“And those you don’t deem capable?”
“Those will serve the empire, but fairly. Come.” Darius snapped his fingers, and two guards entered. As they approached, each offered a bow before kneeling on opposite sides of my chair. My bindings remained around my ankles but were unwound from the chair legs. Then, the guards secured the bindings together, creating a tether between my ankles. They did the same with my wrists, leaving only a short gap between them.
I could run, I realized as the guards stepped back. I could reach for the blade and pull it free. I could worldwalk out of here. The thought was fleeting. No.
One of the guards placed a hand beneath my uninjured arm and gently pulled me to my feet. I winced as every muscle in my body cried out at the movement. At least the pain in my shoulder was dulled and my delirium had passed.
“I’m sorry you must remain tied up like this,” Darius said, although his face showed no remorse. “I know you don’t trust me yet, and I can’t have you running off when I feel we are just starting to understand each other.”
I remained silent as Darius left my closet-prison, the guards following behind, guiding me forward with the tiny steps my bindings allowed me to take. We made our way past the outer room, giving me a glimpse of a few simple furnishings.
As we left the room, I was met with a mild breeze and the smell of fresh, salty air. An open-walled hallway lit with elegant lanterns stretched to the left and right. I squinted into the surrounding dark outside and saw moonlight reflecting off water in the distance, unfamiliar trees with thick trunks and bushy leaves sprouting from the top, and rows and rows of homes stretching from what must have been the palace wall to the shoreline. The sight made me pause; it was unlike any place I’d ever been. I wished I could see it under daylight.
“Come along,” Darius said from up ahead, and one of the guards gave me a soft tug under my arm to prompt me forward.
We continued down similar hallways, moving past closed doors here and there that led to smaller buildings that were likely bedrooms. Servants passed by on occasion, their eyes meeting mine with nothing other than curiosity. None of them hurried by with lowered heads at the sight of their king, as I’d seen many other servants do at Ridine or Verlot. None looked starved or beaten as I would have expected of Darius’ household staff.
We came to a staircase, and I nearly lost my composure as one of the guards lifted me into his arms and carried me to the top. I tried to keep the heat from my face as he set me back on my feet, and I bit my lip at the sudden sting of pain in my shoulder. Once the pain passed, I allowed myself to investigate my surroundings. We were on what appeared to be a balcony, Darius at the railing, looking out at the scenery beyond. He waved a hand for me to come forward, and the guard led me to his side.
I looked beyond the balcony, finding more homes, more endless ocean, more stars. I didn’t speak because I’d have to admit I found the view beautiful.
“Does this look like a kingdom run by a monster?” Darius’ voice was quiet, a disturbing contrast from the man who had shouted truths to break me.
“A sleeping city tells me nothing,” I said. “Those homes could be empty, for all I know. Your citizens could be dead.”
Darius laughed. “The city is sleeping peacefully, and that should tell you enough. You see the lanterns flickering in the windows, do you not? Listen carefully, and you can hear sounds of merriment coming from the taverns.”
I didn’t need to extend my hearing to know the city was alive. I could sense it. And he was right; it was peaceful.
Darius turned his head toward me. “This is a kingdom run by power. My cities are ruled by the capable, not some noble family. Same with my advisers, guards, and officers. Positions of power are given to those who prove they deserve them through their own merit. No one is overlooked. There are no elite families, no ruling class. Everyone here earns their place and accepts it with pride.”
I squinted into the night, trying to uncover things he left unsaid. “That can’t be the entire story. What about those who disagree with you? What about those who define merit contrary to how you do? And what about you? You are the royal son of the former king, and you’ve been ruling Syrus for five-hundred years. Has anyone been given the chance to take your place?”
His face darkened. “Five-hundred years may seem long to you, but it is nothing when it comes to reshaping a society. Syrus needed me to remain king, or this never would have come to fruition. Yes, you are clever enough to know not everyone has agreed with me, and they have been dealt with.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You killed them.”
“Yes,” he said without shame. “Creating a better world is of utmost importance. There is no room for those who threaten my vision. It is the selfish few who fail to see what I am creating, and their insignificant lives are worth the thousands I’ve improved.”
“That is what you would do to El’Ara and the rest of the human world,” I said, trying to keep my tone level. “You plan to rule by force, killing all who oppose you.”
“It is the only way.”
I angled my body away from the view to face him. “And that is what you would do to me, to my friends, to my loved ones. You would kill us all.”
“Only if you oppose me. That is why I brought you here. You are my kin. What I create could be your inheritance. You could do in Lela what I’ve done in Syrus. Every kingdom, city, and territory both here and in El’Ara will be ruled by those with visions like ours, those who want to live in a fair world. Can’t you see it?”
I could. His words wove images in my head, images where I wasn’t feared for using the Arts, where my barrenness didn’t compromise my standing as queen, where the values of the Forest People became the values held by all. They struck a yearning within me. Yet these visions were paved with blood. Decades of war. I shuddered. “Thousands—millions, even—will die. Few will support such radical change.”
“That only proves how much corruption exists,” Darius said.
“You will kill Ailan. Liam. Mareleau.”
