Chapter 21
When Graeson awoke, his head spun. The line between him and the god within was growing thinner by the day. It was becoming far too easy for him to let the beast out.
Yet such ease did not make it less jarring, nor did it prevent the ache in his bones.
As Graeson finally reoriented himself into his own body, he first thought he had imagined the entire event. It was one thing for Kalisandre to turn against him, but to discover that his own friends had betrayed him and conspired behind his back to take Kalisandre was unfathomable.
And yet, as he lay in a cold, dark cell, the reality of the situation hit him. The god roared, and Graeson's blood ran ice-cold as he stared at the iron bars, realizing the depth of the betrayal.
Soon, boots rapped against the cement, and Graeson pushed himself off the hard mattress on the gritty stone floor. Medenia and Ophelia appeared in front of his cell, and Graeson's lip curled from the taste of betrayal as he saw the princess's sad expression. He wasn't surprised that Dani and Terin weren't the first ones to see him, instead sending the Tetrians to play peacemaker, but it hurt all the same.
The princess parted her lips as if to speak, but the anger forced Graeson forward. He clutched the iron bars within his fists. "Where is she?" he demanded.
Eyes widening, Medenia stumbled back, and Ophelia stepped in front of her, shielding her.
"Watch it, Graeson," Ophelia said with a snarl, brandishing a sword.
"Let me see her," Graeson hissed, losing his patience with each passing second. He needed to know Kalisandre was safe, and he would not rest until he got the answers he sought.
"We have no intention of keeping you inside this cell," Medenia said, tilting her chin up as she quickly regained her composure. "Your actions last night, however, left us no choice. In your rage, you injured several of my guards. Once you have calmed down, we will let you out."
"Once I've calmed down? I am calm," Graeson spat. "But if you keep me in this cage, if you keep me away from her, I will show you true rage."
"The princess has come to you out of her good graces, yet you snarl like a ravaged beast." Ophelia shook her head, her dark brown curls flying from the movement. When she met Graeson's gaze again, a look of disgust colored her countenance. "Get a hold of yourself."
Graeson's nose twitched. "Where is she?"
Medenia gave Ophelia's hand a reassuring squeeze. Ophelia released a sigh, but she did not stop Medenia from stepping closer to the bars. The warrior's knuckles, though, blanched as she tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword.
"You cannot see her right now," Medenia said with an apologetic look. "If you interfere, you may cause more harm than good."
"Tell. Me. Where. She. Is."
Medenia was unfazed by Graeson's anger though and sighed. "She's with the queen and Ellie."
An icy fire surged through his veins and his hands flexed around the iron bars. "Why?"
"She is a danger to everyone right now. The utmost caution must be exercised." Medenia said, but something in her voice led Graeson to believe there was more than what she was saying.
"What are they doing to her?" Graeson asked, his fingers curling around the pole, the metal growing hot beneath his hands.
But Medenia was silent as Ophelia glanced at her.
"Tell me!" Graeson roared, his scream echoing down the hall and making the floor quake.
Another set of footsteps approached, and Terin came into Graeson's view.
In the torchlight, some color had returned to Terin's face, yet a heaviness still coated his expression as his gaze met Graeson's.
"She tried to kill you, Graeson," Terin said.
Graeson slammed his fist against the bars. "I do not care! How are we supposed to convince her to trust us when at every turn she is knocked out?"
Ophelia snorted. "Perhaps you should have thought about that before bringing a monster into our kingdom."
At Ophelia's words, red bled into Graeson's vision.
" What did you say?" Graeson asked, his knuckles turning paper white as he tugged on the iron bars.
"Graeson," Terin hissed, calling his attention. "The queen and Ellie are handling it."
"Handling it ? Handling what exactly?" he demanded.
"Look," Terin said, "we had to do something! She is my sister, and I do not want any harm to come to her just as much as you don't. But we cannot risk everyone's lives! We must understand what is going on in her mind before we can even think about trusting her. She has betrayed us once already. I will not let her harm anyone else I care about."
Graeson scoffed. "She is a human, too, Terin. She deserves to be treated as such."
Terin rubbed a hand across his face. "I know that! By the gods, do I know that!"
Graeson glanced between the three people who stood before them. The people he once considered to be his friends. The same people who put him in this godsforsaken cell.
"How long?" he demanded.
Terin blinked, his brows drawing together. "How long what?"
Graeson pressed his chest against the bars. A sharp pain from the wound in his side shot through him, but he pushed through it. Though the bleeding had stopped, the bruised and tender skin still throbbed. Graeson paid it no heed. He would get his answers. "How long have you been planning to betray me?"
"We never planned to betray you," Terin said, digging his fingers through his hair.
"But did you not go behind my back? Did you not lie to me about your intentions?"
"We didn't..." Terin's lips parted, but he closed his mouth shut once, twice as he struggled to find the words. "That's not--you have to understand! We were running out of options! You saw her! Kallie has more control over her gift than we thought. She didn't even have to say anything aloud to get the guards to turn on us."
"How long ?" Graeson spat, each word containing the anger threatening to burst from his body. He was hanging on by a thread, and the god's rage pressed against his cage. If Graeson relinquished his control now, he feared he would be unable to regain it.
