Rayna swallowed to keep from retching.
A herald sketched a bow. “Shall I announced you, Lord Protector?”
Terayan inclined his head.
The herald eyed Rayna. She wanted to rip the ridiculous plumed hat off his head. “And the lady?”
“I shall make her introductions in my own time.”
“Of course.” He cleared his throat. “The Lord Protector Councilor Tallis Terayan,” he pronounced, “and…guest.”
At least two hundred heads turned to them at once.
Terayan basked in their attention as Rayna shrank from it. Terayan promenaded through the room, warmly greeting all they passed.
Rayna stared straight ahead, trying to understand what he wanted. If escorting her here were a show of power, why conceal her identity? Nothing he'd done since he'd captured her made any sense.
They reached a central dais. A massive iron cauldron stood in front of it, filled with dark red wine.
Terayan smiled at the cauldron as he escorted her up the steps, and pulled out the chair right of center.
She sat, eliciting murmurs from the ladies milling about below them.
Terayan took the central place. “They’re jealous,” he explained. “I’m not one to court.”
“Is that what you call this?”
He sipped his wine. “Before the ceremony, I’ve arranged for some entertainment.”
Two thin figures clad in shiny black joined them on the dais.
Rayna tensed as two sets of black-and-gold eyes fell upon her. The last time she'd seen Ezra and Amblin Laevul, she had been Rhael’s unwilling escort. Now here they were again, when she was forced to accompany Terayan.
Ezra sat beside her as Amblin sat beside Terayan.
“Are we prepared?” Terayan asked Amblin.
Amblin clapped his hands twice.
The lights flickered throughout the ballroom, dimming. The guests silenced, turning their attention to Amblin as he stood.
“Honored guests of the Council, we have assembled here tonight to shine a light in this darkness. Tonight, we mourn those we have lost. But more importantly, thanks to the work of Councilor Tallis Terayan, we avenge them.”
Applause echoed Amblin’s words. He raised his hand for silence.
“Throughout this evening of celebration, we will present a number of entertaining diversions. I must advise though, that ladies with more sensitive natures may prefer to retire to the terrace during our first event.” He nodded his head toward a side door.
The door opened and Garrison appeared, dragging a sunken-eyed young man.
Rayna noted Garrison’s bruised nose with satisfaction.
Terayan stood. “Honored guests, welcome and thank you for attending this farewell to my beloved personal friends and fallen heroes of the Republic. Before we begin the ball, I think it only right that we honor Anders Amollo, Paullus Caere, and Vazzur Darien with a fitting tribute: Unadulterated Kyrean justice. Tonight I am proud to announce the man who poisoned our beloved Councilors will be punished.”
Applause clattered throughout the room. “Ezra, Amblin if you please.” Terayan nodded to the strange siblings.
The Laevuls snapped their fingers.
A raging fire started beneath the huge iron cauldron. “Oohs” and “ahhs” came from the crowd as the wine in the pot smoked.
“This traitor, Doric Hall, has confessed to poisoning the wine that killed three of our nation's leaders. He has further confessed to acting as a spy for the Peninsular savages, following orders from the Maenoren Pretender Markus Seperun.”
“No! Please I did not—” Hall's deranged screams cut off as Garrison tied a band of fabric over the man's mouth.
“For the crimes of murder and treason, I, Councilor Tallis Terayan, Protector of the Realm, hereby sentence you to death.”
Cheers broke out from the guests as guilt pulsed through Rayna’s veins.
She could not help this man. There was nothing she could do but watch.
Doric's muffled sobs continued as he was chained into the already hot, but not yet scalding cauldron.
“Since he chose to kill by wine, we thought it appropriate he die by the same. But poison is a coward's weapon. I hope you all approve of my small adjustment.”
Rayna looked away but could not escape the display's sounds, or smells. She never thought she would wish for a Monil, but as the scent of sizzling human flesh filled her nostrils, she longed to be without her wolf senses.