Darius looked amused. “You all but said so yourself that you resent Queen Mareleau.”
I wish it had been her. The words moved through me without pain. This is me. “I know. You may have been right about my feelings toward her, but that doesn’t mean I can support her murder, not to mention that of Liam and Ailan.”
“Their lives are few.”
“Their lives are important.”
“And what of those born to inconsequential families?” Darius said. “What of those whose gender or low-ranking birth keep them from ever reaching their fullest potential? Are their lives not worth it?”
I sighed. “What if you forgot about El’Ara? Let Ailan return and seal the veil. Focus on Syrus and sharing your vision with those who would listen. You could change things here in this world. Slowly, yes, but things could change.”
Darius looked back toward the ocean. “With the sealing of the veil comes my death, I am sure of it. I have only lived as long as I have because the Mora has been seeping into the human world. Besides, why should I wait? Why should I work on such a small scale when I can claim my place as Morkaius of El’Ara, using my increased power to change, not a kingdom here and there, but two entire worlds?” His eyes were wide with passion as a smile stretched his lips.
“That’s it, then? Join you and watch good people die, or fight you and watch good people die?”
“No,” Darius said. “Join me and see two worlds become better than you’ve ever imagined. Fight me and never see it. Either I die, my vision with me, or you die and forfeit everything you deserve.”
My breathing grew shallow, though I tried to keep it steady. “What will you do to me if I refuse?”
He met my eyes, showing a hint of forced regret. “I suppose I’ll have to kill you, after I force you to give me the location of the tear. Then I’ll invade Lela with Norun’s legion.”
“And if I agree to support you?”
“Then I�
�ll name you my heir. The Norun invasion will stand down and ally with you. You will call off any orders you have made against me. Your army will defend me in securing the veil and I will do what needs to be done.”
I knew what he meant by that. Killing.
He continued. “Once I am Morkaius of El’Ara, I will easily remove any remaining opposition. I will destroy the veil while leaving Lela intact in the human world. Lela will then be yours.”
I frowned, choosing my next words carefully. “How do you plan on becoming Morkaius without being destroyed by harnessing the Mora?”
He rolled his eyes with an irritated sigh. “Oh, that prophecy. My son really shouldn’t have delved into such matters. Prophecy is so unreliable.”
I raised my brows. “Which means…”
“The prophecy of the Morkaius has to do with using the Mora in the human world, not in El’Ara,” Darius said. “My sister’s weaving must have created a safeguard against the Mora being harnessed and pulled entirely from El’Ara. This safeguard was interpreted as a prophecy. My son never foresaw what becoming Morkaius in the human world would do to the Ancient Realm, since—as we know—he was an idiot. It would have destroyed El’Ara, draining the realm of life and power completely.”
“But in El’Ara…”
He smiled. “There, nothing is stopping me from harnessing the Mora. That is what the Morkara does. He harnesses it and—typically—redistributes it back to the land. Morkaius is simply a name I have chosen to express how I will use the Mora. Not as steward, doling out power to those who aren’t even worthy of it, but as High King of Magic, using it for the good of the realm as I see fit.”
I tried to keep the surprise off my face. I hadn’t realized the prophecy pertained only to one gaining power in the human world. Still, it made sense. We fell into silence as I reflected on the rest of our conversation. His city. His vision. Two new worlds. The blood of my friends. The blood of millions.
Darius turned away from the rail and nodded to his guards before meeting my eyes. “Shall we return?”
I looked at his outstretched arm and hesitated. “Perhaps you should cut my bindings if you intend on being a proper escort.”
“Clever, but no,” he said, taking my uninjured elbow as he guided me down the stairs. “We have yet to come to an agreement that warrants your freedom.”
I bit my lip and forced my breathing to remain steady as we returned to the halls, making our way back the way we came. Breathe in. Breath out.
“Name me heir.” My voice came out quiet but confident.
Darius turned his head toward me, eyes narrowed. “As I said, if you ally with me, I will name you heir.”
I stopped and faced him. “Say it. I want to hear you name me heir right now. Say it, and I will ally with you.”
His face flickered between a smirk and a frown. Then, with a roll of his eyes and a flourish of his hand, he said, “Fine. I name you my heir.”
“Now what?”
Darius tugged at my elbow, prompting me to walk again. “Now, unfortunately, you return to your chair. I’ll need more than your word to know I can trust you.”
“And how will I know I can trust you?”
“I just named you my heir, did I not?”
“Well, you said it out loud, but where is the official documentation?” I infused my words with a hint of jest, my shoulders relaxed despite my restrained steps.
Darius let out an exaggerated sigh, reflecting my playful tone. “Is this what it’s like having an heir? More trouble than it’s worth, if you ask me.”
We continued down the halls until we reached the doorway to a dark room. My prison.
Darius released my elbow and faced me. “If you meant what you said, tomorrow we can make our alliance official and arrange your return home. For now…” He gave me a bow and extended his arm toward the room.
