by Todd Herzman
She pushed her mind ever farther. Renial’s aura slammed into her. The feel of it threatened to overwhelm her. The depth of his power like the depth of the ocean—immense, unknowable. Terrifying.
Ella’s mind tried to retreat, but she didn’t let it. She forced it to stay, forced her mind to feel his power—all his power. Like standing in a rushing river, if she let go, the current would pull her out of her true sight. She let his power rush over her, let it almost drown her, until she could bear it without pain.
What if she pushed her mind against his? What if she smashed into it like she had with the blood lord? She’d had the thought before—she’d had it and thrown it away, afraid of what such a thing might to do her.
But probing the blood lord’s mind had broken his control. She’d set his thralls free. If she did the same with the God King, if she broke his mind and with it his bloodlocks… she could set everyone free. Her brothers. Her mother. Taya. Old Joslin’s grandson. Clint, Iris, Hulm, Reeves. Every person taken from her village.
Every person under the control of the God King.
That, or kill herself.
Maybe both.
Ella sighed and opened her eyes. She snapped her focus back to the room. She wasn’t ready to play that card. Especially when she didn’t know if it would work. If it backfired—and she survived—maybe the God King would bloodlock her, take away her true sight, and never give her the chance to try it again.
She closed her eyes once more, breathing in the silence. She didn’t use her true sight this time. Instead, she tried to calm the chaos in her mind.
Maybe there was another way out of this castle. She didn’t know. But she wasn’t going to find it if she couldn’t think straight.
~
Someone knocked at Ella’s door. Her eyes snapped open. She used her true sight and scowled when she recognised the aura.
Ruben.
He radiated power—not just mana. It couldn’t have just been mana, he hadn’t been this strong before. Blood magic. He’d fed since last she’d seen him. She could recognise it clearly now, after she’d let the God King’s power rush over her. She felt it in her skin, in her bones, in her heart. His aura reeked of it.
Ella heard the lock click as she walked to the door. She turned the handle before he could.
Ruben blinked at her, taking in her new clothes. ‘You look… different.’
‘I woke up like this.’ She looked down at her clothes. ‘Someone put these on me while I slept.’ She stood in the doorway, still holding the handle, wondering if she should bother letting him in. A guard stood behind him, black armour gleaming. She supposed she didn’t have a choice.
Ella stepped aside.
Ruben walked in, leather boots tapping the stone. He closed the door behind him and took in the room, then sat at the table. ‘I didn’t want any of this to happen.’ He put his hands on the table and stared into the wood grain.
Ella crossed her arms. ‘Spare me the speech.’
Ruben turned his head. He looked at the closed door, pointed to it, to his ear, then looked back at her.
They can hear us, Ella thought. She frowned. He wasn’t acting as he had when she’d first reunited with him at the docks and on their long walk to the garden. She sat across from him and stared into her big brother’s blue eyes.
Something had changed.
‘Our mother is in a cell in the dungeons.’ Ruben shook his head as he said the words.
Ella wondered at his meaning. She was in a cell—but escaped? How could she trust him? After what he’d done—after he’d fed? He’s my brother, she thought, not knowing if that meant anything anymore.
‘She’s safe?’ Ella asked.
Ruben nodded. He looked at the wall with the wardrobe and coughed.
Ella started as their mother walked right through it. Ruben snapped a hand on hers and put a finger to his lips.
‘Marius is safe, too.’ Ruben looked at their mother, then back at Ella. ‘I haven’t seen him yet, but I will be heading there soon.’
Ella caught her breath. She looked between them. Her mother smiled down at her, walking silent on the stone. Ruben gripped Ella’s hand tighter. She wanted to draw away from his grasp but forced herself not to.
Mana flowed from him to her. She gasped at the influx of power. He must have done the same for Jesriel—how else could she have escaped?
Ruben let go of her and looked at the door again. ‘I know you told me to spare the speech, but our grandfather only wants what’s best for us.’ His words lacked the conviction they’d had back in the garden. He spoke for the benefit of the guards.
