heed to it," the prince beside me folded his arms and whispered.
The cauldron whispered a song into my mind.
The shadows inside me hummed in answer and I could have sworn that the shadow in my soul left my body and stalked toward the dais. Discreet, menacing and hidden.
"A prayer, as most of you may know, must be given to the very gift the God has given us." The king raised his hand and began the prayer. Everyone followed, even the prince.
"To the free folk, we are never alone
we are the fire of the phoenix that submits to the same Sun
To Apollo who has created us
And to everlasting light to eternally triumph darkness
The light will correct the wrongs
No more shall shadows plague
To the end of death
And to the winning of life"
The prayer was to show the superiority of light and the defeat of darkness... it shows the fall of the Kingdom of Darkness and the rise of the Kingdom of Light. It shouldn't have made my blood boil... but it did.
The king's power shone bright and heavy, thick and coated in the scent magic carried. His power was directed to his finger where he dripped a kernel of bright golden light into the cauldron that rumbled.
The light that emitted from the cauldron was nearly blinding until a shadow that escaped my soul, made its way to the cauldron. My jaw had dropped as I watched it smirk at me.
And then at the cauldron, and suddenly dived into it…
Mass darkness exploded out of the cauldron, knocking everyone including the king down to the ground. The prince swiftly covered me from the darkness that enveloped the room.
The light in the room slowly began to make an appearance again and Izlana cleared her throat loudly from the ground next to us, upset with the prince.
This shocked me more than it shocked her since he supposedly cared for her.
I looked back to the dais where the king stared at the cauldron with horror and disgust. As if unable to believe what his eyes had just shown him.
The king's eyes immediately looked at me accusatory.
No... he couldn't have known. The king slowly rose and regained his composure.
"There is no need to fret. I seemed to have put too much of my power into the cauldron—" the king spoke with so much conviction that even I nearly believed him.
"This tribute was made to honour the Prince of Apollo.
Adrion, I am in hope that your boon serves you well. "
"The boon granted will serve me well, Your Majesty. I give you my thanks." The prince held his wine glass to the king in a mocking salute.
"Hello there, sweet creature..." An ethereal voice brushed against my ear. I flinched from shock.
"The boon that shall be granted for your hefty tribute is vengeance. Use it bountifully."
I couldn't help the shiver that went over my body when the presence of the voice had left. And I would never forget the look that the king gave me before he could take his leave, his power leaving with him. Making my body go slack with the exhaustion.