Page 14

fourteen

T he revelation that Reggie wasn’t mortal either was a bitter pill to swallow. The meticulous way he had concealed my powers felt like a betrayal that burrowed deep, sharp and unforgiving, like a blade sliding between my ribs.

But one question gnawed at me: Why? Was his deceit born of petty jealousy, a need to keep me weak and dependent? Or had he known I’d never accept the horrors his guild inflicted on the innocent and kept me in the dark to tighten his hold on me?

Reggie had never been the man I thought he was. And in a way, I realized he had never even pretended to be. He was always controlling and manipulating, but I had deluded myself into thinking it was just his way, that some twisted form of love was buried in there somewhere.

But no.

There was no love in Reggie’s eyes, no warmth or kindness hidden beneath that cold, calculating facade. There had never been anything but the urge to dominate, to bend me to his will. I had mistaken his control for concern, his cruelty for care, because that was all he had ever shown me: an endless stream of commands and a constant tightening of the chains that kept me bound to him.

For years, I had convinced myself I was just being too sensitive, that he couldn’t truly be as heartless as he appeared. I told myself he was only trying to protect me, that his constant manipulation of my thoughts and choices was “for my own good.”

But now, with the truth exposed, I couldn’t keep up the lie any longer. I had been trapped in his web of deceit, forced to confront the darkness that had taken hold of him. The poison of dark magic had seeped into his soul, warping him beyond recognition.

Maybe he’d been lost to it for so long that any trace of goodness was gone, along with my memories of who he used to be .

I paused, the pieces slowly clicking into place. “So, let me get this straight,” I said, my gaze unfocused as I worked through the tangled thoughts. “Reggie was…a good man when we first got married, but then his thirst for power led him down this dark path, and the magic he tried to control ended up consuming him?” I let out a breath, frustration and realization tightening in my chest. “Is that what you’re saying?”

I studied Zeke closely, watching for any hint of deception before pressing on. “Aaaand…you said I’m the queen, so…he must’ve been the king, right? He turned to the dark side, was banished, and then, in some desperate attempt to keep me, stole my memories so I wouldn’t leave?”

That sounded like Reggie, all right.

I shook my head, the absurdity of it all settling in. “This sounds like something straight out of a superhero movie,” I muttered, “minus the cool costumes.”

Zeke stared at me, confused. hen his face twisted in horror. His eyes widened. “No, Bryn. Oh God , no.”

He dragged in a shaky breath, chest rising and falling with each ragged inhale.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” he said, his hands lifting in a frantic, almost pleading gesture. “You and Reggie were NEVER married.”

The words hit like a thunderclap—loud, surreal, and impossible to process. His posture shifted, shoulders squaring, as though he was bracing for impact. A slow breath escaped him, and when he spoke again, his voice was steady. Certain.

His eyes squeezed shut for a second. Then: “He kidnapped you.”

It didn’t sound real. The syllables warped, like a nightmare I couldn’t shake off.

“He created a false reality to keep you captive. A world where he’s your husband and you’re his dutiful wife.” His lip curled in disgust. “It’s all fake. He’s no monarch. He doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you, let alone share a life with you.”

We were never married. The words echoed in my mind, louder with each pass. A scream in the silence. Every word, every touch—every moment—had been a carefully crafted lie.

It was overwhelming.

But then something shifted, like a film peeling from my skin. I could breathe. I could feel. Lighter. Clearer. It was as if I’d been carrying a weight I never agreed to bear, and now, finally, it was gone.

I grasped for clarity, but the words felt foreign. “He…kidnapped me?” My voice shook. “Are you sure?”

Zeke’s face crumpled with sadness. “Yes,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “He bypassed our wards, wards that should have been unbreakable, and slipped that ring onto your finger.” He motioned toward my hand but refused to look at it, as if the sight of my wedding band physically pained him .

“Before I could stop him, he faded you. I was right there —just a breath away from pulling you back.” His voice quieted, the fight slipping from it as his shoulders slumped. “He couldn’t have pulled any of this off without that ring. It’s the key to everything he’s taken from you.”

I looked down at my supposed symbol of love, seeing it for what it truly was. It had been a simple, familiar weight for as long as I could remember, but now it felt foreign, like something sinister coiled around my finger.

