“There is no need to hold back, Mikail. I know what I am, and what I am no longer,” she said, her hoarse voice barely above a whisper. The woman speaking to me looked nothing like the woman I’d left just a few weeks ago. Her blonde hair was silver, her perfect complexion filled with lines and wrinkles. Her cheekbones stood out and her collarbone was sharp edges threatening to puncture her skin.
“What happened, Mother?” I asked.
Her eyes were sad, the ice blue dulled to a pale shade. “All power comes at a price, Mikail. Sometimes you know what it is up front, and sometimes, the price doesn’t matter, until it does.”
“It’s killing you to control them, yet you still do. You allow it to drain you. Why? How is this worth it?” I cursed the wayward emotion filling my chest. She was my mother and she was dying.
Her eyes flicked up to mine and the stare that had terrified me as a child was back. She could still lock me in place with just a look. “How dare you question me, Mikail? After everything you’ve done, after all the ways you’ve betrayed me, your name, and your people? You do not ask questions. You answer them. You tell me, son of mine, why are you here? I thought you made your choice very clear.”
She struggled to pull in a breath, the wheezing noise giving away her inability to fully lecture me. She was suddenly more human in my eyes. She was not the woman of my nightmares, and she did not hold the power here. I simply needed to wait this out and do as Bale and I had decided.
“I’m sorry, Mother. You’re right. I did not expect this, and I’m acting irrationally, which is not what Clairs do. I am here because I made the wrong choice. I am here to apologize and beg your forgiveness. I was wrong to fight against you. I see it now. I see what you meant. I watched the AniMages and finally understand. They are vile, disgusting creatures. We do not want them in our world. They must be dealt with.”
“Is that so? Just like that?” she questioned. “You say you’ve come around and changed your mind, and I should believe you?” The wheezing was worse, and short coughs accompanied it.
I stepped up to the bed, taking a chance to sit on the edge and reach for my mother’s hand. It was a gamble. Her skin felt paper thin and the bones were too pronounced, so I grasped it lightly.
“You told me to always evaluate all sides of a situation before I made a decision,” I said stoically. “My initial evaluation was incorrect, and as soon as I realized that, I came home. They fight for a ridiculous cause. They believe they deserve freedom, but they deserve a quick death.” I hated myself for saying the words, but she would accept nothing less.
“My Queen—” Rhi started, but my mother interrupted.
“Silence. My son is speaking.” His mouth snapped shut and Rhi took a step back. His animosity for me rolled off him in waves that most certainly wanted to drag me under.
“What did you learn that you can share with us, Mikail?” she asked. I knew she would. I was prepared.
“If your Hunters have not already found the group of AniMages Baleon stripped of their power, then they are likely long gone. But, their power will not return. Baleon bound it and they will live their lives out wishing they had not come at me. They are not dead, but they will wish they were. I made the decision to leave and they didn’t want me to tell you the women were birthing and the children were still powerless, but it is the truth. Leaving here did nothing to change what we already knew. Our people are dying, Mother, and we must do what is necessary to save them.”
“And the Keeper?” she asked, focusing on me as she struggled to push herself higher on the pillows surrounding her.
“She’s gone. She and the AniMage left, alone. They went off chasing stories and rumors. Idiots,” I sneered.
“I want to believe you, Mikail, but we both know I have no way to see inside your mind. No way to know if what you say is the truth. You are going to have to prove to me your allegiance is real. Do you understand?” There was a familiar hitch in her tone, and I knew I would not like her next words.
“I understand, Mother. What is it I have to do to prove my allegiance to you?” I asked, keeping my tone deferential, just the way she preferred.
She looked up at Rhi and a wicked smile bloomed across his face. I looked between them as she nodded. He tipped his head in silent acknowledgment, turned, and strode quickly out the door. Baleon and I exchanged quick glances of wary trepidation.
