Chapter 4
When Slader is thrown back into his cell, Kane and I are already waiting to bombard him with questions. It’s been four days since the executions and when I got back, he had already been pulled from his cage.
“What happened?”
“Did you see them?”
The questions come out at the same time, and Slader already looks annoyed at being immediately hounded for information.
“Jeez, can’t a Night Renderer get settled first?”
His dark sarcasm doesn’t mask the fact that he looks completely drained. The arrogant demeanor he usually wears has been replaced by exhaustion. I might actually feel sorry for him if he hadn’t already used his powers to torture me.
“Yes, I saw them.” Kane and I glance at each other, but bite back our next questions. “It took until today to finally break one of them.”
“What did they say?” The question comes flying out of my mouth before I can stop it.
Slader takes a seat on the ground, leaning his head against one of the bars.
“He gave up the name of the man who has been organizing the different rebel groups in each realm.” He tosses a pebble at the wall across from him, and it rolls back. “I gotta give it to him, though. He held on for longer than I thought he would.”
“What about the others?” Kane asks.
“They’re dead. Once King Cimmerian got the name of the leader, he didn’t need the others.”
“And the one who gave up the name?”
“Lost to madness. I’m sure he’ll be fed to the wolves later tonight.”
For a moment I think he’s joking, but when he lifts his head, I realize from his expression that he’s not.
“So, what do you think is going to happen next?” I direct the question to Kane, who is probably more familiar with how the king operates.
“If I had to guess, he’ll send a team to retrieve the leader and hold a public execution.”
I let out a deep sigh and lay back, resting my head on my arm.
Without a leader, the rebellion will fall apart.
It’s already losing numbers each day, and with the king pinning the Sector attack on the rebels, the momentum has greatly shifted in his favor.
I’m sure it won’t be long until the rebellion is all but a memory and the hope of a better future is nothing more than a distant dream.
The field where the Festival of Nightfall was held is now filled with people.
I can tell from the different attire that there are visitors from every realm.
I’m sure they were invited here to witness the execution for themselves so that they can go back to their homes and spread word of what happened.
I half expected to see the crater left by my power, but it appears the field has already been magically restored.
Instead, the same levitating platform is back, and I can see Damien and the Circle perched on it.
So far there’s no sign of King Cimmerian, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he makes his grand entrance.
Looking around at the crowd, I wonder how many of them are aware that the king collects innocents and makes them his prisoners.
If Damien hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known until it was already happening.
The king has a way of twisting the truth to the public.
Everyone is given only a sliver of information.
If only they knew the whole truth.
Just like clockwork, King Cimmerian arrives, riding in on Kane’s back. When he reappears in front of his throne, his fae wings flare out behind him. Everything about him radiates danger, but something about seeing the length of his wings makes him seem almost untouchable.
“Welcome everyone! I have invited you all here to bear witness to the death of a rebellion which has plagued our lands. Today, we take back our power and slay the dragon who tried to bring strife to the Great Six Realms.”
Just then, a Royal Guard appears with what I can only assume is the leader of the rebellion. The man bound in chains is built like a warrior. His silver hair gleams in the morning sun, and his statuesque posture makes me wonder if he was once part of a military unit.
“Today, we come together. Not as six realms, but as one. United, we renew the strength of our lands!”
The crowd breaks out in cheers. All around, people applaud and holler in support. His ability to manipulate the masses is perhaps his greatest power. How quick they all are to trust the man who would kill his own people.
The attack on the Sector has only solidified their allegiance to him. Now more than ever, he seems to have the support of the people. I know how he did it, and still I can’t fully wrap my mind around it. It was a perfectly crafted plan, and it was executed flawlessly.
The rebellion leader is forced to turn and face the king. It’s hard to see from down here, but I imagine the two men are staring back at one another with equal hatred in their eyes.
The king raises his hand, and the crowd falls silent.
“You are a traitor to the realms! You have disgraced The Mother and betrayed your people. Your treachery is unforgivable and punishable by death.” With his last word, Kane’s dragon head lowers, stopping just in front of the prisoner.
