Forsaken (Fated Saga Fantasy Series Book 8) (2 page)

“Why not confront Juliska? While she was here? Could that not have stopped all of this from happening?” asked Kalida curiously. “Saved countless lives?”

“I wish beyond words that I could have. That I could have ended all this before it had a chance to start. But this middle ground, the in-between world in which I will forever reside, does have rules. If it’s not the right time for something to happen, it won’t allow it. After all, it’s not only my plight, my journey, at stake. It’s why Meghan and Colin Jacoby came to me here in Grimble, with the Svoda. This is where their journey was meant to begin. I could not tell them everything. No more than I can you. Only what was necessary for them to take the next steps on their journey.”

Edward’s ghostly body drifted back and forth as if pacing while he spoke.

“Sometimes, an unfortunate side effect of letting nature takes its course is that many will suffer, for true progress cannot happen without it. For some reason none of us fully understand, we must suffer before real change can happen. It’s part of being human. Magical blood coursing through our veins or not, we are still human. And as humans we are flawed. Something made so much clearer upon death.” 

“How true, how true,” replied Kalila with an edge of sadness.

“Will
good
win?” asked Kalida, daringly. “The outcome of all this is the one thing I cannot see.”

“I do not know,” admitted Edward. “Outcomes can change depending on the wills of the living. Too long has the magical community sat back and ignored the signs in front of them, allowing evil to grow and spread. But if they can acknowledge this, and find the strength to overcome their fears, rather than run and hide from it, then yes, I think good can win this round.”

“This round?” questioned Kalida.

Edward smiled wearily. “The desire for power will always exist.”

“Another unfortunate truth,” she conceded.

“And once you have finished all that you sacrificed yourself to do, Edward, what then?” Kalila wanted to know.

“I don’t really think about that. One cannot worry about a future destined to continue, forever, in some form or another. But don’t worry about me... my fate is sealed. I think there are two ladies whose business
is
now finished though.”

“Well, I guess it’s time for us to be off,” said Kalida. “Are you ready?” she aimed at her sister.

“I can hear the brandy sloshing into the teacups,” she squealed in delight, tossing her sister a mischievous wink.

“Oh, how delightful. I can practically taste it.” She licked her lips and lifted her arm. “Will you escort us?” she asked Eddy.

He sighed. “I might as well tag along.” He floated in the middle of them, wrapping an arm inside each of theirs, their ghostly frames rising higher and higher.

The Jackal sisters shot him a courageous smile as he let go, his body dropping, leaving them to dematerialize and vanish into nothing. He let out an amused chuckle when the scent of warmed brandy wafted down to him.

“They were the life of the party during life, and they’ll be the life of the party in the afterlife. Farewell Dear Ladies. Farewell.”

C. Edward Gillivray returned to Grimble.

Alone.

Waiting.

For the one moment he’d sacrificed his life for. The one moment he hoped would change the world, and save the ones he loved.

Just minutes after arriving back at Grimble he got a familiar tug; his spirit body needed to go into the world of the living.

“I knew it would be soon. I had not expected it to begin right this minute.” He suddenly wasn’t sure he was ready. But unfinished business didn’t wait and he would not lose his chance. Eddy let the pull take him, having no idea where he was headed.

CHAPTER TWO

It was cold. Even if the outside temperature hadn’t been near freezing, Jae Mochrie would still be cold. He peered overhead through the bars of his prison. No stars. No moon. No orange hues from the sun rising. Just clouds. Gloomy, gray clouds. But the sky wasn’t as dark just now, becoming lighter, so it must be coming up on morning.

He’d been left alone all night atop Juliska Blackwell’s fortress. He supposed he should be thankful that she’d given him a blanket, and it had not snowed. But the cold penetrating him was like ice in his veins, permanently burrowing into his bones.

She would not leave him alone for long. She would make him pay for his defiance. For trying to end his own life rather than continue to serve her. Rather than continue living as the monster he’d allowed himself to become.

Jae ignored the clink clink clink of Pajak, Juliska’s pet spider. It had kept its ghoulish beady eyes on him all night long. But the spider was the least of his concerns.

Somewhere on the island, not too far away from him, was his family. At least he assumed his family was still on the island. He was not certain. He did not know exactly what Juliska might have done with them.

But they all believed
him
dead.

How would they react upon seeing him?

Knowing what he was. What he’d done… what Juliska would inevitably order him to do.

And what of his friends? Meghan, Ivan, Colin… the others. Would they try to rescue him? He hoped they would not. He feared what might happen to them if they attempted such a thing. Juliska would be thrilled to get Meghan and Ivan back in her clutches. And even more so Colin and Catrina. He wished he knew why Juliska wanted them so badly. Jae had a feeling it had nothing to do with the prophecy of the immortal children.