Julia didn’t speak to me. She didn’t look at me. For a long stretch of minutes, we sat in utter silence, save for my heart beating furiously against my chest. The longer I sat there, the more firm I was in the knowledge of what was about to happen.
There was only one outcome. All I could think was, Do it now, you have to do it now. Kill her now. But I couldn’t. I was frozen. And when the door finally opened, I was not shocked to see who was shoved through it.
My mother finally turned to face me. The joy in her eyes was the purest form of evil.
“To prove your allegiance to me, to your people, and your crown,” she said, “Mikail, you will kill him. You will kill the Keeper’s brother and you will do it now. Then, and only then, will I believe the stories you told are the truth.”
38
There was a good chance I’d walked a hole in the carpet of the small cabin. Aidan knew exactly how to get here since it hadn’t been long ago he prepared his own attack on Cresthaven from the same place. We arrived earlier today to find Bethany, Rynna, and Uncle Derreck, but not Micah or Baleon.
Morons, I fumed. I told Micah to wait for us. It was my brother who hung in the balance. Instead, he’d called in Rynna and my uncle, and took off.
Arguments I wished I could have with Micah and possibilities for the kind of torture they were putting Cole through ran rampant in my mind.
Aidan sat in a recliner, his eyes tracing my movements. Bethany was cooking, even though we all told her we weren’t hungry. Uncle Derreck and Rynna were whispering quietly, still trying to reconcile the story of what happened with Gaea.
I stopped, and declared, “We need to go. We need a plan and we need to go.”
“You’ve said that three times now, Amelia,” Aidan responded. “Do you have a plan?”
“No,” I snarled toward him, frustration and fear for Cole fraying the calm demeanor I’d been working hard to maintain. His eyebrow arched and I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” I apologized. “No, I don’t. But why do we need one? Gaea told me to call on what she gave me and use it however I need to. Let’s walk through the front door and do what needs to be done.”
“After we left the others in Brighton, that’s what I told Micah to do,” Bethany said from the kitchen area. The guilt in her tone said everything. She looked up from a mixing bowl and it was like I saw her for the first time that day. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy knot, easily day-three hair. She didn’t do day-three hair. She was wearing clothes that clearly weren’t hers, and her face was clean of makeup; the dark circles were too prominent under her eyes.
“Let’s stop a minute and think through this,” Uncle Derreck interjected. “Gaea told you your job is to take care of her children. The Hunters are her children, too. You can’t walk in there and wipe them out just because Julia has control over them. They didn’t all choose that life.”
He was right, and I knew it.
“Okay,” I agreed, trying to slow my racing thoughts. “Can we use the maze to get in and surprise them? Can we get to Julia and take her out, then reason with the Hunters? We can split up and half of us go each way. A group to find Cole and a group to go after Julia. What do you think?”
Aidan was on his feet instantly. “No way. There’s no splitting up. Where you go, I go, doll. End of story.”
I knew Aidan was still frustrated after hearing about what happened at Derreck’s, and I was pushing his patience. While there was no love lost between him and Melinda, it hurt him to know he hadn’t been there for his people when they needed him. I think he also had a few choice words for Micah the next time
he saw him.
“If ya’ll are gonna start arguing, you may as well add me coming into the mix. You aren’t leaving me here again. Cloak me, turn me into an animal — I don’t give a damn what you do, but I am coming with you.” Bethany’s voice cut across the room and I saw my friend’s tired eyes, but determined expression. She stood in the kitchen, her arms crossed over her chest, shoulders back, lips a tight line.
Aidan, Rynna, and Derreck’s voices were one unintelligible sound in the background as Bethany and I held each other’s stare, an entire conversation playing out in the silence between us.
“Okay,” I said, loud enough to quiet the room. “You deserve this. You’ve been through just as much as any of us, B. If you want to come, I’ll cloak you and you’ll stay with us. We won’t leave you again.”
“You swear you won’t stick me in some room or pawn me off on someone to watch? I don’t want to get stuck with that weird librarian you told me about,” she said as she twisted her lips into a mock pout.
