Page 69 of Empire of Wrath and Ruin
"Taveth, don't." Livia's voice seemed to come from very far away, though she stood right beside me. "Please, you don't know what it will do to you."
But I did know. I could feel it in the marrow of my bones, in the darkness that had lived in my soul since childhood. The crystal would complete me. It would end the constant war in my mind, the exhausting battle between who I was and what the shadows wanted me to become.
"I'm tired," I whispered, and the words came out broken. "I'm so tired of fighting. Of hurting people. Of being afraid of what I might do."
Yes,the voices urged.Take it. Take it and become what you were always meant to be.
I took a step forward, my hand reaching out toward the pulsing crystal. The voices in my head were screaming now, a chorus of hunger and need that drowned out everything else. The black fire within the crystal swirled faster, as if responding to my proximity.
"Taveth, no!" Livia's voice cut through the cacophony, sharp and desperate.
But I barely heard her. The crystal was singing to me in harmonics that resonated in my bones, promising relief from the constant war raging in my skull. All I had to do was touch it. All I had to do was accept what I had always been meant to become.
Tarshi moved towards me. "Brother, stop. Look at me. Look at me!"
I turned toward him, and the expression on his face made me freeze. It wasn't fear or anger—it was understanding. Through our twin bond, I could feel him experiencing an echo of what I was going through. The pull of the crystal, the whispers of the darkness, the terrible promise of power.
"I can feel it too," he said, his voice strained. "But this isn't the answer. You know it isn't."
Livia's hand was still in mine, her grip desperate and strong. And Tarshi's presence beside me was a steady anchor, his own pain at our father's fate echoing through our twin bond.
They were trying to hold me back, trying to keep me from the one thing that might actually end this nightmare. But they were also the only things standing between me and complete damnation.
The war in my mind raged on, sanity and madness locked in their eternal struggle. And in the centre of the chamber, the crystal waited patiently for me to make my choice.
Come to us,it whispered in a voice like breaking glass.Come home.
Tarshi stepped in front of me, breaking my gaze, and set his hands on my shoulders, holding me firmly. My eyes locked onto his and the crushing pressure in my skull suddenly lessened, as if some of the weight had transferred elsewhere. Through our connection, I felt the shadow magic flowing into him, sharing the burden that had been mine alone to bear.
Tarshi gasped, his face going pale as the alien darkness touched his mind for the first time. He staggered, nearly losing his footing, but his grip on my shoulders never wavered.
"Fight it," he gritted out, his voice shaking but determined. "Fight it, Taveth. Don't let it win."
The relief of not carrying the full weight alone allowed me to think clearly for the first time since we'd entered the chamber. I took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded, feeling my control slowly return.
No,I told the voices firmly.Not today.
I turned to Aytara, my jaw set with grim determination. "We need to leave. Now."
The crystal pulsed once more behind us, its song fading to a whisper of frustrated hunger. But I didn't look back. I couldn't afford to.
Not when I finally understood what my father had faced—and what choice I would ultimately have to make.
23
The garden would have made a beautiful refuge—a place where the carefully cultivated peace could ease even the most troubled mind. The first time I’d seen it, I’d studied it carefully. Livia had told me how much she loved this garden, and I still had a dream that one day I’d get her away from all the pain and death and build her a beautiful home. I knew now that home would need a garden as peaceful as this one. Ancient olive trees cast dappled shadows across stone benches and winding paths, while the scent of jasmine and rosemary hung heavy in the warm afternoon air. Birds called to each other from hidden perches, and somewhere nearby, water trickled over smooth stones in one of the ornamental fountains.
Today none of it brought me comfort.
Taveth sat with his back against the massive trunk of an old oak, its gnarled roots forming natural seats in the earth around it. Livia was settled between his legs, leaning back against his chest, her dark hair spilling over his shoulder. His arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her close, and I could seesome of the tension ease from his features whenever she shifted against him.
The sight should have warmed me. The woman I loved, finding solace in another's touch despite everything they were facing. Instead, it filled me with a cold dread that I couldn't shake. It wasn't jealousy, not really, though none of us could get near Livia when Taveth was around and we were all missing her.
I knew Livia's presence calmed the shadows that plagued him—we'd all seen the evidence of it countless times. But I also knew how quickly those shadows could turn violent, how little warning there might be before Taveth lost control completely. The memory of finding them in her chambers, of seeing the marks on her throat, made my hands clench into fists.
She was too close. Too trusting. And he was too dangerous, no matter how much he loved her.
"The Emperor's planning something beyond just entertainment," Antonius was saying. He sat cross-legged on the grass nearby, scrolls and notes scattered around him like he was preparing for one of his lectures. "A public massacre of Talfen prisoners, broadcast across the Empire - it's about demonstrating absolute power."
