Power (Dark Scions Book 3)

by Anna Carven

  The agitated voices in the background crescendo to a deafening roar.

  Somehow, I’m forgotten as the guards surge in, blocking the nobles, who are shouting and jostling and trying to catch Krogen’s attention.

  I look around in astonishment. The tightly restrained atmosphere of the Imperial Court has descended into utter chaos.

  It’s surreal. I can’t believe my own eyes.

  What in Celise’s green glory has caused this sudden change in the emperor?

  According to the rumors, he’s ruthless and bloodthirsty, quick to put dissenters to the sword and merciless to his enemies.

  People were actually looking forward to the day he succeeded his father. He was going to make Midria greater than before, they said.

  But this Krogen is just a shadow of his reputation.

  His face has taken on a greyish cast.

  His eyes look haunted.

  He looks like a dead man walking.

  Could it be…?

  The fear in me starts to evaporate, turning into a wild kind of euphoria.

  Slowly, I start to walk away, my bare feet silent on the cold floor. Really, it is so very cold in here. I don’t remember it being this cold when I was presented to Horghus several moons ago.

  Nobody dares touch me.

  I look several of the nobles in the eye. They all glance away quickly, wanting nothing more to do with me.

  “Marked one,” a woman hisses, making the circular sign of Elar with her thumbs and forefingers.

  Unable to help myself, I glance over my shoulder, taking one last look at the emperor.

  Is that really… it?

  Am I free to go?

  Nobody… nobody has the power to influence the most powerful man in Midria like this…

  Except for one.

  Kaim? Is this your doing?

  Don’t be afraid, Amali. I am here now.

  My heart pounds furiously. Butterflies dance in my stomach. A wild kind of energy surges through me as I anticipate seeing him again.

  The elite guard form a ring around the emperor. Raising their swords, they start to escort him toward the rear entrance.

  Then, abruptly, they freeze.

  “Who the fuck is tha—”

  “Stop!” Krogen roars, his voice echoing loudly off the walls. “For the sake of all the empire…” His roar ends with a pitiful whimper.

  People hesitate.

  They turn.

  They look toward their emperor… and then beyond, toward the ornate golden throne.

  The silence that falls across the room is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It’s deep and all-consuming, as if the entire world has just frozen over.

  Above us, snow falls onto the great glass skylight, the very window Kaim and I escaped through not so long ago.

  A hint of a smile tugs the corners of my lips.

  Warmth blossoms in my chest.

  My smile widens.

  There’s a man standing by the throne. Well, he’s not exactly a man…

  Arrogantly, insolently, he leans with one arm resting on the dragon’s head, casting his midnight eyes across the room.

  So, you’ve finally arrived.

  Trembling with desire and excitement, I look up at him.

  I knew you would come.

  Kaim is exactly as I remember him from our dreams, but now he stands bare-chested, showing off his obsidian hands and his spectacular Ven tattoos, which are all the more astonishing now that the pigment from his hands has bled into the snake’s scales. The color is so dark his arms shimmer in the cold morning light.

  It’s mesmerizing. The serpent almost seems to twist and shift under his skin.

  His black hair has grown a little longer; it falls down past his ears, wild and tousled and startling against his snow-white skin.

  His eyes are the same shade of glittering black midnight as before, and as they move across the room, they’re as cold as a frozen winter lake.

  The change is complete.

  This is him.

  With his powerful, sculpted body exposed, every muscle and plane perfectly defined, he looks utterly menacing.

  Perhaps that’s the whole point of why he’s chosen to appear in this manner, wearing nothing more than his black pants and high black boots. He exudes a raw, primal physicality that nobody could mistake for human.

  He’s rather terrifying.

  But not to me. He’s my Kaim.

  People start to whisper fearfully.

  “Wh-who is that?”

  “What is he? Not human…”

  “The curse is true. She’s Marked, remember?”

  As Kaim’s glittering dark eyes meet mine, he goes very still, and for a heartbeat, some dark, unfathomable emotion crosses his face.

  The temperature drops a little more.

  Then he winks at me…

  And disappears into thin air.

  Thirty-Seven

  Kaim

  I hold back time again, just once more, because I am impatient to get to her.

  I freeze the aghast lords and ladies of the court, who have come primped out in all their makeup and finery, just to see my mate die.

  Fools.

  I freeze the stupid emperor, who has carried out my orders to the letter simply because he fears death more than dishonor.

  I freeze the elite guards, who are now and forever useless against me, because no blade, no matter how sharp, can cut me if it’s suspended in time.

  All the while, the only thing I can see is her.

  Amali.

  She who is precious above all else.

  I walk forward, past all the shocked, petrified Midrians, who are suspended in mid-motion as if they were part of some dramatic Godrian painting.

  I walk until I’m standing right in front of my mate.

  Her expression is soft and lovely. A gentle smile curves her lips as she stares at the place where I was standing just moments before.

  A greeting smile.

  Her beautiful eyes are wide and brilliant with excitement.

  You’ve finally come, she seems to be saying.

  My heart swells with warmth.

