Page 36 of Detonation
He laughs deep and low. “Everyone has that flame, luring them. Many run from the call but others like us, we embrace it. Ask yourself—why are you doing this?”
I glance at Serenity who continues towards a cell with the unconscious witch, the fire burning deep inside of me. She’s connected to Anshar. I just know it.
Cracking my neck, I turn back to him, meeting his questioning gaze. “I’m doing it so I can protect Lana and get my brother back. Who knows what the hell is happening to her in that realm with that sick fuck? I won’t turn away from any opportunity to get the answers that will bring my family back together. I don’t care how I have to do it.”
Derrick nods at me. “You’re doing this for love. Love isn’t always this bright ball of light. Sometimes, it’s dark, twisted, and ugly.
His words resonate with my soul. I’ve always appreciated the beauty in darkness.
Lana, for all of her sarcastic jabs and constant banter, is beautifully broken, trying to not let her inner flame be consumed by the darkness of what life is, a feeling I know all too well. After all she’s been through, sometimes when she thinks nobody is watching, I see the fire in her eyes dim, when the shadows creep in.
I think that is what has always drawn me to her, what makes me certain we’re forever meant to be entwined. So that we may sit in the darkness together when we’re unable to find a way out. I want to be the flame that lights the way for her.
The sound of chains clinking against the stone ground draws me back to the present. Derrick must have left me lost in my own thoughts. I walk towards the noise and take in the empty cells lining both sides of the room until I get to the one at the very end.
Serenity has been quick to work, with the dark witch now laying on the floor in a heap, all of her limbs chained. Serenity moves to the edge of the cell with Derrick and I and places her hand against what appears to be a black stone carved and set into the wall.
She chants slowly and, as she does, a shimmering forcefield appears as a door between us and the opening of the cell.
I reach out to test the magic but she slaps my hand away, fixing me with a glare. “If you enjoy having a right hand, kindly don’t touch my fucking barrier.”
Derrick follows up. “Serenity just pricked her hand on the stone which absorbed her blood. The stone acts as a keeper of who can enter and leave the cell and will stop anyone not welcome here. It’s powerful magic. Those stones were created from the original witches.”
Serenity stares intently at our prisoner.
I lean against a stone wall. “So, what’s our plan?”
Without taking her eyes off the dark witch, Serenity answers. “First, we wait for her to wake up. Then, we wait some more while she gets over the tantrum she’ll inevitably have when she realizes she’s trapped. Finally, when she realizes that her attempts to escape are futile, we’ll begin questioning her.”
“Do you think she’ll tell us anything? I can’t picture her freely giving information to her enemies.”
Serenity’s teal hair flicks as she turns to face me, a menacing grin on her face, a darkness in her eyes that unnerves me. “I haven’t held my crown for forty years without getting my hands a little dirty—a little bloody.”
The hair on my arms stand. “I’m willing to dance the line between what’s considered right and wrong to protect those I love. Are you?”
My soul will be tainted. But isn’t that forgivable if my intentions are pure?
A month ago, I would’ve been firm in my answer: no. I held a black-and-white view of the world. Now, I’m questioning what makes someone good or evil or if those words even have concrete definitions?
What is the defining line?
It dawns on me then.
I don’t care what that line is.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my family.”
Chapter Eleven
Lana
I jerk awake to yelling coming from outside of the dungeon. "Sir! Sebastian made me do it! You have to believe—"
The guard’s voice is quickly cut off and the sound of gasping and choking follows. Shaking my head to clear the haze of sleep from my brain, I glance around at the rest of the prisoners, who are all looking directly at the ground, subdued.
Probably the smart thing to do, but I never claimed to be smart.
I keep my eyes on the door. A heavy thud echoes, followed by a stream of blood flowing under the door of the dungeon.
