by Jamie Magee
“Respect is not what they had for King and Dagen when they showed the same powers we have. The Sons felt threatened. I need them to grasp the bond they have with me, not question it.”
“How do you suppose Talon is fairing now?” she asked wryly. “Can you feel him as clearly as I do?”
Scorpio doubted he could. There were barriers Scorpio had in place for reasons. It was hard to look another in the eye and tell them that you had honor and respect for them, even brotherly love. But at the same time, you were plotting day in and out to slaughter a woman they had built an empire with.
“Talon is wise enough to choose his steps carefully, and if he has sensed or stumbled on this power he will not flaunt it, but keep it as his secret to use when he sees fit.”
“And so shall you. You are overdue for an appearance there.”
Scorpio did not like this idea at all. “Exactly what battlefield am I to direct them to?”
“Sacred ground.”
“Here?” he asked with a furrowed brow. The land his people had once roamed had been protected by him over the eras. He may not have saved all that he wanted, or who he wanted, but he stopped the witches or any other supernatural being from syphoning the power from the lands.
“Sacred,” she repeated. “We will be drawn to this battle, to where it will reside when it is ready to be fought. I ask you to go home for Talon and the others.” She tried to shift her expression into a smile. “They need you more.”
It was a lie— one that her stare was pleading with him to accept. Toril had already seen her end, the moment when her newfound power would fade under the demand of the spell that had suspended her in time for so long.
He pointed at her. “You stay here. We are finishing this.”
“I will stay on this land.” He went to argue with her, but she spoke over him. “I need to feel the dirt under my feet, and the air in my lungs. I have to hear the heartbeat of this earth...I have to know there is still something worth fighting for.”
He clenched his jaw hating this sudden separation, he’d rather argue with her for an eternity than spend another second with her not in arms reach. “One false sound, one false anything and you are here again. Safe.”
“Same to you...”
Their vim reached for each other, caressing and empowering as it did, then he dropped his eyes and made his way through the cavern toward the perfect vortex of power lurking on this land. Once there he used his newfound supremacy and appeared hundreds of miles away right at the gates of the Boneyard, the temple of a life that had claimed him long ago.
Chapter Three
Reveca was dying alone, crazed and rippled by her anxieties. She was damn sure of it. The phantom pains were the worst. The sensation of being struck and then drained had caught her off guard and left her defenses locked in place ever since.
She was sure she felt a massive blow to King’s line. That was the only explanation that made logical sense. It had been hours since the blow but her last panic attack laced in well-deserved anger was still pumping through her.
Alone. Fucking Alone. Not another soul whatsoever had dared to return to the cavern. She’d watched the sun set and was sure it was due to rise at any moment, and still no one had arrived. By no means had enough time passed for her to reconsider her point of view on this entire matter, much less assume King had bayed his anger.
The time felt doubled, near infinite as she endured the pain from the night before. Her mind raced in every direction as she struggled to understand what could have happened and to who. The worst of her fears was that King had been taken again. The last person she had paid homage to was Crass and his rubbish list of souls needed to buy his silence. He would be within his rights to flex his power. Knowing she had let this monumental task fall behind only strung her all the tighter.
Her river of bad luck could stop any second now. That would be fan-freaking-tastic. Instead, she felt the flood of wrath coming for her, whispering her name from the dark crevasses of her mind.
Feeling her vigilance brimming through her essence gave her hope King was still on this side of death. He was hurt. She could feel it. Who would’ve been foolish enough to harm him?
The Sons? It was possible. They were right ticked at her and stressed by Talon’s impending doom. Dust was a conniving asshole who could have planted any number of rumors among the men to get them rallied. Too much had happened too soon after a stay of peace. Her warriors were expecting an end, and because they were, the universe was revealing one to them at every turn. There was no one there to remind them how powerful their minds were. To tell them it is emotions that shape your sight, not your eyes.
One side of her said it served them right that she felt the way she was feeling just then, the other side said she’d only made this worse by leaving her warriors alone with their aggressions.
At this point, Reveca was feeling the exhaustion of her repeated escape attempts. Pounding against the wall of power was enough to knock her winded, the spells she had cast since then to outmaneuver King’s power had all but left her sliding down the high aftermath of adrenaline.
What the fuck was she going to do now? One thought said if she could not get out, then Toril could not get in. Problem solved. Wait. No, it wasn’t. This made her the coward, didn’t it? Hiding away, locked away, like a fucking damsel in distress. That simply would not do.
Of all the enemies Reveca had ever had, there had never been one she yearned to kill more than Toril. Reveca had far more life after meeting Toril than before, but either way, she’d tell anyone she was born to destroy the haughty bitch she thought Toril was. Lowborn, low class, fucking whore is what Toril was.
What was her complaint? That Reveca saved a warrior from sudden death? Please. Even if her bullshit story about Reveca causing the loss of others in her family held any weight at all, so fucking what. It’s called cause and effect.
It would be different if Reveca set out to harm some random soul for kicks. She didn’t. She was living her life the way she wanted to and boom this bullshit fell in her lap. What did she do to attract it? Nothing. Nothing that she would acknowledge at least. So what if she had gotten a bit buzzed on power? Who cared if she fought against her family and their ancient rules? It’s called adolescence. You gotta learn how not to fuck up somehow, the best way? Fucking up. And she had.
