by June Leung
The Dungeon
The Hidden Order of Magic: Shaken Book 3
June Leung
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
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Chapter 1
Lia
Lia and Helen were lying on the bed in the clan’s guest room with Lia hugging her wolf plushie close. She’d told Helen about what happened a while ago, a silence lingered in the room.
“Finally, you decided to end your misery, huh?” Helen asked.
Lia had been staying with Helen in the clan since the day after defeating the gang. She’d blocked Adrian everywhere he could possibly reach her. She wasn’t staying in her place nor Helen’s. He would find his way in, she didn’t need that happening. The clan was probably the only place he wouldn’t dare go.
“I don’t know. It felt good at that moment to spit it out, but it hurts… a lot…” Lia rubbed her swollen eyes, which kind of hurt given how much she had been crying. “I don’t even know whether I can move on…”
“Really? What do you see in him? Even after the hell he put you through?”
“He saved you. He broke his own rules for me and he took care of me… At least before he pushed me away.” And those blue eyes and his handsome face aren’t that bad. Lia sighed, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. It didn’t matter, though; she had been in bed almost all day. Her hair would be a mess regardless.
“If he wanted nothing with you, he could have said something.”
“I wish. He kissed me again in the hospital.” Lia stared at the blanket as a few drops of tears landed on it.
“Wait! What?” Helen’s eyes widened in shock.
“Yeah, in the hospital. He was by my bed when I woke up. I don’t know how he snuck in. He said we would talk later, but…” Lia sniffed, trailing off.
“But there wasn’t a talk. You ended up walking away.” Helen clenched her fist. Lia flicked her eyes to Helen’s hand. If Adrian was here, Helen would have punched him, probably breaking a bone or two.
“When we were in The Orbit, he hugged me. I think he wanted to kiss me.”
“No way!”
“I told him he could stop pretending to care about me, and he could stop the pained look and longing gazes. He said nothing. And when I told him in the drive-thru that he didn’t need to come up with an excuse anymore, when I told him I would stop bugging him, he still said nothing other than offering me his car.”
“What did that mean? His car?”
“Well, it was late and he wanted me to be able to drive home. He said he would send Ben to take back the car the next day. I didn’t let that happen, though.”
“So he drove you back home?”
“Yes… There wasn’t a single car on the street and I doubted I could catch a cab. He said nothing on the way either.”
Helen hugged her tightly. Lia hugged back, leaning onto Helen’s shoulder. Helen asked, “But with your power, you really think it is a good idea to shut him out completely? What if you need training?”
“I don’t know… But I can’t see him again. If only I didn’t have this power… Maybe I just need a few days of break.” Lia sighed, rolling back into her bed.
Why does this hurt even more than the wait for his petty little talk? Why must I have this stupid power? Why must I still think about him?
Chapter 2
Adrian
Adrian stared at his glass. His penthouse looked lonely and empty, especially under the bleak white light. He closed his eyes briefly—almost everything he could see reminded him of Lia. The window she liked, the couch they ate ice cream on, the office she trained in… He let out a heavy sigh. Still, there were no messages or calls. She seemed to have no interest in staying in touch with him.
Well, she shouldn’t, given how he kept pushing her away. What Lia told him that night in the drive-thru still stabbed into him. He gulped down the whisky, the liquid burning a trail of fire down his throat.
She would go elsewhere, and it was to respect my choice.
This wasn’t what he wanted, but the world wasn’t there to satisfy him. Or maybe he should’ve tried with her. With Evelyn and her threat going around, the chance of him beating her without the Elements knowing seemed low, if not zero.
He’d only thought of himself. He only wanted to try with Lia when things were easy, when he didn’t need to fight against anything. Benjamin warned him about that. He also knew it himself: if he didn’t fight for what he wanted, he wouldn’t get it. But Lia wasn’t an item—would she care if he tried? Or would she even want him to try?
If she didn’t want to see him, she knew to stay in the clan, somewhere he didn’t dare go. The risk of being spotted was too much. Even if he did make it, what if Lia called the Elders on him? That wouldn’t end well. He poured himself another glass, downing it.
No matter how much Lia hated him, she wouldn’t let the Elders kill him, right? They did fight the monsters and the gang together.
He was reaching for the bottle again when there was the turn of a key at the door. Benjamin walked in and sniffed in the air with a scowl. “My King, what is happening? I thought after fighting the gang, you would finally tell Lia.”
