Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
“I refuse to imprison two of my strongest and most loyal lords,” King Cleotis said vehemently. “Both your sons were insolent brats when they were put into their care years ago. I understand why they might have seen the need to send them to a safer place until they came of age.”
Oh, fuck. I could tell by his voice that my king was crumbling. He was saying all the right words to defend us but there was no conviction in his voice. Keion slammed his fist on the table, the sheer force causing it to splinter. Food collapsed atop the guest’s laps. He hadn’t even attempted to use his magic. The king glanced over at him coldly.
“One week. Not one day longer,” King Cleotis called out. “And I want to go on the record that this request, as childish as it is, is also putting our treaty in danger. To make such a demand in my palace. Ridiculous!”
“My sons have been wronged!” King Tearloch yelled.
King Cleotis motioned for his guards to come and take both Keion and me. I couldn’t believe Kailar was foolish enough to do this. He would die without our help. I turned and resisted, and one of the guards cuffed me on my jaw. I heard Kailar make a little sound of reproach and regret. Good. Let him see what he’d done.
“Their own mother wronged them, Tearloch,” Cleotis countered. “And you wouldn’t take action against her. Be careful before I change my mind. I’ll imprison my lords for one week. After that, you and your sons are no longer welcome in Atlantis. I won’t go as far as to say we are enemies…but we are no longer allies.”
As they pulled me away, Kailar turned to look at me. His eyes were red. He was in pain.
I shook my head at him, silently appealing him to change his foolish mind and stop this. He turned away just as I saw a tear escape his right eye.
I would never see him again. And, just like being without the ocean had almost killed my beloved, I would surely die without him in my arms. I was desperate for him to look at me again, so I made another attempt at escape to spur the guards into taking some action.
They did and knocked me to the floor, half insensible. I heard Kailar cry out, and then I heard no more.
I woke up on a cot inside the prison. The prison was small, reserved for only noblemen and protected by magic. I turned to Keion. The King had allowed our voices to return, I quickly realized and Keion was furious, pacing up and down in the small cell.
“Why? Why would he betray us this way? Did you do something to anger him? How could this have gone so wrong? I’ll never see Adan again! He’ll lose his life because of my arrogance and stupidity! And your mate’s!”
I hugged my brother tightly. “He didn’t exactly betray us, Keion. He was trying to protect us. I think his plan was to put us away so we couldn’t be injured by the Hag. He’s going to face Beathag alone in an idiotic idea to protect us…as if we’d want to live without either of them. We have to find a way out of this prison. Without our magic helping him, he doesn’t stand a chance.”
“We helped construct this prison, Alyx. We both know there’s no way out. The magic is too strong. We’re trapped.”
I had to hold it together, because it was easy to see that Keion was about to lose his shit. He’d patiently waited for Kailar to become strong enough to travel before demanding that I aid him in rescuing Adan. Now, well, Kailar may have, with a good heart, destroyed the chance of happiness for any of us. “You’re right, Keion. We helped construct this prison. We’d know of any weaknesses. We can do this.”
He growled at me. “You’re dreaming, brother. We aren’t getting out of here.”
“Not so fast. I have an idea. There’s one thing that might work. It will weaken us, take time we don’t have, and I’m not a hundred percent sure it will work…but we have to try. For the sake of our soulmates’ lives and our eternal happiness, we have to try!”
*****
Kailar
I quickly made my excuses to retire to my chambers while the two kings and the entirety of two courts were still in an uproar. They were arguing and shouting at each other. There was a chance I’d destroyed the longstanding treaty between our people. None of that mattered, though. I wasn’t going to risk the lives of my beloved Alyx and Keion. This was my battle. My family. My responsibility to bring the former Queen Beathag down. My father might not have had the heart to destroy the woman he once loved, but I wouldn’t hesitate to take her out—not when she was torturing Adan and holding him captive.