“You have never cared for me.” Her words pulled his attention back to her. “You only came to me then, for the same reason you come to me now. You need something from me. And once you have what you want, what then Jaron?” A wave of remorse, washed over Jaron as the black faded from K’s eyes to a reveal a midnight blue color. Feeling her soul crushing sadness wrap its frigid fingers on his core, Jaron grit his teeth to keep from yelling as he stared into those dark blue depths begging him to tell her what she so desperately wanted to hear. “Are you going to remain by my side after the Shadows are gone and your brother is safe?”
It was the same question she had asked of him back at the Core, the one he had managed to avoid answering. And the same one he still didn’t have an answer to. Because in all honesty, he didn’t know what was going to become of him once this war was over. All he did know was that he was tired of the games, the lies, and the manipulation that had invaded his life since meeting her. And while he could try to lie and tell her the words she wanted to hear, Jaron was certain, that even in this shape, she was certain to see through them. So instead, he dropped his gaze to the floor and remained silent.
“That’s what I thought.”
The pain in her voice nearly broke his heart. Unfortunately, her sadness was short lived and Jaron watched as K’s evil grin returned. “I can make you stay you know?” she purred. Running one of her hands up and inside his shirt, Jaron hissed as her nails trailed down the rigid muscles of his abdomen. “I can make you desire me.” Unbound from her Link and upset, K hit Jaron with a wave of desire unlike anything she had ever used on him before. Defenseless against magic this strong, Jaron’s mind began slipping further and further into her allure. “I can make you beg for me…”
In a last-ditch effort to keep her from taking over his mind completely, Jaron grabbed her hand and stopped its descent. “K please… you promised never to do this to me again.”
“That was before I knew what you really thought of me. Now quit fighting Jaron,” she soothed. Pulling her other hand from his grasp, K reached up and grabbed the top of his shirt and pulled him down to her level. Face to face with their noses nearly touching, she ran a finger along his jaw line, “Just let go…”
Rising on her toes, K closed the gap between them, and pressed her lips softly against his. Instantly Jaron’s body was engulfed in heat so intense it felt as if his heart was suddenly pumping molten lava through his veins. Unable to help himself, he became engulfed in the sensation and the feel of her embrace.
But just as the last of his mind was beginning to sink into a lust filled abyss, K abruptly broke their contact and spun around violently. Slinging her hand out in front of her, Jaron just barely made out a flash of silver as it darted across the room away from them.
“You would dare attack me!” she screeched. Leaving his side, she advanced on her would be attacker. Unsure of what was happening, Jaron struggled to see through his blurred vision as cries filled the room around him. “Are you really so foolish?”
Growing fearful one of their own had tried to defend him and was about to pay the price, Jaron manically rubbed his eyes desperate to see who she was talking to. Luckily as the distance between them grew, K’s haze weakened rather quickly, and after just a few more seconds Jaron was finally able to see the subject of K’s angst and exhaled a huge sigh of relief.
Mallok stood directly in K’s path. However, much to Jaron’s disbelief, he wasn’t paying her a bit of attention. Instead he was staring blankly at something a few feet behind him. Curious as to what could possibly hold a man’s attention despite his impending doom, Jaron slowly tracked his gaze. And when his eyes fell upon Ivan’s unmoving body laid out on the floor, he froze.
Paralyzed in disbelief, Jaron watched as Zach, Jarod, and Maya dashed from behind the safety of their column and rushed to Ivan’s side. Immediately they were joined by a large older man sporting a thick red beard. Kneeling by Ivan’s side, the man yanked the silver blade from the wound and began pulling various vials from his jacket. Chanting in a language Jaron had never heard before, he began pouring some of the various colored liquids into Ivan’s wound, while others he poured directly into his mouth.