“This is barbaric,” Rayna hissed to Terayan. “We both know Seperun didn’t order anyone poisoned. This man is innocent.”
Music played again as the lords and ladies went about the ball. Some approached Doric, ogling him as he tried to beg for mercy through his gag.
“No, but every war needs a spark to start it. The murder of my co-councilors, at the behest of a Maenoren pretender, was exactly what I needed.”
“You killed them.”
Ezra ran a lacquered nail down Rayna’s arm. “A wise girl would hold her tongue.”
“A wise woman wouldn't touch me,” she bit back.
Terayan chuckled. “Now ladies, play nice. Besides, Rayna is right. This display has served its purpose.” He nodded to Amblin.
“As you wish, Lord Protector.” The gold in Amblin’s eyes spilled from its black confines.
Doric Hall screamed as fire engulfed his body. It went out just as quickly, leaving the burned corpse to slide into the boiling wine.
Rayna blinked away tears. There was not time to mourn this man she did not know.
Servants cleared the mess away, but the scent lingered.
The musicians struck up a rhythmic beat and the courtiers clapped, clamoring for partners. It must have been a favorite tune. How could these people be so heartless?
Terayan stood, taking Rayna’s hand. “May I have this dance?”
Seeing no other option, she followed him to the dance floor.
“I don’t know the steps,” she said as he placed his left hand on her waist.
“Fear not, I will lead you.” Terayan gripped her firmly, more pushing than leading her through the dance.
Rayna watched as the blood-filled vial around his neck swung back in forth with the music.
“You said Morna Helena’s death changed your mind about wanting to kill me, what did you mean by that?” If she were going to be forced to be in Terayan’s arms, she might as well try and get more answers.
Terayan laughed as he spun her out and pulled her back to his clutches with astonishing force. “Back to questioning, is it? Very well.”
People stared at them. The highest ranking individual in the entire nation was dancing with an unknown after all, but Terayan did not seem to notice, or care. His pale green eyes burned into Rayna, pupils dilating as if he were intoxicated.
“When Morna died, something that had not happened in the entire history of Osterna occurred.” He pulled Rayna into him as the music slowed. “Morna died with no heirs, no living family, and no one to whom her seer’s divine magic could pass. I'd assumed it would return to its source—the plane you call the Forest, and the False God you call Wolnor.”
“But that’s not what happened?” Rayna’s mind raced to keep up. If the magic did not pass to another human, or return to Wolnor, then that left only one option.
“I can see from your face you understand, Rayna.” The music had drifted away as the musicians repositioned for a different tune, but Terayan kept dancing. “When Morna died, all the decisions she made in life were weighed, the light in her soul compared with the dark. As I’m sure you can guess, the darkness far outpaced the light. That marked her not as a child of her creator, but as a disciple of the one true God.”
“She went to Hell.”
“And her magic with her. A seer’s divine magic, in the hands of the Lord Razorn.” He snapped his finger and swirls of silver light danced around his hand. “And all those who serve him.”
“That’s how you cursed my dreams.
Marielana said it shouldn’t be possible, that as an Awakened Seer no dark magic could touch me—”
“I told you. Magic is magic, it’s what you do with it that counts. That’s true now, more than ever. Thanks to Morna Helena, the balance of power has been tipped in my direction. I have access to all kinds of magic, including Divine.”
“And what? You want to use me to tip the balance further?”
The band began a lilting tune and Terayan shifted his hand positioning. “No. I don’t want to use you, Rayna. I want us to help each other.”
She laughed. “Help you do what?”
“Change the world.” He dipped her.
“I’ll never help you,” she said as he raised her back up.
“Do you think Morna Helena intended to steal power from the False God? She didn’t care about any of that. In fact, she only cared about one man.”
“If you think I’ll be to you what Morna was to Rhael, you're delusional.”
He brought his hand to her cheek. “I don’t want you to be anything but yourself. What Morna did, the choices she made, she did out of love.”
