Following this, he casually stepped toward Edith and Isaac as she searched for something to say if only to buy time, settling on remarking impassively, “So you're Rothario.”
“You mean fucknut?” Isaac interjected, his breathing heavy due to the pain he was still enduring.
“Not now, Isaac,” Edith whispered softly, deciding to play the part of a frightened female to hopefully give Rothario a false sense of security.
The Steward's red eyes leered at her in scrutiny, but then turned on Isaac with a cold, indifferent smirk lifting one corner of his mouth. “How nice to see you again, Alder, particularly amidst so many of my soldier's blades.”
Isaac growled, rasping, “I had a feeling you'd be the bitch who hid behind other bitches.”
Rothario shook his head, then returned his attention to Edith. “And you're the usurper? I'd no idea you'd be a Perosian, unless you're using an illusion, and such a pretty one.”
Edith almost told him to go fuck himself, but managed to bite her tongue at the last second. Instead, she implored, “Please, can we just talk? The future is never set in stone, Rothario, and for all we know, you and I might be best friends. Once I have my staff, who knows what we could work out.”
Amused, Rothario looked between them and asked as if he hadn't heard correctly, “Was that a plea for mercy?”
“Yes,” Edith nodded sincerely. “So just call off your guards. Besides, I'm not a threat! I don't even have any magic left! My Calling's taken it all.”
“Edith! Why would you tell him that!” Isaac rasped, obviously playing along with her farce even though he had no idea why she was acting this way. And I love him even more.
“I have to,” she countered. “I never agreed to usurp him, and I'm not planning on changing my mind. So what is it you want, Rothario? An alliance with Mystikkar? Because I'll do whatever it takes.”
It wasn't easy to tell if Rothario had actually taken the bait because he simply sneered, “How pathetic. Yet you are right, the future isn't set in stone. But if you knew what I've planned, I don't believe you'd be so willing to bargain.”
“Try me,” she insisted.
Inclining his head in agreement, Rothario returned, “Very well, I'll tell you.” To his guards, he directed, “Kill her, and take Alder to the palace.”
Immediately, the guard standing behind Edith moved to strike.
In response, she prepared to use what was left of her magic to cast a shielding spell around them while Isaac nearly grabbed her to pull out of harm's way despite his pain.
But neither of them, Rothario included, expected what came next.
Just before the guard standing behind Edith could land a killing blow, the soldier to her right thrust his sword directly into the slit of his comrade's visor, stabbing into his head beneath it. Blood gushed across the blade as he fell to his knees once the sword was jerked back—and two other guards joined him against their Steward's orders.
By the time they were done, three of the imperial guards were dead.
Edith and Isaac were both too stunned by the development to initially react, but soon realized exactly what was happening—some of the soldiers were just as tired of Rothario's bullshit as they were.
Dalia said they'd spread word of the prophecy, so perhaps they'd caught wind of it and wished for the usurper to succeed. But whatever the case, as soon as Rothario heard his men hitting the floor and turned to see that he now had only four loyal men still standing, he growled, “Traitors! Kill them!”
At his command, his guards tried to attack Edith again, and the three who'd turned on the Steward intercepted—this time with Isaac's help.
Grabbing one of the fallen soldier's blades, he stood and decapitated another with speed, the clang of metal echoing against the cavern walls. At the same time, Edith lifted her hands, her palms glowing with the intentions of casting the shielding spell and offering her new allies an edge.
But she never got the chance.
Amidst the fighting, Rothario teleported right in front of her, quickly reaching down to clutch her throat in a tight grip.
Cutting off her air supply, he lifted her from the floor with little effort and turned, slamming her body into the cavern wall. On impact, Edith saw stars that had nothing to do with the glittering oyalite—and that was exactly what she wanted.
Take a bow, fucknut. Your time is up.
“Drop your fucking weapons!”
