Page 83 of The Queen’s Shadow

“Well? I’m up. Are you going to ask me to do anything else or did you just come here to interrupt my thrilling review of The Court of Lust’s genealogy?” I asked dryly.

I slipped my hands into the pockets of my slacks, which had so generously been provided by my captors. You would never know I was a prisoner, the way I was dressed and fed. I supposed Ash Nevra would have a harder time stomaching me if I looked and smelled of captivity.

She had always liked to keep her victims pretty.

Kieran scowled at me. “We’ll see if you’re still feeling so cocky after your session today. Follow me.” I rolled my eyes, but moved to follow him before the slavery bond forced me to do so.

My darkness prowled just behind the crackling barriers of the bond. I was starting to feel crowded in my own body, as the days wore on.

I had still not been permitted to expend any energy, which was tolerable for now, but soon would become more than a little bit uncomfortable. It had been many years since I had felt the suffocating feeling that came with a back-up of power like this. The sensation was tight, and overwhelmingly raw.

It was dangerous for any daemon to resist using their power for long periods of time, but for someone with energy levels as high as mine, it was outright reckless. The small amount of power I used to keep the trace open between Raven and I was not enough to quell the massive amount of power that I needed to expel on a daily basis to avoid a slow and agonizing death.

I had been wondering what Ash’s end game with this particular move was. She would be wasting a valuable war prisoner if she allowed my power to consume me. Though perhaps she just wanted to push me to the brink before allowing me to release it, as another form of torture. That was likely, but it didn’t seem devious enough. Ash Nevra never did anything without a reason.

As I followed Kieran down the dark, damp hallway and out into a large underground space, I had the sudden sinking feeling that I was just about to find out.

The large, cavernous space was brightly lit with large glowing magick orbs that floated overhead. After coming out of the dimly lit hallway, the blinding light of the stadium burned my eyes.

There was no other way to describe it. I was standing in the center of a large underground stadium, surrounded by rows and rows of empty rough-hewn seats that climbed up to the stone ceiling.

The ground was covered in a thick layer of sand. In the center of the colosseum was what looked like a large piece of obsidian, reflecting the blinding light off of its facets. Hands still in my pockets, I reserved any commentary and waited for Kieran to explain what it was we were doing here.

Whatever type of entertainment was meant to transpire here, would clearly not be happening today. The bleachers were empty. The entire space was completely deserted. It was only Kieran and I, and the large, ominous black piece of stone that speared through the center of the ring.

“How are your power levels?” Kieran asked mildly as he stepped forward to approach the large stone. “Have you been feeling any discomfort lately?”

I raised an eyebrow at him but came forward to examine the stone myself.

“Don’t ask stupid questions Kieran. It’s boring.”

“I don’t really care if you find it boring.” He replied. He was looking much too happy for me to feel comfortable. “You’ll learn soon enough, Amon, that what you want doesn’t matter anymore.” He said, intentionally dropping my title. I supposed the joke was on him. What I wanted had never mattered. He would have known that if he had met my father.

I just stared at him, waiting for him to tell me something worth listening to.

“Do you know what soulforge is?” He asked me, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Of course.”

Soulforge was a crystalline substance that could only be found near the Cloud Temples in The Court of Sloth. It was sacrilege to mine it, as it was said to be a key ingredient in the manufacturing of daemon souls. Many daemons went on pilgrimages to visit the soul forge caves to learn more about themselves and connect with their powers on a deeper level. It was said that the soulforge caves were guarded fiercely by a Titan that would show itself to you only if it found you worthy.

You could charge soulforge with your energy, and your powers could live on outside of your being, until the crystal had used up the charge. They essentially acted as large batteries. It was said that if you charged the caves with your energy, soulforge could use it to help manufacture new souls.

I looked up at the large, black chunk of what I had thought was obsidian, and barked out a laugh as I realized, suddenly, that it was soulforge. I turned to Kieran, unable to keep the surprise from my expression.

“The two of you truly have no respect for anything, do you?” I marveled. I was almost impressed; at the lengths they were willing to go to pervert the natural way of things. This stone was allegedly capable of generating souls. Who knew what kind of long-term damage or ramifications there would be to the creation of our kind by removing it from its natural resting place. Kieran rolled his eyes.

“Don’t be dramatic.” He sniffed. I didn’t bother dignifying that with a response. Looking up at the soulforge, I wished I had the freedom to examine it properly with my aura. If I concentrated, and dulled out the constant electric hum of the slavery bond that enveloped me, I could feel it calling to me. It felt injured, and unstable. Bringing it here was a terrible idea. One I did not yet understand the consequences of.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m telling you all this?”

I glanced at him, shrugging.

“I’m here because you forced me to be. Do not confuse my presence for interest.” I wasn’t about to beg for answers. If he wanted to tell me what kind of sick plan they had for the soulforge, that was fine. I just wished he would hurry up, so I could get back to my cell and check in on Raven.

“You’re going to charge it.”

I froze.