Page 117 of In The Dark
His eyes graze us as if assessing his own threat, leaving my body screaming at me to run, but I know we can’t escape—we can’t access the Veil. Rydian can’t even shift his appearance, leaving us no choice but to confront him.
“I thought you were on a mission,” I say.
“Who is this?” Ezra asks, tilting his head.
His attention swivels to Rydian, his eyes darting to him—studying—as if he’s finally seeing who stands at my side.
“Just some drunken fool I forced into coming here tonight. Are you jealous?” I smirk, but my stomach dips before stepping out from behind Rydian.
“And whydidyou come here tonight, Isa?” Ezra asks.
“Why do you want to know? Just let us walk out of here and we can forget all about it. The king doesn’t have to know, does he?”
With my shoulders back, I step forward, forcing his attention to remain on me. He slides his gaze away from Rydian.
A slow, eerie laugh emerges from Ezra, causing the hair to rise on my arms. “And why would I do that when I can just take your memories?”
No. My stomach twists, nausea curling the moment his words pierce the air, and I rapidly blink as images fly across my mind. Milena’s warning about the Siphon passes through me.
My face drains as I hold myself steady, his confession sitting on my chest like a weight.I can’t breathe.Rydian suddenly stills beside me, growling under his breath.
I feel betrayed—our friendship built on a lie.
It was Ezra stealing my memories and essence, but why? Hedisguised himself as a trusted friend, taking what was mine. But that means he’s King Elion’s second-in-command.
He killed King Andre.
Witt Dralor, Milena’s grandson. Never the Ezra who I was raised alongside—he was always the second-in-command, replacing the Ezra I once knew. I would have known if he was working with the king, right?
My mind runs through scenarios, wondering if he touched me without my knowledge, pulling precious memories.
“What do you need with my memories?” I ask.
“So you know.” He sighs dramatically. “I guess it was only a matter of time.”
“Of course I know. Do you think I wouldn’t figure it out? You underestimated me. I thought we were friends,” I get out.
His features darken. “Friends. What a…peculiarword. No, we were never friends, Isa.” He tsks with a low, eerie chuckle. “I was forced to be your shadow after that event at the orphanage when you were a child. Ordered to make sure you knew nothing of your past. It was quite exhausting. Pretending to be your friend and enjoying… well,you,” he mocks, exaggerating the wave of his arms, and circles both of us—calculating. But his words slice through me, leaving pain in their wake. My heart shatters.
“Oh, but the king wanted me there,” he continues, “making sure you behaved—that you remained unaware of your marks. That your magic wasn’trefreshing.But it has been, hasn’t it? I can feel your power even from here. I should have known, but it won’t matter soon. We’ll kill your little friend here and start fresh, just like the last time. Do you remember when I took them? You never told me who they belonged to.”
Nausea rises, and I feel my stomach drop over his cold words, unsure of what he means. His eyes suddenly flicker to my face with an expression I can’t quite place before it’s gone, his chin dipping, assessing us over his brows. He inches closerwhen I notice the daggers in his palms. He must not recognize Rydian, or he would have said something by now.Wouldn’t he?
I know how Ezra fights. I know he could probably take both of us, especially without the use of our magic. He’s one of the most skilled fighters here, and if he’s the second-in-command, he’s capable of killing any king.
“You can’t,” I blurt. “King Elion wouldn’t allow you to pull my memories without his knowledge. You’re his second-in-command, are you not? Which means you must take me to him before doing so. If you pull my memories, he’ll have questions as to why certain things are missing from his archives. You wouldn’t want to be caught accused of stealing, now would you? That would be treason.”
He halts his steps, eyes darting from me to Rydian as if struggling with the decision to steal my memories or take me to King Elion.
His features suddenly twist back into someone who’s relaxed and uncaring. As if we didn’t just have a heated conversation. His face lights up, hiding the cold expression he was just wearing, and he assesses me again. Then he strides to the archive doors to bang on them.
Ezra’s personality would make him the most excellent second-in-command with the ability to detach from his feelings. This must be the switch Milena mentioned. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Rydian and I exchange glances, his face twisted in anger, realizing that he’s the same one who killed King Andre. A low rumble escapes him, fists clenched at his sides. I know he’s using every ounce of his control to keep it together.
Four guards storm inside, immediately flanking Ezra as their features line with shock at the sight of us.Do they know he’s Elion’s second-in-command?
In a flash of movement, Ezra pivots to his left, pushing his blade into the throat of the closest guard. The guard crumplesto the ground, a pool of blood quick to follow. Then he smiles, the chilling expression sending a shiver down my spine.