SWNOVELS The Dark Rising: Chapter 1
power of an Heir before, always kept it hidden from those that wish to do harm to me. Now though, my secret is out, and my promise to my mother is over as she granted me the release from it. Power swells within, warming me from the inside and flowing through my limbs. It’s nothing I have ever felt before, nothing I could have ever imagined. I look down at my hands, feeling tingles in my palm. Runa, as weary as she is, stretches inside of me, her heavy head lifting as she feels what I can.
My magic moves toward the wounds over my body, trying to start up the healing process with no luck. The cuffs of my wrists glow, stopping a lot of my power from helping as I try to move the focus of my magic to my wrists. This is more important than my wounds right now. I pull hard on my chains that are attached to the floor, needing to get free, needing to get to Kade. Letting out a growl, I yank as hard as I can, and it snaps. I feel strength course through me as I pull my hands apart, shattering the chain links connecting my wrists together.
“Impossible,” Darius breathes as he gathers back to his feet, eyes wide with confusion as he looks at me, at my hair still floating around me. It is possible, I’m proof of that.
I look him over, feeling his betrayal more than ever. The wounds on my back still burn, still scream in pain after what he did to me. I ignore the way his own Heir marks show at his neck, ignore who he is to me… what he doesn’t deserve to be.
Shouts echo around the hall as people start to flee for the doors, from the power and the dominance I’m expelling as they scream in fear. They scramble over each other, standing on those that get knocked to the ground, uncaring that their feet are injuring others. I move toward Josh and hold a hand out against his barrier, grunting at the effort to break it. Josh’s eyes are wide as they look at me, staring at me like he doesn’t know me. I ignore it and keep concentrating on the barrier. After one final push, his barrier breaks, and I rush forward, grabbing his chained hands. I put my hand on the links and pull until they break.
“Get the others,” I order him as he snaps out of his shock and we rush forward, regretfully stepping over Josie and Danny as Josh goes to our pack, and I head for Kade.
I can’t think of them right now.
“Stop her,” Charles roars, and I bare my teeth at him as I make my way to the steps. Guards rush the room and come at me, their swords drawn. Feeling the power coursing through me, I fling out a hand as a wave of magic pushes them back.
My body feels lit from within, my power pulsing and raw. Wild.
Charles grabs Kade off the floor, and my heart pounds as he shoves him down besides his seat on the dais, the Highers gathering around him. The Elites come next, and I stop and lift my hand again, making them fly through the air and straight into the hall’s walls. I continue and hit the first step of the dais, watching as Charles and the Highers begin to chant. They speak a language I don’t understand until a violet and black barrier forms around them, the colors swishing in and out of view in a circular motion.
Charles sneers at me, his face full of fury that makes me pause for a second, memories rushing through my mind of all the times he’s looked at me like that before.
Movement to my left has me coming out of my fear, and I come face to face with Darius. He growls, blade in hand as he looks at Charles and then reaches out for me. I dodge back, throwing my leg out and aiming for his torso which he knocks away easily in my state. Using the momentum, as soon as my foot lands on the floor, I bring my other leg around, spinning through the movement until my foot connects with his face. My back screams in agony as I waver on my feet before righting myself, but I feel the pleasure of hitting him.
Darius grunts, jaw clenching as he wipes blood from the corner of his mouth. He comes at me again, and I lift my fist, ready to spill more of his blood and get to Kade as fast as possible. He dodges my throw, and quickly drops his blade before his strong hands are gripping the tops of my arms.
“Rhea,” he barks, his fingers digging into my skin as I struggle in his grasp.
“Fuck you,” I breathe, my eyes alight with anger as I bring my hands up, ready to gouge his eyes out, but that’s not what happens.
My hands move toward his temples and my fingers press in. I feel my magic moving toward my fingertips as I’m frozen to the spot, unable to move. His eyes lock with mine, confusion and trepidation swimming in those green orbs as my power from within reaches his skin. The cuffs that are still on my wrists glow, sensing the power and trying to block it, but the power doesn’t stop, moving at a steady pace into him.
The markings on my skin fill with warmth, flowing through them like a gentle river as Darius and I are still locked in each other’s gaze. His pupils dilate, black leaking at the edges of his whites as those silver, glass-like specks float through his pupils. The light green of his eyes glow as my power rushes into him and I connect with… something.