Ella’s doubts about her brother disappeared as she stood and embraced her mother. She wished she could talk freely, though she’d no idea what to say.
Ruben stood too. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her like he used to, like she remembered. He’d always made her feel safe. It didn’t work anymore. Not here, not now. But she hugged him all the same.
Jesriel hid behind the door when Ruben left. They waited in silence as his footsteps receded. There wasn’t much they could do but look at each other. Ella’s mother seemed to be waiting for something, though Ella couldn’t tell what.
Eventually, Jesriel touched a hand to Ella’s forehead. Ella heard her mother’s voice in her mind. Trust me, was all she said.
Jesriel took Ella by the arm and walked her straight into a wall.
Chapter 72
Marius
Marius bashed his shoulder into the door. It didn’t budge. All it did was leave him with a bruise. If he’d had any mana he’d break through the wood, tear through it with his mind. But he’d been sucked dry by that damn Starblade. He was just glad the God King hadn’t caused enough mana-loss to give him the chills—he’d had those enough for one lifetime.
He’d woken up wearing unfamiliar clothes. At least, unfamiliar to him. Someone had dressed him up as a blood mage while he slept. He’d panicked when he’d thought Peiter’s notebook was gone—when he’d thought they’d stolen it from him—but he found it on a bookshelf, sitting safe and unharmed.
Marius paced around the room. The monks had paid a heavy cost to get him and his mother here, and what good had it done? The God King had been right—they’d teleported straight into his domain. What else had they expected?
Ruben hadn’t even wanted to be saved.
Marius couldn’t understand that. Had the God King changed his brother so much? Warped his mind into trusting an evil man? Marius walked to the far side of the room, turned, and sprinted at the door, kicking it as hard as he could with the leather shoes they’d put on his feet. The wood barely shuddered.
He kicked it a second time. A third, a fourth. Again and again until his foot hurt and his leg ached. He yelled, gripped his hair and wanted to tear it out.
Then someone knocked. The lock on the other side of the door clicked. Marius took two steps back. He put his right foot behind him and braced himself.
The door opened. Ruben stood in the doorway. Marius charged, bowling into his big brother. Marius threw whirling fists, but Ruben moved in a flash, grabbing his wrists in iron grips.
It was like wrestling a brick wall. Marius gnashed his teeth, trying to bite fingers and rip flesh, but his brother was too strong. Ruben maneuvered Marius back into the room with ease. The guards in the hall didn’t so much as glance at the spectacle. Marius grunted and shouted, trying to disentangle himself from his brother’s grip.
Ruben grabbed him in a bear hug. ‘Would you stop struggling,’ he whispered in his ear.
Marius puffed. The fight fell out of him. Once he’d stopped struggling, Ruben let him go. Marius stalked away from his brother and flopped back on the bed. ‘What do you want? Come to convince me of our grandfather’s “noble cause”?’
Ruben crossed his arms, staring down at his little brother with shame in his eyes. He shut the door, then looked back at Marius and pointed at his ear.<
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Marius shifted on the bed, straightening his back to look at his brother more closely. He still wanted to rage at him, wanted to jump from his bed and flit past him through the now unlocked door.
Ruben mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ before stepping forward. He gave a speech about the God King and the end of the world—the same words Marius had heard back in the garden—but his heart wasn’t in it. Ruben kept glancing at the closed door. The dark-armoured guards, the ones permanently controlled by their grandfather, would be able to hear everything they said.
When his speech ended, Ruben took a seat at the only table in the room. Marius sat across from him. Ruben looked pointedly at the wall to his left and put a finger to his lips. Marius frowned, following his brother’s gaze.
He sprang off the chair as two women walked through the wall. He gasped, catching his breath as he realised who they were. He almost shouted in surprise but remembered to keep his mouth shut.
His mother and sister rushed forward, embracing him in the forced silence. Tears were shed as they held each other tight. Jesriel cut off the embrace and stared into her youngest son’s eyes. She touched a hand to his forehead.
