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“Why do you need the sands if I am locked here?”
Elianna smiled, clasping her hands in front of her. “This will help seal you inside, so when all that light bursts from your body killing you, it will open the portal we need. It will probably rip open the sky too, but who knows?”
He placed the sand on the floor, moving counterclockwise. It sparked as it hit, flashing a vibrant purple and flowing toward the symbols. I strained against the restraints, tracking Jiraiya as he circled me.
“You’d let this happen to Imogen? Let them take her?” My voice sounded as hurt as I felt. “Why?”
“It’s not personal,” he said, refusing to meet my eyes.
“She cares about you,” I spat, glancing at Imogen. Her hollow gaze was unrelentingly empty. “You hurt her for what? What does Elianna have on you?”
His eyes met mine, not an ounce of sympathy in them. “It is for The Order. For our king. Imogen is not important.”
“She is important to her family. They all are.”
Jiraiya said nothing else, stepping back and walking to the council steps.
“Enough of the small talk. The Equinox approaches,” Leviathan said, glancing up.
Elianna smirked and looked up. I followed her line of sight, shocked to see the top of the council hall slowly spin. “We have waited a thousand years.”
Debris trickled down, the cool night air sweeping in. The white ceiling shimmered before splitting and folding in on itself, revealing the blood-red moon and galaxy above. “The Equinox was the start of you, and now it will be our liberation from you. Worlds aligned when you were born, they aligned when you destroyed Rashearim, and now they will align for your death.” Elianna’s eyes went molten blue, and the celestial markings burst to life, swirling over her skin. Every council member behind her followed her lead, the hall glowing blue. “Your rule was a failure indeed. But it is high time for another rule. Your reign has been over for a while, Samkiel. The realms have a true ruler now, and once this realm opens, you’ll see just how much of a failure you truly are.”
“Do you really think killing me and opening the realms will bring you peace?” I summoned every bit of strength I had and strained against the chains holding my arms. The metal groaned but held.
“Who needs peace when we will have power?” I had never known what a cruel, heartless wench Elianna was.
The doors opened, and everyone looked behind me. The Order knelt, bowing their heads. I struggled to turn my head to look over my shoulder. Logan and Imogen stepped to each side, holding the doors wide. My heart shuddered in my chest, and time seemed to stop.
Cameron and Xavier.
Xavier’s eyes were glazed and hollow, the same as Imogen’s and Logan’s, seeking and looking past here, past worlds. Cameron’s gaze clashed with mine, but he looked away, unable to hold the connection. He focused on the shell that was Xavier. I no longer felt the bond that I had with The Hand. It felt as if the life had been sucked out of him, and I knew he had done something terrible for Xavier. I looked at each member of The Hand, my heart breaking tenfold. Their eyes do not meet mine, each of them standing at attention.
Soldiers, weapons of war, that’s all they are.
The words of the old gods whispered through my mind, and now I could feel the separation between us. Some bond had ruptured.
Vincent walked in, Camilla in his grasp. I could still sense him on some level. He didn’t meet my eyes, and why would he? He had betrayed his family, and he had betrayed me.
Camilla struggled in his grip but couldn’t break free from him as he strode into the hall. She stumbled, trying to keep up, and glared up at him, her hands bound with the celestial chains. Her eyes met mine and widened, her face dropping, seeing where I was and how I was chained. Vincent pulled her to the side, dragging her toward the council.
“Well, I have to say I am impressed. The Order can do something right.” Kaden strode through the door, half his body covered in thick, heavy-plated armor. An assortment of horns with sharp points twisted back from his helmet. I had seen that armor before when I was a teen. I remembered the picture clearly. My father had damn near broken my fingers as he slammed the book closed and snatched it from me. I’d never seen the book again, but I remembered the words written beneath the image.
Dragonbane Armor.
It was made for him, meant to break and tear armies, every bit the beast the Irvikuva were. My heart sank, and that was the only coherent thought I had before lightning shot from his hands. It was the same color as Dianna’s flames. Power the same as mine, but oh so different bit and gnawed at my flesh.
I slumped forward and screamed, the sound echoing off the walls.
“Oh, he’s a screamer.” I heard Kaden say, circling me. “You are so fucking arrogant. You thought I would hide from you? From what? Fear? Absolutely not. I knew I couldn’t be around you. You’d sense it, feel it, that good old family tie.”
Another blinding bolt slammed into me, the circle encasing me lighting up bright orange. I gritted my teeth, feeling true and unrelenting agony. I hadn’t experienced this type of pain in eons. Only a god could hurt another god this way. I gasped for air as the last wave subsided. My hands fisted in the cuffs as I tried to catch my breath.
The Order stood, watching and waiting silently.
“Tell me, brother, how does it feel to be chained and beaten?”
He kneeled in front of me as I panted from the pain still ricocheting through my nervous system.
