Chapter 68
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
Mikah shifted Ryker on his back as he carried him out of the cave.
Brian was going to carry him back, but he told him he had him.
Mikah didn’t voice anything, but something still wasn’t sitting right about the whole situation.
Why keep him sedated? Was it really to keep him quiet?
Whose idea was it to sedate him? It didn’t make much sense to him.
He stepped into the clearing and watched as everyone gathered around.
Ken was going to teleport them back to Elysia so they could strategize about the dark army heading toward Elysia.
“Put me down.”
The muffled sound came from Mikah’s back, and everyone stopped to look at him. Mikah turned his head. “Are you sure? Can you stand?” The guy was completely out of it a minute ago, and now he wanted to get down?
Ryker snorted. “Yes.” He sounded a bit groggy, but he was quickly coming to.
Mikah helped Ryker down from his back, and he stood there, rubbing his head. “Damn those drugs.”
“Ryker.” Brian walked up to Ryker and grabbed the back of his head.
He leaned his forehead against his and closed his eyes.
“I was worried about you.” The two men stayed like that, not speaking.
Brian finally lifted his head and looked at Ryker.
“You look like shit, man.” He chuckled as a crooked smile curled on Ryker’s lips.
He patted the back of his head and then straightened up.
“I feel like it. They’ve been keeping me drugged up this whole time, ever since I refused to renounce my mate.
Like how could I ever leave Raine? I need her.
” Ryker smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I understand their concern. But drugging me like that …” He looked over at Brian.
I have my memories back now. Everything.
But there’s a problem. Let’s walk farther away so I can talk.
Brian stared at him, nodding. There was a reason he was mindlinking him now. And there was a reason he never told the Thunders he’d fully regained his memories.
“We were going to head back to Elysia.” Brian watched as Ryker shook his head.
Not yet.
Brian turned and looked at the others. “Let’s walk for a bit first.” He met Alexa’s gaze, then Mikah’s, who he knew would immediately understand.
When Ryker felt like they were far enough away, he stopped. “Alright, this here is okay.” He looked up at the others and glanced behind him.
“First, what happened? Why did they allow me to leave?” Ryker asked, trying to put all the details together. There was no way they would just let him leave. Especially if his hunch was right.
“They didn’t have a choice. Either they let you go or we were going to take you by force.
I told Wendy you swore to serve me upon your flame.
They knew they couldn’t do anything about that.
They claim the Thunders are loyal to the royal family …
if that’s the case, they wouldn’t oppose me.
And of course, even if they did, what could they do about it? ” Brian shrugged and chuckled.
“Wendy would not have liked it.” Ryker glanced back again with a perplexed look on his face. But there was someone else there who he was certain didn’t like it.
“Is Wendy the leader there?” Mikah asked.
“She’s much older than she looks. She’s actually a few hundred years old.
When the old leader was killed, he passed the torch of the Thunders to her.
She is very strict and takes the organization very seriously.
” Ryker paused. “But something slipped under her nose.” He looked up at the others.
“Let me tell you about the night I lost my memories.
“I had infiltrated a group of dragons that were supposedly leading an uprising against the king. I was part of their group for several months, and what I found out was shocking. They were working with demons. In fact, some of them were even part demon. I discovered they were working on a plan. The demons were planning to make a puppet army in the future using nembrant glass. But not just any army. They were summoning fierce creatures and were beginning to create a pool of power to attract them. They weren’t from this world.
This was as much as I discovered. I went to relay the information to another member of the Thunders, and shortly after, I was attacked by a half-demon half-dragon.
I defeated him but ended up losing my memory after being severely wounded myself.
” Ryker squeezed his hands into fists. “I think that particular member of the Thunders was actually a double agent for the demons.
He should have told the Thunders everything.
They would have found me then. Instead, I was left for dead.
“I think this is why I was drugged. I think this other member was trying to figure out what to do if I got my memories back.” Ryker sighed and Mikah snorted.
“I knew it! I knew that whole situation seemed shady.” Mikah turned and looked back. “Let’s go break some bones.”
