Page 49 of The Illuminated
I looked. Lucius stood over a pile of bodies, blood pooling and spilling out from underneath. Daelon watched in horror as Lucius threw another body into the pile, blood pouring from his mouth as if he’d taken a bite out of the man’s neck.
“You were right. I probably shouldn’t drink elixir. It doesn’t agree with me.”
I looked away. Forward. Move forward. One step after the other.
“Come, Áine. Don’t lose sight of me,” Amos said from several yards away. “Keep moving.”
I closed my eyes, and the walking became easier, but I couldn’t block out the sound. I heard the screams of the dungeons, the sick energy reaching for me even from within Daelon’s mind. I heard Lucius tell him to do horrible things to witches who had betrayed their King, or to witches suspected of heresy. I heard torture. Though I couldn’t see, I knew there was a trail of bodies behind me.
“Maybe you should seduce her. Use your usual tricks. That might help the information flow easier,” Lucius said from a room to my right.
I knew we were reaching the end now.
“There are witches in the cities behaving poorly. Suspected of devotion to the old ways and general heretical spirit. I want you to go make sure my officials are punishing them accordingly.”
No, no, no. Amos stood before one final door at the end of the hall, but this one was different. It was as sturdy and tall as a fortress, looming over us as it braced against the darkness of this mental shadow realm.
“It won’t allow me in. But it might allow you,” Amos said. “Open this door, and the shadow will be brought into the light of day. He will remember everything. No more split.”
“Everything,” I repeated, my voice shaking.
“Everything but what Lucius has bound away from all of us.”
I reached for the doorknob and twisted, but it was so heavy. I slammed my full weight into the wood, pushing with my whole strength.
Let me in, Daelon,I whispered, and the door creaked open.
His mind exhaled, and light flew through the cracks to illuminate everything hidden—to make him whole again. Sound, image, and emotion rushed forward like a tsunami of all of Daelon’s atrocities, crashing into his psyche and flooding his every perception. Then, his mind abruptly kicked us out.
Amos and I opened our eyes, peering down at a still motionless Daelon. I let go of his hand, tentatively reaching for his hair. My heart thumped violently in my chest.
His eyes flew open, and he gasped for air, jerking up into a sitting position. He looked straight forward as his frown deepened. For a moment I thought he might cry, but the waves of vulnerability were soon boarded-up back into a guarded defense, his eyes revealing none of the intolerable shame and trauma I knew lived within him—everything we’d just dragged into the light.
“Are you okay?” I asked, and it sounded like the most ridiculous and entirely useless thing to ask in the moment, yet I couldn’t think of anything better.
He looked to me slowly, his face unbearably blank. “I have something I need to do.” He sprung to his feet.
I looked to Amos, who was chanting something and dispelling our circle of candles. He met my eyes for a moment before continuing his task, offering nothing but a sad smile.
“Daelon,” I said, touching his arm. He flinched, a flash of vulnerability flitting across his features before he shut it away. “I’m here for you. I want to help you unpack all of it. That was really intense.”
He kissed my forehead. “This will help make things right,” he said, but it sounded like he was convincing himself. “My purpose is the only thing I have to make it all right again.”
“Your purpose? What are you going to do? I don’t think you should be making any big decisions right now.”
Daelon shook his head. “I can’t tell you yet. It’s for your protection. Everything I do is for you, Áine,” he said, and his intensity made my skin crawl. “I’m fine. I promise. I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
Before I could say anything more to prevent him from walking out the door, he was gone, leaving me stunned and confused. When I turned back to ask Amos what the hell we were going to do about his new layer of denial, the old man was gone too, somewhere in the cosmos—his eyes rolled back into his skull to leave nothing but white voids.
I walked quickly down the labyrinth of halls, looking for any sign of Daelon. As I passed the throne and dining rooms, Taryn appeared, her stride purposeful as her long black dress billowed around her feet.
“Hey,” I said.
“No time to chat. Sorry, love. I have to help the coven with something,” she said, and her aura glowed bright white as she passed.
Okay, weird. Her intensity reminded me strangely of Daelon’s. What the hell was everyone up to?
A short, blond servant with fair skin appeared just before I reached my chambers, performing an awkward little curtsy.