How many lies had it carried?

How much of my life had it stolen?

He shot a quick, fleeting glance at the ring, his expression tightening. “You were taken from me in an instant, and I couldn’t stop it. I should have…I was supposed to protect you.” He exhaled sharply, his voice raw. “But I failed.”

A strange sensation prickled over me as I stared at it, my attention held captive. Something shifted, subtle, yet undeniable. The tiny chip on the stone, left from my earlier fall, was gone. My breath caught. Had I imagined it? I tightened my grip around the band, tracing the delicate halo of intricately wrought vines. The teardrop-shaped ruby gleamed in the dim light, deep, rich, almost alive. Beneath it, a pulse thrummed, a warning that couldn’t be ignored. It felt as if the ring itself was aware—aware that I was starting to wake up .

“Why did he take me?” I asked, my hands trembling slightly as the words slipped out, thick with disbelief. The question felt too heavy, forcing its way through the shock that had settled over me.

“Your power,” he replied, his tone flat, almost detached. “You were standing in the way of what he wanted.”

Of course. I’d been too much of a threat. If I had the power to undo everything he was working toward, it made sense. He had to eliminate me. But killing me? No, that wasn’t his move. Instead, he trapped me here, stripped me of my abilities, and forced me to feel as small and powerless as he was. Typical Reggie, always playing the long game, always thinking a few steps ahead. But there was more. There always was with him.

A fog of confusion clouded my mind as his earlier words sank in. “Wait…you said he faded me?” The word felt strange, foreign. “What does that even mean?”

“Fading,” he explained, his voice steady, “is the ability to slip between realms. It lets us cover vast distances in the blink of an eye. Even within the same realm, we can move from one place to another without a second thought. Like I did earlier.” A wry smile ghosted across his lips, his mood lifting slightly, the concept clearly less intimidating to him than it was to me.

But then the smile vanished and his features grew serious, as if he were telling me a scary story. “There are limits to this power. We can only fade someone with us if we’re in direct contact. Even then, the power dynamic matters. Fading a superior being, especially between realms, requires their consent. Without it, it’s impossible.”

I leaned in, my breath catching. “What would happen,” I asked, my heart hammering in my chest, “if they didn’t consent to being faded?” My face was inches from his now, the tension thick in the air.

He cocked his head, amusement flickering across his features as he caught the concern in my gaze. “Let’s just say…it’d be a solo mission,” he said. “No in-flight snacks, no reassuring copilot. Just you, yourself, and your questionable life choices.”

I groaned, sitting up straighter and shaking my head. “Alright, traveling alone. I get it.” I raised my hands in mock surrender and rolled my eyes. “I just didn’t know if spontaneous combustion was on the table or something.”

His grin widened, though he tried to suppress it. “Definitely no combustion. Unless, of course, you consider being in the presence of a handsome warlock…flammable material.” He gave a playful shrug, teasing etched into every line of his face. “In that case, you might be in grave danger.”

I blinked at him, my expression flat but with a hint of playful annoyance, before a sharp laugh escaped me. “I’d sell my soul for a fraction of that confidence. ”

Zeke took my hand gently, cradling it in both of his as he arched an eyebrow. “Oh, my dear, I think that could be arranged…for a small price, of course.”

I nudged him with my shoulder and laughed softly, but my mind lingered on the thought of fading. For a moment, it still seemed a little terrifying.

As I let it settle, something inside me shifted, like the echo of a dream I couldn’t quite grasp. It wasn’t something I understood logically, but something I recognized deep within. A slow drift. Standing still while the world moved around me.

Warmth spread through my skin, as though my body clung to a memory my mind had long forgotten.

Lost in my reverie, the tenderness of his touch lingered, a quiet comfort that anchored me in the present. Slowly, the question surfaced, and I turned to him, curiosity tugging at me. “So…how did you find me here, anyway?”

He released my hand with a brief hesitation, like he didn’t quite want to let go, his fingers lingering for the barest heartbeat before shifting his attention to my injured hand. His gaze softened as he adjusted the bandages with careful precision, his touch slow and deliberate.

“Pure luck, honestly,” he said, his voice steady. “I never expected to run into you. That’s why I was so caught off guard when I did.”

