Page 82 of Essence of the Throne

“Now, now,” Thalion tuts, opening his arms as if he isn’t the least bit afraid. “Let’s be civil.”

“Civil?” I spit as my body subtly shifts in front of the prince. “Like you were with those children? Or every single fucking contestant in your sham of a competition?”

His eyes flash with a dangerous threat. “I didn’t experiment on your precious friend, now did I, wraith?” He chuckles to himself. “Well, that’s not entirely true, but I did give his body back, did I not? Everything I do is for the good of this kingdom.”

“You’re insane,” Caspian says, his voice shaking with the same rage simmering just under my skin.

“I’m pragmatic,son. Something you’ll understand when you’re king.” His head shakes as he watches Caspian with ample disappointment. “It’s a shame your loyalty to the throne—this family—is not a choice you will make on your own.” The king sighs like he’s been given an impossible task before nodding in our direction. “Take them.”

Sentries file in, far more than a dozen, and I manage to slice the throats of three before I feel several pricks around my body. Immediately, my limbs grow heavy as my essence retreats,unreachable. The last thing I see is Caspian fighting to reach me before darkness claims my mind.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Caspian

Adull throbbing pulses through my head as consciousness creeps back. My tongue feels thick, coated with a metallic taste that makes me gag. I attempt to lift my hand, needing to rub my aching temples, but restraints bite into my wrists. The fog in my mind clears instantly as I jerk against the bindings.

“I wouldn’t struggle too much. Those are reinforced with essence-infused steel.” My father’s voice drifts from somewhere to my left, but my vision is still catching up with my mind. “A fascinating discovery, really. When we learned to merge essence with metal, instead of just using it as a conduit, it opened up entirely new possibilities.”

I will my racing heart to calm as my eyes adjust to the dim lighting of my bedroom. Father sits in a chair near the window, his posture relaxed as if we’re having a casual conversation over breakfast. Moonlight catches on his crown, making him look eerie. He sits slouched, one hand draped casually over the armrest while the other twirls a crystal glass with something dark inside. It’s unsettling—he never slouches, and the lack of his usual rigidformality would make my stomach churn if it wasn’t doing so already.

I cannot believe this bastard is my father.

“Where is she?” My voice comes out hoarse, too quiet to sound confident. The last thing I remember is Ariella collapsing as guards surrounded us in that appalling laboratory.

He waves a hand, dismissing my concern. “The wraith is…being handled. But let’s discuss what you saw down there, son.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as his eyes hold mine with an evil look. The sharp angles of his broad cheekbones stand out as the dark strands of his hair contour both sides of his face. “I assume you have questions.”

Heat burns through my veins. I do not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break, but against my better judgment, I snap. “Questions? You’re experimenting onchildren. You murdered contestants in a competitionIhelped organize. You have single-handedly ruined the future of two fucking realms! What could justifyanyof this?” I clear my throat and try to gather any saliva I can, but it’s of no use.

“Power, of course.” He says it so simply, so unbothered, as if explaining basic arithmetic to a child. “Do you know how long our family has ruled Eldoria, Caspian? Centuries. And in all that time, we’ve been at the mercy of those born with stronger essence. Those who could theoretically overthrow us at any moment.” His eyes gleam with a zealous aura that prickles at my skin and sets an unease I can’t shake.

“So this is about control? Stealing essence from innocents to what—make yourself more powerful?” I tug against the restraints again, metal biting into my flesh. There’s not a hint of weakness in these bindings, rendering my struggle useless. I’ll only waste strength and energy if I continue.

“Not just control. Evolution.” He stands and begins pacing, hands gesturing wildly. “Think about it, Caspian. What if we could choose who has what abilities? And how much? What if we couldensurethe royal line maintains absolute authority through essence superiority?”

“You’re insane,” I breathe, but he continues as if I hadn’t spoken. I stare at the dark ceiling of my room, unable to keep down the anxiety over Ariella’s whereabouts. She’s not dead—I would feel it. But I do not think she’s okay, either. I need to get father to open these restraints.

“The adult subjects were too unstable. Their essence was too developed, too…resistant to transfer. But the young ones?” A genuine smile splits his face, and I feel nothing but rampant disgust at the movement. “Their essence is raw, malleable. Perfect for harvesting in small doses.”

My stomach hurts—this shouldn’t be happening. “And mother? Vespera? Do they know what you’re doing?”

Something soft flickers across his features; the first crack in his composed facade. “Your mother, well she doesn’t understand. None of them do. But they will, once we perfect the process.” He moves to stand at the foot of my bed, crossing his arms. “Which brings me to an important choice you need to make.”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “A choice? You’ve rather eliminated those, have you not?”

“No, son. Despite my anger, you still have options. It seems I have a soft spot for my heir.” He grips the footboard, knuckles whitening before he continues in a venomous tone. “Will you persist in undermining everything I am building with that murderous whore? Or will you stand beside me—father and son—and help create the most powerful dynasty this realm has ever known?” He truly believes in what he’s doing.

It’s fucking nauseating.

For a moment, I consider playing along. Pretending to see his twisted logic, if only to buy time to figure out how to stop him. But then I remember Ariella’s face when we found that laboratory. The horror in her eyes at what my father had written in his journals. The way she immediately moved to protect me, even knowing she was outnumbered.

“The balance is failing,” I say instead. “The weather changes, gravity itself acting strange, plants withering before our eyes—can’t you see what your experiments are doing to the realm?”

He blinks at me, head tilting. “Balance? What are you talking about?”

“The Accord, father! Your tampering with essence is destroying it.” But even as I speak, I can see the words mean nothing to him. His eyes hold that same fervid gleam, focused solely on his grand vision of power.

“None of that matters,” he dismisses, though I’m not sure he understands. His eyes didn’t seem to recognize any of what I just said. “Once we perfect essence transfer, natural phenomena will be irrelevant. We’ll have the power to reshape things how we see fit.” Natural phenomena? He has no clue of what he’s doing to the realms.

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