Isaac's sharp command rang out in the cavern when he saw Rothario grabbing Edith to slam against the wall—and he was helpless to intervene quickly enough to save her life. With his mute burning, his battle prowess was already compromised, and topping it off, he couldn't teleport due to the wards Rothario had set.
But thankfully, the guards who'd betrayed the Steward immediately dropped their blades—not that their surrender promised Rothario wouldn't kill her anyway. His priority all along was to see Edith dead, and like clockwork, the enemy soldiers moved to strike their treacherous comrades down.
One by one, those men fell, and the remaining three soldiers immediately seized Isaac, forcing him to the floor with his arms behind his back where they shackled his wrists together.
Once properly secured, one of them grasped a fistful of Isaac's hair to jerk his head back, allowing him to behold Edith still dangling from Rothario's fist, obviously unable to breathe.
He growled at the sight, desperate to find a way to free her as the Steward remarked, “Perhaps it's better this way. Alder gets to witness your death at my hands, and then I'll gloat by sending your head to Chandra.”
Hearing this, Isaac jerked against the guards holding him, indifferent to the blade one of them placed against his neck demanding compliance. If it weren't for his mute and the enchanted shackles on his wrists binding his strength, he could easily free himself of their hold, snarling in anger at the mere thought of his helplessness in the face of Edith's peril.
But then his mate rasped five words that captured his full attention.
“Good luck with that, fucknut.”
At the same time, she quickly reached for Rothario's mask, snatching it from his face. It was such a random act that it took Isaac a full moment to process what she'd done, and Rothario looked just as baffled.
Until his mask vanished into her magical cache.
Suddenly, the reason for Edith's damsel-in-distress act became clear. The mask she needed was Rothario's, and she was trying to lure him close enough to snatch it, fooling him without using a single bit of magic. She's not just my angel, she's my fucking queen.
But as amusing as her farce had been, they were still faced with the challenge of escaping, and just as Isaac was wondering if she had another trick up her sleeve, he recalled that the mask was the last piece.
A low whirring suddenly sounded throughout the cavern as a testament to that fact. It started softly, but very swiftly began reverberating off the walls. In the process, Rothario almost got the chance to react, but a bright light encompassed Edith's body that blinded him and every other Perosian in the room.
Isaac had to squeeze his eyes shut, the sound growing louder with an explosion of magical energy resonating around them. Unable to see, he listened to the sudden blast accompanied by Rothario's yell, then a thud suggesting the Steward had been knocked back and landed on the cavern floor.
Silence ensued the incident for several moments, and once the light faded, Isaac looked to see Edith standing above Rothario in her true form, holding a tall staff in her right hand the color of oyalite. At the tip, the silvery metal formed two crescent moons intersecting a translucent gem that glinted pink and blue in the torchlight.
Isaac couldn't help but stare in awe, particularly because of the murderous glint in her eyes when she glared at the guards holding him captive.
Energy crackled across her staff in a clear threat, and the weapon began glowing—as did their swords just moments before the weapons jerked away from their hands to attack their owners relentlessly.
&nb
sp; One soldier was decapitated before he could react, and with no choice but to fight their own blades, the others released Isaac while Edith returned her attention to Rothario.
The Steward backed away across the floor, and she casually followed, stating, “Now I'll tell you my plans, fucknut. First, I'm gonna do exactly what the prophecy foretold, then take your head to Chandra. We'll use it as a centerpiece while toasting in celebration.”
Already, her staff was sparking in preparation of ending the Steward for good. Damn, I wanna fuck her five ways to Sunday. Or more. Definitely more.
But as Edith tried to make a move, Rothario lifted a hand in Isaac's direction and remarked, “Very well, but if I go, he goes with me.”
The mute suddenly expanded so swiftly that Isaac let a sharp yell, his entire back burning as if literally on fire.
Immediately, Edith ceased her impending attack, and Rothario took the chance to teleport to him, shoving a boot into Isaac's back. The movement amplified his suffering until he was unable to operate on anything but instinct with only one logical thought remaining.