“I’ll never love anyone but Channon.”
“I know.” He spun her out again. As her hair flew around her, the color shimmered from blonde to red. She pressed her hand to her face. Her scar was visible again.
Shouts and screams came from all around them. Guards rushed toward her, but Terayan waved them off.
“Honored guests, may I present the Wolf Witch, Rayna Myana of Fenear!”
The dance floor emptied as people pressed against the walls, trying to get as far away from Rayna as the room would allow.
“Fear not, my friends.” Terayan took her hand and led her back toward the dais. “She's quite tame.”
Rayna wanted more than anything to prove him wrong—to shift and tear out his throat in the middle of his grand party. But her friends’ lives depended on her cool head.
They ascended the raised platform. The table and dining chairs had been cleared away, replaced by a single carved wooden chair.
Ezra and Amblin stood on either side of it. Ezra held a golden crown in her claw-like hands.
“Come.” Terayan walked her behind the throne. “I want you to be a part of this.” He left Rayna, taking his place on the throne.
Rayna ran her hand along the throne’s wooden grooves. It was paneled with rich, intricately carved ironwood, depicting scenes from myth and history. She traced her fingers along the image of a fleet of ships approaching a shoreline—the very beginning of the Kyrean Conquest. The story continued in chronological order all around the chair—-there were battles, and a panel depicting the last members of the Delian Dynasty being executed. The founding of Halmstead, the appointment of the very first council, it was all there, cut into the wood.
Terayan’s neck was there, too.
He was right there in front of Rayna's fingers. All she had to do was extend a claw and she could slit his throat. He would fall, smashing the strange blood-filled vial around his neck.
But Terayan was right. With her friends captured, she was completely in his power.
Ezra handed Rayna the crown. The metal was cold and heavy in her grasp.
Amblin raised his needling voice. “Presenting Councilor Tallis Terayan, Lord Protector of the Kyrean Republic.” He inclined his head to Rayna.
She lowered the crown onto her enemy’s head. Applause thundered in her ears. She had said she would never help him, but she already had.
Terayan stood, and though Rayna was taller, she felt suddenly small.
“Thank you all for this honor.” He took Rayna’s hand again and together they descended the dais. “I would like us to celebrate with one last surprise. You all know Rayna Myana, the Wolf Witch who murdered her betrothed Rhael Demetrian, conspired to overthrow the Maenoren government, and most heinously of all, orchestrated a prison break in this very city.”
“What is this?” Rayna demanded. “I thought you wanted me to help you.”
“Oh, I do,” Terayan whispered. “But first I need you to embrace who you truly are. I need to show you that we're already on the same side.” He raised his voice. “Bring out the prisoners!”
Garrison returned with a hand each on a pair of bound, hooded men.
Rayna did not need to see their faces. She recognized Channon and Kellan’s scents.
“Let them go!” She shouted.
Terayan sighed. “I'm sorry to do this.” Quick as lightning, he had snapped the Monil back around her neck.
She swayed as the now familiar pain burned through her body, walling her wolf away. “Why?” She asked as Terayan steadied her.
“I want to trust you Rayna, but I can’t yet.”
Garrison removed the hoods from Kellan and Channon’s heads.
Both were covered in bruises. A Monil shone on Channon’s neck.
Garrison forced them onto their knees.
“Rayna!” Channon called to her. “I’m sorry. I should have protected you. Oh Gods, I’m so sorry—” His voice cut off, though his lips still moved. Terayan had silenced him.
“No, Channon. I—” She hated for Terayan, Garrison, and the rapt Kyrean audience to witness her pain, but she needed to say the words. “I love you, Channon.”
“Red—” Terayan cut off Kellan’s voice, too.
“Garrison,” Terayan said, “as discussed.”
“With pleasure, Lord Protector.” Garrison unsheathed his sword, pressing it to Kellan’s throat as another guard placed his blade against Channon’s back.