“Don’t talk about Tragar like that!” I chided. “He’s sweet. And he’s likely our lifeline. Don’t you think, Ryn?”
Rynna nodded slowly. “But, Amelia, are you sure you’re comfortable with this? Are you sure you can do what you think you can?”
I couldn’t blame Rynna for her question. I would have asked the same had I been told our outrageous story.
You should show them. Aidan’s voice was welcome. In the time it took us to get back home, we explored our new connection. I’d also come to depend on the nearness of him. Mentally and physically, I didn’t want to be far from Aidan.
“Come outside,” I said, gesturing for everyone to follow me.
We filed out and I had them stay near the cabin while I walked further into a clearing surrounded on two sides by trees.
Gaea was right. It took only a thought for things to happen, so I imagined my desired outcomes carefully. I was learning how to build the barrier between my thoughts and intentions, but it wasn’t entirely solidified yet.
This new power was so similar, yet entirely different from the Keeper. I could do the same things, but now, I was in total control. There was no fear tied to this magic. This power was tied to everything around me — the elements, the people, every living thing.
“Earth,” I called out, my right hand outstretched and palm pointed down. A sapling shot from the soil. It grew taller and taller, until it reached my hand, then leaves sprouted.
“Fire,” I called next, reaching my left hand above my head and tipping it back. White smoke gathered around my palm and a flame flickered. It grew until a ball of heat crackled in the air above me. I drew my hands in and stepped forward. Both the tree and the fire stayed where they were.
“Water,” I called next. This time, I didn’t move. I didn’t need to with the first two, but it helped them to understand I was indeed the one in control. Dark clouds gathered over us and rain poured down. With a flick of my wrist, all of us were sheltered by invisible barriers. The rain came in torrents, but the five of us stayed dry.
“Air,” I called. The wind picked up and the trees around us curved under the force. It didn’t flutter a single piece of clothing on anyone.
“Enough,” I said, and it all stopped. The fire dissipated, but the sapling remained, my gift to the land for sustaining my demonstration.
“And those are only the parlor tricks,” I explained. “Don’t worry about me, Rynna. I can take care of us. Aidan can also take care of us. As my mate, he has more power than he started with as well. This is our time.”
Uncle Derreck peppered Aidan with questions and he was doing his best to answer when I felt a familiar niggle at the back of my mind. I had to search it out, the tickle faint enough for me to question whether it were really there at all. I scanned my mind and finally saw the dim pulse of red light. I grasped onto it, knowing exactly who it had to be.
“Amelia, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” Aidan spoke out loud, likely for the benefit of the others.
“Quiet,” I ordered. “I need you guys to be quiet. It’s Micah, but I can hardly hear him. Something’s wrong. Really wrong.”
39
I had a solid three minutes before Rhi came back with his enchanted cuffs. Killing Cole hadn’t been an option, so Bale had leapt for Rhi while I shoved Cole out of the way.
We were still in my mother’s bedroom, so there wasn’t much room for an actual fight. Bale tried to restrain Rhi, to tether his power and ability to do any real damage. I put Cole’s arm around my shoulders and tried to get him to the door. If I could get to the sitting room, we had a chance. A hidden passageway would take me from there to the library. Fifteen paces was all I needed.
Unfortunately, Rhi got loose and took one shot. His aim was perfect and Cole crumpled beside me, screaming as pain ripped through him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he lost consciousness. I tried to pick him up when a blast hit me as well. My limbs locked and my power felt like a scrambled mess.
Now, my hands were held behind my back by Joran, who leaned down and whispered, “I’m sorry, Prince Mikail, but I must follow orders. I cannot defy him again.”
I barely moved my lips as I whispered, “Tragar will find you. Listen carefully before you decide.”
Then I sought out my connection to Amelia. With my power on the fritz, I didn’t have a lot to put into it, but I found the thread that kept us connected and reached out. Amelia answered immediately, but I struggled to keep our connection solid.
