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I slammed my palms into his shoulders in an effort to push him off me but his hand only clamped around my wrists as he lifted his chest from mine. I’d never realized how much larger he was than me until now, until I saw how easily his hand wrapped around both of my wrists. I panted, my lungs expanding as hisshift in position gave way to new oxygen that flowed into my lungs.

“I do not hide the man that I am. I am not ashamed of the things I have done or the people I have killed to protect the masses. And if that makes me evil, then I will gladly be your devil, Ataliia,” he growled, keeping my hands pinned to his chest.

I could feel his heart beating as rapidly as my own as he stood and dragged me to my feet by my wrists. He dropped my hands as I steadied myself and I threw them into his chest, but it was like slamming into a brick wall.

The corner of his lips lifted at my attempt as he pointed toward the ceiling, toward where Nox, or Brakan—whatever the fuck his name was—slept.

“That man does not stand for anything. He does not care who wins this war and hewillsell you out, if he has not done so already. At least I stand for something,” Dukovich said, his eyes locking back onto mine as he took a step closer, closing the little distance that was left between us. “What is it that you stand for, Ataliia? Other than yourself.”

Rage and shame coiled in my stomach as his words pierced through my flesh and all I could do was step away from him. Create distance so I could breathe through the pain that was beginning to burn through my veins.

“Now,” Dukovich started, tucking a thick strand of hair behind his ear and turning to pour another drink. “Do you think you can put your personal feelings for me aside long enough to figure out what these dreams of yours are?” He raised a brow in my direction as he brought the glass up to his lips.

I stared up at him for a long moment, trying to swallow the pride that tasted like poison seeping into my throat. A nod was the only response I gave him knowing that if I opened my mouth the only words I’d be able to conjure would be hateful.

“Good, now sit.” He clipped, gesturing his head toward the couch, and for the first time, I listened to him without question. He took a step toward me and cleared his throat, shaking out his hands before he lifted them toward my head.

“Wait,” I jerked away, panic beginning to rise in my chest.

He let out a groan, clenching his fists in the air.

“What?” he hissed.

“Will this hurt? Are you going to be able to see all of my thoughts? All of my memories?” The questions came out in a nervous stream and the annoyance in his face softened.

“No, on all accounts. I am not looking into your mind—I do not have the power to do that. I am simply following the call of The Silliands’ Realm Magic. If residue from our magic was left inside of your mind, I will be able to sense it and pull it out. If none was left inside of you, this will be nothing more than my hands placed on your head for a short moment.” Dukovich said the words as if he were trying to calm a wild beast, and again, lifted his hands toward me.

I nodded, my body stiffening as his hands inched closer.

As his palms connected with the top of my head the oxygen was sucked from my lungs and the room fell into utter darkness.

Muffled screams rang out into the darkness and I gasped as a ghostly figure ran through the black room, wisps of silver smoke leaving a flowing trail behind them. The clanking of metal began to fill my ears, growing louder and engulfing the space as the blackness began to fade, opening my vision to a field riddled with bloodied bodies. Somewhere in the distance I watched as golden locks ran through the field, cutting down men in Locdragoon’s war leathers before leaping onto a horse and fleeing the battle that was blurring into view.

And as if I had blinked, the scene changed, melting into the sky as a dragon fell from the heavens, plummeting to the earth. An ear-piercing scream shattered into my mind and my visionblurred again as another scene snapped into place. It was a woman, screaming into the sky as she crouched over a lifeless body. I tried to take a step closer but my limbs would not move. Blood poured down from the skies like crimson rain as violet tendrils of power erupted from her.

Oxygen refilled my lungs and I sucked in a deep breath, gasping as my vision snapped back to see Dukovich staggering away from me, his eyes wide as his complexion paled to a sickly hue.

“You . . .” he whispered, bringing a hand to his mouth.

“Did you see that? Could you see what I saw?” The words rushed out of me in a frantic pace as I shot to my feet and took a step toward him.

“This . . . is not the doing of The Silliands. These are no dreams.”

“Then what are they?” I snapped, panic beginning to beat in my ears.

“That was a vision. You are a seer, Ataliia.”

Chapter fifteen

HYACINTH

Ithadbeentwenty-fourhours since we arrived in Ithia and the elders still hadn’t called on us. My skin was beginning to buzz, as if a needle were pricking every one of my nerve endings with each hour that passed as we waited. The longer I thought about the likelihood of them not agreeing to our plans and the fact that Dukovich had been roaming free in Ammord for a full day, the tighter my stomach coiled.

Andrues sat on the grass yards from me, nestled under a tree with his legs outstretched and ankles crossed, casually flipping through the pages of his book. Landers stood next to him, his back leaning against the large trunk, watching me as I paced back and forth in the open, grassy knoll of the cliff’s edge.

This was beginning to feel like a waste of time. I could be training, could be reading in the archives, searching for more information on the Fallen Ones. I groaned into the air as I stopped my pacing and turned to face Landers and Andrues.

“Is this normal? Do they normally make you wait this long when you come?” I questioned, growing more annoyed by the minute. I pushed a curl behind my ear, walking toward them and watched as Landers smirked at my impatience.