Adrian shook his head, gesturing to the seat beside him. Benjamin sat and took the bottle, putting it further away from Adrian. “Tell me, what’s stopping you? The gang is now gone. Her power probably is almost settled.”
“It wouldn’t change the fact that she deserves someone better. You know I am a jerk to everyone—before I hurt her even more, maybe I should stop.” Adrian sighed. A jabbing pain pecked at his heart. Nothing made sense with Lia, especially what he felt for her. He coughed to clear his throat and Benjamin patted his back.
“I didn’t call you to talk about my relationship with Lia. When I was heading back that day, guess who I bumped into? Or rather, guess who found me?”
“Someone bad?”
“Bad is an understatement. The others don’t know yet. I don’t even know how to break it to them.” Adrian stared blankly at the empty glass, his heart hammering in his chest. Was it a good choice to tell Benjamin now? Benjamin wouldn’t like it, but he could be the only one that would support him. At least Benjamin knew Lia.
“What?” Benjamin’s brows knitted, his gaze too intense for Adrian to ignore.
“Evelyn found me. As you all have been warning me.”
Benjamin gulped audibly
as his face fell. “Seriously? Wow… I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, though. Nothing could stay under wraps forever. I guess the time has finally come.”
“Ben… I need to keep Lia alive,” Adrian said. When Benjamin didn’t answer, Adrian grabbed his collar. “I said I need Lia to live!”
A mischievous glint flashed through Benjamin’s eyes. “Do you think I am brave enough to say no? Do I not know what will happen if I insist for you to keep the pact instead?”
Adrian flinched and he let go of Benjamin, slumping back onto the couch. He wasn’t going to forget all the terrible things he was capable of. “Fine. Please help me. Lia… after everything, I don’t want her to…”
“But you made her leave you. What’s stopping you from letting Lia die? It will save a lot of trouble if we keep the pact.”
“Benjamin!” Adrian bit the inside of his mouth, resisting the urge to punch him. His blood burned. Maybe he didn’t dare try to have a relationship with Lia, but it didn’t mean he would be fine with her dying. She deserved someone better, not to be killed by Evelyn.
“Are you sure the others would be fine with it? After all these years, we have been living peacefully. We all warned you to just get rid of Lia.”
“Do you really want her dead?” Adrian’s heart skipped a beat. Benjamin at least wasn’t that against her, right? He’d gone against Adrian’s orders and trained her. What was going on in Benjamin’s mind?
Benjamin sat up straight, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want to see her dead either. She is innocent in all this. None of this is her fault. But… Have you told her yet?”
Adrian let out a wry chuckle, shaking his head. He gestured to his phone on the coffee table. “She blocked me, so no.”
Benjamin glared at him, the gaze chilling Adrian to the bone. “You know what Evelyn would do. You’re the one who made the pact. How dare you not even try to warn her.” His hand jerked, but he seemed to push down the urge to fight him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you want her to die.”
“No way! I’d rather I die than her! You know that.”
“I also know you aren’t even trying. Is a device really going to stop you from doing what is important? At least try harder! I wonder how we survived before phones were invented.” Benjamin huffed, his body tense. “If you don’t even want to try, I will. And not to boast, but I think Lia does have a soft spot for me.”
“What the hell? I am going to tell her. You keep your hands to yourself.” Adrian flexed, glaring at Benjamin. He told Adrian he wasn’t interested in her a while ago—that was still the case, right? This better be a joke, if Benjamin dared… His throat tightened. Benjamin did seem to be a more decent guy than he was. Well, the bar was low when it got to being better than him. “You feel something for her?”
Benjamin stared at him like he was a unicorn or had grown another head. “Excuse me? I was just messing with you. No, I don’t feel that way for Lia. Are you seriously going to give up on her?”
Adrian shook his head. “This is not giving up. There’s never been anything between us.” Crap, saying that hurt.
“I’ve told you that day on the balcony. No one could stop you if you wanted to be with her. I don’t know what the others would think, but at least you should try to let Lia understand what is happening with her, OK? Even if you are too much of a jerk to fight for someone you know you love, let her fight for herself.”
“I will.”
Benjamin was right. The clan probably wouldn’t be too helpful against Evelyn, but he should at least warn them. He flicked his eyes to his phone. Right. Just a device wasn’t going to stop him.
Benjamin chuckled and said, “I am proud of you, my King. I know it is hard for you after all that happened. Don’t make yourself regret it.”
“I don’t know anymore. Lia already told me she wanted nothing to do with me and she isn’t waiting for an answer from me.”
