For the one moment he’d sacrificed his life for. The one moment he hoped would change the world, and save the ones he loved.
Just minutes after arriving back at Grimble he got a familiar tug; his spirit body needed to go into the world of the living and temporarily leave the ghost town that was his permanent home.
“I knew it would be soon. I had not expected it to begin right this minute.” He suddenly wasn’t sure he was ready. But unfinished business didn’t wait and he would not lose his chance. Eddy let the pull take him, having no idea where he was headed.
CHAPTER 2
It was cold. Even if the outside temperature hadn’t been near freezing, Jae Mochrie would still be cold. He peered overhead through the bars of his prison. No stars. No moon. No orange hues from the sun rising. Just clouds. Gloomy, gray clouds. But the sky wasn’t as dark just now, becoming lighter, so it must be coming up on morning.
He’d been left alone all night atop Juliska Blackwell’s fortress. He supposed he should be thankful that she’d given him a blanket, and it had not snowed. But the cold penetrating him was like ice in his veins, permanently burrowing into his bones.
She would not leave him alone for long. She would make him pay for his defiance. For trying to end his own life rather than continue to serve her. Rather than continue living as the monster he’d allowed himself to become.
Jae ignored the clink clink clink of Pajak, Juliska’s pet spider. It had kept its ghoulish beady eyes on him all night long. But the spider was the least of his concerns.
Somewhere on the island, not too far away from him, was his family. At least he assumed his family was still on the island. He was not certain. He did not know exactly what Juliska might have done with them.
But they all believed him dead.
How would they react upon seeing him?
Knowing what he was. What he’d done… what Juliska would inevitably order him to do.
And what of his friends? Meghan, Ivan, Colin… the others. Would they try to rescue him? He hoped they would not. He feared what might happen to them if they attempted such a thing. Juliska would be thrilled to get Meghan and Ivan back in her clutches. And even more so Colin and Catrina. He wished he knew why Juliska wanted them so badly. Jae had a feeling it had nothing to do with the prophecy of the immortal children.
He shivered. Not from the cold, but from the dread of the unknown and the helplessness of the inevitable.
A heavy door swung open. Footsteps clipped across the stone, coming toward him.
Jae let the blanket slip down to the frosty floor and got to his feet. He put on a determined stare. He wasn’t going to give in. Whatever Juliska wanted from him, she’d have to force him. Order him to do it. He would not give in voluntarily.
“Ah, good morning my pet.” Pajak crawled over to Juliska, slipping onto her hand. She lifted him and placed him on her shoulder. “And you…” she looked down at her prisoner. “I hope last night gave you some time to think about your loyalties, Jae Mochrie.” She shrugged heartlessly. “It does not matter where your allegiance lies, your will is mine.”
He said nothing.
“Oh surprise surprise. Being stubborn.” Her lips curled into an ugly grin.
He still said nothing.
“Jae…” she lamented. “Tell me where your friends are. I’d very much like to know.”
“I don’t have any friends.”
She lifted an eyebrow in annoyance.
“Where is the banished camp? I’m sure that’ll get me close enough.”
“Are you giving me an order?” he asked her flatly. He did not feel the tug inside him to obey her.
“No. Not an order. You see, you will tell me of your own volition.”
He shook his head, resisting.
“I figured as much. I am prepared to persuade you.”
He swallowed hard but said nothing in reply.
“It’s your choice, Jae. You can tell me what I want to know, the easy way, or you’ll tell me anyway and pay a much higher price.”
“I won’t tell you. Ever,” he stated. “You’ll have to force it out of me.”
“So strong willed all of a sudden. Just imagine if you’d had the wherewithal to do that before you agreed to serve me.”
She was right. If only he’d been a strong enough person, but he wasn’t.
He was weak. He desired to feel powerful. And she’d given him what he asked for. Just not in the manner he’d been expecting.
“Jae, Jae, Jae,” she let out a callous exhale. “There are consequences for defying me. Usually, it means your death.”
He was certain she had no intent to kill him. That would end his misery.
“I will give you one final chance. Where is the banished camp?”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
“Okay then. I’ll play. You’ve got twenty-four hours. If you do not volunteer your information by this time tomorrow, well… I’ll have a little job for you.”
He waited breathlessly for her to continue.
She leaned in closer.
“How do you feel about being an orphan?”
He said nothing. It was exactly what he’d expected her to do. Juliska would order him to kill his family. Most likely whether he told her what she wanted, or not. But it meant they were still on the island. If only he could delay and get more time.
Time for what?
He could do nothing stuck inside this iron cage, with a will that was not his own.
He was only delaying the inevitable. So far, he’d only killed to save his friends. Juliska had not yet ordered him to kill anyone. Only to frighten, but that was all about to change.
He took a rebellious breath. “I will not tell you. You will have to order me.” His voice was not as strong or as certain as he wanted it to be.
“You have one day. Think hard, Jae. Or your family’s blood will be on your hands. Literally…”
He scowled in defiance.
She sighed. Annoyed. Impatient.
“You know that I will break your will. Why prolong what you know is going to happen? You belong to me, Jae. There is no escape.”