If I can't escape this myself, I hope Edith tears him limb from limb.
Thirty-Three
• • •
“Stop!” Edith bellowed while cursing herself inwardly. She should've seen this coming—threatening Isaac's life was the only card Rothario had left to play.
But there wasn't much she could've done to prevent it. Teleporting past the wards was impossible, as was sending Isaac to Dalia alone. Additionally, the Steward's mental prowess was too strong to allow her to charm him, even with her staff in hand.
So they were at a stalemate.
Still, Isaac ignored the threat to his life to demand, “Fuck playing by his rules, Edith. Slaughter this fucknut!”
Edith would dearly love the chance, but not at the cost of Isaac's life, and irritatingly, Rothario's smug smirk proved he knew it.
But she also knew Rothario wasn't going to kill him, otherwise he'd have nothing to hold over her head.
So he stated, “Allow me to extend an invitation to the Imperial City, saying you can make it that far without meeting your demise. Alder will be waiting for you in the Grand Coliseum. But know this … ”
Implicitly, Rothario added, “You have two hours to get there, and for every hour you make me wait longer, an innocent will die. Perhaps a slave, or even a child.”
The mere thought churned Edith's stomach in disgust, reminding her of Dalia's stories about what the Steward was capable of when his power was threatened. Still, she demanded, “You'd kill your own people?”
“They're hardly my people if they're not loyal, and I've a large number of recently captured traitors to choose from.” His lips curved into a disturbingly pleasant smirk when he added, “So don't keep me waiting long.”
At that, the Steward disappeared, taking Isaac with him.
“Shit!” she exclaimed angrily, then inhaled a deep breath to stay focused.
She only had two hours to reach the Imperial City, and that definitely didn't leave time to worry—nor did it give her the chance to return to the Aeonic Well, which could prove to be dangerous.
Without gaining her immortality, controlling the raw forces of magic her staff conducted would be a meticulous undertaking. Edith could still utilize the weapon, and do so with potent results.
But if care wasn't taken over the strength of magic she used, it could very easily kill her.
Like I give a fuck.
Even if Rothario had given her all the time in the world, she'd never leave Isaac in his hands. So all she needed in order for the ass kicking to commence was a solid plan of action.
Sadly, there wasn't any time to formulate one. Only moments after Rothario's departure with Isaac, twenty armed guards teleported into the cavern without warning. The Steward must've sent them as soon as he'd arrived in the city—an entire squadron just for her.
A year ago, Edith would've panicked. Even just prior to accepting her Calling, she would've feared. But now, the sight of so many soldiers was a delectably gratifying stroke to her ego, a reminder that immortal or not, she was a force to be reckoned with.
So, as their captain gave the order to attack, only one thought came to mind. Target practice!
With a wave of men rushing toward her, Edith reacted swiftly, waving her hand to summon a magical force that knocked them all away. Some soldiers hit the walls while others flew into their comrades, and before they recovered, she raised her staff and slammed the tip into the cavern floor.
On impact, glowing veins of light forked out over the ground, quickly spreading to the nearby trolleys containing piles of rocks. Soon, those piles lit and began rumbling as, one by one, the heavy stones lifted into the air and flew at her enemies with frightening speed.
They tried to take cover from the rock storm, but the walls and soldiers alike were pummeled with a cacophony of sound echoing around them. If anyone managed to move closer, Edith singled them out with a heavy rock smashing them down into the cavern floor.
Soon, all of them were buried under a mound of oyalite ore, either unconscious, dead, or trapped.
As the last stone fell from the air, Edith kissed her staff, then watched carefully to make certain none had escaped.
A loud grunt sounded directly behind her.
Spinning around, she came face to face with another soldier, his sword raised to strike. Swiftly, she lifted her staff to deflect the blow, but stopped at the last second when the demon's weapon slipped from his fingers to clatter against the floor—and his body soon followed with the tip of a blade jutting from his throat.