I suck in a sharp breath as I feel my power floating through a thick mist, moving sluggishly, searching for something I don’t know of. Darius’s eyes tighten as if in pain, and my magic moves faster, rushing around inside of him, searching, until a pair of eyes show in my mind. I gasp as Darius jolts, a pained groan coming from his lips as he moves his hands down my arms, then gripping my waist.
His scent hits me harder than before. At one point, I wanted it wrapped around me, I wanted to bathe in it. Now… Now I want it far away from me, never to be near me after what he has done. Runa’s growl echo’s my thoughts.
My power becomes visible in my mind, like I’m watching what’s happening from inside of him as it’s surrounded by darkness. A small ball of ice-blue tendrils float toward those pitch-black eyes, hovering just out of their reach. Strands of my power float around themselves as the eyes get closer and fear courses through me as my magic doesn’t stop. I try to remove my hands from Darius’s head, wanting to let go, but I’m stuck.
The tendrils float from side to side, but don’t move forward as a muzzle and sharp teeth come into view, followed by a huge, black head. The wolf’s green eyes now glow in my power’s light as its nose stays inches from it. A cord of my power reaches out and caresses the wolf’s nose, and it lets out a low rumble as Darius grunts, but otherwise stays still, letting my power explore him. Runa is silent within me, her head cocked to the side curiously.
The wolf’s eyes close briefly before they reopen, looking directly at me as Runa lets out a small, confused sound. My breath catches as Runa comes to my eyes and we stare at each other. My strands stroke across the wolf’s head, so bright against the black, flowing behind its ears before it moves toward its mouth. My body sags forward against Darius’s chest, feeling the power within me suddenly draining. His fingers tighten at my waist as my forehead rests under his chin as we both stay frozen to the spot, just our chests rising and falling with every breath we take. The wolf nods his head at me once, a purr coming from him before he opens his mouth and swallows my power, pitching us in darkness.
Darius growls low, a gritted, pained sound mixed in with it as his fingers release my waist and he crashes to his knees, his hands immediately going to his head. I stumble back as I become unstuck, my breaths uneven as most of my power within me was absorbed by the wolf. As quick as it came, my power is fizzling out. I feel every bruise, every wound, every ache and every bite of pain running through my body. My vision wavers.
I take a stumbling step toward Darius as he peels his glowing eyes open. “You asshole,” I rasp. “I was too young to have caused the rogures, I was a child when they came to the lands.” I cough, and pain ignites my chest. “It’s impossible for me to have caused them, and it’s impossible that what you saw was the truth in that crystal.” He removes his hands from his head as he gets a foot under him, his eyes showing some kind of emotion that I don’t understand as he shakes his head. “You broke our vow, and I will make sure to break—“
“Rhea, now! We have to go.” My head snaps in Josh’s direction. He’s got the guys huddled together and starts removing the cloths from around their mouths. I look back to Darius one last time to see him mouthing something to me. No sound comes out, but I know exactly what he’s saying. My eyes widen at the one word. He mouths it again, his eyes fiercely on mine as confusion swirls inside of me. He growls low, repeating the word before his eyes scrunch shut in pain. I turn and aim for Kade.
I haul up the dais steps, holding back tears from the burning in my body, and bang against the Highers barrier, trying to push power into it. But there is hardly anything left. I call for more, beg for more, but nothing comes.
“Kade,” I shout. He’s still on the floor at the Highers’ feet. “Come to me Kade, now! We have to leave.”
“He’s not going anywhere, Lasandrhea.” Charles’s cruel voice pierces my ears. He moves forward and stops in front of me on the other side of the barrier. He looks me over, hunger in his gaze as he tracks my markings. “You are pretty, my dear,”
I grunt as I push what little power I have into his barrier, and though it wavers slightly, it still stays strong. “Let him go!”
“Your power is dwindling, Heir of Zahariss. I just have to wait a little longer until you’re all dried up,” he smirks. “I know better than to challenge an Heir with its counterpart in the same room.” He lets out a low laugh, and it’s cold, filled with malice. “When you are in my grasp again very soon, shall I make you watch as Kade runs off to his family, turning his back on you?”
“He’s not going anywhere near them,” I snarl, looking down at Kade sprawled on the ground beside his feet.
“Why ever not? You enjoyed your training, didn’t you?” Charles murmurs quietly, and the other Highers standing behind him don’t react to his words, his confession, letting me know they already knew and are involved.
My power falters at the reminder of his training, with how often he would come to my cage to deliver his pain, to deliver his evilness. I slump into the barrier, feeling pinpricks of pain from it as more shouts scream around the room.