He looked down and refused to answer. He heard the displeasure in her breaths.
“When the banished took you, after your pathetic attempt at killing yourself, I am assuming you spoke with their leader, Amelia Cobb?”
He looked up and did not answer, but she must have seen something in his stare that gave him away. His weak-minded subconscious giving in even though he was demanding it not to.
Juliska scowled. “You will tell me where I can find her. Or I swear to you, Jae Mochrie, I will order you to kill everyone you care about starting with your troublemaking little sister.”
His eyes scrunched together. What did she mean by that? His sister, Mireya, a troublemaker?
Juliska sneered. “She and her little friends have been causing me a tremendous amount of grief. And are under the assumption they’ve gotten away with it. Though it did work to my advantage at that moment. That moment has passed.” Her tone warned his sister and her friends were living on borrowed time, the length of which would be determined by his choice right now.
For a moment, Jae just wanted to know what Mireya had done. She was just a quiet girl that hated to be away from her mother and would rather sit around giggling with her friends. She wasn’t the getting into trouble type. That was all him.
Regardless, her life was in danger whether she stopped whatever she was doing or not. Juliska would order him to do it. To kill his sister. His parents.
A flood of dread made his legs falter underneath him and he gripped the bars to remain upright.
“Amelia, Jae… where is she? I don’t care about the banished. Just tell me where I can find Amelia.”
Jae did not entirely believe her.
But it was clear that this was more about Amelia than the banished. At least for today. Perhaps he could stop all of this before it went too far. Or at the least, buy himself
or his family some time.
“Amelia…” he stopped himself with a rushed inhale.
“Yes.”
“Amelia Cobb is dead,” he admitted to her.
Juliska let out a low chuckle and rolled her eyes. “Of course she is. Good try, Jae.” She turned away.
“I’m not lying,” he called out desperately. “She really is dead. She was killed.”
“If she was killed, who did it? How did it happen?” Her tone indicated she still did not believe him.
“She was killed by the Grosvenor.”
Juliska stopped and whisked around.
“Well, not exactly them,” Jae continued. “It was Jurekai Fazendiin’s son, Colby. I guess he’s kind of one of them.”
“Colby…” she muttered. “What was Colby doing…” she trailed off. Her gaze darkened, her disbelieving smirk dissolving.
Jae wasn’t surprised that she knew of Colby’s existence. She was more in with Fazendiin than anyone thought, including him. He wondered if they had been working together all along, or if this development was more recent. Although she seemed surprised to find out that Colby had been in the banished camp.
Juliska strode closer to Jae’s prison, staring him down.
“I order you to speak the truth, Jae Mochrie. Is Amelia Cobb dead, or alive?”
He lost his breath for a second. It hit him, hard; that tug twisting his insides. The order he could not disobey.
“I am not lying. Amelia Cobb is dead. Colby killed her.”
Juliska stumbled backwards, her head shaking.
A long line of mumbled no’s pushed across her lips.
“You know I’m telling the truth,” clamored Jae. “Amelia Cobb is dead.”
Her hands flew up to cover her ears, almost as if the words he spoke were poisonous or even painful.
Jae didn’t understand. Somehow, he’d thought this news would make her happy. Instead, it looked like she was about to come unraveled.
Juliska let out a breathy exhale. “He promised. He promised me…” Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees. She looked into Jae’s eyes… he did not get the impression that she actually saw him.
“He promised she would die by my hand.” She picked up her arms, staring at her hands with a mixture of shock, defeat and disbelief.
What the hell just happened? This was the only thought whizzing through Jae’s brain.
She looked up and straight into his eyes. The crippling despair vanished, replaced by a glare that could boil water.
Jae looked at Juliska Blackwell like he was seeing her for the first time. Whatever this was, it had wounded her, deeply. Whatever Amelia had done to her… he could guess and imagine a hundred different things… whether he guessed wrong or right, whether Amelia deserved Juliska’s wrath or not, he was looking at a woman who’d just been stripped of her revenge. Forever.
Juliska climbed to her feet.
Jae took a hard swallow and backed as far into the corner of his iron prison as possible, like this made any difference. But even Pajak jumped off Juliska’s shoulder and clinked away to safety.
“That murderer was to die with my hands wrapped around her vile, lying excuse for a throat. I wanted to see the life leave her eyes, just as she did my…” Juliska closed her eyes, unable to finish.
She gritted her teeth and snarled. Jae almost thought she might have fangs hidden somewhere in those teeth. Her hands fisted by her sides. Fiery lines popped up and pulsed angrily against her skin.
The truth of Jae’s words cut into her, releasing an outpouring of fury.
It started with a venomous, incensed wail, which ended with blood-red flames erupting out of her body from head to toe. Her palm threw out in front of her and a vortex of fire flew out of it… she aimed at nothing and everything, attacking her own fortress. The air. The ground.
Jae ducked, stone exploding from a hit just a few feet away. A spew of flame surged through his cell, missing him but heating the bars at the front of the cage so they were too hot to touch. He gripped the bars behind him, tucking into the corner.
She’d lost her mind.