"Graeson," Terin said calmly, "please."
Graeson did not wish to hear his excuses, though. "How long, Terin, has this been the plan?"
"We didn't want to do this! But when my sister tried to kill you when we were attacked..." Terin swallowed, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "We had to do something. We had to ensure everyone's safety. Fynn--"
"Fynn is dead!" Graeson shouted.
"I know, I know, but he..." Terin raked his fingers through his hair with an exasperated sigh. He turned his gaze to the ceiling. "I can still reach him."
"What the fuck do you mean you can still reach him?"
The color drained from Terin's face as Dani stormed forward, snatching him by the collar.
"Dani, I--" Terin was slammed into the wall before he could finish his sentence.
"What the fuck did you just say, Terin?" Dani bellowed. "And do not lie to me."
Terin looked at the others, but no one dared move. It seemed Terin had been keeping secrets from them all.
Terin gulped. "I--I don't fully understand how it works."
"But you can speak to him?" Dani demanded, her nails biting into his biceps.
"It's not that simple."
"He is my soul bond , Terin!" she shouted. "You cannot even fathom how it feels to lose your other half, how it feels to be ripped from the one person who makes you feel whole! He is my godsforsaken soul bond, yet you have kept this secret from me?"
Terin's gaze danced across Dani's face, but he would find no salvation within them. "He--he didn't want you to know!" he sputtered.
" He didn't want me to know?" Dani laughed, the sound mangled and harsh. "Even when he is dead, you still follow him at every turn, don't you? How can you lead our kingdom when you can't even make your own damn choices!"
"Dani, please!" Terin begged.
"Tell me how," Dani commanded, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt. "Tell me how to speak to him."
"I promised," he whispered.
Her lips curled into a sneer. "That is not your choice to make!"
Graeson huffed a laugh. At the sound, Dani snapped her head in his direction, and a blazing fire roared in her hazel eyes.
"Did you know?" she snapped.
Graeson rolled his eyes and twisted his hands around the metal bars. "No, Dani. I did not know Terin could fucking speak to the dead."
"I'm not speaking to the dead," Terin countered, but Dani ignored him, her attention fixed on Graeson.
Dani cocked her head. "Then what's so funny, huh?"
"It's just ironic, don't you think?" Graeson asked with a smirk. "You're pissed at Terin because he has stripped your choice away from you, and yet you turn around and do the same thing to Kalisandre."
"That is not the same thing, and you know it," Dani deadpanned. "Kallie is a danger to everyone ."
"Like you're so innocent?" Arching a brow, Graeson glanced at Terin. "You have the heir to the Pontian throne in a chokehold."
Dani released her grip on Terin, who sighed in relief. But Dani was far from done. Her rage was only beginning to boil within her.
"You wouldn't listen to us!" she shouted, rattling the bars.
"You didn't have to intervene. I had her," Graeson spat.
"You did not have her," she scoffed. "She fucking stabbed you with a shard of glass! She was running away from you. What were you going to do? Let her continue to run her mouth? Let her run free?" Dani challenged, pointing her blade at him. "You were staring at her like a lovesick puppy. The moment she opened her mouth, you were done for. She's a viper, and you would have gladly let her sink her teeth into you."
Graeson clenched his jaw. "I would have done what needed to be done."
"We both know that is a lie , Gray. You are not fooling anyone," Dani snapped.
He didn't want to think about what would have happened if Dani hadn't come into the infirmary when she had. He wanted to believe that he would have stopped Kalisandre from escaping. But at the same time, his heart had been beginning to crack.
It seemed that with every step he took to get closer to Kalisandre and help break her free from Domitius's grasp, the further away she was from him.
"How are you supposed to help her break free if part of your mind is still locked in a cage?" Dani asked.
Ophelia cocked her head to the side, her deep brown eyes narrowing. "Perhaps we should have them try with him first?"
Graeson snapped his attention to the warrior. "Try what ?" he balked.
"No," Medenia said, shaking her head and ignoring Graeson's question as if he hadn't even asked it. "His cage is not the same as hers. Kalisandre's has been weaved and carefully crafted, while his has been made simply out of his own denial."
The god within sneered, snapping its jaws.
Ophelia nodded. "I suppose you're right. Is it not risky, though?" she pondered.
"What are you talking about?" Graeson snapped, his gaze flitting uneasily between the two women.
Medenia shrugged. "It can be, but it is still worth trying. I believe they're almost done preparing."
Graeson's gaze bore into Medenia's. " Try what? "
Dani stepped into his view. "You have two choices, Graeson. Option number one: you let us do what needs to be done. Option number two: you stay within this cell for the foreseeable future."
Red tipped the edge of his vision as concern and anger rose in his throat.
"What are you planning to do to her?" Graeson asked.
"We already told you," Medenia said. "We are doing what must be done."
"Which is?" he pressed, his entire body trembling with the raw fury that scorched his skin.
The god clawed at the walls, saying something, but Graeson was too focused on the words pouring from Dani's mouth.
"Breaking Kalisandre's mind apart, of course," Dani said with a sinister smile.
The bars snapped in Graeson's hands.