She had screwed over far more souls deliberately, and in the most woeful ways. More than she had accidentally. Or so she could try to fool herself. Who pays attention to the nameless souls who fall victim to a haphazard everyday act committed? No one. No one realizes how every action taken by them affects someone in some way. No society is built to conceive this. At least not since the last Throng fell.
Reveca sneered at the very thought of a Throng. It may have been because when she was born the notion of them was all but dead, but she never got the majestic sensations others did when they were spoken of. In truth, they’d always felt like a threat to her, a dominance she had to adhere to. They had control, over her, of all things. Not cool. Reveca didn’t even let her parents have control over her.
What fucking good was it to live a life if someone had already seen it, if your path was dictated? Talk about a spoiler alert. Not admiring Throng’s was not an awesome opinion to have considering the bloodline she came from. An oracle king for a father, a queen who obeyed and honored husband and devoutly as her faith for a mother. Eye Roll. It was no wonder Saige had always been the favored twin.
Fucking Saige. Reveca could just imagine her smug smile right about now. Saige had been waiting far too long for the tables to turn. She wanted Reveca on her knees worshipping a Rapture—the staple of a religion Reveca had abandoned, hell for all she had done. Worse, Saige wanted Reveca to watch her swim in the glory of happiness while she suffered.
Of course Saige never directly said as much. She was far too proper to hurl insults or selfish curses at anyone. Reveca sensed her desires all the same. Each time Saige tried to save Reveca fr
om herself, Reveca was sure the female was simply jealous as hell that she didn’t have the gall to live.
It wasn’t for Reveca’s lack of trying; she purposely pushed every button her sister had. Men were the easiest to taunt her with. For a prude, Saige had a good eye for the males, she was drawn to power, a flare of openness, and to men who had everything she didn’t. She never fought for a single one Reveca pulled from her, which was both annoying and frustrating. Half the reason Reveca kept Talon after the first night she was with him was because of the look of disgust Saige had on her face at dawn when she watched Reveca walk out of the warrior’s camp looking well satisfied and exhausted.
“I surely hope you told him your name. I will be damned if you’ll sour another reputation of mine, sister.” Saige had said. It was a common phrase of hers, but this time there was something different in her words, an emotion that Reveca had never pegged. It was too sad to be jealousy, too angry to be sad. But it was an emotion! Which is all Reveca ever wanted to draw out of her sister.
Reveca only laughed. Many of the times the coven set up residence in a new city Reveca lingered behind, and was never present for the formal introductions. The wealthy nobles who lead their people would be charmed by the quiet beauty Saige was. Then like a thief in the night Reveca would put on one of Saige’s dresses and give the city something to talk about. It was one of the most cheerful memories Reveca had of the godforsaken dimension she had fled to once her homeland was destroyed.
Not even an hour after dawn that first morning Reveca overheard Saige crying on Jamison’s shoulder, begging him to send the armies away, if not then to send her. “I can’t watch this, she’s out of control. It wasn’t written this way, the words were not this cruel.”
Saige was speaking of a prophecy that was left wide open for any and all to interpret as they wished. The text was lyrical and gave way to free will. Hearing her sister say how far off the beaten path Reveca was with her latest male conquest only spurred Reveca to give him another go. And what do you know, Talon proved to be more than a good fuck. He loved the art of war as much as she did; he saw the same bullshit she did when it came to political games.
Eras later, and Saige had her way, didn’t she? Even though Talon fucked Tisk to officially break them up, it was Reveca who walked away in the wrong. She had lied to Talon from day one. He never knew she grieved for anyone. If he did, Reveca was sure he would’ve rethought a few of the wars, if not half.
Talon had a golden rule; wars were not to be fought for the gain of few, but for the gain of the masses. Reveca had inflated more than enough reasons they must go to war at the beginning of their relationship. She had no choice; she was trying to entice the Gods to take her too. To do so, she had to be at war, building energy where she knew they would be. So, she lied, twisted a few rumors about. It worked, Talon would march his legions where she plotted for them to go.
It wasn’t all that hard to instill paranoia back then. People still believed in omens— sometimes more than their own fate.
Not to mention Talon seemed to enjoy pissing off her sister and coven, which he assumed was her family, as much as she did. When he became her accomplice, it wasn’t hard for him to see how twisted they were. How black and white they could be when it came to getting what they wanted. Reveca had found an ally for the first time since King had been taken.
Later on, Reveca fought wars to upset a course Saige was sure promised her Rapture. Nevertheless, most wars were fought for Reveca’s gain. Admitting it now, even though it was only in her thoughts made her cringe.
Talon never knew it was Saige that had saved his life, in more ways than one, not Reveca. At the time, Reveca was sure that if Talon lead their legions north the way her dreams had suggested, she would find the same dark god that had taken her King. Her dreams were rare and far between but sincerely vivid when she did have them. She’d see a place, a person, and then watch the heavens rip open and the same beast of evil she had fought when she lost her life would come down and destroy another pair of lovers.