Recognizing the man’s skills as that of a Caster, Jaron watched on helplessly as he continued to try to do everything in his power to save Ivan. At the same time, Maya and Zach did what they could to try and stop the bleeding. But though they put forth a valiant effort to save the man for whom they had only just met, Jaron could tell by the older man’s expression that their efforts were in vain. Soon the puddle of blood surrounding Ivan’s body had transformed into a lake, and his labored breaths grew weak and far between. Moments later, they all watched helplessly as the father, soldier, and friend drew in his last ragged breath.
“You killed him.” Mallok growled lowly, as the flames in the room doubled in size.
“No, you did.” K huffed nonchalantly. “After all, you are the one who threw the blade are you not? I merely redirected its path in order to protect myself.”
Using his anger as fuel, Mallok formed an electrical orb double the size of the previous one. “I will bury you alive for this!”
“It was what you intended to do anyway… at least now you have a legitimate reason.” K shouted, as she surrounded herself in a shroud of black mist.
“Stop this! Both of you!” Jaron yelled, as he darted between the two Immortals.
“Get out of the way, Jaron.” Mallok began, then narrowed his gaze upon him. “Better yet stay there. She killed one of my best, I think it is only fair I return the favor.”
“I don’t think so.”
Catching Mallok off guard, Jarod grabbed him from behind and pressed a sword to his throat. “I suggest you stand down.”
“You think you are strong enough to challenge a member of the Immortal Council?” Infuriated by his callousness, Mallok pressed his still charged hands to Jarod’s arm. “Then let’s see how you hold up when the force of a thousand lightning bolts goes surging through your body.” Channeling all his power, Mallok shoved the pulsating energy into Jarod’s body.
Clenching his teeth, Jarod’s face contorted with pain, yet much to Mallok’s dismay, he did not release his hold. Instead, Jarod wrapped one of his hands around the neck of the Immortal and lifted until his feet no longer touched the floor. Dumbfounded by what was happening, Mallok continued to push his power into Jarod as he struggled in his grasp.
Unfortunately for Mallok, the more he struggled, the tighter Jarod’s grip became. Realizing he would lose consciousness before Jarod surrendered his hold, Mallok stopped his pointless fighting and relaxed into Jarod’s grasp. “If you don’t release me, you can’t take her with you.” He gasped, as his vision started to fade. “I can’t remove a bonding crystal if I’m unconscious.”
Behind the two of them, Jaron watched as the other Immortals, as well as the two large wolves, made their way from behind the safety of the stone pillar. At the same time, Rico, Liam, and Zach suddenly appeared next to him, weapons drawn and prepared to battle. Fearing an all-out war was about to take place, Jaron turned his attention back to Jarod. “Drop him.”
With a disgruntled grunt, Jarod released his grip on the Immortal Elemental and dropped him to the floor gracelessly. Landing flat on his back, it took Mallok several large deep breaths of air to recover from the fall, before rising back on his feet and narrowing his gaze at Jarod, who had since joined Jaron’s side. Together with the others they formed a wall between the Immortals and K, who slowly allowed the black mist to evaporate.
“What the hell are you?” he asked, his attention transfixed on Jarod. “I put enough electricity into your body to kill ten of you. How is it you are still standing?”
“I have a high tolerance for pain.” Jarod responded flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Mallok’s eyebrows shot to his forehead as he continued to stare at the massive man with the pitch-black eyes. “You don’t say.”
Not
desiring for Mallok to delve any deeper into Jarod’s unique situation, Jaron stepped forward and pulled his attention back to him. “We will be leaving now, and taking K with us.”
“No, you’re not, at least not until she has paid for the crimes she has committed.” Letting out a high-pitched whistle, Mallok grinned smugly as the room was suddenly filled with hundreds of soldiers. “Did you really think I was going to let her simply walk out of here after killing one of my own? Besides, she still hasn’t been sentenced for the crime she was on trial for.”
Holding his ground, Jaron narrowed his gaze as he gestured to the carnage around the room. “This is not her fault. She didn’t come here looking for trouble… you dragged her here against her will. You drained her, you starved her, and you tried to read her. Just as you are the one who threw the knife at her back. Everything you see in this room is a result of your foolish pride not accepting that maybe, just maybe, she didn’t want you anymore.”
