Chapter 90
The King
Sasori sped me through the tunnel and into the Academy faster than I thought possible. She was a woman on a mission, utterly devoted to me and my “cause.”
How foolishly she placed her blind trust in me.
I was a fraud.
A simple man who was forced to do unspeakable things to put Elyria on this course—for there to be a chance that we defeat the gods.
I’d waited my entire life for this moment, every action and move carefully calculated. My soul was stained with the death and pain I’d both directly and inadvertently caused.
I’d had decades—and now it felt like not enough.
My time was up.
This, finding Rohak, was the last thing I had to do—the last piece to put into play.
When tonight was finished, I would die. I doubted I would join the ether—my crimes too vast, my soul too sullied to earn eternal rest.
For the good of Elyria. So two others may rise.
We reached the mess hall, and Sasori pushed the doors open with a loud clang, only to be met with emptiness.
“Fuck,” I swore. He was supposed to be here—I’d planned it so his Vessel wasn’t strong enough for his power.
An incapacity that would render him nearly useless and extremely vulnerable in battle.
Of course, I should have known that my friend would stay noble and true to the very end—he would rather die protecting what he loved than save his own skin.
How alike we are in that regard. Rohak was always more steadfast and vocal in his beliefs, even if he never knew we were ultimately working toward the same goal.
“I’m sorry, my liege,” Sasori placated, head whipping around as if Rohak were hiding in one of the corners of the room. “I am sorry for Lex’s impertinence. If he had followed orders, we could have located the General with the communication orb.”
“Bring me outside,” I commanded, ignoring her tirade.
She was nearly as insufferable as her father.
The only reason I’d allowed her to Bond one of my Mages in the first place was because of her father’s position as Lord of Kiluo.
Without access to the plentiful Vessels that lived in his territory, Rohak would not have found the right Vessel at the right time.
It was the right, strategic move, but now I had to endure her insufferableness.
The Vessel nodded curtly before striding purposefully toward the doors.
How did Lex endure her presence for so long? And to have sex with her on multiple occasions? I shuddered at the thought.
The Academy doors were already thrown open, bright flashing lights of magic coursing through the air were accompanied by the sounds of swords clashing, magic booming, and screams of the dying.
My heart rate never increased, despite the utter carnage that awaited outside the Academy. I was bred for battle—for this exact moment.
My death was sealed, as was the outcome of this fight. There was no reason to fear.
I quickly scanned the darkened space, searching for the telltale sign of my best friend. He’d be in the middle of the fray, undoubtedly protecting some innocent or other.
The sky lit with the flash of lightning—a storm conjured by a Water and Earth Mage, no doubt—and I instantly found him in the brief illumination, like my soul would always be drawn to his.
As I predicted, Rohak was in the direct middle of battle, a sword clutched in his right hand, his Vessel’s palm clasped in his other.
A mass of five challengers closed in on him, snarling and poking as they went.
It was clear that Gisei had never experienced conflict before; the whites of her eyes were so large they were practically visible from here, and Rohak continually had to yank her behind his body.
And there, beneath his feet, was an unconscious female.
She’s going to get him killed.
“There! There he is, my liege!” Sasori exclaimed, her finger pointing to Rohak, and I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, I see that, thank you,” I snarked. “Stay here, Sasori. Do not move from this spot until the battle is over.” The Vessel blanched at the order, but froze nonetheless.
“As you command, King d’Refan.” She bowed stiffly, retreating to the shadows of the Academy’s entrance.
Good. Stay there.
Jarius had given me a few alternate endings—ones where Sasori ultimately killed Rohak, and I could not have that happen. He needed to survive—to live and bring Elyria out of the dark mess I created.
He’ll be good at that.
“ROHAK!” I shouted and watched in strange fascination as the battle directly beneath the Academy steps halted, all eyes turned to me.
Elsewhere, the fighting raged on, and I watched as a particularly large spear fashioned from one of the trees in the manor’s courtyard flew through the air to skewer one of our Mages through the belly, her body pinned to the ground as blood leaked from the wound.
“Alois,” Rohak growled, and I felt his anger in the depths of my soul.
“Your fight is with me, I brought them here, after all!” I gestured to the gods’ army, easy to spot due to the untrained tactics they used against both our army and the rebels.
Rohak yanked his Vessel behind him, releasing her hand to grip his sword with both.
I held my arms wide, exposing my torso as I slowly descended the steps of the Academy, my bare feet slapping against the wet stone staircase as the deluge of rain instantly soaked my clothes and hair.
I paid no mind to the battle raging on either side of my outstretched arms, I would survive until I met Rohak, after all.
Blood and water soaked the bottoms of my pants and painted my feet a light red.
Rohak met me in the middle of the path, his chest nearly bumping my own.
“What. Did. You. Say?” he gritted through his teeth, his breath fanning across my face.
“I brought them here! It’s nearly time, old friend,” I admitted.
A muscle in Rohak’s jaw feathered, and I swore I heard a tooth crack.
“I am no friend of yours, traitor,” he growled, and I smiled.
Good. He needs to hate me. Though the hate cracked a piece of my heart—the only soft piece I kept alive strictly for Rohak d’Alvey.
“I am. A traitor, that is,” I pushed, needing to goad him into fighting me. “I was never loyal to you, never loyal to Vespera. My loyalty has always belonged to Fate and his machinations.”
Rohak frowned hard, his hand clenching and unclenching around the hilt of his sword.
“Fight me,” I whispered. “You know you want to.”
“I don’t wish you harm,” he spat.
My smile faltered slightly, hearing the truth in his words. He didn’t want to hurt me, but I needed him to.
“Faylinn dies if you don’t,” I said and saw the color drain from his olive skin before he schooled expression again.
“I don’t care,” he said, and I didn’t even need to use my power to hear the falseness of his words.
“Lie,” I whispered, and Rohak roared in rage, pushing himself back from me as he raised his sword.
I swept my own from my scabbard, the metal ringing through the night, as I fell into a relaxed but ready position.
It was like the thousand times Rohak and I sparred at the Academy.
But this time, there were no blunt edges, no Mages to step in and halt the fight if it became too much; only the hurt that hung between us and the promise of blood and death.
I love you, Rohak, I thought as he raised his sword above his head and brought it down to meet my own, the strength of his strike reverberating through my arm as the clash of steel on steel mixed with the cacophony of magical battle.
I had to die tonight, but not yet.
Just a little bit longer.