Endure (26 page)

“There are a few hours before we will have a chance to make our plea to the Queen. You should get some rest, friend.” Tiki spoke, but he didn’t move or open his eyes.

“I will,” I whispered.

******

I didn’t know how anybody could sleep. I knew I was exhausted and it tugged at my mind, but there wasn’t time. We needed a way out—we needed answers.

The glass wall felt cold against my back, but my crusty shirt gnawed at my skin. I slid forward until there was nothing around me and I took off my shirt. I needed to focus and there wasn’t any room for distractions. With both eyes closed, I took deep breaths in and out, focusing on my breathing. I used the meditation techniques Chief had taught me and lost track of how long I sat there. The darkness beneath my lids began to lighten. There was a hand inside my body. It was incorporeal, but I could feel it. It swayed from side to side and like any other limb and I could move it. When I called the magic from the depths of my soul, that hand channeled them upward like a link between my body and everything inside.

The energy of my soul pulsed and the elements were prepared to come out, but I wasn’t there for them. Not this time. There were different energies revolving around my soul. It was the sun, and hundreds of planets moved around it, growing closer or farther with each rotation. Each soul gave off its own vibration and with it came voices, thoughts, feelings, and smells. The more I focused, the louder they became, but I was careful not to spend long concentrating on any one soul. When the voices screamed obscenities in my mind, I didn’t panic or wince. I took it all in stride and veered away from the power.

Tiki was right; Elyas was already a part of me. All these souls that swam in circles around my power were searching for a way to connect, but Elyas already had. The statue in the sanctuary had moved, lowering its trident toward me. Lighting crackled and power had burned into my skin, both decorating the flesh and fusing a new life inside me. That life was her.

My elements lurched forward, but I kept my focus on Elyas. I guided the hand along until I felt it—energy both foreign and familiar. An orb of energy clung to my soul, embedded deeper than the one I had peeled off earlier. It was almost completely submerged, with just a hint of its power reverberating outward. I ran my fingers over it and the smell of fruit wafted around me. I inhaled, taking in the wonderful scent and letting it relax me. It reminded me of Serephina, and all the things she had made me feel came rushing back: strength, desire, power, lust, and fear.

Elyas
. I called out, trying to pull her upward. Her power swelled like an invisible element, moving through my veins unlike anything I’d ever felt. It became an all-encompassing warmth that stretched through my body. My skin tingled like the gentle brush of a fleece blanket about to wrap itself around me. As it reached my hands, I felt a release of emotion. A new confidence filled me and the energy came to life in front of me. It was a warm breeze on the most peaceful spring day.

I opened my eyes, and the white glow that always surrounded her lit up the room. Elyas stood before me, her feet not touching the floor, but floating above it. She looked perfect, yet completely plain. The most beautiful thing you’d ever seen, but one you’d forget the moment it was gone. Her blue eyes glowed like sapphires, beaming with magic and purity. Her silky white hair reached her hips and she hovered in front of me, a look of serenity upon her face.

“Protector,” she said, lowering her head in a nod. Her lips had moved but the sound came from everywhere. It surrounded me and warmed my heart, forcing the tension and nerves to leave my body. It had the ability to help you forget all your worries and make you feel at peace with yourself.

“I’ve called for you so many times and you never came.”

“You must summon me for me to appear. I am but a soul piece, a portion of the goddess Serephina. In the beginning, I told you what I was permitted to share and nothing more. Although you and I are one and the same, I am still bound by the same oaths as the gods of the Otherworld.”

“Is everything Drake said true? Is there no way to stop all this?”

Elyas’s lower half drifted over the floor from side to side. Her hands were clasped together in front and her eyes were heartfelt. “There are ways out of even the direst situations. Your elements are more powerful now, Chase. The souls inside give you strength you’ve never known. Boundaries that once restricted you no longer apply.”

I sighed. “Why is the answer always some outline of my question? Can’t you just tell me what I need to do?”

“You need to heal. Use your power and heal yourself, heal others, and continue on your path. I cannot tell you what your future holds, for the future is not predetermined. Your actions determine your fate.”

“What about them?” I glanced at Rayna and a pang sparked in my chest. “Does my decision determine whether they live or die?”

“Sometimes the options we have are not as limited as we perceive.” Elyas’s expression hadn’t changed. She seemed peaceful and not at all bothered by the fact she was irritating me.

“Well, thanks, I guess…for nothing.”

“There are answers in front of you, Chase, but I cannot show them to you. You must see them for yourself. What may appear to be infuriating madness may only be a water drop away from resolution.”

I let the invisible hand that brought Elyas forward pull her away. There was nothing here for me. As she faded in the air, I pushed her back into my soul. Although she’d frustrated me, I immediately missed the comfort her energy had brought.

“Chase?” Rayna rubbed her eyes. “Who were you talking to?”

I slid back beside her and she shifted toward me, resting her head in my lap. I placed my arm along her body and let my fingers dance along her back. Her eyes closed as she tried to get comfortable on the hard floor, but she never looked up at me.

“No one,” I whispered, running my hand through her hair. My head rested against the wall and I closed my eyes, focusing only on Rayna’s breathing. I had counted nine breaths before the sleep I’d been fighting finally took over.

Chapter 22

The deep sleep I’d only started to fall into was sucked away by a loud screech. It echoed through the chambers and everybody awoke, jumping to their feet.

“What in the bloody hell is that noise?” Vincent screamed, both hands held over his ears.

“It is the machine that sucks the sand from the corridor. It will only last a moment.” The sound cut out halfway through and Tiki’s voice echoed off the walls. He cleared his throat and brought the hands down from his ears. “Now we shall request our plea.”

