“No one is stronger and braver than my brother. Now that the Night of Eternal Light is almost upon us, I think it safe for you to know now. The army is planning to rescue him the day after. We have a hidden arsenal, built from years of going through the portal. The citadel might also have these strange weapons, but we will have the element of surprise. Jane, you must gather information. Anything that can be used in mapping out the place, where they keep their weapons, and how to find Axel. Please, Jane.” Dori looked almost frantic now.
“Why don’t you do it with me? Or one of the men from the army?” Jane suggested, feeling overwhelmed with such responsibility.
“That potion she gave you is made from a flower called Gyralli. It has no effect on my people, but it does work on humans. We know this from an experiment Lili did when my mother first arrived. I cannot go into more detail, but you are the only one that can do it. Mother cannot. Father would forbid it, even if it was to help the kingdom and Axel.” Everything was said in such a decisive tone. Jane wondered how she ever thought Dori was a delicate young girl. She had the spirit of a warrior, as Jane had seen in the market when she did not shy away in the face of fear.
“I’ll do it,” she said. The two separated, Jane to enter Lili’s cottage, and Dori to find Darick.
26
Axel
The king brought Axel the thick liquid one more time, and again Axel refused it. Axel walked along the walls of his new room, feeling his mind would explode. Physical torture had been beyond painful, but this new psychological bullshit was killing him. Every day since he’d first tried the disgusting potion, he’d refused it, not so much from its bad taste, but because of its effect on him.
Axel had been eager to try whatever had made the citadel men sharper and more powerful. How could they enter the minds of others without consent? How could the king manipulate a chair into the air, like it was an element of the earth?
These things intrigued Axel, and so he stupidly drank the liquid. He soon figured out that the king assumed Axel would live here the rest of his days, growing in power and building portals to support this addiction, whatever it was. Axel still didn’t know what the liquid was, and they wouldn’t tell him.
When he first drank it, he felt a high he’d never experienced before. He felt invincible, and he could send and receive messages with his mind again. They gave him such a small amount of liquid, however, that he could not enter the minds of his captors. He could lift small objects with his mind.
It was beyond anything he’d ever done before, but when the small amount left his system, he had a stark realization. With his abilities returned and magnified under the influence of the drink, he did not once consider contacting his homeland. The thought sickened him, and he couldn’t understand it. Something about that potion made him forget everything except for his immediate greed for more power.
To further confuse him, they put Axel in a room fit for King Siloh himself. That was now his prison, and every day they offered him the drink which Axel refused. He could not let himself be influenced by the king again. It was far too dangerous to forget his people.
“Axel,” he heard in his mind, the voice of Jane resonating in his head. He looked up and around, seeing no one.
“Jane,” he whispered, hoping he had not imagined it, though entirely believing it was a possibility.
“Yes, I’m here. You look well.”
“Jane, I’m so glad you’re here. Stay with me, please. Don’t leave again.” He knew what he asked was impossible, but he was near tears at the joy of having a piece of her with him again. He’d been so lonely, so torn apart.
“Have you been tortured again?” she asked. He explained about the liquid, leaving out the physical torture he had endured, and told her everything he’d been able to gather from his time with the king.
“I came to you first, but I’m on a mission, Axel. Your father is creating the portal in case the human women have to run, like you said. He also created an army to rescue you soon after the Night of Eternal Light, once the portal is created.”
“Our people are no match for these people. Tell my father it is impossible.”
“I will find a way for them here. I’m going to map it out for them. Somehow.” She sounded unsure.
“Jane, listen. They won’t survive here. These men will know they’re here before they even arrive. They’ll read their minds.”
“I have to go now, to see what I can get for them. Just be ready.”
Axel felt helpless. He knew it would be a fool’s errand. “Do you remember our time at the bath?” he asked her.
“Of course. I dream about it sometimes,” she admitted.
“I dream about you every night,” he said. She was quiet then, and he was afraid she’d left him, like she had last time when he was on the verge of his confession. “Jane?”
“I’m still here, but Axel, I’ll be leaving through the portal once it’s created. I wish nothing more than that I could see you again, but I can’t risk the portal being destroyed again. I have to return to my world.”
“Jane, you’re killing me,” he said, sitting on the floor, his hands pulling at his hair.
“I’m sorry, but it’s risky to wait until you come back. And you will come back. I’m going now. Goodbye… I’ll never forget you.” She sounded sad, and the thought of her sad broke Axel’s heart further.
“Goodbye, Jane.” He didn’t hear from her again. He lay on the comfortable bed, wishing his father would leave him to rot in this place. Jane didn’t want to stay. What would wait for him back home? He’d be back to where he started, looking for a wife he didn’t care for. The only one he wanted didn’t want him back.
27
Jane
Jane’s eyes opened. She was back. And she wanted to vomit. Dizzily, she rushed past Dori, Darick, and Lili, and fell on her hands and knees outside, puking her life out. She felt a hand on her back, but more came out.