“No,” I gasp, my heartbeat echoing in my ears. Is that what he wants to do with Kade? “I didn’t, and you know that, you sick bastard. Now let Kade go.” Digging my fingers into the shimmering violet and black, I whimper from the pain, refusing to let go.
Charles tilts his head at me before turning and walking over to Kade on the floor. He roughly grabs him by the back of his t-shirt, hauls him up, and stands him in front of me. Kade wavers on his feet, his eyes unfocused as he looks through me.
“Carzan,” I whimper, digging in harder.
“Kaden,” Charles purrs, and I tense, my heart hammering. “Do you want to go with Lasandrhea? Even though there is no way out of here for a traitor? It is a fool’s game to even try and attempt it, no?”
Kade shakes his head back and forth, eyes still bleary. “No, don’t make me go with her.” My stomach drops at his words.
“See, he wants nothing more to do with you and your twisted ways. Haven’t you done enough?” Charles sneers, then he smiles at me over Kade’s head and tears fill my eyes.
“Carzan, please,” I try. “You know me, your memories aren’t right, they did something to you, I vow it. What they are saying and what your memories are showing you aren’t true.” A roar comes behind me, and I turn my head to see Darius on the floor, hunched over as black mist coats his whole body. My eyes go wide with the feel of his power as he stumbles to his feet. The Elites circle him, speaking all at once, confusion in their voices. “Carzan, quickly, we’re running out of time,” I plead, desperation making the words come out in a rush.
“Stay away from me!” he cries, and then brings his hands up to his head and clutches his hair.
“Rhea, there is no time.” Josh grabs me from behind and starts to drag me back down the steps. People are still running and scrambling to exit the great hall, pushing, and shoving each other and downright fighting to escape the room.
I try to shrug Josh off, shouting for Kade to come to me, to fight, to run. He doesn’t hear me. My hands leave the barrier and the last of the power I held within me dwindles away. “No!” I scream, flailing in Josh’s arms, trying to get him to release me, but his arms hold firm. “We have to get him; he can’t stay here.” Taylor appears beside me and helps Josh take me away as I wriggle, and hit, and kick at them, trying to get them off me.
“There is no time, Rhea, if we want to get out of here alive, we need to go now!” Taylor grabs the leg I was kicking out at him as we reach the bottom of the steps. The rest of the guys huddle around me, and Anna fiddles with something in the pocket of her pants.
“Don’t you dare!” Charles bellows, and I look up and see him push Kade to the side. He falls to the floor, his head smashing off the stone, and I yell out to him, still trying to get my tired body to get them off me. Charles waves a hand, and the black and violet barrier drops. He charges straight for us, for me, his hand glowing violet.
I swallow roughly as the other Highers rush after Charles, paying no mind to Kade who is now bleeding from his head. He doesn’t move, but his eyelids twitch and I try even harder to get Taylor off me, biting into his arm as he maneuvers me to restrain me better. Shouts bellow around us, and I turn in Josh’s arms as the Elites come for us. Darius growls a menacing sound, his eyes boring into mine.
“Quickly,” Hudson rushes out as he grabs a hold of Colten and touches a hand to Josh.
“Kade!” I shout, squirming in Taylor and Josh’s hold on me to try and see him. Charles bellows orders to his guards who are picking themselves off of the floor. Taylor grabs my hands and holds them against my chest, pinning them. I need to move; I need to get to Kade. We can’t leave him here.
My eyes fill with anger as Maize saunters over to Kade and leans down, touching a hand to his head. Azure light shines from her palm as she rubs his temples, and Kade yells out in pain, his body tensing before he slumps to the floor. I see the smile on Maize’s face as she pats his head, and I want nothing more than to remove hers.
“No,” I call out, and Maize turns to me, her smirk chilling me as she moves her black hair over her shoulder, not a care in the world.
I’m suddenly closed in on all sides by my pack. Anna briefly catches my eyes before she grabs a hold of my shoulder and I tense, noticing how we are all connected. No. No, no, no. She brings her hand up and I see the square gray stone in her palm.
“Wait,” I plead, “don’t.” But Anna rubs her thumb over the stone with her free hand and closes her eyes. “We need to get Kade, just wait. We can’t leave him,” I cry.
Anna opens her eyes, sad and watery as I start to feel the port stone working. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
My eyes go to Darius just as my body compresses and we port out of the hall.
Leaving them all behind.
Leaving Josie and Danny’s bodies behind.
Leaving Kade behind.