Page 134 of Death of a Mortal

“Because the Vydran king, King Tharon, has sealed their borders and ports and, well, all entry points into Vydran. We’ve tried, but we’ve been unsuccessful in infiltration. We have no way in. There are a few rebel contacts still there, still looking for any possible entry for us, but it’s proving fruitless.”

The look that crossed his face told me he’d lost people he knew in the infiltration attempts. The gravity of the rebel cause weighed heavily on me.

“Put me on the strategic team. I’m good at strategy. I want to help,” I said.

He smiled, shaking himself out of the haunting thoughts I’d seen behind his eyes. “In due time, Naci. I appreciate the enthusiasm. We need to get you strong and back on your feet first.”

In controlis what he didn’t say, but I felt it nonetheless. It stung, but I understood.

He then told me about the army we had here, how it was organized with fae and mortal sections, and the smaller base we had in Calyxmoor. Drayce and other leaders were working tirelessly to establish an alliance between the two continents, but it wasn’t easy to gain the monarchs’ confidence.

My stomach growled at the thought of lunch, and I found my concentration slipping as he talked about trading policies and such. It was far less exciting than the beginning of our lesson.

Just as I felt I was going to nod off, Aerie knocked on the door, and Kaelor ended the session. We all walked to lunch, my mind straying back to the dreadful thought of an alliance between Caedryn, Tharon, and the Fellendral king whose name I couldn’t remember.The thought of all the purgers, aligned and seizing control of all of Caelia, made my stomach churn.

There wouldn’t be a mortal left in this realm.

I thought of Ambassador Zareth, his smug face laughing about the purging. The thought of his smoking stump of a hand made the beast in my chest purr. I tried my best to imagine the look of disappointment and rage when he realized I’d escaped, alive and with my head still attached to my shoulders.

The three of us had a pleasant lunch together, and I almost didn’t catch the whispers and stares in the mess hall this time.

But I did, and it made me grow hot around the neck and ears as usual. I had to keep control of my anger. It seemed to trigger the sleeping beast in my heart. That, and violence. I hoped this would be a topic of discussion this afternoon with Sevrin and my Arcanum training. I was tired of fearing this thing inside me, tired of feeling like I could lose control at any given moment and hurt someone I didn’t intend to.

After lunch, Aerie and I said goodbye to Kaelor, and she took me to an area of the base I hadn’t seen yet. It felt like a dark corner of an otherwise bright, open, and lively complex. It gave me chills despite the pleasant weather.

“You’ll be with Sevrin and the Arcanums the rest of the day, but I’ll be back when it’s time for dinner.” She looked as uneasy as I felt, and I swore I saw a shiver run down her spine. “Just let Noxie know if you have any trouble; he’ll find me.”

“Yep. I’m here if things go…wrong,” Noxie conveyed to me.

“Thanks,” I said aloud.

Aerie left me at the entrance to a shabby building that looked older than the rest here. I raised my fist to knock, but before my knuckles contacted the wooden door, it opened, and a pale-faced, hairless head greeted me eerily. The male was wearing a long black robe that covered him from neck to foot, a stark contrast to the uniform the rest of us wore.

I swallowed. “Sevrin? I’m Naci, I—”

“I know who you are, Naci Corren. I’ve been expecting you for quite some time.” His response reminded me of what the high priest in Ashthorn had said to me during the ball dinner.

He even had similar visible veins running across his face as Malchior had.

This place alone gave me chills, but his blackened smile made the shadowy thing in my chest purr, filling me with confusion and dread.

Chapter 32

What Should Not Be

This male setgoosebumps shivering across my skin instantly. I immediately hated that this was the one who should hold all the answers about magic, my abilities, and controlling them. I didn’t want to spend another second in his presence.

He just stepped back and extended an arm, ushering me further into the darkened building. It was like Drayce’s place, but where there’d been a kitchen in his, here there were shelves of books from floor to ceiling. I would have found that exciting if I didn’t have such a visceral detestation for the creepy aura and for this male.

A mortal woman and a fae male retreated to the back hallway after a quick glance as soon as I entered. At least they were in the rebel uniform.

As I walked past Sevrin, he never took his eyes off me.

“You have a lot of questions, I’m sure. But let us start with your abilities, shall we?”

I nodded my agreement, since this was arguably the most pressing topic on my mind.

“What do you know of them so far?” he asked.