He shivered. Not from the cold, but from the dread of the unknown and the helplessness of the inevitable.

A heavy door swung open. Footsteps clipped across the stone, coming toward him.

Jae let the blanket slip down to the frosty floor and got to his feet. He put on a determined stare. He wasn’t going to give in. Whatever Juliska wanted from him, she’d have to force him. Order him to do it. He would not give in voluntarily.

“Ah, good morning my pet.” Pajak crawled over to Juliska, slipping onto her hand. She lifted him and placed him on her shoulder.
“And you…”
she looked down at her prisoner. “I hope last night gave you some time to think about your loyalties, Jae Mochrie.” She shrugged heartlessly. “It does not matter where your allegiance lies, your will is mine.”

He said nothing.

“Oh surprise surprise. Being stubborn.” Her lips curled into an ugly grin.

He still said nothing.

“Jae…” she lamented. “Tell me where your friends are. I’d very much like to know.”

“I don’t have any friends.”

She lifted an eyebrow in annoyance.

“Where is the banished camp? I’m sure that’ll get me close enough.”

“Are you giving me an order?” he asked her flatly. He did not feel the tug inside him to obey her.

“No. Not an order. You see, you will tell me of your own volition.”

He shook his head, resisting.

“I figured as much. I am prepared to persuade you.”

He swallowed hard but said nothing in reply.

“It’s
your
choice, Jae. You can tell me what I want to know,
the easy way,
or you’ll tell me anyway and pay a much higher price.”

“I won’t tell you. Ever,” he stated. “You’ll have to force it out of me.”

“So strong willed all of a sudden. Just imagine if you’d had the wherewithal to do that before you agreed to serve me.”

She was right. If only he’d been a strong enough person, but he wasn’t.

He was weak. He desired to feel powerful. And she’d given him what he asked for. Just not in the manner he’d been expecting.

“Jae, Jae, Jae,” she let out a callous exhale. “There are consequences for defying me. Usually, it means
your
death.”

He was certain she had no intent to kill him. That would end his misery.

“I will give you one final chance. Where is the banished camp?”

“I’m not going to tell you.”

“Okay then. I’ll play. You’ve got twenty-four hours. If you do not volunteer your information by this time tomorrow, well… I’ll have a little job for you.”

He waited breathlessly for her to continue.

She leaned in closer.

“How do you feel about being an orphan?”

He said nothing. It was exactly what he’d expected her to do. Juliska would order him to kill his family. Most likely whether he told her what she wanted, or not. But it meant they were still on the island. If only he could delay and get more time.

Time for what?

He could do
nothing
stuck inside this iron cage, with a will that was not his own.

He was only delaying the inevitable. So far, he’d only killed to save his friends. Juliska had not yet ordered him to kill anyone. Only to frighten, but that was all about to change.

He took a rebellious breath. “I will not tell you. You will have to order me.” His voice was not as strong or as certain as he wanted it to be.

“You have one day. Think hard, Jae. Or your family’s blood will be on your hands.
Literally…
”

He scowled in defiance.

She sighed. Annoyed. Impatient.

“You know that I will break your will. Why prolong what you know is going to happen? You belong to me, Jae. There is no escape.”

He looked down and refused to answer. He heard the displeasure in her breaths.

“When the banished took you, after your pathetic attempt at killing yourself, I am assuming you spoke with their leader, Amelia Cobb?”

He looked up and did not answer, but she must have seen something in his stare that gave him away. His weak-minded subconscious giving in even though he was demanding it not to.

Juliska scowled. “You will tell me where I can find her. Or I swear to you, Jae Mochrie, I
will
order you to kill everyone you care about starting with your troublemaking little sister.”

His eyes scrunched together. What did she mean by that? His sister, Mireya, a troublemaker?

Juliska sneered. “She and her little friends have been causing me a tremendous amount of grief. And are under the assumption they’ve gotten away with it. Though it did work to my advantage at that moment.
That moment has passed.
” Her tone warned his sister and her friends were living on borrowed time, the length of which would be determined by his choice right now.

For a moment, Jae just wanted to know what Mireya had done. She was just a quiet girl that hated to be away from her mother and rather sit around giggling with her friends. She wasn’t the
getting into trouble
type. That was all him.

Regardless, her life was in danger whether she stopped whatever she was doing or not. Juliska would order him to do it. To kill his sister. His parents.

A flood of dread made his legs falter underneath him and he gripped the bars to remain upright.

“
Amelia,
Jae… where is she? I don’t care about the banished. Just tell me where I can find Amelia.”

Jae did not believe her. Entirely.

