Chapter Sixteen #3
With these final words, the room responded in unison, with everyone except Ena speaking the sacred response.
“By his will, do we live. By his will, do we die.”
Ty had heard these ceremonial words many times in the past, and yet it was the first time since learning more about the amulet, and the binding spell, that he had spoken them.
He used to believe, as many others did, that Iblis was their benefactor—granting them Powers in exchange for a purpose. One that was necessary for the functioning of the world.
But when he heard these words now, they felt more like shackles. Lies that were told to explain the status quo. He was becoming increasingly certain that none of this was Iblis’s will, or Gaia’s, but witches, like Heran, who maintained the lie, and daemons, like Cole, who fed it.
Nykol, the skilled artist who’d been giving onata tattoos since before Ty had begun receiving them, approached Steig first where he sat in the chair farthest to the left. He stripped out of his shirt, bearing his olive skin and the myriad of tattoos that already adorned his forearms and shoulders.
Nykol placed a small metal dish on the ground, filled with powdered darkrock mixed with water, and dipped a fine needle into it.
Using the mallet in her other hand, Nykol began to tap the design into Steig’s skin, continuing from where his previous tattoos ended on his shoulder, moving onto his back.
Nykol’s tattoos were always unique, but they told a similar story each time—different combinations of whirls and dots to represent locations and missions, the Powers that were used, and the level of success of the mission.
After completing Steig’s onata, Nykol moved onto Ty.
He removed his shirt as well, opting to have the onata continue from his shoulder onto his chest, right over his heart.
As each tap of the needle entered into his skin, Ty felt the weight of what he’d done.
Not just burning Ena’s house, but the fight he’d started in Tritam, the Occidens witches he’d injured, the bandits he’d killed.
But he couldn’t bring himself to regret any of it.
Not when it had led him back to Ena and brought them together again.
His eyes connected with hers where she stood across the room with Lara.
She stared at him, unblinking as the darkrock burned into his skin.
He was well-used to the pain. He barely felt it now.
Instead, all he could feel was his heartbeat aching in his chest as she stared at him with those beautiful eyes.
Fuck, what was this feeling? This overwhelming, chest-crushing need for her? He’d yearned for her for years, he was no stranger to that, but this…this felt new.
Thankfully, Nykol finished his tattoo swiftly, and moved on to Turner. Ty tried hard not to stare at Ena too much. He needed to appear aloof when it came to her. But fucking Iblis, that was hard to do when all he wanted to do was be near her and stare at her in that dress.
The room started to grow restless by the time Turner’s tattoos, which he’d opted to receive on his chest, too, were complete.
Usually, by this time, everyone was ready to get drunk as fuck and give in to the chaos of the all-night celebration, but Cole stood again, silencing the room with a wave of his hand.
“I know we’re all eager to resume the festivities, but I’d like to do one more thing. Something…special, to mark the occasion and celebrate the most surprising outcome of this most recent mission.”
Cole’s gaze landed on Ena, and Ty tensed.
“Lara, my dear, will you please escort the witch-slave to the dais?”
Lara looked briefly at Ena, giving her an almost apologetic glance, before doing as her father told her.
Ty could see the trepidation on Ena’s face, and she wasn’t alone. He felt it tightening his own. What the fuck was Cole up to?
There was no doubt in his mind that if Cole tried to harm her in any way, that would be it. He wouldn’t be able to hold himself back from protecting her, and he knew that would come with dire consequences, but it didn’t fucking matter.
His fists tightened where he sat on the edge of his seat, watching Ena with his heart in his throat as she came to a stop at the foot of the dais.
Cole addressed the group, smiling in that superior way of his that made Ty want to smash the man’s head against the cave wall.
“This witch-slave, as many of you know, was captured by these three faithful servants of Iblis on their most recent mission, and she is a prize indeed. A powerful addition to our efforts in the Underworld, as she has been Gifted visanis.”
Several shocked gasps and murmurs whispered through the crowd at that revelation, but they fell silent at Cole’s next words.
“And I think, given how unique and rare that Power is, even amongst daemons, it would be in the spirit of the celebration to receive a…demonstration.”
A demonstration? What was this asshole up to? Ena’s Gift wouldn’t work on anyone here, except for the…
Ty’s train of thought was cut off as Zak led one of the mortal imperi to the dais next to Ena. Her eyes darted to Ty. There was fear and helplessness in them, and it cut Ty to the bone.
What should he do? Should he stop this? Stopping it might put Ena in more danger, if Cole saw his response as a threat.
But he knew Ena was still coming to terms with her Gift and didn’t like using it against others unless absolutely necessary.
How would she react to this? Having to use it on an innocent mortal?
“Ty,” Cole began, directing his dark, malicious eyes onto him. “Would you please order your witch-slave to show us the promise of what you’ve brought?”
Ty held his tongue. Cole had him backed into a corner here, and he knew it. Averting his gaze from his uncle, he looked at Ena and nodded once. “You heard him, witch,” he said, his voice coming out harshly as he intended.
He spoke without emotion, but with his eyes, he tried desperately to reassure her.
You need to play along with this. It’s the safest choice.
Ena’s chin lifted as she looked at the imperi that Zak had brought.
The man was older, in his late sixties. He’d been brought here almost fifteen years ago after discovering a daemon using his Power.
He’d bargained for his life and agreed to come to the Underworld and serve willingly in exchange for being allowed to live.
But Ty remembered Turner mentioning that the man had left his entire family behind, and he thought of them often.
“W-what do you want him to do?” Ena asked Ty, her voice trembling slightly.
Ty looked to Cole, raising an eyebrow. This was his command; he should be the one to get whatever it was he wanted out of it.
