Page 36 of Gilded Curses

“They call us whatever they want to.”

“There are far more of you than them; why not rise against them?”

“They have the guards on their side; they’re all treated extremely well and have the weapons. How do we fight that?” Clive asked.

Sahira had been asking herself the same question for the past two days.

“And some of us are too afraid to fight and would rather have things continue this way.”

“Many have had their spirits completely broken,” Alda whispered.

Judging by the woman’s dejected appearance, Sahira suspected she was on the verge of being one of them. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples as she pondered their words.

Though she hated it, she understood why many in this realm were too beaten to rise against their vicious rulers. Years of abuse had inured them to it. Some, if not many, were born into this, and it was all they knew.

“There’s no reason for the guards to change things,” Aurora said. “They get whatever they want here.”

“I see,” Sahira murmured.

“And this is the only way of life we know, though many of us have heard stories from our parents or grandparents about better times. Those times were millennia ago, and none of those who knew anything different are still alive.”

“I’m sure the Elites had something to do with that.”

“They did,” Clive confirmed.

The Elites weren’t stupid. They were cruel, powerful, and heartless but not stupid.

“How did they become the Elites?” Sahira asked.

Clive shrugged. “They’ve always been that way. Well… not always. Most of the Elites now aren’t the original ones who settled this land but are the descendants of those originals.”

“You have no enemies here, at least not from what I’ve seen. How did any of them die?” Sahira asked.

“How, indeed?” Alda murmured.

Sahira pictured Desmond’s shark-like smile as she came to her own conclusion. “They were in the way and killed because of it.”

“Or they knew too much.”

Chewing on her bottom lip, Sahira contemplated this revelation. “The other Elites are probably walking a tightrope, hoping they don’t get killed too.”

“Maybe, but they don’t act like it. It’s been thousands of years since they died; I think they’re pretty secure in their roles now.”

Sahira lowered her head to rub her brow as a dull throb started behind her eyes.

“They possess a lot of power,” Aurora said. “They’ll slaughter us if we try to fight them.”

“Don’t you have the same powers?” Sahira asked.

Clive shook his head. “We don’t have the guards, and they have the stones.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“The stones?” Before any of them could reply, Sahira held up her hand. “Wait. First, let’s start at the beginning. You’re the dagadon; not much is known about you other than you can manipulate time. Can you do that?”

“Yes, but not to the extent they are manipulated here and throughout Epoch. We can’t stop others from opening portals… at least not without some help,” Clive replied. “We can manipulate time so it slows down or speeds up to disorient our opponents. It doesn’t affect a fellow dagadon.”

Sahira glanced around their small space, but what she really saw was Belda’s town and all the immortals trapped there. “Then how does the Cursed Realm exist?”