Page 89 of Ransomed to the World
“Each time a warrior ghosts, he pops into the banished lands for a few seconds, then drops back out. The longer they linger, the more their powers are drained. If they stay too long, they lose the ability to return.”
Annora kicked at the hem of her dress and began to pace. “That makes no sense. It’s literally teeming with dark matter. All the power they want is just within reach.”
Cedwyn and Sadie glanced at each other, clearly uneasy. Cedwyn licked his lips. “Pure dark matter. Raw and untamed. Touching it would fry our ability to do magic. The few who take the risk to enter the banished lands for any amount of time and return almost never keep their abilities intact.”
Annora stopped pacing, completely floored. “Not all of them return?”
“Phantoms gain power with age. A few of the elders and maybe the council could enter the banished lands for maybe an hour without being adversely affected. It would weaken them and take a while for them to recover.” Sadie took a step closer toward her. “It’s why no one went after Alcott. The council forbade it. After a while, we just assumed he was dead.”
“You know if you do what Daxion wants and survive, he’s never going to allow you to go. He’s going to bind you to him and siphon off your powers.” Cedwyn tossed the rest of his uneaten apple away. “We can’t allow that to happen.”
That sounded very much like a threat.
Daxion is outside the mansion. You have only minutes.Logan’s voice sliced through the tension.
“Daxion is home.” Annora smoothed back her hair, rolling her shoulders, preparing herself to face his wrath. “You should be gone when he gets here.”
Sadie reached forward and grabbed Cedwyn’s arm, dragging him out of the room, but he didn’t go quietly. “You can’t trust the council. War is brewing between phantoms, and they’ll sacrifice you without hesitation if it means they’ll remain in power.”
Annora snorted. “Like you and your captain don’t plan on doing the same.” The front door slammed, and she jumped. “Just go. My first priority is to protect my mates. I don’t give a fuck about phantom politics right now.”
He searched her face, then gave a brief nod, and she realized he’d been testing her, wanting to see what side she’d choose. She spoke honestly—she would always choose her men—which meant Cedwyn was an ally…at least for now.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and she twisted her fingers together. She hated being separated from her men, but keeping them safe was more important. Annora rolled her shoulders and straightened her spine, bracing for the confrontation with Daxion. She’d survived years under her uncle’s not-so-tender-loving care, she could survive a day with the man who was supposed to be her father.
She calmed the darkness that swirled under her skin, longing to go on the offensive. She intended to bide her time and make sure her men were protected first. She gritted her teeth at the thought of the coming pain, then blew out her breath.
She could do this.
A sharp knock sounded on her door, and Annora jumped as if shot. She rolled her eyes, then strode forward and opened it…and found a female guard waiting for her. Her spine stiffened at the thought of someone touching her—it freaked her out almost as much as being taken into custody.
“Lord Daxion would like to see you in his study.” The woman retreated, a haughty look of disdain on her face as she headed down the hallway without waiting for a confirmation.
The guard paused, looked over her shoulder, and raised her eyebrows, and Annora looked both ways before cautiously stepping into the hallway, expecting a squad of goons to be waiting to ambush her.
And found the hallway empty.
Annora scowled and followed the guard back down the stairs. She hated not knowing what to expect. With her uncle, it was always the same, either beatings or torture. She’d become accustomed to the pain and knew how to deal with it.
The mansion was quiet as she crept down the stairs after the soldier, and she couldn’t have been more stunned when she was led directly to Daxion’s office.
The soldier gave a smart salute, turned on her heel, and left them alone, the sound of the door clicking shut echoing in the room. Daxion sat behind his desk, going over papers, his head coming up when he saw her, then he smiled. “Good, you’re here.”
She stiffened at his apparent cheer, not trusting him an inch. She glanced around the room, wondering if he was putting on an act for an audience, but they were alone. The room was lined with leather-bound books, dark matter practically oozing from a dozen or so of them, but one in particular caught her attention.
Familiar sheets of paper.
The missing pages from her grimoire!
Why was she not surprised to find them in his possession? She turned away, masking her interest, pretending to be awestruck by the gaudy surroundings. She took special note of the security in the room.
She’d be damned if she’d leave those pages with him.
“What do you think of your new home?” Daxion came around his desk, then leaned back against it with the same smarmy smile.
Did he honestly believe people fell for that shit?
Annora decided to play along. “Your mansion is very impressive.”