“The potion must have upset her stomach,” she heard Lili say.
“Is that it, Jane?” Dori’s sweet voice asked. Jane pushed her hair to the side and sat back onto the doorway. She shook her head.
“It’s worse than anything we could have imagined,” Jane said, her throat irritated from the expulsion of her breakfast.
“Is it impenetrable?” Darick asked. Already he had his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Let’s get her back inside to rest and tell us everything,” Lili said. Darick helped her stand and walked her back to the chair, where Lili pushed a teacup in front of her. Jane drank it, wishing it could erase her memory as Axel had erased her memory of Andrew’s shooting.
“I saw Axel first,” Jane began her story. “He was in a different part of the tower this time. I found him easily because I went in the direction that the king had just come from, and he was talking about how Axel had refused a drink. He was excited to hear from me.” Jane paused, smiling at the way Axel’s face had lit up when he’d heard her in his head.
“And the rest of the tower?” Darick pushed her along. Jane told them of the number of guards, the points of weakness, the different entrances. She told them of a weapons room that seemed to contain the sort of medieval weapons she’d seen in movies.
“No guns? Bombs? Missiles?” Darick asked.
“You have missiles?” Jane asked, her eyes wide.
“No, but I want to make sure they can’t wipe us out if his majesty is so inclined.”
“You’ve been to my world?” Jane asked.
“It was my duty to collect the weapons. So, yes, I’ve been a few times. But you said the situation is worse than we could have imagined. If Axel is alive, and we have superior weapons, then what’s the problem?” he inquired.
“I didn’t see any modern weapons, but I saw magic. None of these little things you do with water and dirt. The first thing I saw was a man floating, just as I was, though he was real to everyone around him. It seems he was doing it to himself, with his mind, from what I could te
ll. Then one man in the same room mentioned how it was becoming harder to maintain such skills with the lack of resources. The other one agreed, and he said, ‘Yes, it is almost an empty room.’ So I followed them patiently as they went to survey the room they spoke of. Inside were cages with five prisoners. Humans.”
“These human prisoners had to do with their powers?” Lili asked. Jane nodded, dreading having to reveal what happened next.
“They were hardly clothed, looked ill-fed, and then one was taken out of the cage by the men I had followed. They stuck the man, who was too weak to fight, with what looked like an IV needle and tubing and started sucking blood from the tube. One at a time, they drank from the man, and they seemed to get energy from the blood, laughing and slapping each other as if it was the best joke.”
Jane looked at the three people listening to her and saw the disgust and shock in their faces. It’s how she felt. She explained what an IV was to Lili and Dori, but otherwise, they got the gist of it. She was thankful that they didn’t see the value now in human blood and pounce on her like vampire meal.
“Human blood,” Darick said, though he could have easily said horseshit from the way his face was contorted.
“They’ve been using the portal to bring humans and sucking them dry. I saw a pile of bodies thrown outside the tower. I only saw it this time because I was searching for the entrances. They were human, or at least the clothing was.” Jane wished to forget what she’d seen. Maybe now that she’d told them all she saw, she could at least stop talking about it. But they had more questions.
“Does Axel know?” Dori asked.
“No, and he told me he’d been given a drink, but since then had refused it.” She told them of his experience. They stayed quiet as they let it sink in that Axel had unknowingly drank human blood.
“I didn’t have a chance to tell him because I woke up after seeing what they did to that poor man.” She thought of the other four people in the cages, all women, sitting with soulless eyes, waiting to be drained.
Jane wanted more than anything to be back in her nice house in her world, away from the monstrosity she’d witnessed. She settled for walking back to the tree with Dori and Darick, who’d already passed along to the army all that Jane had told him.
“What do we now?” Jane asked before she went up the stairs.
Darick responded, “We stick to the plan. Once we have Axel with us, he’ll know what to do.”
Dori nodded, taking Jane’s hand, and they left Darick. Jane slept awfully that night, dreaming of Axel sucking blood from her neck. She woke up in a sweat, the sunlight and the thoughts of those cages keeping her from falling asleep again.
28
Axel
What was he even fighting for? So what if these people had a new portal? His grandfather made one for them, didn’t he? He didn’t understand his father’s reluctance to make one for them. He’d been told since he was young not to trust the citadel king, that if he should ever be asked to create a portal, he was to refuse. For what?
Axel felt reality slipping from him. He heard Jane’s voice when she left. She’d said goodbye to him forever.
There was no darkness to the night any longer. The king never let a day go by without telling him how many days were left until the Night of Eternal Light.
It was to be the next day. He’d miss out on so much in the village, yes, but more importantly, his father would create a portal to let the human women through. This in itself was dangerous. What was to stop the citadel men from following the women to the portal? His blood boiled at the thought of these ruffians touching Jane again. He screamed in vain, this room a worse prison than the stone cell. The soft bed and the bright colored curtains laughed at him.