The guards flanked me and brought me back to the chair, quickly retying my bindings. I maintained my posture as they left the room, smiling as Darius closed the door and took all the light with it. Darkness surrounded me, but I didn’t mind. I allowed myself to sink back, exhaustion pulling at every muscle. Breathe in. Breathe out. I allowed myself to fade out of consciousness, Darius’ words dancing through my dreams.
When I woke, all was clear. In the dark of my prison, I knew what had to be done.
29
BONDED
Mareleau
“Where are we going?” With Liam close to my chest in his carrier, I followed Ailan across the lawn outside the palace.
“You’ll see,” Ailan said.
We continued around to the backside of the palace and began to descend a steep set of stone steps. I steadied myself with one hand on the wall as we made our way further down. As we descended, the terrain around the steps became rockier, the looming palace above casting our surroundings in shadow.
Once we reached the bottom of the steps, it was hard to believe it was the middle of day. Gone were the shimmering walls and golden turrets of the palace. Here, the trees grew closer to the palace grounds, the golden-specked emerald of their leaves so high above us, all I could see were the brown trunks. Enormous crags flanked us, and it seemed the base of the palace itself was made from stone.
Ailan walked toward this alien part of the palace, and my heart sank. Ahead gaped three black caves. I froze. The dragon caves beneath the palace. Ailan turned when she realized I’d stopped following.
“Why are we going in there?” My arms wrapped protectively around Liam’s carrier, although he seemed content as ever.
Ailan turned away from the caves and made her way back to me. “I’m sorry, my child. I didn’t anticipate this would be a distressing visit. When my mother took me to visit her dragon, it was both an honor and a thrill. I’d waited my entire youth to be formally introduced to Berolla.”
I lifted my chin to feign indifference. “I’ve met Ferrah a number of times.”
She shook her head with a smile. “There is a difference between being in the same vicinity as a dragon, and being formally introduced to one. When Mother took me to be formally introduced to Berolla, it meant gaining the dragon’s respect. She would listen to me after that. Not as dedicatedly as she listened to my mother, of course, but I could have my say. More importantly, the introduction meant Berolla would someday hatch my familiar.”
“Ferrah is…the daughter of your mother’s dragon?”
“Her hatchling, yes. It is tradition that the Morkara be bonded to a dragon, and that the succession of dragons follows accordingly.”
An excitement I didn’t want to acknowledge crept up my spine. “What does this have to do with me?”
Ailan looked down at Liam. “One day he will bond with a hatchling of his own. However, no dragon has had a hatchling since the veil was constructed. Through the work we do against my brother, we will bring back the flow of Mora. By the time Liam is old enough, there will be plenty of hatchlings again.” She raised her eyes and met mine. “In the meantime, I want to be sure Ferrah feels a bond with both of you. This is essential to the future hatching process.”
“You want Ferrah…to bond with me?”
Ailan nodded. “You are Edell-Morkara’Elle. You may not be the next Morkara, but you are my blood and mother to my heir. That gives you power here. Can you accept that?”
My eyes flashed to the caves, and I let out a trembling breath. “Yes.”
Ailan smiled. “Good. Follow me.”
We entered the caves, and my shoulders began to relax when torchlight shone up ahead from a sconce in the wall. More sconces lit the way.
“The first time I came here was supposed to be the most wonderful day of my life,” Ailan said from her place in front of me.
“Supposed to be?”
“Instead, it ended up being a day that set off a chain of events that had dreadful consequences.”
I suppressed a chill. “What happened?”
“Darius,” Ailan said. “He let jealousy get the better of h
im and showed once and for all how dangerous he could be.”
The air seemed colder the deeper we went into the cave. Every sound we made echoed off the walls, and my muscles again grew tense. “What did Darius do?” Part of me asked out of curiosity. Another part asked simply to have a distraction from our creepy surroundings.
“I’d just been named heir and was taken to the caves to bond with Berolla,” Ailan said. Although her voice was quiet, it reverberated as if there were three of her. “She was hesitant to greet me, even though my mother stood by, coaxing her. Just as she was about to press her head to my outstretched hand, my brother worldwalked behind her, startling her. As a reflex, she clawed out in front of her, slashing me through the chest. Everyone thought I was going to die, even the skinweavers. The Elvan have innate healing abilities, but there are wounds even the strongest of us can’t come back from. Luckily, and with much care, I healed. When I woke up, my brother was gone, banished from El’Ara. You know the rest.”
Great. First she takes me to these dark caves, now she tells me this? Sounds came from up ahead. “So this bonding thing…can be dangerous?”
Ailan looked back at me with a smile. “No, my child. It was only Darius who made it so. Ferrah won’t hurt you or Liam, I promise.”
I stopped, my heart racing as the sounds ahead grew louder and louder. “How do you know?”
“Dragons may be large and potentially lethal—”
“That’s not comforting.”
“—but you will see how kind and wonderful they are when you get to know Ferrah. It broke Berolla’s heart what she’d done to me on accident. She willingly sacrificed one of her claws in atonement.”
I grimaced. “One of her…claws?”
Ailan nodded. “No dragon had ever done such a thing before, but I accepted the gift. My father had it forged by a weaponsweaver into a blade for me.”
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