Page 87 of Ocean of Silver

I could tell by the way he moved that his back was stiff, that he was holding back a wince every time he put pressure on his left leg to walk. How he leaned heavily on his right, overcompensating for his injury. But despite it all, despite the pain I knew he was in, he stood tall, defiant against his father.

The Lux King stalked toward the center of the soldiers. Males parted and bowed as he passed. “I have brought you forth today to join your training,” he bellowed to the soldiers. “It has been a while since I graced your training grounds, and I want to make sure that my army is up to the standards I desire. So who wants to show me how well my son has been training you? Who wants to show me the might of the Luxian army? Who wants the honor of fighting your King?”

He turned in a slow, full circle, facing each and every soldier. The field was silent, all of them cowering under his gaze. No one stepped up to the challenge.

“No volunteers?” He tsked, still scanning the men, gloating when everyone cowered. And I had a sinking feeling it was all a setup. “I’m already disappointed. Tezya, care to do me the honors since your men won’t?”

I noticed Dovelyn amongst the sea of men. She wore a white dress that clung to her dainty frame. She looked so out of place standing in the middle of the army, but I didn’t doubt that she could hold her own. Did Tezya and Brock train her? Did she regularly attend their training, or did the King only order her to come today? Her eyes narrowed at her father.

Tezya bowed his head as he walked toward the King. He was in no condition to fight. Fear clung to me as Arcane tugged on my chains and positioned us in direct view of the oncoming fight.

“What are the King’s powers?” I asked the Prince. This still had to be punishment for what happened. I was sure of it. Tezya was wounded and now was being forced to fight him at full power. I’d never seen the King fight. I didn’t even know what he could do, but dread filled me as I watched him smile, noting Tezya’s leg. He wouldn’t have challenged Tezya in front of an audience unless he knew he would win.

Arcane’s brows furrowed as he looked over at me before he finally answered, “Everything.”

Fire erupted, and I realized that it wasn’t coming from Tezya. The King made a ring around the two of them. It simmered low, destroying the ground beneath it. “Dovelyn,” the King demanded, “a shield.”

The Princess threw her hands out, casting an air dome over the two of them. Father and son. King and commander.

The moment the circle of protection was over them, every element shot toward Tezya. Water doused any flames he created. Wind ripped at his back and blew his hair away from his face. Lightning erupted, sending jolts into his chest right over the blackened sun. Roots came up from the ground, twisting around Tezya’s ankles, traveling up his legs, and locking him in place. He grunted as the thick vines wrapped around his injured thigh. Tezya wielded his fire to burn the roots off of him, but he only managed to get free for a couple of seconds before the King created more to hold him in place.

The King kept creating from an endless well, a vicious cycle of producing and burning. He was drawing from all the elements, bringing them forward from nothing. It was so much, so overwhelming, it was hard to keep up, hard to even see what was going on within the fight.

The King screamed in rage, even though he was the only one who was attacking. He was winning, gaining the advantage, yet he was furious.

“Why isn’t it working? Why am I not stronger?” He yelled it under his breath, but I could still hear the malice in his voice from across the open field.

Attack after attack came charging at Tezya. He braced himself for each blow and used his fire to dissipate anything he could. I didn’t know how Tezya was holding up, but he was still standing and moving effortlessly on his injured leg. The shield Dovelyn created was faltering. Water sloshed up the sides as fire sizzled, leaving steam in its wake. The wind threatened to buckle and cave the invisible walls in, but Dovelyn kept everything contained, kept adding fuel to the dome.

I’d never seen such power coming from one person, so all-consuming. The King possessedeverything, yet his mania revealed he wanted more, that it wasn’t enough. The soldiers shuddered back as the King’s rage soared. His last scream bellowed across the open field before he halted his attacks, his chest heaving with unspent fury.

The fire ceased, and Dovelyn rested her hands back down at her sides as the King’s rage turned away from Tezya, his cold, dead eyes focusing entirely on me instead.

He stormed over to me, death promised on his face. Tezya swore profusely once he saw where he was heading and started burning through the remaining roots that were still holding him in place, trying to get to me, but the King kept recreating them without even glancing back at his son.

“The enhancement should make everything stronger, but my abilities feel the same,” he seethed, closing the distance between us. My heart was pounding. My body locked up as his mania was solely focused on me. Even Arcane tensed next to me and backed up as far as the chains would allow without dropping them.

Dovelyn looked at me, her silver eyes flaring, as it dawned on her that the King was trying to use my powers. But how? Did it have something to do with him drinking my blood?

The King whipped the chains from Arcane, forcing me to stumble forward, tripping over my too-large pants. He slapped me across the face. The sound reverberated throughout the whole field. “Why isn’t it working?” he spat. “You made that boy’s abilities stronger. Why aren’t mine stronger?”

The King was about to slap me again, his hand raised in the air, when Dovelyn stepped forward. “Enhancement doesn’t work like that.”

Everything stilled.

“What do you mean?” he fumed as he tore his gaze away from me to look at his daughter.

“Enhancement works with other abilities. Scotlind can make someone else stronger. If you try to use her abilities,” she said carefully, not disclosing exactly how the King’s powers worked, “you can only makeothersstronger. Not yourself. Scotlind would have to actively use it on you if you wanted her to make you stronger.”

The King panted in rage as he glared at Dovelyn. “Brock!” he bellowed, his gaze never leaving hers. Dovelyn tensed.

“Yes, Sir,” Brock said as he stepped forward and bowed his head.

“Let’s test my daughter’s theory, shall we? Take away their vision. I want to see if I can force you to take on more,” he ordered as he pointed to the soldiers before us.

Brock hesitated, then the five men before us fell to the ground, screaming in agony as they grabbed at their eyes. The King stepped forward and amplified Brock’s powers—but I wasn’t doing anything. The King now possessed my enhancement somehow. I still felt the powers within myself. I still had my ability, but it was like a kernel of my power was now gone, given to the King to bend at his will. I just had no idea how. Seconds later, the screaming intensified as hundreds of soldiers fell to their knees, screaming in agony.

Brock’s cries were the loudest.

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