Beneath the shatter, p.9
Beneath the Shatter, page 9
Freezing in my spot, I realized that it was now just me and the king. A bit of panic began to sink in as it hit me that he, this man in front of me, controlled this entire land, and suddenly, I began to wonder if I hadn’t just traded one predator for an even worse one. He could punish me right now for the use of magic, the lost lives of Sébastien’s men, withholding aspects of how we got here, and nobody would raise a finger against him.
As though he could sense my fear, he chuckled lightly before beginning, “It’s a pleasure, Cassandra. Allow me to officially introduce myself. I am Adrastan Capetian, King of Verastarr and Alpha of the Wolvyn.” I smiled politely at the introduction even as my insides shriveled up in fear. He continued. “My son, Sébastien, has informed me of the story you have shared with him. It would seem that you, my dear, have a great deal of explaining to do?”
At this, I nodded weakly, not knowing what else to say. “Am I correct in understanding that you believe it was magic which brought you to my land?”
I looked at him before replying. “Yes, as I told Sébastien, there must have been magic in my—”
The king held his hand up, stopping me. “Was this magic your magic, or was someone sending you here?” His stern voice demanded an answer.
“It just happened. I’m a mortal. I don’t have any magic in me, and there was no one using magic on us. I told Sébastien, it was from the pendant on my necklace.”
Those storm blue-gray eyes watched me with intent as he responded, “I have already heard the story from Sébastien. What I need to know is how. How was the magic activated? You claimed that you had this necklace for a long time. Is this the only time the necklace has done this? What did you say or do before it unleashed its power?”
I swallowed hard, my fingers pulling at a frayed string on my pants. My mind went back in time, back to the night of the attack. A time I had told no one of when my necklace had indeed released magic.
“And Cassandra.” Adrastan’s voice cut through the air like a knife. “I recommend not leaving anything out, as I have my ways of finding out the truth. Ways far less pleasant, which I will use if needed,” he said, as his lip curled up.
Taking a breath, I calmed the shaking of my hands before I began. “The pendant. I often fidget with it and hold it against my neck. As I said goodbye to my sister that day, I remember holding it and wishing that I could just go back. I just wanted to go back, before the attacks, before The Fall, back to when our life was so much simpler. I remember thinking of this time when we were little that we had lived in Verastarr for a few years and how happy, how whole our family felt then. I was thinking back to those times.” He tracked my every word and movement as I spoke.
“But to answer your question,” I paused, making sure I could really do this. “No. That was not the first time that the pendant released magic. When I was younger. A pack of Seefers attacked our home. As a Seefer landed on me, its claws scratching down my side, I remember wishing over and over that they would leave, that all I wanted was for them to disappear. I couldn’t let them get past me to my sister. No sooner had I wished than I felt a sharp heat on my chest and then an eerie chill slam through the house and the Seefers left. My family… we are the only ones I know that survived such an attack, but I never once told anyone about the chilled feeling I felt. As the years went on, I thought less and less about that day.”
Adrastan stared at me in thought for a moment. “The necklace. Do you have it with you?”
I swallowed. “No.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Where is the necklace, then?”
“If I knew, you’d think the answer would have been yes—” I slapped my hand over my mouth. Fuck. You can’t talk to the literal king like that, Cass. Do you have a death wish? “Sorry, I don’t know where it is. It was ripped off the chain when it began burning me. When we woke up in a field shortly before we crossed paths with Sébastien, I couldn’t find it. I’ve been trying ever since.”
“Describe the necklace to me,” he demanded.
“It was a red, rectangular pendant, maybe an inch and a half long. The pendant itself was a ruby-red color with swirls of gold and a few more intricate designs that looked as if they were trapped in it.”
Adrastan stood up then, walking to the back wall lined with books. He searched for a few moments, pulling out a few books, putting them aside on the worn desk, before settling on a particularly ancient book. The seams threatened to fall apart, the pages yellowed with age. “Come,” he commanded as he turned the pages while scanning each one. Settling on a page, he set the book down, his finger pointing down at the depicted sketch. “Is that the necklace?” he questioned.
Looking down at the book with surprise, I barely nodded my head. “I don’t understand. Why? Why is there a sketch of my necklace in a book?”
Adrastan slumped slightly in his desk chair. “You’re sure? There’s no doubt in your mind?”
“Yes, sir. I’m positive. That sketch is of my pendant, down to the very swirls inside.”
Adrastan muttered under his breath before releasing a heavy sigh. “I thought we had more time.”
“More time? More time for what?” My voice raised an octave. “Why do you have a sketch of my pendant? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Come, let’s sit. I’m afraid I have much to fill you in on.” Adrastan’s voice was heavy as we moved to the couch. As I settled against the velvet material of the couch, he began. “At the beginning of my grandfather’s reign, over 100 years ago, the Nordak lands began to get power hungry. They weren’t satisfied with only having one power, they wanted them all.”
“As you know, each land has its own power, but the King of Nordak at the time, wanted more. The four other lands, East Engles, Verastarr, Reggeon, and Avyon, joined together, searching for a way to stop the Nordak from creating an imbalance of power throughout the realm. The four rulers, now known as the Cordial, assembled in secret in the East Engles with their strongest power assessors. They presented three artifacts. Each of the rulers then gave some of their power and magic and forced it inside the artifacts. The power assessors then bound and banished the artifacts to the furthest corners of the realm.”
