Page 124 of Mantle

And so was I.

Kai was meeting with Marlise Leroux to discuss her taking on the mantle of Maven Coven head in his place. Vorzyr was there with him as support and also in case Kai’s parents tried toforce summonhim with another one of those brutal magical brands, something that Vorzyr’s draconic healing could soothe.

Ariana had been called back home to see Mia, Jaxon, and Cassius because they believed they’d found a way to sever the connection between the Celestial Plane and the mortal world, but her power was aspecial ingredient, or abinding agent.I couldn’t remember which. I’d been trying to muster all my focus for what lay ahead of me.

And as much as I would have liked the three of them with me, it would actually prove detrimental. I couldn’t be sensing or feeling them while I was doing this with Ketheron. My focus and concentration had to be absolute.

I took in the space.

Cold stone walls framed the room neutrally. Not really harsh, but devoid of comfort.

The overhead lighting cast a soft glow across the floor, but created shadows in the corners.

There were no windows.

No time telling means.

It was a holding center devoid of time or space.

There was a cube of light in the center of the room.

The Underveil Shield.

It rose from the floor and sealed into the ceiling above, enclosing Ketheron’s unconscious body within like a crystal vault of magic.

He was no longer exposed like that demented psychopathic egomaniac, Corvin Morvain, had been keeping him. As if he hadn’t already done enough to Ketheron without damn well degrading him.

Ariana had conjured clothing for him. A black high-collared long-sleeve tunic that was tailored to his mammoth body but also loose enough to offer comfort and freedom. His black pants were of a drawstring style with silver at the hems, and she’d even conjured him some soft black slippers.

She’d erected her own ward around the Underveil Shield to keep him safe from everyone. It was compassion and mercy all at once.

I lowered myself into a cross-legged position just a foot from it, upturned my palms, my magic sparking. And then I rested them on my knees, cracked my neck, and closed my eyes, initiating my dreamwalking ability.

A rush of power rolled through me, a blinding blue light lighting up the blackness.

And then I passed through from reality into the dreamscape.

White-sand beaches filled my vision.

Bright blue skies radiating shimmering sunlight bathed the surroundings in warmth.

I turned to my left where the waves from the ocean gently lapped at the shore.

To my right was a little bungalow at the top of a lush hill with wooden steps leading up to it.

It was the same dreamscape I’d created for Vorzyr months ago.

It had been easier to secure a being as mighty as Ketheron in a creation that already existed because the tether had been stronger, the stability more entrenched.

I didn’t see him in the immediate area, but there was a cove around the corner, just off to the left, a quiet little area that somebody craving peace—in more ways than one—would likely gravitate to.

I made my way around there.

Sure enough, there he was.

He was sitting on the sand in a white linen shirt and pants, his legs outstretched and tossing sand on his legs. They were already significantly covered with a lot of it.

He looked up at my approach and beamed out at me so happily.

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