Page 82 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
"Never say never," Domitius warned, his voice sending a sickening chill skittering down Kallie’s spine. He grabbed Graeson by the jaw, his fingers indenting Graeson’s cheeks. "Youwillbend the knee."
Graeson’s nose twitched.
Hope fluttered in Kallie’s chest. Even if Domitius had stolen Kallie’s power, Graeson was stronger than Domitius knew. Stronger than them all. He could fight this. His mind could not be?—
No. No. No!Kallie screamed internally.
It wasn’t possible, yet the bend in Graeson’s knees was indisputable. They hit the ground with a loud thump, the earth quaking as they did.
A gasp bubbled up in Kallie’s throat as she watched Graeson’s head fall down in penance. His jet-black hair fell in streaks across his face, casting his expression in deep shadows.
It shouldn’t have been possible. Kallie had never been able to manipulate Graeson. His mind was impenetrable. Yet there Domitius stood, victorious.
"Chain him," Domitius called out.
When neither of the guards moved, confusion twisted Kallie’s expression. Then horror consumed her as the last person she suspected shifted.
Lysanthia stepped forward, tears streaming down her sunken cheeks. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a key. With a twist, the chains around her wrists came undone. Graeson didn’t move an inch as his mother approached.
Lysanthia reached out to her son, pulling his hands behind his back with long, nimble fingers. She placed the chains around his wrists, and the iron manacles snapped together with a finality that nearly shattered Kallie’s heart.
Domitius snapped his fingers, and the other guard stepped closer to Ellie. He pressed the tip of his sword into her back, and Ellie blanched in horror.
"I gave you a chance, Kalisandre. Many chances, in fact," Domitius said. "Instead, you planned to best me. Did I not teach you anything when you were under my roof?"
Kallie’s entire body trembled. She no longer knew if she was kneeling because of her own crumbling strength or because of Moris' power.
"Did you truly think I would not see through that flimsy little proposal? You should have known better.Itaught you better. Although you always were more arrogant than your abilityand knowledge deserved. But you see, you have made a grave miscalculation. I no longer need you." Domitius bent down behind Graeson. Grabbing him by a chunk of hair, he wrenched Graeson’s head back. "Now, let us see the true power of a god."
Chapter 33
GRAESON
The god roared,his fury so bright it shook Graeson to his core as his knees buckled and hit the ground with a loud crack.
Graeson was powerless to stop Domitius' command from ripping through him and shredding his control. The moment the order left the bull king’s lips, a numbness coated Graeson’s limbs, as if he had been pushed into a half-frozen lake and his limbs had turned to ice on contact.
Not a single part of Graeson had wanted to obey the order, nor had he intended to bend the knee. Yet there he was, looking up at the man he loathed with every morsel in his body.
Graeson had been trapped inside his own mind plenty of times. He experienced it whenever the god took over. But this—whateverthiswas—was entirely different. Before, there was a sort of separation, a strange divide between what he could experience versus what was happening in front of him. When the god was in control, it was almost as if Graeson was looking through a fog-covered window. Some images were hard to decipher, some voices were difficult to parse, their words occasionally mumbled. This was not the god’s doing, though.
Unlike when the god took control, Graeson could see and hear everything clearly, yet he had no control over his limbs.
He knew he should do something—move away, fight,anything—but he couldn’t. It was as if a gate had been slammed shut, cutting off his connection to his muscles. He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t stand. He was completely and totally under Domitius' control.
For the first time in his life, Graeson was powerless.
We areneverpowerless,the god hissed, seething from within.Do you really wish to let this speck of a man overcome us?
I have no control over my own limbs! What do you expect me to do?Graeson shot back.
"Chain him," Domitius demanded.
His mother’s face appeared in front of him, and the betrayal fractured his heart as metal clanged. Yet, when his mother’s eyes met his, sorrow flooded her expression. Graeson knew then that she too was under Domitius' influence. Cold metal touched his skin as his mother placed the manacles around his wrists. The heavy metal weight pulled his hands down.
Graeson’s attention flicked to Kalisandre. Fear spilled from her wide-eyed expression. Her body was tense, nearly shaking with rage and frustration. And as he stared at her, realization struck him in the chest like a lightning bolt searing through the sky and striking a tree.
Graeson had never imagined—he had never dared to think—that Domitius could replicate Kalisandre’s ability, but that was the only plausible explanation.