“You won’t know if you don’t try. Should I let the others know? We need all hands against Evelyn.”
There was no telling whether the rest of his magicians would agree to fight Evelyn instead of killing Lia. Especially that one… Should he risk pissing them off or should he let Lia die? That wasn’t too hard of a question; Lia was not dying anytime soon.
“Do tell them. Leave out Evelyn for now please, I will tell them in person. Whatever they think, I need Lia to live.”
“I see. All the best, my King.” Benjamin nodded with a smile on his face. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you going to do?”
“Why are you asking me? You know I don’t need to tell you everything.” Adrian’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t have a plan yet.
“You can find a way, right? You are the King, after all. And you are softer than a marshmallow for her.”
Adrian huffed. Benjamin sure loved to mess with him. “I will try to wait until she leaves the clan. I don’t want the risk.”
“You’ll figure it out.” Benjamin patted Adrian’s shoulder. “I suppose you called me here for me to help convince the others to let Lia live, right?”
“Yes. Ben, I really need you to help. Among them, you are the only one that will be on my side. You know those two are not going to be on board. While we don’t do voting, I don’t want to force them into it. I doubt I stand a chance fighting Evelyn on my own. She is not going to come on her own.”
Benjamin tilted his head to the side with a mischievous smirk. “We shall see. I better go check on them. To be frank, I don’t even know whether I could reach them or not.”
“I hope it works.” Adrian’s gaze followed Benjamin as he left. He picked up the bottle Benjamin intentionally put away, pouring himself another drink. His hand shook as he thought of the rest of his team. They had never wanted Lia alive since the beginning. She was a bit too close with the Elements. Evelyn showing herself wouldn’t help his case either. As he took a sip, the bitterness of the liquid burned his throat.
They would understand him, right? They had been fighting as a team alongside each other for a long time. He’d given them their power. They would support him, wouldn’t they?
Chapter 3
Lia
A few days later, Lia and Helen were snuggled together on the couch in the lounge with a bowl of caramel popcorn on the coffee table in front of them. Lia reached out for a sip of her soft drink as the video game loaded.
Helen leaned back on the couch with her arms folded behind her head. “I don’t know, Lia. Although I love playing video games with you, fourteen hours straight for days is not good for you. Not to mention you’ve unlocked everything in all my game files, there’s now nothing new for me to play.”
Lia smiled wryly, rubbing her eyes. “I know, but I can’t risk my brain having free time to think. Even sleeping takes effort.”
“Is there something else you can do?”
“I don’t want to think about it. Video games are easy and a time waster. But it serves as a lifesaver at times.” Lia shrugged, holding the controller tightly as the new round began.
After another few hours of gameplay, Lia finally set down the controller on the coffee table. The bowl was empty.
“How about we go grab tacos tonight? At least go out a bit?” Helen nudged her side. Lia shook her head. Helen asked, “I thought you love tacos.”
“I do, but I don’t want to go out. Let’s call for delivery instead?”
“You know the Elders don’t like random people hanging near the clan.” Helen rolled her eyes. “And I thought you might want to take a stroll in the park.”
“I said I don’t want to go out!” Lia turned away.
“Why? What’s so bad outside?” Helen scowled. “Wait! Does this have anything to do with that man?”
“Why must you mention him? Yes. I don’t want to risk bumping into him. Who knows if he’ll be waiting for me right outside? I tried hard to forget about him. This is just difficult… I guess trying to forget is harder than trying to remember. If only my
studying back in college worked this way.”
“And you are letting him strip you from everything you enjoy?”
“Please, at least for a short while. I really need a change of scenery. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“OK… I guess. But I really think too much screen time is not good for you. At least we can walk around the clan? I can grab tacos for both of us later so we don’t have to cook.”
The two of them tidied up, then walked down the corridors of the clan. It was quiet with everyone else busy doing their own things. It had been that way since Lia stayed in the clan. Everyone seemed to be on edge after the meteorite monsters appeared. Patrick was probably in training, Eric should be trying to look for new cases, and William was likely hunting for evidence about dark magicians.
Lia gulped at the thought. It wasn’t that she cared about Adrian; she was simply worried about herself. William wouldn’t be very happy if he found out she had dark magic.
“Where’re we going?” Lia asked. Helen was looking at the floor, as if deep in thought.
“Um… I don’t know. Maybe we can go to the library?”
“Of course, I am going to be interested in books, right? Who would have guessed?” Lia chuckled, playfully smacking Helen’s side.