Page 55 of Magic & Secrets
“Who is your master?”
“It’s complicated.”
Roque’s hand tightened again. I inhaled sharply, gasping for air. His grip loosened before tightening. Roque flinched, fighting between his Bane Shifter training and our mate bond.
“You don’t look like the other Armgard. No horns,” he said and tapped my head. “You smell wrong, too.”
“They used a different ancient one. I come from Solme Divige.”
“I don’t know the ancient ones. They don’t matter. What difference is there in the one used for the old Armgard and the one used for you? Is yours less evil?”
My hesitation spawned a growl from Roque. I didn’t want to deceive him. Solme Divige had demanded blood sacrifices back in the days of the ancient ones, while Athorvath expected telluric offerings. Telling the truth felt like a mistake, but he deserved honesty from me.
“The Armgard weren’t evil,” I said, angering Roque instantly. “They were soldiers like you were. They did the bidding of their overseers.”
“Did Von Ehlinger create you?”
“Von Ehlinger are long dead. Your kind saw to that.”
“Who is your master?”
“They call themselves the Gathering. They want to bring peace to the Territories.”
“That’s what they all say.”
“The Gathering plots for a day when the Murade’s weak grip over the Territories leads to chaos.”
Roque studied me with the unflinching gaze of a male fighting his programming to find the truth.
“Why were you truly hunting those Lion Shifters?”
“They attacked Haven Junction. The Gathering worried this was the beginning of a wider conflict,” I explained, breaking my programming to share the truth with my enemy. “They also worried your pack would use the attack as a reason to leave the mountain.”
“They fear us?”
“Of course.”
Roque lowered me to the ground and released my throat. His hand hesitated while pulling away. I noticed his breathing shifted. Our proximity ignited our mate bond. Cracking his neck, Roque growled at me.
“Is the magic I feel from your ancient one?”
“No.”
“You’re lying!” he roared before stomping away.
Roque walked to where the Warlocks turned to dust. He flashed a glare back at me.
“The Armgard of the past couldn’t do this,” he said, gesturing at the mist lingering in the air. “If you had this power, why not use it against the Sorcerer in the clearing?”
“I was trained to never use this magic.”
Recognition flashed across his ruggedly handsome face before he asked, “Why make you, only to hobble you?”
“Why did the Murade keep you locked away at the military base when you weren’t on assignment? Our overseers desire control.”
“You could have stopped this madness back in the field,” Roque snarled. “You held back and pretended to be weak to trick me.”
“No, I didn’t know I could do these things.”
