Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Bastian didn’t speak—as if he refused.
Whoever held their silence longer retained the most power, and neither of these men was going to cave.
Finally, my brother did. “Speak.”
Bastian remained quiet.
“You want my aid—then ask for it.”
I could already tell that Ian didn’t like him. But that feeling seemed to be mutual.
After another bout of silence, Bastian spoke. “I know Elora has already conveyed my desires. Without my warning, HeartHolme would have been swarmed by Necrosis, and your dragons would have arrived too late to stop it.”
“Where were you when all of this happened?”
I turned to Bastian, curious to know his answer.
He finally spoke. “Watching.”
“You attack us, then ask for asylum,” Ian said. “Funny way to show your allegiance.”
“I wasn’t part of the army.”
“Then what is your purpose?”
Bastian’s expression remained stony.
“Do you want me to help you or not?” Ian asked. “There can be no secrets between us.”
“Every detail of my life is irrelevant. I single-handedly saved HeartHolme by warning Elora, and I gave her the Ice she used to make the blade you wielded in battle. My allegiance is not to you. It’s to anyone who has the power to end Necrosis forever. And the Runes seem to be the only ones with that power—and desire.”
“Why would you destroy your own kind?”
“Because they aren’t my kind—at least, not by choice.”
“You do realize that if we wipe out Necrosis, we can’t continue to let you live? Every single Necrosis must be wiped from this world. There can be no chance they can turn others and rebuild their army—and threaten our eternal salvation.”
Bastian’s eyes remained impassive. “We’re in agreement about that.”
“Even if you’re instrumental in winning this war, I will kill you myself.”
“If I can’t get my soul back, I don’t want to live anyway.”
Ian stared for a while before he shifted his gaze to me. “Elora said you have to kill the Three Kings to accomplish this?”
Bastian gave a barely perceptible nod. “It’s more complicated than that…but yes. I can share all my knowledge about Necrosis and lead you to victory. All I ask is, once their army is defeated, I have the opportunity to tackle the Three Kings before you kill them.”
“If I grant you asylum, Necrosis will know where you stand,” Ian said. “Won’t that complicate things?”
Bastian gave a slight nod. “They’ll want to kill you even more than they already do.”
“And why do they want to kill us in the first place? For generations, Necrosis has wanted to feed on us and nothing more. Now, they want to annihilate us.” Ian remained stiff in the chair. “Why?”
“Because they know you’re a threat to the Kingdoms.”
Ian dropped his hard expression, the bewilderment setting in.
My features mirrored his because that statement didn’t make any sense.
Ian sat forward slightly, his fingers sliding forward. “Why would they care about the Kingdoms?”
There seemed to be hesitation on Bastian’s part because he didn’t say anything. “Do we have a deal or not? Because I’m not giving you any more information until I’m guaranteed asylum.”
Ian shifted his gaze to me, silently asking my opinion.
“If we say yes, you need to tell us everything. No secrets.” I stared at the side of Bastian’s face.
He turned to regard me.
“We can grant you refuge behind our walls. We can give you shelter, allow your people to become Runes. You won’t feed on our people, and the instant one of you does, the contract is void. You’ll have to leave HeartHolme to feed. Your identity must remain a secret. If the Runes know what you really are, they’ll panic. You’ll have to satiate your hunger before your skin has the chance to darken—otherwise, everyone will know. Do we have a deal?”
Bastian stared at me for a while before he looked at Ian again. “Citizens of the Kingdoms have blood much purer than those below. They have better food. They’re exposed to abundant sunshine. All these factors create happier individuals, which makes their blood superior to anything that can be found at the bottom of the cliffs. That, in turn, makes their souls pristine. That’s where the Three Kings feed, along with their elites.”
The world was a fucked-up place—but it just got more fucked up. “You’re saying that Necrosis does exactly what King Rutherford does? Sacrifices the poor to the poor. Feeds the rich with the rich.”
Bastian gave a subtle nod. “Yes. Pure blood makes them more powerful.”
Ian went rigid in his seat, unable to process the weight of the revelation. “How is Necrosis feeding on these people without being caught?”
“There’re only a few Necrosis in the Capital,” Bastian said. “No one knows they’re there, so when people are murdered under suspicious circumstances, that’s the last thing on their minds.”
“How do they get there?” I asked. “They climb?”
“No.” Bastian gave a slight shake of his head. “They fly.”
The meeting turned informal, the three of us moving to the dining table. Wine was served, along with wild boar and roasted garlic potatoes. Bastian sat across from me, while Ian occupied the head of the table, where Queen Rolfe would normally be.