“She downed me and tried to take over my country.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Jaron yelled, “She doesn’t even want to rule her own damn country, so why the hell would you think she would want yours?”
Caught off guard by his response, Mallok remained silent as Jaron continued. “I am here to take her back where she belongs and I don’t give a shit about your trial or your need for retribution. I mean, just look at her for crying out loud.” Waving his hand behind him at K, Jaron sighed. “Doesn’t it look like she has already paid the price for whatever crimes she committed?”
“And don’t your laws say a person can only be punished once for a crime?” Maya interrupted, remembering what Jericho had whispered back at the camp. Stepping to the front of the group, with her clothing drenched in Ivan’s blood, she bowed slightly before continuing. “Or is that not so, my lord?”
“Whatever happened to her over there has nothing to do with what happened over here.” Mallok huffed, studying her closely.
“Are you certain of that?” Jaron challenged. “I mean, do you actually think it is coincidence that she was betrayed by those she trusted mere days after returning home. Or perhaps it was just a fluke that they happened to stab her with the exact same Hypnos blade she used on you.” With every word he spoke in her defense, Jaron could feel K’s rage slowly begin to ebb as his own grew. “Or how about this one… it must be coincidence that for the entire twenty years you slept, she was in the hands of her enemies being beaten and tortured.” Clenching his fists at his side, Jaron moved forward ready to take every last one of them on, until a gentle hand on his forearm stopped him in his tracks.
“That is enough.”
Stepping up beside him, K stared at the Council for a moment before turning her attention back to Jaron. Meeting her gaze, Jaron breathed a sigh of relief to see crystal blue eyes staring back at him. “Thank you,” she said, bowing her head slightly.
Smiling softly back down at her, Jaron bowed back. “Anytime, my lady.”
With an exhausted sigh, K then turned to address Mallok and the rest of the Council. “Let me leave Mallok.” K began, but paused as Marko stumbled from around the stone pillar. Rushing to his side, Lady Kirsten helped him stay on his feet as she led him to stand next to his king. Glad to see the young man would be alright, K returned her attention to Mallok. “Don’t you think enough blood has already been shed over a matter that should have been settled between just the two of us.”
“And forget everything that happened?” Mallok retorted, but paused as he stared at the massive scar running the length of the right side of her face. Lowering his gaze to the twenty circular scars spanning the width of her chest, Mallok’s brow furrowed. “What happened to you?”
“It is no longer of importance, what is done is done and it is time to leave the past behind us.”
“Including our history together?”
“Yes.” The finality of her tone made it clear K had no intention of elaborating beyond her simple answer.
Considering her for a moment, Mallok’s attention was once drawn to the innumerable scars now decorating her too thin body and with a defeated breath he continued. “I accept that you have already paid a heavy price for your betrayal… though why you did it will plaque my nightmares for years to come.” Casting his attention over to the crumpled bodies of his fellow Councilmen, Mallok shook his head. “But Brink and Cato are going to want some sort of retribution for what happened here today.” Gesturing behind him, Mallok continued, “Not to mention the death and near death of two of my best men.”
“But that is not her fault,” Jaron growled, ready to take the entire Council on if needed, but once again, K’s gentle touch stopped him in his tracks.
“Then how about I offer to you a compromise?” K spoke calmly as she looked over each of them. “The same one I would have offered had you come to me in the first place instead of going through all this trouble.”
“Oh, yeah. And what would that be?”
“I will surrender one of the gifts the Council has given me… without taking back my own.”
“And who decides which gift you surrender?”
“I leave that decision to the discretion of the Council.”
Furrowing his brow, Mallok rubbed his chin as he considered her offer. After a few moments, he turned over his shoulder to address the others. “And what do you think?”
“It seems a reasonable offer.” Elymas responded flatly. “And given the circumstances, it seems to be the most appropriate course of action.”