“Wait. I have to check to see if this pool of power still exists. I need to check on it. If it has grown, I need to speak with Wendy. I will need to let her know that Fisher is a traitor, and it might not just be him. This is bad.” Ryker needed to find the pool of power again and make certain it still existed.
If it did, it would prove Fisher was a traitor.
A sudden realization hit Alexa and she gasped.
She thought back to her premonition. The powerful creatures she had never seen before.
And then the man with the red eye … just like the red eye she had with the nembrant glass.
Her breathing grew ragged as Ken’s arms wrapped around her.
He put the puzzle pieces together with her.
The premonition was indeed connected to this.
Alexa leaned into Ken. Was there no way to prevent the vision she had seen? She was shown a vision that she was powerless to stop. Why show it to her? How could she even prepare for that? Maybe that wasn’t the point. What if it wasn’t to prepare for it but to know what was coming?
Ken rubbed her shoulders and looked up at the others. “Do you think you can find this pool of power?”
“If they didn’t change the location, then yes.” Ryker looked up at Ken and Alexa, who were looking at each other.
“It’s probably dangerous. I should go with you, but first I need to get Alexa back to Elysia—” Ken could already hear Alexa’s objections. She was determined to stay by Ken’s side.
“I’ll go with him. With the Unblessed army heading this way, you shouldn’t leave Alexa’s side.
You can wipe out the whole army instantly if necessary.
I can go with Ryker to check on this energy pool.
” Mikah inhaled deeply and smiled. Going in a different direction than Alexa was hard.
But this was one of those situations where he knew it was better for Ken to not be away from her.
“Bella and I will also come with you,” Brian added and patted Ryker’s back.
“Same with Terra and I. Just in case the area is heavily guarded, we can help.” Jasper looked up at Alexa. “Let Derrick know where I am, please.”
“I will.” Alexa nodded.
“We will have to move on foot. If we hurry, we can get there before nightfall.” Ryker watched the others nod their heads.
Mikah walked over to Alexa, who stepped away from Ken so he could tuck her into his arms. “My princess … I know you’re safe with Ken. I won’t be away from your side for long.” He let out an airy laugh. “Gods, I didn’t think leaving you was going to be so hard.”
“I’ll come with you,” Alexa whispered.
“No. Go back to Elysia. Speak with your mother and grandmother. I’ll come back to you soon.
” Mikah rested his cheek on top of Alexa’s head.
“I love you, Lex.” He squeezed her tight and glanced up at Ken.
His silent stare spoke words he didn’t need to voice.
He didn’t want to leave Alexa, but this pool of power was also something he needed to see for himself.
It wasn’t just about helping Ryker, though that was a big part of it. He also wanted to analyze this himself.
Mikah straightened up and ruffled Alexa’s hair. He felt his chest tighten, and he couldn’t say anything else. Swallowing, he forced a smile and looked at his princess one last time. He took a few receding steps before turning and walking away. He didn’t look back. He couldn’t.
Alexa watched as everyone sprinted away, disappearing into the woods. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a sense of dread deep inside her.
“Lex …”
Alexa turned her head toward Ken and shrugged. “It’s silly of me, huh? He’s supposed to be my protector, but I’m the one worrying about him.”
“He’s very strong. Stronger than even he knows. Come on … we need to speak with your parents. They have news about Mikah, too.” Ken rested his hands on her waist, and while Alexa kept her gaze fixed on the distance where Mikah had disappeared, he teleported them away.
The group sprinted through the thickly wooded area.
The tops of the trees were so full it was almost pitch black under the canopy.
The dark green and rich brown blurred as they ran in silence.
On occasion, a small patch of light would flicker through the leaves.
The tops of the trees swayed in the breeze and bent back and forth.
Some of the older trees began to groan in protest as the wind picked up.
They reached an area where the undergrowth and bushes were tall and thick, making it more difficult to keep up their fast speeds.
Ryker slowed down as they came upon a ravine.