It was the day before the Night of Eternal Light. When the king came in to announce that midnight was a few hours away, Axel knew he had to make a choice. There would be threats made to him and his family, and he didn’t know if he could remember his father’s wishes.
They brought Axel to a room deep within the citadel. There was a massive stone arch built in the middle of the room, and he knew this is what they wanted him to enchant. He walked around the arch, assessing its sturdiness.
“This would be a great portal, if you knew how to make one,” Axel said, his arms crossed in defiance.
King Siloh was the only one in the room of several men who spoke. “At this very moment there are men stalking the festival in your kingdom. I’m getting visions from these men of your lovely mother, your sparkling sister, and your bosom bride. But wait. She’s not your bride, just the whore you took to your bed.”
Axel balled his hands into fists.
“There’s no need to get angry. I know that you think the world begins and ends with your Jane. I can read your thoughts. I know there’s an army planning on attacking tomorrow and that she’s been here in some other form.” The king’s smile was anything but pleasant, and Axel wanted to smash his fucking face in. He knew the other men in attendance would have him on the ground before he took two steps. That was the only thing that kept him rooted to the spot.
“It’s very simple. I told you before. I’m a generous man, and I think we can be allies. But you need to do your part. Now.” The king stood firm now. Axel’s thoughts flew from one option to the next, knowing these men and the king heard his inner debate with their powers.
“Time is not on your side. You have one chance to make the portal, or my men will take every human woman in your village. One by one, plucked from the crowd. First your friends’ wives, then your mother, and finally Jane. How sweet it will be to taste your lover’s blood. I see I’ve shocked you. Yes, human blood, son. It’s what makes this possible,” the king said, tapping his head.
The realization that he’d consumed human blood himself hit Axel hard. The heady feeling had been wonderful, and he understood now the thirst of these men for more. A working portal would provide them an endless supply of fresh humans. He shuddered to think he’d be part of their operations, but could he refuse?
“I will kill your mother. Then I’ll make you watch as I drain your Jane’s life away. I wouldn’t put necrophilia off the table either since human blood always gives me that extra… oomph.”
Axel knew he was baiting him, but it worked oh-so-well. The king continued his verbal threats, “I see her now through my men’s eyes. What is she doing? Laughing with… oh, another man? It’s funny how instantly you thought of a human man named Andrew, but no. That would be impossible wouldn’t it? My men recognize him as the fool that fought so valiantly beside you before you were brought here. Hmm. Be careful with him.”
“I give you the portal, you leave my entire kingdom alone, including the human women. I get to go home,” Alex’s eyes almost glowed in his frustration.
“Deal, with one little caveat. You’re at my disposal should I need another. But then again, what choice do you really have?” the king laughed, making signals for Axel to get started with the arch.
“You have to unblock my mind,” Alex stated. The king snapped at the men around him, and suddenly he felt freer than he had in months.
“Don’t even try to communicate to your people,” the king said.
Axel glowered at him and then closed his eyes as he touched the stone archway, every inch of it. He pictured the midnight sun, harnessing its power from so far away and merging it with the power of the earth below him. It weakened him considerably every second that passed. Each time he tied both powers tighter he felt like he might fall on his knees, but he held himself up against the stone. When at last he felt the tension so strong between the powers, he knew it was done. The passage between realms had been created. He stuck an arm through, watching it disappear and brought it back.
“What is on the other side?” one of the men asked.
“I guess you’ll be finding out,” the king said.
Axel’s eyes flew to the king, and he struggled to speak. “The deal was…”
“The deal is not ove
r until I’m sure you haven’t delivered a portal into the middle of a volcano or a deserted island.” King Siloh motioned for one of his men. The man, smelling no better than a horse’s ass, walked up to Axel and pushed him to move through the arch. Axel reluctantly marched underneath the stones.
29
Jane
The Night of Eternal Light was in full swing. Everyone was enjoying the baked goods, the performances, the dancing. Jane danced with Darick, grateful that she wasn’t standing around awkwardly the whole night. Then she met up with a group of women she’d become friends with, though it was mainly over their curiosity about her world. Jane always obliged with riveting stories, except now she wondered which of these women had sung Axel their mating song.
Every once in awhile the crowd would focus their attention on the stage when a brave young man would declare his intention to marry by singing a certain song. Everyone knew which girl’s song it was, and she was always pushed to go onstage, blushing, but always radiantly happy.
It was extremely heartwarming for Jane to watch these scenes of young love, and she wondered if she’d ever felt that way about Andrew. She saw a girl crying tears of joy when she reached her man on the stage. He hugged her and finished the last of the lines of her song. No, Jane had absolutely never felt that way.
There was something sad about watching all of this, and Jane couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It wasn’t so much that she’d lost all that time with Andrew, or that now she would be single again, though the idea of dating again sounded grim. She found that she was sad because Axel was not here with her. Soon she’d lose the chance to get to know him... to really know him.
A Touch of Spring: Spellbound Series Book 1 (The Spellbound Series) Page 9