“I too feel this offer is more than fair.” Lady Kirsten added. “Besides, it wasn’t like this was a legitimate trial, since none of her people were present to witness the trial of their own queen.”
All eyes then fell upon Serefina, who appeared reluctant to vote. However, after a few moments of feeling the pressure of the entire room upon her, Serefina finally relented.
“Fine, me as well,” she sighed dismissively. “I just want to get back to my forest.”
Mallok then turned his attention to Marko. “And you? You are a victim in all this as well. Does this decision satisfy you also?”
Raising his gaze up to K, Marko nodded weakly. “Yes, my lord, it does.”
Nodding once, Mallok straightened and let his voice carry over the room. “Then Katiana de la Cruz, by a majority vote of the Council, in accordance to your crimes against me and your fellow Council members, I hereby sentence you to the removal of the first gift I ever bestowed upon you… your ability to mask.”
“You can’t do that!” Jaron shouted, “You know what that will do to her!”
Tightening her grip on Jaron’s arm, K regarded Mallok with a mixture of hurt and shock, “That was not a gift given to me by the Council.”
“No, it was one given from me to a woman I loved and trusted.” Mallok answered simply, “It seems only fitting it be the one I now take back.”
“You would send me back into the dark?”
“This is my offer. Take it or we can wait for the others to wake up and resume the trial now that your witnesses are here.”
Lowering her gaze, K considered her options for a moment, then slowly stepped forward. Realizing what she was about to do, Jaron grabbed her arm and stopped her. “K you don’t have to do this, we can have the trial, work out something different.”
“We are out of time Jaron.” K said solemnly, “This is the only outcome that gets me back to Vanteria in time to stop the Shadows.”
“K…”
“It’s ok Jaron.” Placing her hand over his on her arm, K smiled. “I would think you would be happy, given you have begged me for years to show people my true form.”
Pulling his fingers from her arm, K stepped away and continued forward until she stood directly in the center of the two groups. There she remained, silently waiting as Mallok slowly approached. “Last chance to tell me what I want to know.” He offered, stopping inches away from her. Dropping her gaze, K’s only response was a slight shake of her head.
Shrugging, Mallok closed what little distance remained between them. Wrapping one hand around the base of her neck, he placed the other gently over her right side over where the shard had been placed.
Closing her eyes, K leaned her head back to rest her weight fully on the hand encircling her neck as Mallok proceeded to call upon his connection with the shard. Thrusting his power into the small crystal, Mallok used his bond with it to pull and bound K’s masking ability. And though the process of having a power, that had essentially become a part of her over the years, stripped from her core pained her immensely, K refused to cry out. Fighting back the tears, K closed her eyes and bit her lip, as she leaned fully into his embrace.
Sweat beading his brow, Mallok continued to work until he was satisfied that the gift had successfully been bound within the crystal. “Brace yourself,” he warned mere seconds before he ripped the sharp object clear from her body. Instantly K, went unconscious and her body fell limp in his arms.
Tossing the crystal across the room, a pained expression creased Mallok’s brow as the realization of what he had done finally sunk in. Holding on to her tightly, he leaned over and pressed his forehead against K’s. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, fighting back his tears as he studied the scarring up close. “I’m so sorry.”
Infuriated, Jaron rushed forth and snatched her from Mallok’s hold. “She has done as you asked. Now keep your end of the bargain and let us leave.”
Slowly Mallok drug his gaze from K up to Jaron. “Go. You have my word no one will try to stop you.” Nodding toward K’s limp body, he added, “Just be sure to keep her out of the sunlight.”
“I know of her condition.” Jaron snapped angrily, “And I think you are a damn cruel bastard for doing this, knowing how it will affect her.” Turning his attention over his shoulder, Jaron motioned to Maya, “Hand me Jarod’s jacket, it should keep her safe until the sun sets.”
Forsaken (The Shadow Chronicles Book 3) Page 36