He paused, eyes on the bandages before finally looking up. “Prison realms are well-hidden, cloaked in layers of magic. They’re almost impossible to find.”

I froze, taken aback.

“Prison realm? Wait…you’re saying this is a prison realm?” My voice faltered, disbelief creeping in as I gestured to our surroundings, the towering trees, the restless shadows shifting in the breeze.

He shot me a sidelong glance, something unreadable in his eyes, before focusing on my hand again. “Technically, it’s a mortal realm. But for our kind? It’s a prison, in every sense. Each one is unique, designed to inflict its own torment. This one…” His voice darkened, pupils contracting, focus razor-sharp. “This one is Retribution.”

I frowned. “Retribution?”

Zeke nodded solemnly. “When a magical being is sentenced, their powers are violently ripped away. It’s a brutal, agonizing process. They’re left to live as a mortal. It’s worse than death—a fate reserved for those who wielded their power with cruel disregard for others. There’s no punishment worse than having your magic torn from you. It’s like ripping out a piece of your soul, leaving you broken.”

I let his words settle, pressing into me like a dense stone. Who here was truly human? Who had once been powerful? What had they done to deserve this? The thought coiled in my stomach, uneasy and unshakable .

It felt…wrong.

“Do the others here know they’re trapped?” I asked, my voice tight, the question heavy on my tongue. “Or have they forgotten who they are…like me?”

“Oh, they know,” he said, bitterness cutting through his tone. “But you, you’re different. You weren’t sentenced here. You were taken. Dragged into this place against your will.” He shifted in his seat, shoulders tensing, discomfort etched into every movement. “Dark magic was used to erase your memories. They built a false world to control you, to make you compliant.” His gaze locked with mine, unwavering. “You don’t belong here. Not like the others.”

My memories. Who I was, Who I am. My entire life—stolen.

How could I have forgotten it all? How could I have forgotten Zeke? He wasn’t just someone who passed through my life; he was the kind of person who seared himself into your soul, leaving a scar that would never fade. Yet, he was erased as if he’d never mattered at all.

“If Reggie can twist my memories and strip away my powers…” I trailed off, watching a leaf flutter in the wind, its edges brittle and curling. “He must be incredibly powerful, wielding all that dark magic.”

Zeke went rigid, as though my words had hit him like a blow. “Bryn, you have a power that far surpasses his,” he said, his tone flat, as if the very idea were laughable. “No matter how much dark magic he wields, he wouldn’t stand a chance against you, not in a thousand lifetimes.”

He paused, allowing the impact of his statement to settle before continuing. “I knew the ring he put on your finger was imbued with dark magic. But its true nature…” He shook his head, disbelief flashing across his face. He exhaled sharply, as if struggling to come to terms with it. “Its power is beyond anything I ever imagined.”

I stared at the ring, examining its intricate band. The sunlight caught the ruby, casting a faint, almost eerie glow. Beautiful in a haunting way, like a secret yearning to be uncovered. Could this ring really hold such dark power? It felt like something out of a fairytale, but Zeke’s conviction made it feel all too real.

“I was lost—when he took you,” he confessed, his voice almost ashamed. “I tried to find you immediately, but without a single lead, I was blind. I couldn’t reach you.” His eyes darkened, the memory pressing in. “Tracking you through the prison realms? It would’ve been like finding a needle in a haystack.” He exhaled sharply, frustration clear. “Time blurred. I sifted through every realm I could, combing every inch, straining to hear the faintest trace of you. But there was nothing. Not a single sign.”

Guilt washed over me. He’d been searching relentlessly, spending hours tracking me down, hours I hadn’t even known about. It was more than duty. He wasn’t just some guard, some knight. He was something more, something honorable. The realization hit harder than I expected. I couldn’t fully grasp it, but one thing was clear: he didn’t have to care this much. But he did.

His words grew distant, lost in the depths of his memories. His finger traced invisible lines in the dirt, the rhythmic motion seeming to ground him. “I shifted my focus,” he murmured. “Turned to the ring. I combed through ancient texts and hunted down forbidden knowledge, secrets guarded by those who understood the risks of uncovering them. Anything that might help me unlock its power, no matter the cost.”

