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He’s right. I knew it. I knew it the minute I saw the empty chamber. But I had hoped it was not the case.
That means someone must have followed me and found it. Or maybe they were aware of the tunnels and stumbled upon it. But someone had to have unchained it and released it.
“But it doesn’t matter,” I tell him.
“How can you say that?”
“That woman’s death is still my fault. I brought that creature here.”
“You didn’t set it on people. You trapped it. It wasn’t your fault.”
I grow silent, knowing that is not true. I am not blameless.
“Do you deserve to die for it?” he asks, so softly I nearly miss it, too lost in my chaotic thoughts.
I pause and start to think on his words.
“No, you don’t,” he snaps, as if angry with me now. “You have a great deal to accomplish before that. A great deal. Some will not get that chance. Butyoudeserve to live a full life of happy moments.” He pauses with a heavy sigh, and something about his words makes me pause.
“Wylan?”
“Yes, Ren. Can I call you Ren?”
I hear the smile in his voice, reminding me so much of Jarek and his playfulness.
“No,” I answer immediately, and he chuckles.
“Why are you here in a cell?” Or in the palace at all.
His chuckles quickly dry up as he releases a harsh breath. “Someone betrayed me. And because of it, I am to die.”
My already cold body turns to ice.
“In two days.” He chuckles again, but this time, there is no amusement in it. “I have two days before I am sentenced to death.”
My mind tries to scramble together some form of a plan to get him out. He can’t die. Not him too. Jarek will be… I have to get him out. It’s the only thing I can focus on that makes sense right now.
“I would have liked to have seen him again. One more time,” Wylan says almost wistfully, but I’m already up and moving, searching my cell. It doesn’t look like my old one, the layout and bars similar to the one Veles was in.
My eyes slide to my right and narrow as an impossible thought drops into my head. Pushing it to the back of my mind for the moment, I find a basin of water at the side of the cell and shove my blood-red hands into the ice-cold water to wash them.
Turning my head away from them, I try to wash the blood off my hands and arms while focusing on something else.
“Why are they sending you to your death?” I ask, hoping it will pull me away from the small spiral I’m about to lose myself to once more.
“I wanted to help the Sidus. I’ve seen them suffer time and time again. All I wanted to do was help.”
I freeze. “You’re not a Sidus?”
He pauses as if realizing his little slip. “No.”
Ah. Now I realize why Jarek was too nervous for me to meet him. He thought I would judge him. And he would have every right to think so. I did judge the rebels too harshly without ever really knowing them. And I did the same to the Caligo.
My impossible thought comes to the forefront of my mind, and I reach down, only to instantly feel my Caligo powers. And if I have access to them, surely he does too. Unless… “You’re not Caligo either, are you?”
Wylan pauses again. “No.”
Getting back to cleaning the dried blood off me, I focus on my small plan now that I have confirmation it may work. The bracelets are still on me, with no way to remove them, so I won’t be able to use my Sidus light. But the guards don’t know about my Caligo side. And hopefully this new cell doesn’t hinder them either.