I know what comes next. I’ve seen it in my nightmares.
The bright ball of fire glows in his throat, and when the king nods, Kane opens his mouth, sending a torrent of molten dragon fire. The leader doesn’t flinch as the deadly flames engulf him, and I take it as his last stand of rebellion.
In the final moment, Kane’s nostrils flare and with a huff, the ashes of what remains of the man blow into the wind. The crowd roars below as the king mounts Kane and takes off into the sky.
Just like that, a rebellion that barely had a chance to fight back is dead, and the king who threatens the well-being of the Great Six Realms now has more power than ever.
“They’re coming for you,” I promise with a wicked smile. “You’ve lost.”
Kane’s golden dragon head reaches over the king but doesn’t block his view of me. I exhale one final breath, accepting my fate, before a ball of dragon fire engulfs me.
When I awake in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, I’m not the least bit surprised. After the events of yesterday, it makes sense the nightmare would return. I walk over to the bars to see if Kane has been brought back yet, but his cell is still empty.
It’s times like these I wish I wasn’t so empathetic.
Just thinking about what Kane must be going through makes my heart ache.
To have your body taken over by someone else, let alone someone as cruel as the king, is unimaginable.
It’s a violation no one should have to endure.
I’m sure it won’t be long before I experience it for myself.
I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.
I would imagine King Cimmerian can’t wait to get his hands on my power.
The things he could do… the lives he could take…
The sound of chains scraping against the ground when Slader stirs in his cell pulls me from my thoughts, and I’m thankful for it. It won’t do any good to think about those things now. Instead, I should get some rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Just as I’m about to fall back asleep, the door down the corridor creaks open. I’m not surprised to see Kane, but I am surprised to see Damien. I would’ve assumed it would be Orien bringing him back.
Kane turns around, and once he steps into his cell, I see the void in his eyes. A spark of anger instantly ignites in my chest.
“You’re a monster,” I hiss through gritted teeth.
Damien finishes locking Kane’s cell before turning to face me. He looks back at me, not saying a word. His eyes are almost a reflection of Kane’s. There’s nothing behind them. No love, no hatred. Just nothingness. It’s as if he’s sleepwalking through life.
“Was any of it real?” I hate that I even asked the question. I already know the answer, but I need to hear him say it.
Still, he says nothing.
Anger flares into rage as the silence between us grows.
My knuckles have gone white from gripping the bars so tightly, but it’s all I can do to keep myself from crumbling to the ground.
Tears of frustration and grief begin to stream down my face looking at the man who was once my tether.
Each second we stare at each other, it feels as if my heart is being torn in two.
Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same time?
Damien takes a small step closer, and I think he might say something, but instead he turns on his heel and heads back down the dimly lit corridor. When the door closes behind him, my knees finally give out, and the hold I had on my emotions shatters along with my heart.
“You’re better off without him,” I hear Kane say, but it does little to alleviate the pain rippling through my chest.
“I wasn’t going to say anything because… well, quite frankly, I don’t care for you, witch, but for the sake of my sleep schedule, there’s something you should know.”
Kane and I both glance at each other with confused expressions. I hadn’t even realized Slader had woken up.
“What are you talking about?” Kane asks before I have the chance to.
Slader leans against his cell bars, picking at his nails. “Before you got here, the king had me working on your lover boy.”
“Wait, Damien is who you were torturing that whole time? I had assumed it was a rebel,” Kane interjects.
I’m still trying to put the pieces together when Slader continues.
“Nah, it was him. Unfortunately for me, I had a front-row seat to your relationship.” I start to open my mouth, but Slader’s onyx eyes dart to me as if to tell me to stay quiet.
“You already know that Damien had been working for the king the whole time the two of you knew each other. But what you don’t know is that when you kissed him that night after the Remembrance Orb, he started falling in love with you. ”
“You’re lying. You don’t betray someone you love,” I fight back.
“Yeah, well there’s a bit more to it, but that’s not my story to tell.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demand.
Slader straightens and turns to me.