I watched his fingers move, mesmerized by the way they danced over the earth. What had he uncovered during his journeys across the realms? And how did it all tie back to the ring now encircling my finger?

“Then, after what felt like an eternity, I finally found something, something that changed everything.” His voice dropped lower, the words slipping out like a secret long buried. “A legend. A long-lost relic. A pair of companion rings called Corda Tenebrae.”

He pushed his hair back from his forehead. “The Siphon,” he murmured. “A thick gold band with a fiery red stone at its center, said to be the vessel.” His eyes drifted reluctantly toward my hand. “The Ruby, its companion, bears an uncanny resemblance to the one on your finger. ”

His gaze sharpened, momentarily entranced by the ring as if searching for the right words. “According to the old lore, a cabal of necromancers forged these rings, drawing power from the dark essence of ancient sorcerers. They wove a spell of corruption and deceit into the rubies, binding the wearer to an eternal cycle of servitude, a bond that could never be broken.”

The intensity in his eyes burned like a fire I couldn’t escape. The air around us seemed to crackle with the force of his words.

“This power, forged in forbidden magics, was infused into the Siphon itself. It grants an unholy ability to warp reality as the wearer desires or as the ring does. With it comes the darkness.” He paused, his head tilting as if drawn irresistibly toward the ring, its pull hypnotic. “A darkness that devours the soul, creeping deeper with every moment the Siphon stays on your finger. It will never release its grip.”

His words struck me hard. The Siphon’s description, unnervingly familiar, mirrored Reggie’s wedding band a little too closely. I lifted my hand, and for an instant, both our gazes were fixed on the ruby. Its intricate lacework and shifting, kaleidoscopic patterns pulsed with unsettling energy, like we were staring into the heart of a celestial orb.

I felt it too—a magnetic pull that made it almost impossible to look away, as if the ring were drawing me deeper into its grip, entrancing me along with him .

“According to the legend,” Zeke continued, his eyes still locked in that trance-like focus. He leaned forward, his body nearly brushing mine. “The Siphon’s power allows its wearer to drain a magical being’s essence through the Ruby, leaving them hollow. From there, they can manipulate the victim’s memories, erase them, twist them into lies, further enslaving their mind.”

His hand hovered near the ring, drawn by something unseen. The air around the stone vibrated, and his fingers trembled, aching to touch it but holding back.

Then, as if snapping free, he tore his gaze away and blinked rapidly, the ring’s grip finally seeming to loosen.

The words hung suspended, and for a brief moment, the surrounding forest seemed to mourn the fate of those who wore them.

Without daring to look back at me, he kept his eyes fixed on the swaying trees. “Reggie forced the Ruby on you to harness your abilities. That’s why you feel mortal now. He’s siphoning your powers, using them as his own, and erasing your memories to make sure you never try to take them back.”

His words clicked into place. It all made sense now.

“Without it, he could never claim the throne. But the dark magic...it’s changing him, warping him with each passing day.”

I swallowed hard, the realization settling over me like fog. This was it, the truth behind everything. He never wanted a partner, never wanted a real marriage. I wasn’t a wife to him. I was an extension of his will, a tool to control, a pawn in his twisted game. He’d been using me all along. Deep down, I’d always known Reggie didn’t truly value me, but this…this was something darker. How had I been so blind?

Then Zeke’s expression shifted, softer now. His crystal-blue eyes locked onto mine, intense, unwavering, as if searching for some remnant of who I used to be.

“I’ve figured it out,” he said, taking both my hands and tugging me back to the moment. “How to break the curse. If we sever the bond between the rings, everything unravels, your powers, your memories, it will all come back. The rings only hold power when they’re bound to the same realm.”

His voice brimmed with hope, but I couldn’t feel it. Doubt still clung to me, cold and heavy, like frost under my skin.

He took a slow breath, the brightness in his eyes dimming slightly as his tone grew quieter. “That ring, it’s not a symbol of love or devotion. It’s a cage—an invisible one.”

He paused, jaw clenched, determination setting every line of his face. “But I swear, Bryn, I’ll get you out of it.”

The realization hit like a storm, tearing through everything I thought I knew. The ring—Reggie’s ring—was never a promise. It had always been a prison.

And I was the one who’d lived in it.