Page 122 of Within the Veil

I inhale sharply, and my jaw drops. What in the fuck?

"Where have you been hiding a damn cult of assassins?"

Well, obviously making them undetectable by fucking scent would be step one. Ingenious really, Jensi sends my way and I mentally punch him in the face.

I look around the room, taking comfort that, by their varying expressions of shock, they didn't seem to know either. Well, King, Jensi, and Luca are suspiciously avoiding my gaze, but I'll ignore that since they are all training for the death cult.

My eyes sweep back to the bloody man in my living room, looking into empty voids that are supposed to pass as eyes.

Well, if his swords didn't finish someone off, they would probably get sucked into his eyes like a damn Venus fly trap. That's probably the way he gains sustenance; he snacks on the poor, drowned souls of his enemies. I hope Oberon offers free magical vines to pick the bones out of his ridiculously sharp teeth.

Death-on-legs chuckles, and I barely suppress the shock at the sound. Deep, rich, and not murder-y at all, completely at odds with the light shining off of his mouth full of incisors. And somehow, that makes the sound even more bone-chilling.

"Well, that's not off-putting at all. Nope," Remi mutters.

"Whatever do you mean?" My brows furrow. "Sounds like an ordinary, sweet chuckle steeped in blood and seasoned with the regrets of your decisions."

"Then, dipped in the flour of your ground-up corpse," she says thoughtfully, a slight smirk on her lips.

"Deep-fried in the boiling tears of your most desolate memories, retrieved from your not-so-dearly-departed soul," I nod.

Jensi raises his hand, "Does anyone else think that their description was startingly accurate?"

"Very much so," Oberon says, the delight in his voice palpable.

Zane growls, a vein bulging on his forehead as he clenches his fists, "Anyone care to share with the fucking class what this is about? Pleasantries aside, I'm assuming there is a reason why one of your men is here," he says to Oberon.

"Apologies, my name is Toiltenach-Pla," the Whisperer says.

"Toe-nail plaque? Well, that's one way to terrify your enemies," I mutter, then cringe at the word vomit, forgetting the fact that no matter how low I whisper, they all have supersonic hearing. They groan, and Hunter shifts slightly as if expecting him to attack.

He starts to laugh, "It is quite an honor to meet the mate of my Shadow King. If anyone is worthy of such an incredible mate, it is Oberon," he claps his shoulder, and I beam at him. I like him.

"Loosely translated, I have been honored with the moniker of Silent Scourge. But you may call me Talvyn," he says the name as if pulling it from the very depths of his soul, and he bows his head briefly.

Whisperers become what their name implies. It is difficult to remember that which has been destroyed in order to be rebuilt anew. King whispers through our bond.

Mentally, I nod. Because that makes sense, not to mention names have power.

"Apologizes for arriving without proper warning. When the Stolen Kingdom was no longer visible or penetrable by our usual means, we were tasked with finding a way to break through the additional layer of power placed around the lands," he begins. I move to sit back down, conjuring him a chair and not so discreetly using magic to clean him up and make him shiny and new before he sits down.

Nodding in thanks, he continues, "Ruadhan was able to discern the power signature as that of Uranus and was able to bypass the shield. I was able to gain an audience with the imposter queen..."

I hold up a hand, "how?" I ask.

"I convinced one of her men to plan treason in hopes of being smuggled out of the Stolen Kingdom and into the rebel camp. However, his intention to divulge information in order to gain favor with Niciven was plain. His inability to remain calm, although I may have had a hand in that," he smirks, " led to us being captured and killed. While he is truly dead, I have particular skill set that allows my mortal body to lay dead while I hover over, gaining information before retaking my body and Faeding."

I frown, "but that means..."

"Yes," he nods. " I feel every blow as it is dealt, but we have been trained thoroughly. It is barely a glancing blow in a children's fight, compared to all I have withstood.

"It is because of that training that I was able to uncover the Imposter Queen's plot to kill the young seer," he says softly.

We stiffen, and the waves of anger flowing through the bond are stifling. I take a deep breath, sending waves of reassurance when what I really want to do is lose my shit right along with them.

"Did you happen to learn of their plan? A timeline?" I manage to get out, my voice, surprisingly steady.

Talvyn shakes his head,"The soldiers were simply ordered to kill the seer. Nothing was divulged about a particular plan or a timeline. However, the urgency of her command indicates that any attack will be in the imminent future."

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