He paused as I processed the history he had shared with me. “Once the four rulers returned home, one of the power assessors was captured by the Nordak. As it occurred, the King of the Nordak discovered the secret meeting and his fury was unstoppable.”
“He tortured and destroyed the trapped power assessor until he learned of the three artifacts. The power he unleashed then was like none other. A power strong enough to anger the God, to cause all those with magic in their souls to quake in fear. It was then that Seefers first appeared to seek out the power hidden amongst the artifacts. The King of the Nordak would stop at nothing to gain infinite power.”
“A great power was cast across the land by the four rulers, a power that instantly killed the Cordial as they expelled their magic. Four deaths in exchange for a hope of a better future. In their place was a prophecy. A means of protection. The artifacts would not be found until they made their way into the hands of ones that were deserving. A power assessor was assigned to each artifact, who would travel the paths of time to ensure it made it to the right hands before accepting their fate and vanishing from the realm. The hands of those who would join to destroy the tainted magic of the Nordak.”
I almost laughed because I knew one thing for sure. I was not qualified to destroy any dark magic. “I don’t understand why my necklace would have been one of the artifacts… or why it would have been given to me,” I pressed. My memory flitted back to that night, recalling the strange way the elderly woman had appeared before me, then how she had disappeared from my sight. I had assumed it was elemental magic, cloaking her in the night. Yet, what if it had been a power assessor, as the king described? One who vanished altogether once the artifact made it to my possession. Fuck me. Why? Why did I have to be such a naïve young child and accept the damn pendant?
“That necklace belonged to the first wolvyn alpha in our land and was passed down through generations. My grandfather sketched the artifact here in this journal so that future generations wouldn’t forget it, even though it had been lost to us for the cause.”
I sat in silence. Thoughts screaming in my mind, but not being able to escape. “What was the prophecy?”
Adrastan hesitated before replying, “The prophecy was written long ago. However, it has never been held in full by any one land, in an attempt to keep it from fulfillment.” He then shared:
“The power of four melded in three,
Scattered on winds of time,
Forced by darken powers to hide.
Bonded through secrets and lies,
A shattered acceptance,
Destined to start the beginning of times.”
I stared at the king then, confusion plastered across my face. “I’m just going to say it. I don’t really see how that would have anything to do with me. This doesn’t entirely seem like my issue. I’ve got enough power battles going on in my time, no need to add more. Thanks, though,” I finished as I stood up and began walking toward the door.
A low growl was all the warning I got before I found myself pressed against the floor, a snarling wolvyn towering over me. Sharp claws pricked into my shoulders, bringing pinpricks of blood to the surface as they held me down. A dark growl shook through him, coursing over me in warning.
In an instant, the king shifted back, standing in front of me, as I lay frozen in place on the floor. “Don’t test me, Cassandra. Don’t mistake empathy for your circumstances with kindness.”
My eyes blinked in shock as I slowly rose to my feet, my legs shaking as I sat back down. “I don’t even have the necklace anymore, though.”
Adrastan paced across the marbled floor in front of me, his black leather boots rhythmically thudding with each step. “If the pendant alone falls into the wrong hands, it will be useless. It was warded to only work when both the artifact and its owner are together. Which means that you will be the target if anyone discovers you are the owner of the first uncovered artifact.”
“Will the pendant take my sister and me home?”
He sighed, sitting down across from me. “I couldn’t tell you without seeing the pendant and the magic within. It’s possible that it can send you both back, but we need to locate the pendant first.”
Sucking in a shaky breath, I looked at him. “Why me? I have no ties to any magic or power. I didn’t ask for this.”
A chuckle escaped as he responded, “No one asks to play with fire—it just happens. Do you think I asked to be king? No. I watched a vicious magic take my father’s life from him and was given this role at a young age. Do you think those before me asked to give up their lives to protect Vanaiyer? No, people don’t ask for it; that doesn’t change the fact that they could be born for this though. The God allows us each to have a hand in the path of our own destiny. It’s merely up to you what you choose to do with yours.”
Closing my eyes, I tried to stop the pain as my mind hurt from the information, the shocking overload of news I had learned. Glancing back toward Adrastan, I questioned, “I could use some time to process this, if that’s alright?”
He watched me for a moment before answering me. “Yes, I need to send out patrols to begin searching for the pendant.” He paused briefly. “Cassandra, you need to understand—whatever time period you may be from, times are different here. Battles and attacks in all the kingdoms have grown stronger as of late, and the Nordak presence has increased. My sons have been raised to command, toughened by battle and protective of their packs. I may be the king, but I won’t interfere with Sébastien’s decisions if you don’t respect and follow his lead.”
I looked at him and nodded, understanding what he was trying to tell me, before heading out the door.
Chapter Nine
I wandered through the halls, knowing what I needed. My mind wasn’t going to just shut off on its own, and I desperately needed a few moments’ reprieve following that conversation. I was rounding the corner, in search of a training yard that I presumed any Palais would have, when I bumped into a hard form, my breath knocked from my chest. Gasping for air, I glanced up to meet the twinkling eyes of Dravyn.
