Page 101 of The Curse of a Kingdom
“Ark?” Nava’s voice echoed around the room, a tinge of fear spiking through the bond.
Stay.He begged that Nava wouldn’t come for him and be hurt by these people. He closed his eyes and threw all his strength into a paralyzing spell. He was too weak to hold her for long, but maybe it would buy time so she wouldn’t get caught in the cross fire.
The rain hit his body, and his bare feet dragged over muddied grass as the group of fae walked in silence to the edge of the property, outside of the wards he set to prevent portals to open inside his home.
It was naïve of him to think they wouldn’t come.
Orion opened his eyes, dazed by the memories that tightened his gut. Nava’s voice had been so familiar, and the panic of her being hurt was something he had felt even when he didn’t remember who she was, back when she’d been attacked in the castle.
The guards shouldn’t have been able to sneak up on him so easily, even with all their magical strength. He—Arkimedes—had been too distracted that night because of Nava to detect he was being ambushed.
Devon had been right; he had grown soft while living on that island. Even though right now Fael—who was working with his father—intended to repeat the ambush, Orion had all of his senses awakened. He was ready for this.
“Were you going to stab me in my back again when we walked inside this room or out here in the hall?” he asked, raising his brow as he turned to the fae next to him.
Fael’s helmet fell to the ground as the spell Orion unleashed hit him full force. It wasn’t different from what they had used that night when they kidnapped him away from his house. Strings of magic woven together to subdue and repress, closing like a cocoon over a man who had betrayed him not once but twice.
Fael gasped as he fell to the ground, both hands grasping at his throat as Orion’s claiming magic pushed between the webs of the other lighter spell and took away fragments of his power. “Stop. Please.”
“I asked that same thing when you took me away from my home.” Orion’s voice became colder, so similar to the one used by the king.
He didn’t remember all that had happened in that old life on the Grey Island; a part of him was clawing at any chance to remember, wanting that warmth that represented safety and love—and her. But Orion had to remind himself that it was a weakness that had gotten him captured. A distraction to what he had wanted to do for so long.
To find the reason for his past, unravel the whys of his power. To find out what had happened with the queen.
“Who is waiting for me inside my father’s room?”
Fael’s arms shook as he was barely able to hold his body weight from the ground, and Orion lifted his hand to the man, fingers pulling strings off his essence, taking apart his power.
“Yes, let’s show him what happens when we get played,”a voice echoed in his mind. It had been a while since he’d lost control of his darkness enough for the spirits to come alive.
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on us,” said another, and Orion’s jaw hurt as he tasted blood from biting hard.
“That’s how I know you are my son.” The king’s voice, soft and mellow, echoed from the empty room ahead. The shadows trembled, and similar to how it had happened that night on the Grey Island, a Dark One walked out of the shadows.
Orion’s throat tightened at the sight. What was his father doing here? He was sure he had seen him riding away to the forest. Had it been a decoy, or had he portaled his way back here while Orion had been talking to Nava and Devon in his room?
The king’s steps were sure, and the sound of his silver armor didn’t make a noise as he walked to the door.The shadows twitched, and soon the king’s females walked out of every dark corner of the room, wearing the armor needed to fight the Zorren. Yet here they were, ready to fighthiminstead. He wasn’t a fool to think he could defeat all of them. There was no chance of getting inside that room with so many Dark Ones and finding the keys to release Nava and Devon.
They were the closest guards to the king, always with him, ready to defend him in case of trouble. Had the king grown tired of his insubordination and was going to kill him as well? To hell with all of the reasons why he was supposed to care about his estranged son.
“I’m sure you don’t want to take Fael’s soul, Orion. His life is worth a lot more to our kingdom as a loyal guard. He just brought you back home.”
“Against my will.”
“Are we holding you against your will now?” The king opened his palms, stopping a mere foot away from him.
Orion hadn’t considered leaving the castle until this moment, when he had been so clearly set up. For what? Was the king planning to kill him? Not if all he said about the kingdom needing him was true, and he knew that was the case.
Would he try to take Orion’s memories away once again? He pulled his magic back a fraction, using some of his newly acquired energy to knit a shield around his memories. He wasn’t as proficient in such spells, but he had been taught to fight mind attacks in the Society. The shields were similar to the spell he was under. Strings that layered together like strands of silver.
“I want the keys,” he said instead.
“So you can releasemyprisoners?” The king’s expression hardened. “I don’t think so, son.”
Orion’s power thickened, mimicking the king’s. If he were to get attacked now by all of his womenandhim, Orion wouldn’t be able to hold his own for long. He layered the silver strings faster.
Orion’s gaze flashed toward the women, who were approaching at a slow pace so as not to spook him, waiting for a sign. One of them—Fael’s sister—shifted forward, catching some of the light from the hall. Her worried face was barely masked as her energy bounced off the room.