  As I caress the side of her face, I can’t help but notice that her skin is cracked and dry in places. Her lips are dry too, and her cheeks are slightly hollowed; her jaw and cheekbones a little more prominent than when I saw her last.

  The rough black dress she’s wearing fails to hide the sharpness of her shoulders or the slenderness of her waist.

  They’ve been starving her.

  I fear that when I undress her and take a good look at her, I will see that she’s hurt, and I won’t be able to contain my anger.

  I’m already this close to killing this entire fucking court of fools, but Amali would not want it done that way, and neither, I suspect, would my father.

  “Oh, Amali,” I whisper, caressing her cheek with my thumb.

  I should release time and let her see me now, but I can’t resist planting a kiss on her warm lips first. Against my icy skin, she feels like pure fire.

  I stroke the side of her cheek with my obsidian thumb, hardly believing that she’s right here in front of me.

  Mine.

  With great tenderness, I lift her into my arms and carry her across the floor, past the terrified Krogen and his elite guards.

  I place her on the imperial Midrian throne, out of reach of her captors. I take special care to make sure she’s comfortable, then I drop to my knees in front of her and take her hands into mine.

  Her fingers are thinner and slightly roughened, more evidence of harsh treatment at the hands of the Midrians.

  Whoever made her suffer is going to die.

  I plant a soft kiss on the back of her hand. “I’m sorry I couldn’t reach you faster. Please forgive me, my brave and precious Enaka,” I murmur as I slowly release the strands of time again. This trick of mine has become far too easy to do since Lok released the seal on my body.

  The Midrian court regain
s awareness. They stare at us in horror, but I barely notice.

  Every fiber of my being is focused on her.

  Amali’s eyes flutter.

  Her features soften.

  She looks around, taking stock of her bearings. Confusion flits across her face, but it’s quickly replaced with understanding as she realizes where she is.

  She looks down, meeting my gaze.

  Warmth starts to creep into my chest, and as always, it’s stronger than the cold.

  “Hello, Amali,” I whisper, savoring the sound of her name as it rolls off my tongue like a prayer.

  How fearsome she is.

  When we met in our dreams, not once did she complain or even reveal the true extent of her suffering.

  Her smile widens. “I’ve been waiting for you, Kaimeniel. What took you so long?”

  I open my mouth to say something, but no words come out. I’m utterly speechless.

  Only she could ever do that to me.

  Arousal builds inside me; a slow fire coming to life.

  I bow my head and kiss her hand again.

  It is good this way. Let the entire Midrian Empire know that I only bow to her.

  Let them understand that they sought to harm and destroy that which is most precious to me.

  “I will explain everything,” I say softly, “but first I must finish what I started here. I beg a moment of your patience, Amali. Then I will take you away from all of this.”

  She gently pulls at my fingers, which are closed around hers. Get up, she tells me. I rise to my feet, drowning a little in her amber-flecked eyes.

  “There’s no need to do that,” she whispers, her voice dropping so low that only I can hear. “Whatever you’re about to do, I understand. I trust you.”

  I return her smile as I gently disengage my hand from hers. It’s a secret smile, reserved only for her, because when I turn around to face the Midrian Imperial Court, my heart turns to ice.

  I walk forward, down the dais, across the floor, my footsteps unhurried as I gaze across the hall.

  I know how I must appear to them. I used to carefully hide this appearance from the world, but there’s no need for that anymore.

  Now I reveal my Oraka serpent tattoos on purpose. I show my powers deliberately; provocatively.

  They just saw me disappear into thin air.

  And now they will know who I am.

  I stop just before the emperor and his guards, who half-heartedly raise their swords to defend him. The color drains from Krogen Anskell’s face as I meet his eyes.

  The two of us, we are acquainted. He knows what will happen to him if he doesn’t follow my orders to the letter.

  “Swords down,” Krogen hisses to his guards, motioning furiously with his hands. “I did everything you asked,” he whispers. “What more do you want?”

  “You tried to destroy something—someone—that is precious to me above all else.” My voice changes, becoming deep and resonant as I allow my anger to take over. I barely recognize myself. I don’t sound human anymore, but that is to be expected. “You wanted to erase her tribe and her people from existence. Your men; the soldiers directly under your command, they took her from me and harmed her.” I lean forward, and Krogen recoils. Sweat beads on his temples. His expression is pure fear.

  After the little conversation we had before he stepped into the hall, he should be afraid.

  You already know what I am, don’t you, Krogen? I am death, and if you don’t do exactly as I command, I will rip you away from this world faster than you can blink.

  The nobles in the audience whisper fearfully amongst themselves.

  “The legends are true…”

  “He’s a demon… a monster…”

  “No. He’s the death-god himself.”

  “Elar save us!” an old woman cries out dramatically. “O glorious god of light, save your chosen people from this darkness, this evil, this death…”

  “Shush!” several other people say at the same time. “Are you trying to get us killed, old hag?”

  It’s almost comical. If I wasn’t so angry, I might even be darkly amused.