But it was clear that this was more about Amelia than the banished. At least for today. Perhaps he could stop all of this before it went too far. Or at the least, buy himself or his family some time.

“Amelia…” he stopped himself with a rushed inhale.

“Yes.”

“Amelia Cobb is dead,” he admitted to her.

Juliska let out a low chuckle and rolled her eyes. “Of course she is. Good try, Jae.” She turned away.

“I’m not lying,” he called out desperately. “She really is dead. She was killed.”

“If she was killed, who did it? How did it happen?” Her tone indicated she still did not believe him.

“She was killed by the Grosvenor.”

Juliska stopped and whisked around.

“Well, not exactly them,” Jae continued. “It was Jurekai Fazendiin’s son, Colby. I guess he’s kind of one of them.”

“Colby…” she muttered. “What was Colby doing…” she trailed off. Her gaze darkened, her disbelieving smirk dissolving.

Jae wasn’t surprised that she knew of Colby’s existence. She was more
in
with Fazendiin than anyone thought, including him. He wondered if they had been working together all along, or if this development was more recent. Although she seemed surprised to find out that Colby had been in the banished camp.

Juliska strode closer to Jae’s prison, staring him down.

“I order you to speak the truth, Jae Mochrie. Is Amelia Cobb dead, or alive?”

He lost his breath for a second. It hit him, hard; that tug twisting his insides. The order he could not disobey.

“I am not lying. Amelia Cobb is dead. Colby killed her.”

Juliska stumbled backwards, her head shaking.

A long line of mumbled
no’s
pushed across her lips.

“You know I’m telling the truth,” clamored Jae. “Amelia Cobb is dead.”

Her hands flew up to cover her ears, almost as if the words he spoke were poisonous or even painful.

Jae didn’t understand. Somehow, he’d thought this news would make her happy. Instead, it looked like she was about to come unraveled.

Juliska let out a breathy exhale. “He promised. He promised me…” Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees. She looked into Jae’s eyes… he did not get the impression that she actually saw him.

“He promised she would die by my hand.” She picked up her arms, staring at her hands with a mixture of shock, defeat and disbelief.

What the hell just happened?
This was the only thought whizzing through Jae’s brain.

She looked up and straight into his eyes. The crippling despair vanished, replaced by a glare that could boil water.

Jae looked at Juliska Blackwell like he was seeing her for the first time. Whatever this was, it had wounded her, deeply. Whatever Amelia had done to her… he could guess and imagine a hundred different things… whether he guessed wrong or right, whether Amelia deserved Juliska’s wrath or not, he was looking at a woman who’d just been stripped of her revenge. Forever.

Juliska climbed to her feet.

Jae took a hard swallow and backed as far into the corner of his iron prison as possible, like this made any difference. But even Pajak jumped off Juliska’s shoulder and clinked away to safety.

“That
murderer
was to die with
my
hands wrapped around her vile, lying excuse for a throat. I wanted to see the life leave her eyes, just as she did my…” Juliska closed her eyes, unable to finish.

She gritted her teeth and snarled. Jae almost thought she might have fangs hidden somewhere in those teeth. Her hands fisted by her sides. Fiery lines popped up and pulsed angrily against her skin.

The truth of Jae’s words cut into her, releasing an outpouring of fury.

It started with a venomous, incensed wail, which ended with blood-red flames erupting out of her body from head to toe. Her palm threw out in front of her and a vortex of fire flew out of it… she aimed at nothing and everything, attacking her own fortress. The air. The ground.

Jae ducked, stone exploding from a hit just a few feet away. A spew of flame surged through his cell, missing him but heating the bars at the front of the cage so they were too hot to touch. He gripped the bars behind him, tucking into the corner.

She’d lost her mind.

He thought she was mad and insane before… he’d just made everything ten times worse. He thought he might solve one problem by revealing Amelia’s death, but he’d been wrong. Very wrong.

Why hadn’t whoever the hell was in charge of life and death just let him die?

The world would be better off without him in it.

Without him continually messing up… when the price for doing so was always paid by others, not him.

Jae didn’t dare move. He barely dared breathe.

There were footsteps racing up the stairs to the terrace entrance, but Juliska seared the door and made it burn at the touch. There was shouting, but Juliska ordered them all away. They obeyed at once.

Then it stopped. The flames fizzled.

Juliska stumbled, catching herself on the bars of his cage. They’d cooled now, not that it mattered to her. Fire would not harm her.

Jae’s breath hitched and he sucked in, holding it.

Tears.

Tears falling down the face of Juliska Blackwell.

But no compassion in her eyes. Only savagery.

Any bit of sanity she’d been clinging to was gone, and a switch had flipped on with no way to shut it off. Juliska let go of the bars and straightened herself.