He thought she was mad and insane before… he’d just made everything ten times worse. He thought he might solve one problem by revealing Amelia’s death, but he’d been wrong. Very wrong.
Why hadn’t whoever the hell was in charge of life and death just let him die?
The world would be better off without him in it.
Without him continually messing up… when the price for doing so was always paid by others, not him.
Jae didn’t dare move. He barely dared breathe.
There were footsteps racing up the stairs to the terrace entrance, but Juliska seared the door and made it burn at the touch. There was shouting, but Juliska ordered them all away. They obeyed at once.
Then it stopped. The flames fizzled.
Juliska stumbled, catching herself on the bars of his cage. They’d cooled now, not that it mattered to her. Fire would not harm her.
Jae’s breath hitched and he sucked in, holding it.
Tears.
Tears falling down the face of Juliska Blackwell.
But no compassion in her eyes. Only savagery.
Any bit of sanity she’d been clinging to was gone, and a switch had flipped on with no way to shut it off. Juliska let go of the bars and straightened herself.
“Twenty-four hours, Jae,” she stated coarsely. “To tell me everything I want to know. Or you will suffer my wrath. Fully. And unconditionally.” She spun around and disappeared inside.
Jae sank to the floor, his mind spinning out of control.
What the hell just happened?
And what the hell had Amelia Cobb done to Juliska Blackwell? She’d called her a murderer…
All he knew of Amelia is that she was the leader of the banished and Juliska had kicked them out because she and her followers were about to start a war. At one point, the Svoda had believed she and her followers might be responsible for the Scratchers… obviously, this was not the case.
Whatever this was, it was nothing to do with that conflict. This was personal.
And Amelia was dead, so Juliska would not have her revenge and others would pay for that now. Most likely his family. He had just one single day before he became a murderer.
Either he gave up the banished camp and everything else Juliska wanted to know, effectively signing all their deaths, or he refused her and she ordered him to tell her anyway, before forcing him to kill his family… starting with his sister.
One. Single. Day.
He wished his life had not been spared.
He wished Amelia had never taken him.
He did not deserve to live, and now, this time tomorrow, either his friends or his family would pay the price.
Juliska burst into her private quarters. Enraged. Ready to demand answers.
She unlocked the life-sized trunk at the back edge of her wall, opened it, and stepped inside. Her room of candles.
She needed to speak with Fazendiin. Right now.
He would answer her questions. Right now.
Amelia was to be hers.
They had agreed upon this. Amelia and her fellow butchers deserved proper punishment for their crime. So why had he allowed Colby to kill her? And why had she not been informed of Amelia’s demise?
Juliska lifted her hand to spark the wick to life, but her hand shook and she let it fall to her lap. She hadn’t gone through everything she’d gone through to see Amelia Cobb, or anyone else responsible, not pay the price for what they’d done. They needed to suffer for what they took from her. And they had not suffered nearly as much as they deserved.
She lifted her hand and lit the candle. The wick caught and burst into flame.
Her breath caught, a shadow catching her eye, but it was not from inside the flame.
Her penetrating gaze swept across the dimly lit room.
“Who’s there?”
No one replied. No one showed themselves. Bu
t she swore she’d seen something moving.
This was impossible though. She’d recently enhanced the magical protections around this room to keep everyone out, but her.
Her glare slipped back down to the flame.
A wisp of hazy white flew by her.
“Who’s there? Show yourself at once!”
He did.
Her reply froze in her throat; wild eyes looking his ghostly figure up and down.
“Wh-what is this?” she finally stammered out. “You’re dead.”
“Yes. I am.”
She took a fleeting glance at the flame in front of her. This was not a vision. This ghost was real… and the last face she wanted to look at right now.
“Why are you here?” she demanded unkindly. “Come to gloat that I didn’t get my revenge on Amelia? Wanted to rub some salt in my wounds?”
“Wounds that should never have been created,” he replied.
“Screw you. How dare you show yourself to me, alive or dead?”
“Because it is time.”
“Time for what? To remind me what a lying, cheating coward you were. I curse the day I met you Colin Edward Gillivray.”
The ghostly spirit hovered, his gaze saddened, but determined.
“I know you do, but I will always love you, Juliska. For all your faults. For all your imperfections. For all your sins. Even beyond my end.”
She wore a callous, icy stare. “Still protesting your innocence?”
He smiled weakly. “Think of me what you will. Although I will always love you, my purpose today is not for you. But if I can save you…” he stopped, with a ghostly shake of his head. “After today, everything changes. After today, all will know why. And after today they will know how to stop you.”
“Things change when I want them to,” she spat out angrily. “They… all of you will pay for what you’ve done.”
He ignored her venomous warning. “You’ve been cheated out the life you deserved. Not by me. But you chose your path, and what to believe. You will have to deal with the pain, Juliska. And the consequences of your choices. Your actions after this moment decide your fate. All I can do is show you the truth. You must choose to believe it.”
The flame pulled Juliska Blackwell’s mind into a vision.
The Ghost, The Dragon, and The Lost King (Fated Chronicles Book 4) Page 2