  “Enough,” I say quietly, and the Midrian court immediately falls silent. It matters not one whit that between them, these people hold almost all of the wealth and power in the empire.

  In the end, they’re just mortals.

  And they’re afraid of me, which is exactly what I intended.

  Perhaps they have realized that I could slaughter them all in an instant if I wished. It would be too easy.

  But I won’t do that.

  “You seem to forget that there is more than one god,” I say softly as I walk forward, meeting the eyes of every single Midrian in the room. Even the servants aren’t spared my glare. “Don’t you think it’s a little too arrogant for you to presume that you can so much as touch her and not suffer the consequences?”

  They are all staring at me, horrified and transfixed. Some even shake their heads slowly, regretfully, as if suddenly realizing how wrong they’ve been.

  I twirl the strands of time around my cold fingers, ready to unleash my power if anyone so much as looks at my Amali the wrong way.

  In fact, they shouldn’t look at her at all.

  They aren’t worthy.

  “For now on, you will all understand that the Rift Continent is my domain. I can send each and every one of you into the underworld without a second thought, so listen very carefully now.” I stop and turn back toward Krogen and his guards. “No Midrian will set foot in the Komori forest without my blessing. No Midrian will enter the Talamassa range or the Tangled Lowlands beyond. No Midrian will sail into the Luxlan Sea. Forget your warlike aspirations, your ambitions of expanding the empire. You will not make a single move without my permission.” I meet Krogen’s blue eyes. His golden brow is furrowed, and his jaw is trembling slightly. He looks like a man whose life ambitions have been stolen away from him in an instant. “And you. You know what we discussed.”

  “I do,” he grates, knowing full well that from now on, he submits to me in all things.

  Clearly, this wasn’t part of his plans, but when do things ever go to plan?

  I am perhaps fortunate that my Ven training has schooled me well in the subject of Midrian politics, because now I understand how to control the entire Midrian elite.

  It starts from the top. It always starts from the top.

  And for Krogen, who dreamed of unlimited power in this lifetime, this is a fate worse than death.

  “You will find Commander Trise above the battlement wall that borders the Great Square.” I say quietly. “You are to leave him exactly where you found him, in full view, until the sun and sky strip the skin and flesh from his bones. Let this be a warning to anyone who wants to try and defy me, who wants to try and take what is mine. You won’t know where or when it’s going to happen, but I will come for you. You won’t even see me until you’re drawing your last breath.”

  Of course, Trise is dead now.

  His head is on a pole, overlooking the crowds.

  How they fell silent when I appeared, holding Trise’s severed head by the hair.

  I made sure he suffered before he died.

  I look over Krogen’s shoulder to Amali, meeting her eyes. I know this man made you suffer. This revenge is for you, my Enaka. It is not noble, or good, or merciful, or perhaps even just, but it is the only way I know how to make it right. I would destroy this foolish emperor and his subjects in a heartbeat, but I suspect you would not want that.

  Her hand might have been the one that took Horghus’s life, but she is far more merciful than I.

  I need her by my side, so very badly.

  She goes still, her beautiful features shifting so very slightly, revealing a complicated array of emotions that I cannot even try to begin go read.

  For a moment, I am nervous.

  What if… she is displeased?

  But then her expression softens, and she looks at me with such gentleness t
hat I’m utterly floored.

  That look…

  It is only for me. The Midrians in background fade into insignificance. For a moment, it feels like she and I are the only two beings in existence.

  “It is enough,” she says gently, beckoning me with a tiny, almost imperceptible tug of her fingers. “Enough now, Kaim. Take me away from here. Let’s go home.”

  Wherever that may be, it doesn’t matter.

  As long as I have her, home will be wherever we make it.

  That’s it.

  Then it is done…

  For now.

  I turn to face the Midrian Court. “All of you, get out.”

  The silence is deafening as they stare at me in confusion; in disbelief.

  I glare at Krogen. Don’t make me repeat myself.

  “What the fuck are you waiting for?” the new emperor of Midria bellows. “You heard him. Leave.”

  You too, Krogen.

  And just like that, in a flurry of gaudy silks and cloying perfume and fear, the Great Hall empties out, leaving me alone with the woman of my dreams.

  This time, it is I who beckons to her. “Come, my love. Let me see you properly. It has been too long.”

  Slowly, almost teasingly, she rises up off the golden throne and walks to me, barefoot on the cold floor, swaying her hips, moving gracefully and sinuously like the dancer she is.

  And she is the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen.

  My heart misses a beat. Desire surges through my body like wildfire, obliterating the coldness that always comes when I use my powers.

  Obliterating death.

  She is the life to my eternal death.

  And when she smiles like that, he burns away all my darkness.

  I feel impossibly light.

  I feel free.

  What else can I do but take her into my arms and kiss her deeply and hold her tightly, knowing that I’ll never let her go, ever again?

  Thirty-Eight

  Amali

  Hello, Amali.

  Kaim’s devious little greeting echoes in my mind as he kisses me, his lips cold like the first autumn frost.

  The cold doesn’t bother me. I barely notice it, because I simply need him.