Micah, What’s happening? Where are you? Why did you leave?
I don’t have time for all that. Listen carefully. In two minutes, you won’t be able to find me. I’ll be with Cole, held in a prison cell beneath Cresthaven. Only Hunters can get through the doors. Use the maze, find Tragar, and tell him to find Joran. Joran will help you.
He hates Rhi, but he fears Rhi. I don’t know what was done to him after we left with you, but he fought for us and Rhi wouldn’t let that go unpunished. If you tell him why you’re here, that you want to kill my mother and free him, I believe he will do it. I will protect Cole and myself as best as I can, but Bale was also taken, so I can make no guarantees. Time is short. You must hurry, Amelia.
Is Cole okay? she asked.
For now. My mother anticipated the need for him as a bargaining chip. I think she was surprised I was the one she was bargaining with, though.
Tell him we’re coming. Micah, we’ll find you both. We’ll get you out. Things are different now. I—
She was gone. Rhi was taking extreme amounts of pleasure in yanking my shoulders nearly out of their sockets to put my wrists behind me as he affixed the enchanted handcuffs, and the pain caused my concentration to break. “I’ve been waiting for this, Prince. You were never worthy of being my brother’s son. I look forward to the time when no one can stop me from showing you how worthless you truly are.”
Rhi’s voice was low, since my mother wouldn’t have approved of his little speech. I gritted my teeth against all the things I could have said, and replied, “Yet, I am still alive and he isn’t. Interesting, isn’t it?”
That earned me a shock up both my arms. What felt like boiling water scorched the insides of my veins, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of crying out. My head fell backward as my body stiffened, tears springing to my eyes.
“Rhi,” my mother said sharply as I tried to control my body once again. He stepped away from me, sending one more jolt into my hands before doing so. I breathed deeply through my nose, still afraid of the sounds that would come from my mouth if I unlocked my jaw.
Cole was still unconscious next to me. I envied his position.
“Mikail, come here,” she ordered, her voice barely carrying across the room. I wondered if she might die before Amelia actually got here. Would that be better or worse for me?
I stepped to the end of the bed and waited silently. Was any part of her bothered by what was happening? Did any part of her hold remorse for the things she�
��d done and the choices she’d made? It didn’t seem worth asking anymore.
“Mikail, I had such high hopes for you,” she said, not bothering to hide her scorn. “I wanted to believe you truly learned from your mistakes, but you never do. You never have. Now, I must teach you the lesson I have been trying to teach you your whole life. Power is held by those who take it. It is kept by those who wield it unflinchingly. It is earned by those who are willing to compromise anything to achieve their purpose.”
“No, Mother,” I interjected, “that is where you are the one who has it wrong. Power is earned by those who refuse to compromise their ideals and beliefs. It is kept by those who put the greater good before themselves. It is held by those who are supported and believed in. Power is merely having the resources to accomplish your objectives, and it is fleeting to those who throw people away like garbage when they don’t conform.
“Power is celebrated and revered by those who benefit from it,” I continued. “You have maintained your power through coercion and fear, and that is why you are dying. You couldn’t sustain your power because it was never meant for this purpose. You are dying because your life is not worth the air you need to breathe. You are dying because you are evil and the world needs rid of you.”
I spat the words, and the relief I felt surprised me. In that moment, I let go years of pain and anger as she stared at me, her gaunt face flushed, eyes wide and nostrils flaring.
“I am capable of more than you think, Mother,” I finished with a satisfied smirk. “I just wasn’t willing to do it for you.”
40
After Micah disappeared and I relayed the information to the group, it was no longer a discussion of whether we’d go to Cresthaven, it was when. And when was as soon as humanly possible. Bethany forced us to eat, citing an inability to fight without sustenance. I scarfed down the homemade biscuits and gravy, barely taking time to swallow.
Bound by Prophecy (Bound Series Book 3) Page 21