“No! Stop!” Rayna did not need her wolf to fight. She wanted to tear every enemy in that ballroom limb from limb. Only a shred of reason restrained her. Terayan had said he wanted her on his side.
This was another game.
If she played it, maybe they would all get out alive. If she refused, fought back instead, she, Channon, and Kellan would all die.
She looked to Terayan. “What do you want?”
“I want you to choose.” He parted her hair, whispering in her ear. “One of these men will die here tonight. The other will live. The choice is yours.”
Angry tears flowed from her eyes. “Why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove?”
“Before you make your choice, I need you to understand something.” He turned her to face him. “It’s about your lover.”
“I don’t want your lies, like the one you fed Kellan.”
“Ah.” Terayan smiled. “Kemar told you what I said to him? It was mostly a taunt, I admit, but there was truth to it. You see, I know something you don’t. I know what the Sionic Hex really does.”
Rayna clenched her teeth. “I know what it does. I saw it with my own eyes, and I broke it.”
“No. You freed Channon, but even an Awakened Seer could not undo what had been done. The Hex isn’t just about torture. It has a higher purpose, one that Rhael Demetrian did not know.”
“But you do?” Rayna scoffed.
“Yes. Who do you think taught Rhael the hex?”
Rayna clenched her fists. “You? You gave him the power to do that to Channon?”
“I never meant for him to use it on your lover, but now, I'm grateful he did.” Terayan turned her back to look at Channon and Kellan. “The Hex isn’t so much a curse, as a transfiguration.”
“What—”
“The Sionic Hex trains a soul borne of the light to embrace its other side—its purest, darkest instincts. In doing so, its victim is forever changed, transformed into something different—something better.”
Rayna bit her lip, thinking through Terayan’s words. She wanted to reject his speech as nothing but lies, but the Hex had changed Channon. She could not deny that.
She pictured Swann’s dead face, felt the scars along her cheek, and remembered what Channon had said to her in the forest:
“When I was in Hell, they did things to me I can’t describe. That demon, the one with the changing face, it would make itself appear as everyone I loved or
hated. It would taunt me, torture me, until I fought back. The only thing that ever gave me any peace or relief, was when I killed it. It was like, that’s what they wanted me to learn. And I did.”
“No. What are you…?” Her hands shook.
“You’ve seen it for yourself. Good,” Terayan said. “Channon may look human, but deep down, he knows—you both know—that he isn’t anymore. Like all men who embrace the darkness of their souls, he is a child of Razorn’s now. Channon's soul is bound for Razorn's realm.”
Rayna tried to contradict him, but no words came. Marielana had said Rayna’s magic lay in her instincts. And now, her instincts said Terayan wasn't lying.
“So you see, if I give the order to stab Channon through the heart, he would go below—not to that prison you found him in, no. He would become what he already is inside. He would join Razorn’s halls, and the two of you would be separated for all eternity. That is of course, unless you choose to join him.”
“You’re wrong.” Rayna’s voice trembled. “You can’t know that. No man can know that.”
“Are you willing to bet an eternity of separation on that? I don’t think you are. That’s why I’m offering an alternative.”
“What alternative?”
“Make your choice.” He raised his voice so the others could hear. “Two men stand before you. Men that have fought and killed for you. Men that love you.”
“No…”
“Choose one to die and one to live.” He lowered his voice. “If Channon dies tonight, I know you will be mine eventually. And if not, if you remain defiant, then at least I know you will lose him forever. But if you choose to save Channon, you will kill your friend to save your lover. A choice borne of love yes, but a selfish choice, too. That’s a slippery slope. What do you think Morna Helena would have done?”
“I won’t. I won’t choose.”
“Very well.” Terayan nodded to his men. “Kill them both.”
“No! Wait!”
Terayan halted Garrison and the soldier. “Refusing to make a choice, is a choice. You would let both men die to spare yourself the guilt? How selfish.”
“No, please, kill me instead. End this all.”
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