“Well, well, well.” He laughed. “I didn’t know we were that close yet. Should I tell Emalyee to make some space in our bed?”
“What can I say?” I joked back. “I just knew the moment I saw you that I had to have you.”
“And where might you be off to this lovely day?”
I hesitated briefly. “Actually, I was looking for the training yard. I could use a distraction.”
“And you thought that Sébastien would just let you wander into the training yard all on your own?”
“Well,” I said, “what His Highness doesn’t know won’t kill him. I just—I need to clear my head, and a good sparring session usually helps.”
Dravyn cocked his head to the side, assessing me for a moment. His dusty brown hair fell across his face, shadowing his amber eyes as he thought. “Fair enough. This could be fun. Let’s go.”
“Wait.…” I looked at him as he began walking away. “You want me to spar against you?”
“I don’t see anyone else volunteering… do you?”
“But you’re the Captain of Sébastien’s guard. You’re going to knock me flat on my ass. I was looking for a distraction, not humiliation.”
“If you’re not up to the challenge, that’s fine by me. I can go see if there’s some painting or local gossiping that you could do with the Palais ladies?”
Sighing, I reluctantly followed him out toward the training yard.
As we stepped into the open air, the dull clanking of metal mixed with grunts met my ears. Dravyn stepped into a dirt packed ring, motioning me in. As I walked in, I pushed all thoughts out of my mind, focusing on my surroundings, assessing my opponent even as I walked toward the swords held on the side of the ring.
Picking up a medium-sized sword, I tested the metal in my hand, feeling the weight before squaring up against Dravyn. We circled each other for a few moments before he lunged, his sword heading for my shoulder. I ducked to the left before swirling around to meet his blade. The shocked look plastered across his face proved he underestimated my skill. We parried, back and forth, side to side. My arms began to shake as sweat poured down my face, my clothing clinging to my body. I blocked his blow, my arms trembling from the force, then struck back. Dravyn narrowly avoided a slice to his side, his balance causing him to stumble slightly.
A low laughter met my ears as a voice rang out over the ring. “Well, well. I was going to tell Emalyee to make sure she keeps tabs on her man. But from the looks of it, there might not be any man for her after this.”
I heard a rumbled growl from Dravyn as I glanced toward the newcomer. I recognized him from earlier this morning as the man who had been speaking with the king when Kateya and I entered.
A blur of movement appeared in the corner of my eye as I saw metal flying toward me. I clumsily raised my arms to block, my limbs unprepared for the strike. I felt the blade nip my arm; a flash of crimson emerged followed by a sharp pain. Rearing back, I glared at Dravyn as I dropped my sword, my hand covering the shallow slice on my arm. “That was an unfair strike!”
“Last I checked, this is the sparring ring. And we were sparring.”
“Yea, but someone stopped by. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I fail to see how it’s my fault you were more enamored with Kairon than our match,” he retorted.
“One might think you would be more concerned. He was attacking your manliness to begin with,” I shot back.
Chuckling, he glanced over to Kairon. “Nice to see you, brother. Have you been introduced to Cassandra yet?”
“Not officially,” Kairon replied. “Although, I have heard she’s the reason for my brother’s foul mood.”
“Ah, yes. The big, bad commander has finally met his match.” Dravyn looked over at me then. “Cassandra, meet Sébastien’s older brother and heir to the throne.”
Nodding my head in greeting, I answered, “I would greet you properly, but I’m too busy trying not to bleed out, thanks to Dravyn.”
Kairon hopped into the ring then, picking up a sword and tossing it between his hands. I watched him, noticing the similarities between him and his brother. The dusting of freckles they both sported across their cheeks, the same wavy hair just a shade lighter than his brother’s, the similar tattoos across his arms.
“Ready for round two?” he prompted as Dravyn walked over to the edge and leaned against the fencing to watch.
“Why would I turn down the chance to lower the ego of the heir to the throne?” I replied saucily.
Kairon glanced over his shoulder toward Dravyn. “She’s feisty, huh? I like her.”
And then he struck. I raised my arms in defense, my muscles quaking in protest as I blocked, parried, and blocked again. We played on the edge, pushing each other and then backing off as we circled around each other like predators stalking their prey.
My steps weakened as we went back and forth, strike, duck, spin, lunge. The circle went on, my muscles weakening while Kairon seemed to be unfazed. I had just ducked his advance, spinning around to strike, when I felt the flat of his blade against the backs of my calves, knocking me to the ground.
The air rushed from my lungs as my body collided with the compact dirt, my blade knocked from my grasp. I felt the tip of his blade lightly against my neck as I froze in defeat.
“You put up a good fight.” His words cut the air with a glint of victory. “Don’t play with us wolvyn too long, or you might get bitten.” He chuckled as he held his sword against my neck, before lending a hand to help me up.
Standing up, I wiped the dust off my clothes as I replied, “Maybe I want to,” before I hopped over the fence and walked back toward the Palais. My heart was lighter than it had been since arriving.
