Knox ate, tasting nothing. His mind continued to circle around Eris. Currently, she was nothing more than a name, a slim hope for his redemption. If he could save all those people, maybe he could be saved as well. He couldn’t make up for the years they had lost, away from their loved ones, but he would give anything if it meant sending them back to their families, alive.
Toran cleared his throat, pulling Knox from his thoughts. “Sire, the servants have returned from Uwen.”
Knox had told Toran what hopes he had for Eris, but the old man was still skeptical. Knox knew it was because Toran didn’t want to see him disillusioned again, but his lack of excitement had annoyed Knox for the better part of the last day.
“And?” Knox set down his spoon. “What information were they able to gather about her?”
“The young miss claimed her sister had gone missing and then she ran away from home. As of now, her exact location is unknown.” Toran paused. “Sire, according to our sources, she doesn’t have a sister. Eris is an only child. Maybe it would be wise to not place so much hope on this girl. Perhaps we should resume our search for—”
Knox’s mouth dropped open. How could she remember her sister? No one ever remembered, no one but him. How had it happened? Wasn’t this evidence that she was the one he had been looking for all this time? Her memory hadn’t been affected by the curse’s magic. She was different.
“Send our best trackers out immediately. We must find her.”
Toran nodded and left the dinning room.
Knox’s thoughts continued to circle around the girl until he was fairly sure he was going to go mad if he didn’t think about something else. He stood up from the table and made his way to the library.
Surrounded by the same books that had seen his father, grandfather, and great grandfather grow from infancy to death somehow comforted him. As if he wasn’t alone when he was encircled in all the memories those books had witnessed. If things didn’t work out for him by his twentieth birthday, at least his last memory would be retained by the tomes.
He walked up and down the aisles of shelves neatly packed with books. He felt too antsy to sit and read through royal documents that night, though he knew the ever-growing stack needed his attention. He knew the people still wondered why he hadn’t taken on the title of king, seeing as his father had passed away three years ago. He also knew that in order to keep the peace with Ironside, it would be better to officially reign, but to him it felt like forcing the entire country to acknowledge his curse as well. He wanted to be curse-free before he took on the title, but perhaps that wasn’t the best thing for his people. Maybe he would never be fit to reign, even after all he had done to break the curse.
Knox stopped, tilting his head back. He closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer up to the gods. He needed some direction. Something to show him the way to break the curse so he could finally take ahold on his life, his kingdom. He needed a sign that he wasn’t alone.
A loud pop startled him. Before him stood a man draped in the blackest robes he had ever seen. His blue eyes gleamed, eerily bright. Knox knew he should call for the guards, but first he wanted to assess this man who had suddenly appeared. He summoned his magic and shot a dark, silky rope out from his fingertips, and it wrapped tightly around the man. With his other hand Knox summoned a chair from across the room and zoomed it behind the stranger. The man sat down and the ropes morphed, tying him securely to the chair.
“Who are you?” Knox asked.
“You can call me Nolan.” Nolan looked down at the magic ropes. “Is this really necessary, sire?”
“Why are you here?”
“To help you break your curse.”
Knox laughed. “Why would you help me?” Over the years, Knox had met with so many masters of magic. None of them had ever been able to help him. Most of them had shrugged, though a couple of them had sent him on wild goose hunts. He had never had someone seek him out first, making this man even more suspicious.
“I want the amulet you wear.”
Knox reached down, touching the red stone elegantly wrapped in dark overlapping silver bands. He had had the necklace for as long as he could remember. Toran had told him it had been a gift from his parents, though he couldn’t recall the moment he had received it.
“Why do you want my amulet?”
“It is well fabled where I am from, and it is the only way I can keep my kingdom safe from an evil witch who threatens to destroy us,” Nolan said.
Even if the man was telling the truth, and Knox doubted he was, there was no way he could actually break the curse. No one could except the girl of Light, and this man of darkness was the exact opposite of what he was looking for.
“How do plan on breaking my curse?” Knox asked, testing him.
“By bringing you Eris, of course.” Nolan smiled. “Don’t tell me you thought you could break your curse by yourself?”
Chapter 15
The Queen
The Queen opened her eyes at the soft scuffling sounds of the approaching servant. If it wasn’t something important, she would feed him to Madame. Her patience was wearing thin, as she still couldn’t manage to locate the stupid human with her amulet. Light magic was blocking her locating spells. How the human had figured out to shield itself with Light magic was beyond her. Not that it would matter in a few more weeks. Soon her amulet would call to her, and she would be able to leave this place, Light magic or not. As soon as the magic seals that were trapping her here faded, she would have the last piece she needed to put the Prince of Darkness in his place for the next millennia.
“Excuse me, your Majesty. Intel from the general has come in,” the servant said as he extended a sealed scroll towards her.
She took the scroll, and the servant backed away swiftly. Using her long nails, she sliced through the wax seal and read.
The Prince of Darkness grows bolder by the day. He openly attacked the western frontlines two days ago. Our troops were able to send them to the nothingness, but preparations need to be made for retaliation before he grows any bolder. Our scouts say he has already fled to the human world. I await your command.
Your truest servant,
General Azgack
She sighed. That damned prince. She would need to remind that brat who ruled the seven realms of darkness. She would start by destroying everything he cherished.
“When will the general return?” she asked the servant.
Startled, he looked up at her before realizing his mistake and looking back down at the floor. “I am unsure of that, my Queen, but I will find out immediately.” He bowed and hurried from the throne room.
She wasn’t born yesterday. The Prince of Darkness wouldn’t attack her lands unless he had a bigger plan at play. He knew that his forces would be subdued, but only after heavy losses on both sides. So what had made him act out like that? She snapped her slender fingers, and instantly two female servants appeared.
“Send a message to the general immediately,” she said. “Tell him to send the hellbeasts into the Prince’s castle at daybreak, and report back to me. I expect no one to be left alive.” She waved the servants away.
Chuckling to herself, she made her way back to her throne and swung her legs over the armrest. She was willing to bet the Prince of Darkness had used the attack as his chance to escape the Underworld without her noticing. When he came back, she would destroy him piece by piece.