Chapter 13 #2
I had the urge to follow him, to see who it was, but I dragged my eyes back to the tallest male, the one in the dark leather.
My gaze landed on his chest, and I noticed he had on a black and gold uniform underneath his long leather coat.
The others who had been standing with him were now gone, and as my gaze lifted to the man’s face, my eyes widened in disbelief.
Lexion Demarius, the rebellion's leader, stood a mere ten feet from me.
Morgana had been hunting him for years, and he'd managed to evade both her and me, much to her frustration.
His short black hair curled tightly at the ends, framing his strikingly handsome dark complexion.
The sharp, angular lines of his face made him look fearsome, and the sheer size of him would make anyone hesitate.
He radiated authority as he smirked his full lips in my direction, but my gaze closed in on the right side of his face.
Thin, white scars crisscrossed his cheek and temple, reminding me of Lana's.
They perfectly complemented his unusually pale blue eyes.
I straightened. The glass in my hand slipped from my grasp and shattered on the floor.
Glass shards exploded at my feet as I moved, taking a step forward.
A sharp pain shot down my arm as I instinctively tried to summon my magic, thrusting my palm forward to attack, but nothing happened.
Wincing, I tried again, pushing harder, but it felt as if my magic had been blocked.
It pressed against the barrier of my skin, unable to break free.
My power surged within me, thrashing and begging for release, yet nothing happened.
I gasped for air as a searing pain shot through me, my magic burning me from the inside out.
I had to fight to stay upright, gripping the bar for support.
Lex’s smirk widened as he watched me still unmoving.
“Looks like the time is now, boys,” Lex shouted into the room, and every head turned in his direction.
“I take offense to that.” A woman's voice across the room shouted, and before I could glance at who it had been, an explosion shook the tree to its roots.
The wooden beams groaned in protest as dust trickled from the rafters, and the entire tavern jolted to life.
Chairs scraped against the floor, tankards clattered, and voices rose in panic as everyone rushed toward the door.
I cursed, losing sight of Lex, and growled as I scanned the panicked crowd.
Where had they gone? Their stolen uniforms allowed them to blend in seamlessly, and I strained my eyes searching for his marred face.
I reached for my dagger, my magic still refusing to respond. The sting of it made me stumble.
What the hell was happening?
The only thing I knew that could suppress magic like this was that chain Xavier had. My eyes widened, and I scanned my body, searching, searching, but nothing. Nothing was there.
A body slammed into me a moment later, and I snarled, driving my blade into the base of their neck.
Blood erupted in pulsing arcs, and I pulled my blade free, sinking my teeth into their neck and sucking deeply.
I felt my magic stir, and I drew more and more until their body went limp in my arms. I felt my magic reluctantly push past the barrier of my skin, and I tossed the rebel to the floor.
My gaze swept across the now nearly empty tavern, but Lex was gone.
Sprinting toward the door, my shadows finally made an appearance, and I apparated out onto the bridge, stumbling from the exertion. My power was weak, but the blood had helped.
Realization struck my spine, as I remembered that Morgana had a potion made to suppress magic. But how the fuck did the rebellion get ahold of it?
Chaos erupted as villagers screamed and fled for shelter, flames billowing in the distance. The outpost where our soldiers were stationed—where sources, supplies, and weapons were kept for transportation—was burning to the ground in the distance.
“Looking for me?”
I spun around as people hurried by, and my eyes settled on Lex who was about twenty paces down the walkway.
“How?” I snarled, taking a menacing step forward, my shadows forming long whips in my grasp, preparing to strike. They were weak. My magic was not nearly replenished enough to use them properly.
Lex let out a booming laugh, not seeming to care that he was about to die.
“How what? How did I know you were going to be here?” Lex’s head tilted, his eyes dropping to the swirling emerald on my left arm and back to my face. “Or are you asking how I suppressed your magic?” He drawled, still chuckling. Still unbothered, unmoving.
“Both.”
I didn’t advance. Waiting for him to tell me something, anything. I needed to know who had given him a supply of that potion.
“Let's just say we have a mutual friend.”
“I don’t have any friends,” I hissed, taking another cautious step.
“Is that so?” Lex folded his arms across his broad chest. “They will be disappointed to hear that. Especially as they asked me to spare your life and all. A bargain is a bargain.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Spare my life? You would be lucky to land a strike at best. Go ahead, try,” I goaded, my lips curving into a cruel smile. “Let's see whose head will be rolling first, yours or mine.”
I wanted to shadow, to leap to his side and carry out that exact plan—but I couldn’t. The whips in my palms disappeared, and an ache began to form in my veins. I needed more blood.