Page 80 of Celestial Bodies

Souzie continued, “You will take us to where Prince Julen is being heldcaptive. You will pretend I am a research subject and these two guardians are escorting me. If you make a sound or try to signal to anyone, they will shift and kill you.”

The older female in charge spoke, “We don’t know where they are keeping the prince.”

Souzie smiled. “Well, unfortunately for you, old hag is my lion’s favorite treat. Dacias, do your worst. Klorin, you take the other female. I’ll have fun with this one.” She eyed up the male that gasped in her clutches.

Dacias and Klorin stalked their prey, growling low. Dacias glared his sharp teeth at the older female. She paled at the sight, but it was the younger one who caved, “Fine! Fine, just g-get it away from me. I’ll show you.”

The old woman bellowed, “You will do no such thing! You will die with honor! The Mother Planet…” Dacias pounced on her and sliced a claw along her throat, ensuring no sound escaped.

The other two shrieked, and Souzie raised her hand to silence them. “You were saying something about taking us to the prince?”

The female spoke, “I’ll take you, but you must swear you won’t kill us when we reach him.”

Souzie lightened her grip on the man ever so slightly. “You have my word. Take us there.”

37

Chapter 36

Julen

Julen gave up on trying to tear through the thick film of sludge surrounding the space. It was impossible to penetrate.

Julen knew the crystal was the only way out. He felt it with every fiber of his being. It was a gateway to something. Perhaps hell? That’s what it felt like when he touched it. Still, it was the only option. He couldn’t rip through the ooze. He needed to try and breach the crystal again. Julen had to break free from this prison, and he wanted to do it before his father channeled himself into Julen.I can’t let that happen. I can’t let him control my body.

There was no way of knowing when Haligran would arrive, but Julen knew it was soon. The waiting was torturous. Julen’s cheeks flushed with rage at the thought of his father slithering about the lab, waiting to take over his body.

A throbbing pain abruptly pierced Julen’s skull. An explosion erupted behind his eyes, and the little light in the dungeon became blinding. He wailed in agony.

Anjular ran to him, grabbing his hand. “It is happening!” The monsters stood up and moved quickly toward Julen.

Carnufor’s voice let out a counterfeit sound of surprise through the window. “Ahhh, your majesty. So good of you to join us. And how isthe Prince of Lapistra fairing at the moment?”

Julen’s body in the outside world began to speak, but it was intertwined with Haligran’s voice. The cocktail their two voices created made Julen want to retch. He writhed in agony as the Haligran mused over his new form, “Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable.”

Despite the pain, Julen could see through the window and watched as Haligran strolled to a mirror to gaze at his reflection.

No. No.Julen’s reflection stared back, his eyes pitch black, with not a trace of white. His lips curled with sick amusement. The way he turned his head with haughtiness was just like his father. The agony of the crystal was nothing compared to this. Seeing the glimmers of Haligran’s putrid expression woven into Julen’s face pained him like nothing had before.

Haligran began manifesting, using wind to throw things about the room. Then, the winds gathered, and his father began levitating. His cruel laugh mixed with Julen’s as it echoed throughout the chamber. Julen screamed through clenched teeth, “Push me to the stone now! I have to try!”

As soon as he said it, a clattering sound rang out. Something pounded against the laboratory entrance. Through the window, Julen could see Haligran’s gaze fixed on the door. The pounding intensified, and the door began to bend. It exploded against the opposite wall, and a lion, a cougar, and Souzie bounded into the chamber.Dacias!The lion locked eyes with Haligran—in Julen’s body—and shifted.

Dacias emerged, and Julen wept at the sight of him.He came for me. They came for me.For a moment, the swelling of Julen’s heart distracted him from the agony of his father’s possession.

Dacias looked up. “Julen! Come to me!”

Through the window, Julen saw his hand rise and launch a wind bomb, pummeling Dacias in the stomach and hurtling him against the wall. Dacias winced in agony as he slid down. His eyes slowly opened, and the mix of pain and betrayal in his face shattered Julen. A drop of blood dripped from his mouth. The sounds of Souzie screaming filled the room.

Julen wailed, “NO! DACIAS!”

Julen willed himself to his feet, clutching his head. His body pulsatedwith agony, and knives stabbed at his brain, but he moved forward.

Julen gripped his head and threw himself against the crystal. His body passed through the outer layer, and the lavender liquid enveloped him. He couldn’t breathe. Bolts of lightning seared his skin. The wailing hurt his ears.

He could see through to the other side of the crystal. Julen tried to push through the ooze. The streaks of lightning continued, shocking Julen as they made contact with him. He thought back to Dacias’s crumpled body. The pain and betrayal on his face.No.Julen had to get there. He had to save Dacias.

He pushed, using every last fragment of strength to wade through the muck. His hand finally made contact with a rigid surface, he pushed it through, and like a vacuum, the crystal sucked his body in. The crystal spit him out on the other side, and he entered a black nothingness where he fell and fell and fell…

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