Kane's smile has turned maniacal, and I have to consciously keep my hands from shaking. He reaches forward and runs his finger across my skin right above where the orb sits against my chest. "Part of me. This necklace is a protection for you, a gift of our relationship. This is a piece of the crown that I will forever wear on top of my head. It is the crown of many powers, and when you become my Queen, you will feel those powers emerging. Always wear this around your neck and nothing and no one can harm you." Looking back at me with a flash in his dark eyes. "Of course, except for me."
He is proud of that remark. I bite my bottom lip quickly to keep it from quivering. He turns back to his rotting corpse and I slowly let the air trickle from my lungs. Now I know without a doubt, I must free Willem, otherwise, everyone will perish.
Chapter 21
Briar
The castle feels cold and unwelcome as I slink through the halls, back toward the crypts. I have been hiding in the shadows all evening, moving around, darting in and out of rooms in order to avoid staff and Guardsmen. I want to know for certain that I will be alone when I go down beneath to free Willem and tell him what I've realized.
As I turn the corner, I hear heavy footsteps of someone approaching from the opposite direction. I slip into a large ornate ballroom, empty of any tables or decor. I press my back against the wall and close my eyes, waiting for whoever is walking past to be completely out of earshot. As I stand here, I still feel the warmth from earlier radiating through my veins. My powers have not left me this time, though I'm not quite sure how to use them fully. As I sit here, listening, images flash through my mind. I hear the woman's laughter that radiates through my dreams. I hear Drogaem's voice again, repeating the same line from earlier. My breath shutters and my eyes open wide, looking out into the dark ballroom. I understand now. I understand and it's far beyond what I imagined.
Glancing down at my palms I notice they are glowing and I quickly close them, trying to center my energy. Suddenly my fear is boiling, rising in my chest and up into my throat. The man who controls my Kane, he is not just an imposter, he is Drogaem. Of all the souls that could be inside of him, Drogaem is the worst possibility. He's extraordinarily strong, cunning, and has no care for mortal lives in the least. Everything begins to make sense, my visions of him, my lack of contact with Kane, and the change in him when the crown was placed upon his head.
Pressing my fist to my stomach I pull myself from the shock and listen out into the hallway. It is vital that I get to Willem, I cannot let him die. Even if he cannot help us until Drogaem has taken his corpse, and I have vanished into nothingness, at least he can help those who Drogaem plans to torture.
I peek out of the doorway and look right and left, but whoever it is, has gone. Who I now know to be Drogaem, returned to his chambers at least an hour before. I slink down the hallway, waiting at the edge where the guards are posted. I reach into the small pocket sewn within the breast of my dress and pull out a black shimmering stone. Closing my eyes, and not really knowing what I'm doing, I pull the heat to the palm of my hand. I feel it surging, and when I look again, the light is swirling around the stone, lifting from my hand into the air.
I glance once more at the guards and send the stone hurling in the opposite direction, down the hallway and around the corner. It grows in size as it plummets toward the back wall. It crashes into a doorway with a loud clatter and into whatever room lies beneath. The sound of breaking glass and falling furniture put the Guardsmen on alert. They immediately take off down the corridor, past me, and around the corner. As soon as they're out of sight I hurry down, disappearing into the stairwell that leads into the crypts. When I reach the bottom, I find that it is pitch black, only a small flicker of candles that sit at the base of the onyx slab where Drogaem's body rests.
I know the walkways are clear and straight so I hurry down, pausing for a moment at the body, whispering to the mortals that hide in the corners. "Do not fear. Be strong."
There's a dead silence for several moments before a small sheltered voice whispers back. "Hurry, or we'll all die."
I swallow hard, unable to see them, and knowing full well that they most likely will perish, but what's important now is that I figure out how to save the whole of the Mortal Realm. It does not make me happy that a couple or a few may die to save the larger number, but I have to make a choice.
I continue on, making my way to the other end where a large metal door sits. I narrow my eyes and squint through the darkness, finding a torch perched on the wall next to the door. I pull the light to my hand and wince slightly at how hot it seems to be against my flesh, yet my skin is intact and pale as it always is. Reaching up, hoping that it works I wrap my hand around the soaking cloth I watch as it ignites in flame.
I want to be proud of myself, to feel the shock and awe of the powers that have always been inside of me, but there's no time. I quickly turn to the door and grab the
