Page 78 of Magic Cursed
“What are you talking about?” He doesn’t say anything, but I’m now certain that he knows exactly what his father is planning. “So, you’re done pretending that this quest is about getting rid of the shadow demon problem?”
“I never lied about that.”
Now I’m confused. How are they going to get rid of the shadow demon problem, and magic users?
* * *
We’re brought back to camp where the Regent puts Elsie in a cage and parades her around for everyone to see for themselves that magic can be taken from their enemies. My hate grows with every jeer that’s sent her way, with every bang on the cage, with every tear that silently falls from Elsie’s large eyes. I’m tethered to a new tree, but this time without the luxury of a tent and closer to the heart of the camp, I assume so more eyes can be sure I don’t try to run away again. I’m not sure how I could possibly do that with manacles on both my wrists and ankles. They burn, but they’re not nearly as bad as the pain of knowing I’ve failed so miserably.
Elsie will never be the same, her magic is gone. There was nothing I could do to stop it. And worst of all, I hadn’t even warned her and Tuuk that it was a possibility. Why didn’t I tell them? I failed her. And I’ve failed Daimis. I’ve left him to stop the Regent all by himself.
I lock eyes with Daimis from across the camp. He’s careful not to look my way for very long, which is good because I’m not sure anyone could miss the pain on his face. I try not to let him see me shivering. I don’t want him worrying about me. I know what he’s thinking, and so I mouth to him,bigger picture,so he doesn’t try to set me free again. There’s already been one failed attempt and it ended in tragedy for Elsie. And anyway, he needs to focus on stopping the Regent right now. He must understand because after scowling, his expression turns to determination, and he gives me a slight nod.
I don’t know where Tuuk is, I can only hope he made it to the cave and stays there.
As the day goes on, I watch the Regent direct his guards in setting something up in front of the Faestone. The guards use a black powdered substance to make a large circle on top of the snow about fifteen feet from the monolith. They run a line of powder connecting the circle to the Faestone. They sprinkle shorter lines coming out from the large circle and make smaller circles where those lines end.
Just when I think it can’t get any stranger, the Regent brings out the jars of blood we saw in his hidden room and places them each in the smaller circles: blood from all of the races.He’s going to attempt a spell.
But how? He’s not a magic user. Maybe all of our worries are for nothing, and he won’t be able to do what he’s trying. But I suppose that didn’t stop him from finding a way to disable magic, or from creating those festering creatures in the athenaeum. And I’m still not sure what he did to those people who were being escorted out of the athenaeum.
For the next hour an eerie silence falls over the camp, like the calm before the storm. I wonder if the Steel Guards know what’s coming or if they’re as in the dark as Daimis and I.
The Regent emerges again. He’s wearing a white fur cloak, and a crown of golden thorns on top of his blond hair. A crown, as if he’s the king.
“Get to your positions,” the Regent says to his men.
Daimis, I hope you have a plan to stop this, whatever it is.
Eight Steel Guards each take up a torch to stand behind the eight jars of blood. Apparently, they know exactly what’s happening. The Regent must have handpicked each of the guards for this quest based on their unwavering loyalty to him and his cause. That’s why they’ve practically ignored Daimis and their duty to him as the heir of Thaaryn.
“Kellan, it’s time,” the Regent calls.
Kellan walks out to the clearing dressed in similar white, but his furs have black streaked through them. He’s definitely part of this, the bastard. I expect Kellan to take up a place next to his father, instead he changes direction and closes the distance to me. His face is somber, and he avoids my gaze completely.
“Kellan, what are you doing?” I ask.
He ignores me and unlocks the chain that’s keeping me tethered to the tree. The eight men holding the torches start to chant in a language I’ve never heard. It’s throaty and resonates with long vowels. Kellan pulls on my bound hands, urging me forward, toward the ritual.
My heart pounds and a chill runs up my spine. “Kellan!”
He ignores me.
I pull back from him and dig my heels into the snow. “What are you doing? Where are you taking me?”
“This has been your destiny since you were ten years old,” he finally says. “There’s no use in fighting it. I was hoping we could find another way, but my father assured me there is none.”
My jaw drops open and I just stare at him in disbelief for a moment. Is he implying he knows who I really am? I recover quickly and shake my head, still fighting him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You have the wrong person.” He keeps pulling me forward. My strength just isn’t at its best with the weight of the ash-steel and the drugs still lingering in my system. “Kellan, I know we’ve had a difference of opinions, but it’s me, Sky. We saved each other, remember? We’re friends. You told me everything would be okay, that you wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.”
“Stop lying,” he says, his face turning red. “There’s no need to now. I know you’re Sahra Devoe, daughter of the Sorcerer, Ronaan Devoe. You have his magic in you, it’s what saved you from the shadow demons, and it’s what will save Thaaryn.”
If he knows only my father’s magic could protect me from the shadow demons, then he’s known who I really am ever since I was brought to the castle. He’s been lying to me, manipulating me, all this time. Not because he cared for me. It was all to get me here to take part in this madness. Heat flushes my skin, and my anger boils my insides.
“You bastard!” I swing my bound hands into an upper-cut and collide with his chin. He curses and picks me up roughly, throwing me over his shoulder.
“Leave her alone!” Elsie yells from her cage. She’s rattling the door with everything she has.
“Stop messing around, Son, and get to it,” the Regent says.