“Have him fetch me a drink,” Cole said, as he sat back down in his throne, looking far too pleased with himself.
Ena refocused on the man wearing the imperae collar, whose eyes were lowered to the floor.
Ty could see the war in her eyes as she felt pressured to use her Gift on an innocent man for no good reason.
But she was brave. He knew that already, and soon Ty felt the hairs on his arm stand up as the eerie voice of her visanis echoed around the room.
{Fill a cup with woodwater and deliver it to the king.}
The man didn’t even look at Ena, he just moved as if in a trance, walking back down the stairs from the dais over to where the barrels of woodwater were kept. The entire room watched as he took a single cup and filled it to the brim with woodwater, then walked calmly back to the dais with it.
He walked up the stairs, and that’s when Ty noticed his hand trembling slightly. Woodwater sloshed out of the cup in small amounts, leaving dark drip marks on the stone steps.
Ena’s Gift might take away someone’s will, but it didn’t take away their fear over what was happening beyond their control.
Ena’s shoulders dipped slightly in relief as the imperi walked directly to Cole’s throne, holding out the cup in offering.
But Ty saw that feline smile spread across Cole’s face, and he knew that this wasn’t over.
“Most impressive,” Cole said, a pleased look in his eye. “Now tell him to drink it.”
Ena looked to Ty, confusion on her face. What the fuck was Cole playing at?
Ty wasn’t sure, but nodded to her. Keep playing along. That was the safest thing for everyone.
{Drink the woodwater.}
The imperi did as he was told and brought the woodwater to his lips, draining the cup in several gulps.
The man coughed and sputtered afterward. Ty wasn’t sure if the imperi were used to drinking woodwater, as they were usually given the most basic of provisions on the lower level.
Ty looked over at Turner where he sat next to him. The man was tense as a bowstring, and Ty could feel the simmering rage coming off him waves.
“Again,” Cole said, his enjoyment at the spectacle exuding out of him. “This is a celebration, after all…”
Ena again used her visanis to make the man fetch a drink and bring it to the dais, where he was again forced to drink it. This continued two more times before the man started to stumble and wobble slightly as he walked, spilling more woodwater with each pass.
Cole laughed, a dark chuckle echoing throughout the room. People were starting to shift uncomfortably where they stood watching. Not only was this painful to watch, but it was fucking boring too. Cole seemed to be the only one getting anything out of this.
When the imperi returned with a full cup of woodwater for the fourth time, Cole paused, holding up a hand to stop Ena from speaking.
“This time, tell him to get on his knees and dump it on his head,” he said, barely keeping his mirth in check.
Ty could feel Ena’s indignation from where he stood.
The look in her eyes was murder, and he could tell that not only was the repeated use of her magic draining on her, but she was pissed as fuck.
He hadn’t seen that look since they’d been by the Sacred Pool and she found out Ty remembered who she was.
Ty realized they were trapped. They were stuck inside Cole’s twisted game, and Ty wracked his brain trying to think of a way to safely get them out and end this torture.
Maybe he should stand up and claim to be bored, and encourage Cole to move on, but would the man listen?
Or would there be backlash on him, or Ena?
He didn’t know, but he needed to do something to get them out of this, before it got worse.
He watched Ena take a deep breath, as if resigning herself to Cole’s command, but then he caught a glint in her eye before she spoke.
{Fall to your knees.}
The imperi dropped roughly to his knees, letting all his body weight crush onto the stone floor, but because he fell so quickly, he lost his balance. The woodwater in his hands sloshed forward, spilling all over Cole’s leg where he sat on the throne.
Cole’s satisfaction vanished, and in its place was a look of disgust and anger.
The imperi, noticing what he had done, slurred hurriedly. “I’m so sorry, m-my king. I—I didn’t mean to,” he said, voice trembling and thick with inebriation.
Cole’s eyes raised to Ena.
Had she done that on purpose? There was no way to prove it, but she easily could have told the man to lower to his knees, or get on his knees, and it might have had a different effect. But she had said, very specifically, “Fall to your knees.” Had she intended for that to happen?
“You’re dismissed,” Cole said, switching his gaze to the imperi in front of him and waving the man away like a gross bug.
Cole stood up, and Ty could tell he was furious, and embarrassed, but he couldn’t openly punish the imperi or Ena for something like this.
They were still valued resources of the Underworld, so it was only socially acceptable to punish them if they disobeyed a direct order.
And neither this man nor Ena had done that.
He looked over at Ty with a quiet menace. “I look forward to much more from your witch-slave soon, nephew,” he said, before walking down off the dais.
The room seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as the drum music kicked back up and everyone started talking and drinking again.
Ty pulled his shirt back on, feeling it brush over the tender spot where his new onata decorated his skin, as he walked over to Ena. “Are you alright?” he muttered under his breath, bringing his mouth close to her ear as he grabbed her arm and led her off the dais.
“Yes,” she said, sounding tired, but no longer so afraid.
Ty led her out of the fray of people, off to the side of the room to an unused alcove. Once he was certain they were out of earshot, he leaned one arm against the wall, caging her in with his body.
“Did you do that on purpose?” he asked her. “Make him spill the drink?”
Ena looked up at him with those big blue eyes, and the corner of her mouth tipped up in mischief. “Yes,” she said. And he felt the blood go straight to his dick. It swelled under his pants, pushing up against the buttons.
Fuck. That was quite possibly the hottest, most badass thing she’d ever fucking done.
And they needed to leave this celebration. Right now.
“Come with me,” he said roughly, tugging her arm, and leading her out of the Great Antre.