56. Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter fifty-six
As I stumble back, the notebook falls from my hands, and I drop to my knees, scrambling to pick up the shards of metal as wave after wave of horrifying reality crashes over me.
Dexil couldn't conjure a weapon because that cursed substance blocked his magic.
I couldn't access mine because I tasted a single mouthful, so I couldn't heal him.
He bled out in a filthy alleyway because I gave him that fucking supplement.
Oh gods, and it's in my ring. Has it been poisoning me for the last six years? Every time that pin pricked my skin, was it leaving trace amounts of the suppressant in my bloodstream? Is that why I couldn't sense Varistia's magic?
This can't be true.
And yet, I know beyond any shadow of doubt that it is.
My family’s legacy and Giving Day. The one thing that made me proud and gave me any sense of purpose.
My chest threatens to cave in as truth punches the air from my lungs.
This betrayal runs deep and is so wide reaching.
The most vulnerable people in all three realms rely on that supplement for energy and nourishment, especially during the colder months.
Not only have I personally handed out this vile lie dressed up as kindness to thousands of people, our kingdom is distributing a magic suppressant to those people all across Atafye, disguised as nutrition.
Why? The supplement feeds people who don't have magic in the first place, so what's the point?
Does the King know? Oh gods, does Zenn?
Acid churns my stomach, and my mind races through every possibility and angle without making sense of any of it. One thing’s for sure, I’ll never fully understand it if I stay here and listen to more lies like a gullible little fool.
Wrapping the shards of metal in the soft shirt I discarded moments earlier, I tuck them into the side pocket of my pack and reach out to one of the few souls I truly trust.
"Aven, I need you to be ready to fly, and try not to alert Witt. We're leaving, just us."
He's there in my mind immediately, almost as if he was expecting this. "And where are we going?"
"To keep a long overdue promise to a cranky, ancient creature with a blistering temper.
To figure out who I might be able to trust when I go back into the lion's den of Raviaz.
To understand and take control of whatever this magic is flowing through my veins.
To Envenar.”
Pride laces his deep voice when he replies. "It's about time."
I take one final look around the room before picking up the note I scrawled to Jeska and Hendrix.
I don't want them to worry when they can't wake Zenn.
I'm not completely heartless. I didn't tell them the name of what I gave him, though.
No need to help whatever Remedy healer they'll likely go in search of.
Not when he'll be perfectly fine…eventually.
I know he'll chase me home, He hates to lose, and that's exactly what he'll see this as.
He's going to miss showing up to meet Redson, and without the meeting details, the other two won't be able to go either.
So, he'll have to waste time going back to the tavern to make contact again or miss out on whatever information he didn't get last night if he chooses to come after me when he wakes up. Either way, he'll be furious.
With my head start courtesy of the salixa vine and the shortcut I'll find thanks to the Mycelium, I’ll be inside the barrier long before he can get to me, and then, I’ll have a dragon at my back.
Shoving the last of my things into my pack, my eyes fall to the good bedroll leaning against the wall near Zenn's half-empty bag. With a pang, I grab the end, intending to swap it for mine, yanking my hand back when a stinging, shallow line of blood wells across my palm. What the hell?
Dabbing at my hand, I pick up the roll more carefully this time, and five sharp points peek out of the center.
I know exactly what they are without even looking.
I wonder which of the caves they found them in.
At least now, I won't show up to Varistia empty handed. A thief is what he named me, so a thief is what I’ll be.
Glancing back at the man sleeping peacefully in the bed we shared, I sigh loudly, shaking my head. "So many secrets, Loverboy. How disappointing." I drop his mother's shimmering necklace on the pillow beside him and walk away without a backward look. "Guess I'll be seeing you at home."
Swinging my pack up over my shoulder, I feel strong. The bag is easier to manage now, even with the extra weight of the food supplies and of course, the good bedroll with its hidden bounty.
The heels of my sleek riding boots tap against the stone steps as I push open the green door with white painted flowers and step into the first sparkling rays of dawn.
Flicking the silky-smooth, perfectly executed braid over my shoulder, I run my fingers through the purple section intentionally left loose, heading for the stables and my Amplifier horse.
The path ahead is a web of secrets and lies, buried beneath a tangle of twisted roots and soil. I won't let fear be my guide, and I won't let comfort cover my eyes.
Who knows what harm this supplement is doing?
I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, Dex was not its first casualty.
So while I don't know how or what it will take, I do know I'm sick of being powerless.
I swear to the Goddess herself, I will do whatever I have to, to uncover the people who are participating in this deceit and find a way to take them down.
Even if one happens to take my heart with him when he falls.