“She didn’t do it. It was ‘Sin Garu. He did something to her, I know it.”
“Yes, I felt his presence here the moment I stepped into the room. It was all over your affai.”
Cadmus tensed. “Is she—”
“Distraught that the man she loves didn’t believe in her? Yes. And she’s got some bruising around her throat and face, but otherwise she’s fine. I left her with Jonas for protection. She needs sleep more than anything to combat the spell ‘Sin Garu placed over her.”
Cadmus clenched his fist and stood, staring from Arim to his mother. “I’ve got to go to her, now. Can you place a guard over Mother?”
Arim nodded. “I’ve already summoned our most trustworthy guard, as well as a half dozen spellcasters to watch over them. But you have other needs to attend to than your affai. Come, Cadmus. We need you more than Ellie does now. Tanselm is on the verge of corruption, and we must support the kingdom. Darius and Samantha have the west wall, but the Netharat has doubled their size and are now attacking the southern tower. Hurry.”
Not wanting to, but trusting his uncle had the right of it, Cadmus felt the familiar tingling of pressure before the southern tower came into view. Taking a deep breath, he plunged into the hellish battle ensuing. Shocks of power and waves of life-giving black soil struck his enemies time and time again, Tanselm lent her aid as he fought with the other warriors present against the vile stain of evil spreading over the kingdom. But though he fought, not once did he spy ‘Sin Garu, and his feeling of unease grew.
Beyond exhausted, Cadmus and the Light Bringers defending the tower finally reigned victorious over the enemy. But many lives had been lost. As a group of healers swarmed over the masses, Cadmus staggered into the open air out of the tower onto a rampart, needing some space. A few warriors had the same idea, but Cadmus found isolation in the shadows.
Though the open air soothed his many hurts, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way he’d treated Ellie. He felt sick at what she most likely thought. He hadn’t intentionally accused her of anything. It was just the shock of seeing his vision made flesh. And even then, he hadn’t been able to truly believe what he saw.
He covered his eyes with a dirtied fist and rubbed tiredly. Much as he wanted to wash and recover, he had to see Ellie first. He had to see for himself she was okay, and to explain his misunderstanding.
He looked for Arim and found him with a few of the warriors overlooking the western wall. “Arim, a word?”
Arim stepped away from the men and took Cadmus by the shoulder. He led him back to the private area in the shadows away from moonlight. “Yes, Cadmus? What is it?”
Cadmus frowned. His uncle didn’t sound like himself. “I need to see Ellie.”
“Oh?” Arim’s smile widened with satisfaction. “You want me to transport you, hmm?”
“Well I don’t need you for your stellar personality.” His uncle knew what he wanted. Cadmus was fast losing his patience. He didn’t have time for games. He needed his affai.
“Yes, of course. Just place your hand in mine, Earth Lord.”
Cadmus stopped himself at the last minute and stepped back. Arim looked fine, but he wasn’t himself. Cadmus paid closer attention to his uncle and noticed the presence of Darkness that clung to him like a second skin. Without another thought, Cadmus shot a band of pure Light into Arim. “You’re not my uncle.”
The man pretending to be Arim hissed and clutched his stomach. Then he slowly assumed ‘Sin Garu’s form and chuckled. “And you’re not as dumb as you look. I’m impressed, Darkling.”
His temper seething, Cadmus solidified the shield around his mind and lashed out at ‘Sin Garu again, wishing he hadn’t used most of his reserves while fighting the Netharat. He couldn’t possibly beat the Dark Lord in this state, but he could buy himself some time. Mentally reaching out to Arim and hoping the message reached his uncle, he struck at the Dark Lord again and again, his elemental energy hurting the Dark Lord more than he’d thought possible.
‘Sin Garu slipped and fell back over the torso of a crumpled wraith, and Cadmus thought he’d won this round. Then the Dark Lord grinned and his eyes blazed with power.
“Not yet, Darkling. Let’s play some more.” In a blur, he shoved Cadmus to his back and sank his teeth into the hand flying towards his face.
The bite stung, and Cadmus fought to shake free of the Dark Lord, but to no avail. Blackness began to creep over him, not from blood loss, but from the evil taint of Dark Lord magic edging into him.
‘Sin Garu finally let him go. With a look of dark satisfaction, the Dark Lord licked his teeth and wiped the trail of blood from his mouth with a finger. Then he sucked his finger clean.
Shit. “Fucking…blood drinker,” Cadmus rasped before passing out.
“Such prejudices.” ‘Sin Garu shook his head, waved his hands to call forth magic, then called for Remir. One of the Light Bringer warriors nearest him shimmered into Remir’s form. The others near him could only watch, frozen in place by a Dark Lord spell.
“Yes, my lord?”
“Take this one into the between, to Orfel. We have some work to do before we can fully claim the throne.”
Remir nodded, his eyes glazed while he struggled to break free of the Dark Lord’s mental hold. The torment in the Djinn’s soul pleased ‘Sin Garu to no end. Remir now knew who he’d fucked the other day. Not Lexa, but her brother in another form. The horror on Remir’s face had made ‘Sin Garu laugh so hard he’d cried.
“Remember, Remir, I reward those handsomely who serve me well,” ‘Sin Garu teased using Lexa’s sultry voice.
The Djinn shuddered but did as commanded. He hoisted Cadmus over his shoulder and vanished.
‘Sin Garu stared around him, waiting for the perfect moment to depart. Arim suddenly appeared in the tower’s archway, his eyes wide as he studied the frozen warriors on the nearly deserted rampart. ‘Sin Garu waited until their gazes met, then he smiled, waved and teleported into the between.
Satisfaction danced through his Dark soul with the pulse of newborn life.
Chapter Sixteen
The next day, Arim grimaced as he waited in Shathra for Lexa to appear. No doubt about it, the Storm Lords were in trouble. Never before had evil come so close to destroying what they’d built, not in a thousand years. He paced between the cold, stone walls bathed in Shadow. When he’d previously met here with Ethim, he’d been lucky the place had been deserted. But now a few Shadren and Others—creatures neither Dark nor Light but belonging to a different spectrum altogether—clung to the periphery of the small dimensional safe house.
Where is Lexa? That he had to stoop to calling on a Dark Lord for help grated, but with all he had to worry about at home, he needed the insight into ‘Sin Garu that only Lexa could give him, if she would.
A sudden shimmering in the surrounding energy made him tense, and he watched as ice blue eyes suddenly materialised, followed a split second later by the rest of Lexa’s alluring presence. He waved a hand and muttered a protective spell, keeping them both from the sight and hearing of those around them.
“I take it things have progressed from bad to worse if you’re calling me this soon.” She waited calmly, her hands on her hips, while he fought to hold onto his patience.
The woman riled him by simply breathing, and he’d long given up trying to understand how she broke through his control. As he counted to ten, he gathered his thoughts and outlined his problems.