The doors opened and unleashed a blast of air into the room smelling of sand and heat. Kithra’s massive bare feet slapped against the floor and he stopped in front of our cell.

“We will have our plea now.” Tiki stepped up to the bars and looked up at his brother.

Kithra’s glare was intense and he didn’t look at Tiki. He scanned each of our faces and shook his head. “Ugly creatures.”

“Our plea,” Tiki repeated.

Kithra grunted and looked down at his little brother. “You’re worse than the rest of them,” he grunted. “I have half a mind to take your plea and shove it back up your—”

“That is enough, Kithra!” a deep voice bellowed. It came from the long corridor but the wall blocked my view. “You have no business denying them their rights.”

Kithra lips curled into a half-grin. “Whatever you say,
brother
.”

“Besides, I’m on prisoner duty today. Get back to your post.” The voice was smoother than Kithra’s and as the creature came into view, he didn’t look at us. He stared down at Kithra with intense superiority, and when Kithra didn’t respond, the creature leaned down, pressing his nose against his. “Were my instructions in any way unclear?”

Kithra tried to keep his stare locked, but he flinched and turned away. Without another word, he stepped around the man and disappeared down the corridor. The man watched as Kithra walked away, having yet to acknowledge us.

He was slightly taller than Kithra and about the same build. His muscles were veiny beneath the leathery flesh, and raised scars covered his torso in erratic design. Some were thicker than others, the widest wrapping his body from shoulder to hip. The spikes that jutted from his body looked weathered, and one on his right forearm was broken, nothing left but a raw stump.

When Kithra’s footsteps could no longer be heard, the demon turned to us. He studied each of us with the same intensity he had Kithra, until he came to Tiki. When his orange eyes found him, the intensity vanished and he smiled. “It’s really you, brother. You have returned.”

Tiki lowered his head and nodded. “It is I, Moke, summoned by Mother.”

“You’ve seen her, she is not in her right mind. I fear assassins at work, forcing the Death Throne.”

“You don’t think, Kithra…”

“No. He’s infuriating, but not intelligent enough. Nor would he ever try to cross Mother. I fear outside forces.” Tiki nodded and Moke shook his head. “You should not have returned.”

“I had no choice. Such is our customs.”

“You earned freedom and you are no longer bound by our customs or our rules. You were free. This world is not yours anymore, Tiki. In a way, perhaps it never was. You escaped and you should have kept it that way.”

“I cannot turn my back on what I know is right. You are all still my family.”

Moke sighed and nodded. “I know, brother. You wish to speak with her again?”

“It is our only chance. My friends need their freedom. They have a task far greater than one can imagine.”

Moke turned to me and grunted. “I will take you, but first, let me get you food. If the plea does not go well, you must be fed and energized for the Death Throne. I would aid you in an escape, but you know that would be impossible.”

“Thank you, brother. It is good to see you.”

Moke reached through the bars and grabbed Tiki’s shoulder. “And you as well.” He was gone in an instant, moving faster than I imagined a man his size could.

“He didn’t seem so bad,” I said.

“Moke is a rarity among my family. He is the only one who is not ashamed to call me ‘brother.’ If not for him, I would have never earned my freedom.

“Wonderful, story time once again.” Vincent walked back across the cell and flopped down in the corner. “Wake me when it’s over and food is here.”

“Do you always have to be a pain in the ass?” Rayna asked.

“Whenever possible, yes.”

Tiki ignored Vincent’s outburst and leaned against the bars. “When I became an adolescent, I had been given the opportunity to be a working slave. I was in the stables cleaning up after the animals and I forgot to close one of the pens. A beast broke free and charged me. It hit me hard and after the initial shock and pain, I reacted with anger. That initiated the demon inside, and a monster came out of me for the first time. Spikes tore through my skin, my bones re-forming, and it was excruciating. That was when Moke found me.”

Tiki ran his fingers along the glass bars. He looked at them like most people looked at an old teddy bear or a photograph. This used to be his life. This was a part of his memory growing up. That thought made me sad.

“I was lucky Moke found me when he did. Had it been any of the other guards, I’d have been thrown back in prison. I was a half-breed. I looked like a human from the war so many millennia ago, and they would have been infuriated to find out I shared some of their family traits. Moke taught me to control my demon and I didn’t dare bring it out, not for anything. Not even when they punished me. I would never let them put me back in these cells…not if I could help it. It wasn’t until I earned my freedom that I unleashed my demon to the public, but I had no choice then. It was freedom or death.”

“And yet here we are. In prison. That demon of yours could’ve come in handy yesterday,” Vincent said.

“I would not jeopardize your lives for my pride.”

“That makes one of us.” Vincent’s cool glaze glared back at Tiki. “Well then, what now? We go talk to mommy dearest to see if she’ll retract her punishment and allow you to compete as a contender rather than a prisoner, then what? What if she says no?”

“If she says no, we will have to fight our way out.”

“But what if she says yes?” Rayna asked.

“All I can ask is to compete as a contender for the throne, and not as a prisoner in the opening ceremony. If she says yes, then I fight. I will ask that the three of you be released and transported safely to Drakar.”

“No,” I said. “We’re not leaving you.”

“Chase Williams, please listen to—”

“No, you listen! I told you once and this is the last time I’m saying it. You’re a part of this family now whether or not you like it. Where you go, I go. That means the only way I’m leaving is with you.”

“I’m asking you to respect my people’s ways.” Tiki’s voice was still calm and even.

“And I’m telling you no.” Tiki stepped back with a furrowed brow. “These people imprisoned and tortured you. You told me when you were of age, your father and brother challenged you to combat and you accepted. You accepted it to earn your freedom from them and you won.”