A flood of memories filled Marius’s mind. Jesriel in her cell. Ruben visiting her. Giving her mana and breaking her out. The illusion she left behind to fool the guards.
When Jesriel let go of Marius’s head, he blinked in a daze, coming out of the memory and back into the present. He looked to his big brother and walked over to him, hesitating before taking his outstretched hand. The influx of mana was practically euphoric. Marius hadn’t realised how empty he’d felt until his reserve began to fill. The well wasn’t as deep as before, but he felt its power moving within.
Marius hugged Ruben. He was still wary of his brother, but he’d missed him. He’d missed him so much it hurt.
They all stood in the odd quiet of the room, unable to talk. Marius looked at his mother and mouthed the word ‘teleport’. Her forehead creased. He mouthed it again until she understood. She let out a silent breath and shook her head.
How were they supposed to plot their plan without being able to speak? He looked at his sister, remembering what she’d said about the ship waiting at the docks for them… but that must have been hours ago. Midnight would have come and gone. There were no windows here, but Marius was sure it was the next day by now.
The words Taya said came back to him. If I were you—any one of you—I’d just kill him. If they took the God King by surprise, stole that Starblade from his hands… Marius stepped up to his mother, grabbed her hand, and put it to his forehead. He closed his eyes and willed his thoughts into her mind.
Jesriel’s hand drew back. Marius opened his eyes to see her eyes wide, lips parted, staring down at him. A moment passed, then she waved her children into a huddle. She grabbed Marius’s hand, put it to Ruben’s head. Ruben’s to Ella’s, Ella’s to hers, hers to Marius’s. They stood in a circle. Jesriel closed her eyes. Her children exchanged glances before doing the same.
Marius drew in a sharp breath as their minds connected.
Chapter 73
Ruben
Ruben walked to the throne, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze slipped to the guards beside the God King. Only two, as usual.
He tried to keep his breathing even. Tried to keep his heartrate slow, but it wanted to quicken with each step he took. He looked everywhere but at his grandfather. He didn’t know if he’d done the right thing. Didn’t know if their plan would work. But getting his family—his real family—back together… it’d been the first time he’d felt like himself since after the raid, since waking up in the back of that cart.
His bootsteps echoed in the hall, each one drawing him closer to the throne. He dropped his head, staring at the stone floor as he approached. He stopped, bowed his head deeper. ‘Grandfather.’
‘Ruben,’ Renial said in his deep, smooth tones. ‘How did your little talks go? Are your siblings coming to their senses? Has your mother finally decided to forgive me her perceived grievances?’
Ruben gritted his teeth. Had the man always spoken like that? Or had he grown more comfortable as he became sure of his grandson’s loyalty?
‘They did not want to listen.’ Ruben raised his head and looked into the God King’s red eyes. He didn’t want to lock eyes with the man, but he knew it would seem odd if he refused to.
‘They will listen.’ The God King nodded once. ‘In time.’
‘I am sure they will.’ Ruben let out a silent breath and tried not to look at the wall behind the throne. He looked to Renial’s waist instead. The Starblade was no longer sheathed there. That’s one good thing, Ruben thought. Ella had told him—when their minds had been linked—that he no longer wielded the blade now they’d been captured. She wouldn’t have been able to sense him otherwise. Still, it was good to see it with his own eyes.
The God King raised his hand. Ruben stopped himself from flinching, but all he did was wave someone forward. Had Ruben not been so focused on what was about to happen, he would have heard the heartbeats behind him with his enhanced senses. Ruben glanced back. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else here—they hadn’t factored that into their plan.
A guard—a normal one, not one of Renial’s own—led a woman toward the throne.
‘Taya?’ Ruben said. What was she doing here?
‘I thought the three of us should talk.’
Ruben’s attention snapped back to the throne. ‘About what?’
