Page 226 of The Lands Defying
“He stole from an Heir,” she says. “Your mother. He tried to steal her power, and he succeeded a little, but not all.”
I nod, thinking as much.
“The beasts?” I asks.
She sighs. “They came from the below. They are the hounds that wrangle up those who deserve to be down there. When that male tried to steal an Heir’s power, the power I gave her, Cazier’s instincts kicked in and he sent the hounds to bring them to thebelow for what they did. It should have been a simple thing, but they got corrupted.”
“That’s why they come out the ground.” I look to Darius. “That’s why even if they bite you, bite Draxton, you survive.” I tell him. “Because you are Cazier’s Heir.”
“Correct,”Cazier says from below.“My Heir would not be so weak to be harmed by the hounds I command.”He pauses.“Once commanded.”
“So they have found a way to control the beasts then,” Darius confirms.
“And experimented to create something far more deadly,” I chime in, thinking of those human-like beasts.
Zahariss’s face drops. “I know. We may not be able to do anything in the lands, but we see it all.”
“How do we stop them? The lands are rotting as we speak!” The desperation in my voice makes me suck in a breath. “People are dying, the Lands are dying.”
Zahariss’s face turns hard. “It is not easy for us to see the beautiful thing we had created out of joy and love, only to be tarnished and dying. You think you may be helpless, but it is us who are helpless. But you must send them back. Kill those in the wrong and send them back. Restore balance.”
“But how” I say, frustrated. “I’m not strong enough, I can barely control my power now, and Darius can’t do everything on his own.”
She tilts her head.“You are not on your own. Defy the odds and the lands will fight back. Let the people join you, put a stop to this madness.”
“And what if we can’t?” I whisper.
“Then all is lost.”
A shaky breath releases from me. That isn’t an option. I have too much I still want to do.
She looks between Darius and I. “There are people out there that do not want to be under the Highers rule. You just have to look hard enough. More so now than ever.”
I peek at Darius. “Many will die,” I whisper to him.
“War is death itself, it just has a different name.”
My stomach sinks at what is to come, at what we cannot avoid if we are ever to have peace. But we cannot stand back and do nothing, we cannot be silent anymore, we cannot close our eyes and pretend to be blind.
People are dying.
And it is our duty to protect the innocent.
To protectlife.
I nod, steeling myself and straightening my spine. “Okay. We will do what we must.”
“Good,” Zahariss says, pride in her voice. “We don’t have much time before the magic of this place throws you out. The living cannot be here for long.”
“Really?” I ask, watching as Runa and Drax play with the spirit wolves.
“Yes, we are in an in-between of sorts.”
“Can we come back?” Darius asks, eyes on the hole behind her. Zahariss’s eyes soften.
“I’m not sure. With the Lands in such disarray, I’m surprised you both are even in here, but my power is dwindling to be able to help you with that.” She looks down at her hand. “I only have so much left after giving it away to many.”
Like she gave it to me, to Mom, and the other Heirs before us.
