Page 3 of The Crownless King
Bria looked out into the amassing horde, then back at the gate. What choice did she have?
She held out her hand.
Bria bent over, sucking in air as the echoing boom of the door closing sounded in the cavernous temple. She didn’tknow what she’d been expecting, but this cold tomb was not it. Before she could adjust to the darkness, a stone rolled away and cool, sweet-smelling air blew in. She instinctively knew that she needed to go in that direction, but first…
“Are you okay?” Her eyes examined her mate, her magic adjusting her sight to see in the darkness.
Caden nodded. “Are you sure about this?”
“The choice was to lose you. That’s not an option,” Bria told him firmly. “Let’s go.”
Caden gripped her hand and they took a step towards the opening in the cave. The light wasn’t any brighter as they entered a second section of the tomb. Water splashed underneath their feet, getting deeper with every step. They were knee-deep when the air thickened and the once dim light brightened. It was as though the wall in front of them disappeared, replaced by an explosion of stars.
Bria’s breath caught as a dark form moved from the stars and a face appeared. It wasn’t just one face, though. It moved from woman to man to an androgynous form in between the two. The hair stayed the same with each face, the kinky, coily curls fanning out amongst the stars. She didn’t know what she was expecting, perhaps three separate bodies? Either way, awe and reverence filled her chest until tears stung her eyes. She lowered her head in respect.
“Why have you sought us out, daughter?”
A lump blocked her words for a second. Instead of letting fear steal away this moment, she raised her head and squared her shoulders. For a moment, the face changing made her dizzy.
“I’ve come to ask for help. The gifts you’ve blessed my people with…”
“The gifts they prayed so fervently for?” The male voice boomed throughout the cavern before the face softened into the androgynous being.
She nodded and took a shaky breath, lowering her gaze. “My father has used them to inflict the same oppression, if not worse. He…he’s using his power to lead the Bayi into doing the unthinkable.”
There was silence, thick and oppressive. Bria dared to raise her eyes again, this time looking to her mate for guidance. He shrugged, his gaze raking her with concern.
“The Bayi raze the continent and yet you’ve brought one into this sacred place?” There was no malice in the question, simple curiosity.
“I meant no offense.” She lowered her torso, bending at her waist.
Heat moved through her body; she felt it burning past the shields she’d spent years erecting to keep other magic users from her thoughts. The silence stretched as she felt power probing her mind. Even her chest tingled as they searched her soul.
The Celestials hummed. “You are tied to this Bayi at the soul level. What you are asking will sever that possibility for many others.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Your father uses his mate’s Chawi power to control the Bayi and wield the gifts passed down through the witch’s blood. In order to remove that, those ties must be severed. The nature of the Obayifo increases power throughout the entirety of thechildren born under the light of the Akachi. Their unity is what has made the whole of you strong. Without it, you will descend into smaller tribes, easily conquered. Are you willing to risk that outcome?”
Bria’s chest hurt from how hard her heart was thumping. They’d barely survived the civil war. Her father was able to gain power because both halves of the country was still torn from that war. Could they keep the North from invading again without that power?
“He will destroy this world. It isn’t a fear of mine, it’s a proven fact, backed by his own words. My father wishes death to all conquerors, and he has no interest in a peaceful resolution.”
“And why not?” the Celestials asked. “Death to those who would oppress others is a justice. You would ask that we have empathy for people who destroy with no thought to how it affects those with whom they share the planet?”
Bria looked to Caden. She had no answer to that.
“Is my father not simply another conqueror? I’ve nowhere near the power you possess, but our seers have divined the world as he would leave it. It is a world where there is no room for any other power. Including the ones who bestowed our gifts.”
A buzzing sounded in the chamber and Bria winced as the sharp sound vibrated her ears.
“To stop the power of one, all will lose it,” they reiterated, three voices sounding together.
“What does it mean for the rest of us?” Bria asked with her heart hammering.
Would she lose Caden?
“You worry for your soul tether to this one. It will remain intact, but the power from the current Obayifo will not. The power exchange ends. Is this something you would sacrifice?”