The God King leant forward, motioning a hand toward Taya. ‘We made a deal. This is true. I held my end.’ He tilted his head to the side. ‘But, well, a woman of Taya’s… lineage, is not fit to marry a member of my family.’
Taya came to stand beside Ruben, her head bowed, the guard a few steps behind her.
Ruben’s forehead creased. He stopped himself from clenching his fists or glaring at the God King. Old anger built up inside him, the rage he’d always struggled to push down. He didn’t want to have this conversation. All he wanted was to get his family—and Taya—out of this place.
But he had to humour the man. He had to act as if things weren’t about to change.
‘Lineage? I swore an oath to this woman.’ Ruben tried to say the words calmly. Truth was, even if they did escape, he didn’t think he had much of a future with Taya anymore. After all that had happened, he doubted she would still want to be with someone like him.
‘A child’s oath, one said before you knew who you truly were. One said before you knew your place in the world.’ He waved a hand. ‘Oaths can, and should, be broken when they are deemed no longer relevant. You are my progeny. My progeny’—he sneered, turning his head to the side—‘as your mother failed to do, should only breed magic with magic. This girl has nothing. No Affinities, no inclinations, no takings with spellwork. No mana reserve to speak of. Tell me, grandson, why would you want to marry such a woman?’
‘Love.’
Taya raised her head for the first time since entering the hall. She looked at Ruben, unsure.
The God King didn’t laugh, as Ruben had expected. Instead, he simply nodded, a sombre look on his face. ‘An admirable reason. A romantic one. And a luxury people such as us do not have.’
Ruben took a deep breath. He was running short on time to throw out the signal.
When they’d devised the plan, they realised, even if their mana reserves were masked, the God King would be able to hear them through the walls. Ruben’s enhanced hearing had been enough to hear his mother’s heartbeat even in the empty room adjacent to Ella’s. If he could hear her from a room away, the God King could hear farther.
So, he would need to make a lot of noise to mask their approach.
The last time he’d thrown a fireball at his grandfather, nothing had happened. Ruben had learnt a lot since then.
Ruben’s hands, which had been clasped behind his back since walking into the hall, fell to his sides. He splayed h
is fingers wide and rolled his wrists. The God King’s expression changed, one dark-haired eyebrow raised, a question forming on his lips. Ruben drew on his reserve; drew on the blood he’d taken from the girl. He felt the power coursing through him. He imagined the flames before they bloomed, imagined them burning hotter than they ever had before.
Ruben raised his arms. Fire poured from his palms, curling and growing as it shot at his grandfather. Renial’s confused face turned to one of anger as the flames roared, smashing into the invisible barrier that surrounded him. The noise echoed about the hall as the flames swirled around the God King and drowned his senses. Ruben stepped forward, teeth clenched, sweat on his brow, a constant stream of flame flowing from his palms.
The flames wouldn’t be loud enough to reach the ears of Ruben’s family, but Ella had assured Ruben she’d be able to sense his use of magic.
The God King stood. The flames poured off his shield as he walked down the steps from his throne. His anger turned to blind rage. He wasn’t harmed, wasn’t burned—his suit didn’t have so much as a scuff. Despite Ruben’s strength, despite the heat of his flames, he couldn’t hurt the man at all. Each step Renial took seemed to increase his anger, and Ruben felt his grandfather’s rage. It hit him like a winter gale, biting his skin, the oppressive force of his will almost brought Ruben to his knees, but he stood strong. The flames built higher, the heat like nothing Ruben had known, the light stinging his eyes.
The God King’s red eyes flashed as he closed the gap. He backhanded Ruben to the ground. The flames ceased. The light dimmed. Ruben’s head smashed the stone floor. He touched his head, his hair sticky with blood. He winced, wondering how much more it would hurt if his blood weren’t enhanced. The sudden silence in the room left a ringing in his ears. Renial stood over him, his eyes made of stone.
‘You petulant, ungrateful child.’ The God King’s red eyes flashed ever brighter. ‘I will not tolerate tantrums in my—’