Page 5 of The Order: Rise of the New Empire

My ability to fight the pull toward death is dwindling.

“Between you and I, something big is coming. Loverboy out there has a grand plan, one that will end in his supposed death.”

“Why would Fallan-”

“Because he loves Dove and will do anything he can to avenge her. Have you really not pieced together yet whose love between the two of those men has always run true?”

Knowing deep within my soul whose heart I hold closest, every vile word I have thrown at Xavier comes crashing down. The way I have chosen to look at him pierces me worse than the tip of the finest blade.

"Can you sense it?" Elyon asks, raising his brows in amusement. "Can you sense the truth buried in my words? Can you sense the way you never truly stepped into Fallan's mind? The deceit in your weak, fabricated bond with him? No wonder Xavier let you leave that little Lottery," Elyon smiles. "The lashing he received that day was devastating."

“In some ways, I think I am telling you this because I feel as if it is my fatherly duty-”

"You're not my father.”

“Am I not? You derived from my blood and seed. You have been my sole reason for creating the life I have for myself. Initially, I thought killing you was the best plan of action, but impress me enough, and perhaps an alliance is the bonding we've truly needed.”

"You're the devil-"

“And you're my legacy, Forest.”

Using his Hold to urge me forward, I stumble into the man's arms. His breath is hot with the presence of alcohol. Holding me to his chest, he keeps me still, his hands forcing what air I have left out of my lungs with a simple push to my chest.

"There's no use in me allowing you to stand here, slowly slipping away as your true memories eat away at your life force. If you were smart, you'd know showing me your allegiance will be the only thing that sets you-" he pauses, his hand squeezing my ring finger. "And the people you love most free."

“I will kill you-”

"No…. You won't. For now, you will forget our entire conversation. You will remember no part of this interaction. Your mind is mine, and mine alone. You will only remember what I want you to remember, how I want you to remember it. You will love Fallan and loathe Xavier. When and only when Josh's little trigger-happy hand kills you, will you remember this conversation and the allegiance I have offered you to show me. You won't know it then, but when the time comes, you will want nothing more than to make Fallan suffer and show me what kind of monster you really are.”

"Wait-"

Touching my temples once more, his wrist comes over my mouth, a clean cut already allowing a flood of blood to pass my lips. Keeping his grasp on my head as he feeds me, the parts of myself shoved down into the confines of my mind slip away. Myeyes push past a haze as the pain, once enveloping me, suddenly becomes nothing at all.

Wondering how and why I ever allowed my mind to pull away from Fallan and the admiration I carry for the man, the thought of Xavier becomes vile once again. More and more, the conversation Elyon and I might have had slips away, bringing me back to the warm embrace we shared seconds ago.

Blinking slowly, the feeling of hands touching my head fades. The thoughts circulating in my mind are stagnant once more. Reflecting on how long I have been standing here, the name Dove comes to mind. Elyon's focus is still on the picture of his family, his eyes watching me with worry.

As if I have dreamt while standing, I take a look around the space, nothing out of the ordinary. Touching my head, all my barriers stay intact. The keycard to Xavier's cell remains nestled in my hand, waiting for me to deliver him the pain he so rightfully deserves.

Where the hell did my mind go?

"What... what the hell were we just talking about?" I ask Elyon, my mind biting at the opportunity to question Fallan about his seemingly not-so-uncommon nickname for me.

Glancing at the clock, it seems multiple minutes have passed.

That's not possible-

“We were just talking about my daughter, but I think it's time for you to get going," the old man states, his body feeble. The image I had painted of him in my mind is no longer the much more youthful completion my daydreams had bred.

Dove.

The name clings to the back of my mind.

Her name was Dove.

Trying to brush off the whispers floating in my mind, one thing is for sure. I need to speak to Fallan.

Faint inklings of a conversation conjured by my mind infiltrate my thoughts, dissipating into whispers before becoming nothing at all.

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