Reveca’s plans were set; only one bullshit battle was in her way before they marched on. Talon fell in battle; it was the last thing she expected to happen to him. Before then she had seen the mortal fight like a god. Reveca’s tears at his side were for the loss of a friend, but more so for the loss of her chance to be taken to where King was. She told Saige a different story, one that she might have remorse for. “Do not make me live through this pain again. Save him, sister. Save me from destruction.”
It was Saige’s quick thinking, having the ashes of a phoenix, and a genuine, selfless heart, that brought Talon back. The magic used was ancient and specific. True love or true intention was the basic ingredient; the others only gave it staying power. For all her prudish ways, Saige did have honor. Reveca knew Saige loved her enough to grant her peace, even if she despised the man who would give it to her.
After the spell, Talon’s transition was taking far too long for Reveca. She left with a small legion and marched north. She knew if Saige saw her she’d know that Reveca had played her and the magic, so she simply left a note saying she could not watch another die.
Reveca failed in her march, seconds too late as usual. Her march home was slow and painful, if it were up to her, she would have never returned at all. But her power was all but depleted from her last battle and Talon’s second in command took control of her and the legion, he wanted to see with his own eyes that Talon had perished as Reveca had told them all when she tearfully begged they go anywhere but there.
There was no question, she was the most surprised to see Talon standing strong on a hilltop, pissed as ever when they came home.
“He lives,” Reveca said donning her most adoring expression.
“I thought it was you nursing me through my fevers. His angered expression was hard to discern. Was he mad she left with his legion, or that he had been stuck with Saige for weeks on end? For a few days, Reveca was sure he was mad she had returned at all.
Reveca charged into her sister’s home prepared to ensure only one of them were standing when it was all said and done. “What did you do, sister? Did you tell him of my past? Does he know how cruel and insane my family is?” Reveca had raged.
In most cases, Saige would take the blows Reveca gave her, not out of cowardly ways but from a position of strength and maturity. Not this time—she struck back, and hard.
“You childish, selfish whore! How dare you come at me with anything less than words filled with gratitude?” Saige roared as she pounded her magic on Reveca’s cowering body. “I brought your heathen back to life, me, not you and every egotistical reason you cling to.” She sneered. “He hates you for what you have done to him. He wanted to die with honor, and you have taken this from him, forever. It would serve you well to respect him. I’d hate to see what he would do if he ever knew how shallow you truly are. Creator only knows what power our magic and plight from death have given him. When you stole his attentions from me, you asked for this, live with it.”
Of all the threats Saige had tossed Reveca’s way, this one was unforgettable. Talon was the first immortal Reveca had created. She had no idea what he was capable of. There could be endless powers under the surface of his cool, dark stare. At least this is what Saige reminded Reveca of every chance she had.
By the time Talon’s first two hundred years had rolled around, Reveca no longer saw her ‘marriage’ to Talon as an arranged one, a penance she had to pay for always trying to break her sister’s reputation. She felt real love for him. When he began to die, her grief was deep and raw. Once Saige saved Talon again, Reveca could’ve sworn she felt and heard the chains of control seize her.
Saige had won, for the first time she truly had the upper hand, and worse yet an ace she could play at any time. And boy did she pick the right time. If Saige didn’t tell Talon who he owed his immortality to, Reveca could have kept up her charade with King for a while, long enough to carefully prepare her family. That would have b
een too easy and done nothing to satisfy Saige’s yearning to watch her sister pay.
Reveca never bought Saige’s righteous, I honor you and want nothing but to help you rise to your fate bullshit that Saige always parroted. No one could take the grief Saige was dished and not have a need for revenge. It all had to do with this fucking Rapture, and now it was here.
Saige had ripped Talon from Reveca, and by default her family. The fall of Talon, because he was a stubborn fuck who would not use his dick to sustain the vim he needed, was enough to spur Scorpio into action. Enough to get the asshat to dig up the bitch Toril was and send a missile right at Reveca.
If Reveca wanted to get down and dirty on the mastermind behind her demise, she could easily point out that Saige had watched Reveca swell with power and her inability to handle it enough to know that one on one time with King would only make Reveca crazed. Crazed right as her life was threatened. Of fucking course, Reveca would be brazen enough to seek dramatic, left field, dangerous ways to save her life.
Hailing Revelin and having him end the last inkling of a Throng sounded like a fine idea to her. It had to be her life purpose. Why else would she have despised them since she was a child? Only to come across a dark god in the worst of ways, to then later piss off a bitch from a Throng that should have been dead. Simple reason told Reveca this made sense. And once it was over, and she had a nice cute little barter with Revelin the Sovereign King of Exaltation. King would be safe forever, they’d all be kissing Reveca’s ass. Saying shit like, “We should’ve known you knew what you were doing. We should’ve trusted you!” Reveca could hear it now. Or so said the smug smirk on her lips as she imagined the glory coming her way.
Suddenly, a dense power poured into the massive palace of a cavern.
Reveca had spent the better part of the night in her and King’s room. It was the best place for her to see all, well the second. The best was the center platform, but she knew if she were standing there when King returned it would only remind him why he imprisoned her in the first place.