As the soldier hit the ground, Edith expected to see Dalia behind him, thinking the demoness had come to check and reached the guard just in time. But instead, the image revealed was that of another soldier—one of Rothario's traitors who'd survived the earlier fight and just saved her life.
Not that he'd come out of the scuffle unscathed. Blood was dribbling down his chest plate from a stab wound, and the sword was still buried in his back.
But he ignored the injury in favor of offering his hand, stating, “Come with me. I can teleport through the wards to a safe place.”
Edith was certainly glad to hear it, but she hesitated. “Not yet, I need to regroup with someone waiting outside the mine first.”
“There's no time! These mines will be overrun—”
“I don't care if Rothario sends reinforcements,” she interjected sternly. “I am not leaving her behind.”
The soldier was initially silent, regarding her with a set of icy blue eyes she could just barely see through the slits in his visor. But then he nodded in agreement.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
At that, Edith wasted no time departing, deciding to wait until they'd located Dalia to ask the guard his identity and why he was helping her.
On the way out, she cast another invisibility spell to make certain no one spotted them when they exited, and thankfully, it didn't take long to emerge in the clearing where she and Isaac originally entered the mine.
Edith led the guard to the trees where Dalia promised to wait, allowing their invisibility to fall away as she whispered, “Dalia? Are you here?”
“Edith?” Her voice came from beyond a group of bushes just before the demoness emerged, and she'd made friends. Behind her were the same Dok'aal workers who'd been resting outside the mine earlier—and they immediately took exception to the soldier's presence.
Quickly, Edith stepped between them, exclaiming, “Wait, he's on our side. He saved me twice in the mine, and he's going to take us somewhere safe. I'll explain everything that's happened there, including where Isaac is.”
Despite her claim, the soldier didn't immediately move to act, nor did he seem to even notice the Dok'aal.
Instead, he was staring at Dalia.
“You're … you look like Empress Esra. But you can't be Princess Dalia.”
His tone was bewildered, and Edith thought he was a
bout to drop to a knee. But Dalia didn't respond to the question, directing instead, “Just take us to this safe place Edith mentioned.”
Snapping out of his stupor, the guard did exactly that, clasping their hands and teleporting to what looked like … underground catacombs.
Several pillars stood around them, rising to a vaulted ceiling with reliefs of scenery carved into their surfaces. The walls were lined with old compartments housing the dead, and Dalia seemed to recognize the area because she asked, “The noble's crypt?”
“Where's that?” Edith inquired.
“We're still in the Lower Quarter,” she explained, keeping her gaze locked on the guard. “Now tell us who you are and why you've brought us here specifically.”
Removing his helmet to reveal pale skin, an angular face, and platinum blond hair tied back into a bun at his nape, he answered, “My name is Riordan Iree. I've served as a captain in the Imperial Army for centuries, but I recently joined a resistance movement that opposes Rothario. Down the corridor behind you is one of the havens we've set up for those trying to escape his tyranny.”
With that explained, Riordan dropped to his knees and bent forward in a show of subservience, still ignoring the sword stuck in his back as he pledged himself to Dalia. “I am also your servant, Your Majesty. Many have remained loyal to your family over the years, but we'd only heard rumors of Alder's survival, not yours.”
“I know. Mine was kept secret because of Rothario,” Dalia explained. “I've been living among a Dok'aal Clan in Ithelyon ever since my family was murdered.”
“Also, it's Isaac now, not Alder,” Edith pointed out, then looked at Dalia. “Speaking of Isaac, we were right to question Marcus. He led Rothario to us in the mine, and now, I have two hours to reach the coliseum and free Isaac, or Rothario's gonna start killing people he's captured as traitors.”
Initially, Dalia's gaze darkened in anger. But the more Edith explained, the more her expression turned to that of enlightenment until she finally cussed, “Shit. The coliseum.”
The Final Calling Page 28
