Page 142 of Gift from the Stone

“Let’s head in,” Tillman says, placing his hand against the entrance door, commanding it to open.

Making our way through the labyrinth of cells and halls, Sira lets out one surprised gasp as her men growl when we first step into the second floor, and after that, they quickly work out this is a prison and they’re back to freaking out that we’ve set a trap for them.

Tillman must hear it too because he nods at Draken and they veer off, heading toward Layton’s room while we continue on to one of the larger interrogation rooms. As soon as we walk through the threshold, Sira starts.

“We just want to see our son and have him back. We swear we have nothing to do with those men,” she cries.

“This is a rebel prison. We’re here because your son was in the Terravile pack where he’d been forced to join the rebels. We know you’re not involved, but there’s a lot going on we cannot tell you about just yet, and it’s not safe for him to leave the protection of this place,” Corentin tells them more patiently than when we were in Marka.

“Rebels? Forced to join them? What does all that—”

“Mom…” Layton’s broken voice carries through the room, cutting Sira’s questions off, and she spins on her heel toward him.

“Layton.” Her arms are clutched around him tight before his name is fully out of her mouth, and his dads follow suit, circling him in their embrace.

“Are you okay, son? They said you were in Terravile, that they forced you to join the rebels,” she asks once she pulls away and wipes her tears.

Panic sets in on Layton’s face, the fear creeping into his eyes at the simple mention of where he’s been.

“Please have a seat and I’ll explain as much as I can and what we have planned moving forward,” Corentin says, ushering Layton and his parents to the seats.

After he makes brief introductions, he jumps right into it. My heart clenches painfully every time Sira cries or pulls Layton closer to her. It’s not a long story—Corentin leaves out most of what happened in Terravile—but it’s a painful one. A painful reminder to me, to Layton, to my men, Aria. Terravile was a fucking nightmare for everyone.

“So you’re going to try to remove this rune on his mind?” Sira addresses Aria.

“I’m going to try. If I can’t, I’ll lower the barrier enough that Willow and Tillman will be able to see inside his mind,” she says honestly.

“Will this hurt?” Layton stutters out.

“No. Everything we do will be painless,” Tillman promises.

Layton turns to his parents, searching for more reassurance, and once they all give him just that, he gives the three of us a nervous nod.

Me and Tillman place a hand each on his shoulders, preparing to look inside his head rather than just hear his thoughts like it was done with the Elders. I’ve never done this, so when we discussed this, this morning, Tillman gave me a crash course on what to do and told me to try, and if I couldn’t get it, just listen in.

I feel Aria’s magic the moment it reaches Layton’s mind and I let mine flow from me with the intention of seeing what he’s seen, hearing what he’s heard.

Rapidly, his memories start to filter through. The glimpses in time speed across my brain so fast I can’t keep up. It’s a dizzying assault, and for the life of me, I can’t make it slow down.

As easily as I can, I command my magic to pull back, slow down, something, and it responds instantly, freezing on a memory of Layton standing in the corner of a room, facing a wall. I can’t see the men in the room with him, but I hear it all.

“My creature is growing restless daily. The freedom of the forest is no longer keeping him satisfied as it once was. His defiance is a bane, but for now he’s willingly cooperating.”

“Is he unhappy with the supply he’s been given? We can procure more if that’s simply what he wants, Summum-Master,” a man says, identifying the most important individual in the room for me.

“The supply is a necessity for his survival. It’s not a matter of whether or not he’s happy with it. He wants what he’s always wanted. But that is not an option for him. I have no intentions of releasing him.”

“There are plenty of creatures in the forest who originated from Essemist Keep. Certainly there’s another who can do what he can. We can find one and use them, put an end to this senseless defiance.”

“Your ignorance and simple solutions are what took you so long to grow through my ranks. Sometimes I question if your value is even worth it for me,” the Summum-Master spits out.

Even though this is only a memory, I feel Layton’s body jump and cower closer to the wall from the cruel tone just used. His fear is palpable and deeply rooted. It’s no wonder he can barely speak about what he’s been through without crying. He may not have access to these memories, but the feelings they evoke stay with him.

“I apologize, Master. I was just trying to help alleviate some of the things on your plate.”

“Don’t concern yourself with my plate when I hardly allow you at my table. You’ve done well pledging your family to me, as well as another one of the five, but that still leaves three of the top families and the pathetic royals ruining this realm. Your focus should be there and only there until I say otherwise. If that is too much for you, I’ll find another.”

“I will convince the other three, my Master. With two of the five families now under your control, the time is coming. I will not let you down. You will reign.”

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