The gorge was narrow, and it had steep sides that were almost vertical.
The bottom of the ravine was a pile of debris, where the plants in the area had been ravaged by natural forces.
“We go down. The ravine will split into three paths. The path on the far right will lead to an open area that leads to a swamp. That’s where they were making this pool.
” Ryker moved to the edge and, putting one foot in front of him, slid to the bottom.
Brian held onto Bella, and they both followed suit.
Jasper went to do the same to Terra, but she scoffed at him.
With a smirk, she jumped down into the valley, nimbly landing on her feet.
“Damn, I love her.” Jasper grinned as he and Mikah jumped down as well.
The group gathered at the bottom of the ravine.
The opening on the far right was surrounded on all sides by steep, high walls.
It narrowed, and they had to follow the path single file.
They could hear the faint sound of water from up ahead.
The wind blowing through the ravine amplified the sound.
They could smell the swamp as they got closer, but that wasn’t all.
A strong, potent smell of brimstone wafted through the air as it became heavy with a suffocating aura.
When they approached the swamp, they all froze. The air was thick, and a dark energy swirled in the center of the swamp. The water was black and stagnant. The foul stench of the pool filled the air, coming from the sinister power feeding it.
Ryker’s lips parted in shock. “It’s …” He shook his head in shock. “It was the size of a puddle before.”
“What are they summoning with this much dark energy?” Mikah’s eyes traveled over the corrupted water, his jaw tense from anger. What type of army were they trying to bring here? Was it already too late to stop it?
Ryker shook his head. “Damn.” He gazed over the dark energy and his hands curled at his sides.
This was the last thing he’d warned Fisher about before he lost his memories.
“I know now for certain there’s at least one traitor in the Thunders.
I have to go talk to Wendy. But we need to keep an eye on this location.
We need to see who’s still feeding this pool. ” Ryker looked up.
“I’ll stay. Brian and Bella can fly Jasper and Terra back to Elysia. You can fly to the Thunders. I’ll wait here. Levi needs to see this.” Mikah looked up as Brian frowned.
“We can’t leave you here alone.” Brian listened as Mikah chuckled quietly.
“I’ll be fine. I’m a guardian. You guys should go before someone shows up.
We need to find a way to shut this pool down.
Levi and Ken are the best ones to handle this now.
” Mikah watched as the angry energy swirled in a menacing circle.
It was definitely a beacon to guide something to it.
Whatever it was calling, he didn’t want it to come.
But it might already be too late for that.
Whatever was coming could mean nothing good.
“I’ll show Levi how to get here.” Brian reached for Mikah’s hand. “Don’t fight. Just hide yourself.”
“Don’t get all choked up on me. I’m not a damsel in distress here,” Mikah teased with a quiet laugh. He could see Brian’s concern, and he smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay out of sight.”
“It’s almost nighttime. We have very little daylight left.
I’ll try to hurry, Mikah.” Brian stared at Mikah’s blue eyes and pursed his lips.
“Please be safe …” He turned and looked at Ryker.
“I’ll meet you at the Thunders after I bring Levi here.
” Ryker nodded, and the group started to go back the way they came.
Brian glanced back once more and looked at Mikah’s smiling face.
“You’re really ‘dragon’ this out now,” Mikah teased with a white toothy grin.
Brian chuckled and nodded his head. “I’ll see you soon.” He then turned and left, leaving Mikah alone in the swamp.
Mikah smiled and shook his head, watching them until they disappeared.
Looking around the area, he saw a spot that was thick with brush.
He moved into the dense thicket where he could sit and hide but still see clearly.
He’d been in this position for only an hour when he felt the shadows creeping in, the sounds of screeches and strange clicks drawing closer.
Then there was something else. A few strong, suffocating auras approached.
But it wasn’t just them. A woman with dull, lifeless skin walked toward the pool. Her skin sagged slightly from her body as her soulless eyes peered into the darkness. She turned her head slightly to the side as her lips curled up in a sinister smile.
“Well well well … what do we have here?”