Vesryn snarled, dropping all semblance of civility. “My sire sends his favorite hound to retrieve me?”
The general pulled his shoulders back. “The king found your absence at the Lunar Solstice to be unacceptable. You’ve left him no choice but to strip Centarya from your command.” Elashor crossed his arms, a humorless chuckle shaking his chest. “Perhaps once you return to the capital, you’ll be reminded of your duties to the realm.”
Jassyn tensed, gauging that the unstated threat was that the king would compel Vesryn into compliance.
The prince’s fingers twitched at his sides. “If my sire desires a succession beyond me, then he can be the one who ensures it.” His lip curled. “But let’s do ourselves a favor and stop pretending like he’ll ever relinquish power.”
Elashor smirked, smiling cooly. “The king has taken matters into his own hands, but I assure you, your insolence will not go unpunished. Too long have you openly defied him.” The general lazily stroked the hilt of his sword. “His orders are to retrieve you. You can come willingly or as a prisoner.” With a sneer, he jabbed, “So what will it be, Prince?”
Vesryn’s jade eyes glittered in a flash of lightning, his ire appearing to gather like the storm. His attention roamed over the surrounding soldiers, edging closer. They didn’t seem to breathe as they waited for Elashor’s command.
“What I want,” the prince said, his focus pinning on the general, a hunting falcon honing in on its prey, “is to know what magic you two are fucking with. Care to explain how my sire’s power has increased or how the years have slipped from his bones? I have a feeling it has something to do with our ‘reassigned’ recruits.” Silence loomed like the clouds, the rain continuing its steady drumming. “This campus is under my protection. You’ve overstayed your welcome.”
Face devoid of expression, Elashor unsheathed his sword. In unison, Essence pulsed, shimmering around the capital’s warriors as they readied their weapons.
Fists clenching at his sides, Vesryn scoffed dismissively. “I have no interest in killing your thralls.”
Elashor shrugged, unbothered. “There’s more where they came from.”
A muscle rippled in the prince’s cheek as he went still. Jassyn swore even the wind held its breath.
His eyes flicked toward his cousin. Vesryn’s ticked toward him. As something unspoken passed between them, the prince formed a telepathic link, wrapping around Jassyn’s mind. They rapidly fabricated a plan while Elashor undoubtedly waited for them to submit.
Vesryn spoke first. Elashor will be an issue. I haven’t gone toe-to-toe against him, but even I’m not stupid enough to underestimate him. I’d prefer not to kill any of the soldiers if we can avoid it.
Stomach roiling, Jassyn’s knees locked. If we’re taken to Kyansari, you know they’ll compel us—or worse.
That won’t happen. I don’t think these mind-controlled warriors will be any match if Elashor has to direct them.
The general took a step forward. Magic flared from every direction—shields flexing, shadows rising, force strengthening. The air warped with a hum of energy.
Hold the soldiers back with your shields, Vesryn ordered. I’ll subdue Elashor and assist you after. Then we’ll—
One amendment, Jassyn interjected before the prince became too carried away with a complicated plan that would fall apart as soon as anyone blinked.
Vesryn arched a questioning brow at him. Before Jassyn even realized he’d made the decision, something inside of him snapped.
Elashor is mine.
CHAPTER 43
JASSYN
In a burst of irrationality, Jassyn sprinted toward the general. He disregarded Vesryn’s frantic telepathic protest, ordering him to stop.
Watching Elashor stand there with entitlement radiating off of him had something dark rearing its head in Jassyn’s chest. For too long he’d cowered under the general’s imposing will, shrank under his scorn, withered under his gaze.
This was his chance to defy those who had the power to deem others lesser in this cruel world. Incensed by the revelation about the wraith, the elven-blooded bred for a darker purpose, and the dead-eyed, compelled warriors surrounding them, Jassyn saw red.
He streaked toward Elashor, boots splashing across the soggy earth. The closest soldiers collapsed to the ground before they could react, trussed by the prince’s shadows. Sights fixed ahead, Jassyn couldn’t sacrifice his focus to observe Vesryn’s fight.
The past few weeks of training with his cousin had increased his speed, instilling more confidence in his stride. Jassyn rolled one of his hidden blades into his fingers, flinging the golden dagger directly at the center of Elashor’s shield to buy a moment of distraction.
The knife ripped through the ward. Steel screaming through the air, the general effortlessly deflected the blade with a vicious swing of his longsword.
Jassyn faltered, his mind catching up with his legs. Elashor likely rivaled Vesryn in combat and he was recklessly charging at the arch elf warrior armed only with his throwing knives.
Midnight tendrils of rending lashed out from the general, a hundred striking vipers. Flaring Essence, Jassyn shelled himself in a protective wall, wearing the violet shield like a second set of armor. The shadows mercilessly flogged his ward, accompanied by the pounding rain and wind whipping from the storm.
Hilt sliding in his sweaty palm, Jassyn snatched another dagger from inside his armor and threw the knife.
Slapping aside the blade in a clang of metal, Elashor’s lip peeled away from his teeth. “Are you the prince’s pet now, you ineffective half-breed?” he spat. “Tell me, what do you think will happen to you when I return Vesryn to the capital in chains?”
Elashor tossed out a hand. A punch of force ripped away the ground at Jassyn’s feet. The impact sent him stumbling along the shredded earth, halting his advance.
A lake of shadows spilled from the general’s palms as he conjured another wave of rending. The darkness engulfed Jassyn, threatening to splinter his shield as magic converged on him like a surging tide.
“Surely you don’t believe the prince will retain exclusive ownership of your contracts. This temporary protection of his will be revoked.” The general barked a mirthless laugh, reeling in his shadows. “I’ll see that you’re permanently assigned to me.”
Jassyn floundered to shove away his fear as Elashor’s words repaved an old path. But the added shock from facing the reality of his descendants was too fresh. A wound unhealed.
Helpless, the dark crevices of Jassyn’s mind resurrected the horrors he’d endured at the hands of so many. His anxiety spun into a vortex of terror, imagining Elashor dragging him back to the Vallende estate.
Amidst the rising panic of being returned his contracts, Jassyn’s magic fled. Abandoning him. The illusion of his freedom crumbled to ash. Jassyn’s shield disintegrated, leaving him unprotected from the pelting rain.
Elashor lunged with a whip of rending. The restrictive power coiled Jassyn in a bind, effortlessly forcing him to his knees. As he lost control of his body, Jassyn’s heart staggered through a mire of dread. Closing the distance, the general approached him with slow, predatory steps.
Smirking, Elashor loomed over him. “I’ll send you to my mother for safekeeping, since you’ve proven you need a firm hand.” A crack of lightning sharpened the general’s features against the darkened sky. He grunted in amusement as if a thought occurred to him. “I think your neck would look better tethered with that golden collar she’s so fond of. She does relish a short leash.” Elashor’s sneer razored across his face. “But you already know that.”
