Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

I pull my daggers from my straps and back up slowly as the group of watchers enter the clearing. Each one is larger than the last, all wearing their black leathers and black hooded cloaks. The golden watcher symbols on their invisible wings glow in the dim lighting before their wings retract into their backs. There are eight of them, and the biggest one steps forward, a sadistic smirk curling the edges of his lips.

“Zarla Quinn, the King’s daughter. You shouldn’t be here. We were told you would be down on Earth.” He lowers his hood, revealing short, shaven hair. A scar snakes up his neck to the base of his right ear, and his eyes are impossibly blue. He is very handsome, as are most of the watchers I have seen. Except that one with the rotten teeth. Gross.

I furrow my brows. “Who told you that?”

He laughs. “Come on. I can’t tell you that, now can I?” His gaze drops to my ring. “You’ve come to possess some very powerful weapons, Zarla. I think it would be in your best interest to hand them over.” He slowly and subtly grips the handle of his sword, but I catch the movement.

I glance down at my daggers and notice my ring is still glowing red. I need to figure out why it keeps doing that. Is he talking about these weapons? “I’m not giving you anything.”

His smirk vanishes as his expression turns hard. “I am King Zalore from the Kingdom Galespo,” he announces as he unsheathes his sword, “and I’d prefer not to harm that pretty face of yours. In fact, that was a specific order. It would be easier for me if you did what I have asked of you.”

I arch a brow at him. “Who is giving you, a King, orders?”

He narrows his eyes at me. “That is for me to know.”

“Why are you here?” I question. “And why have you broken the treaty? You’re not welcome in our Kingdom.”

He moves his sword from one hand to the other. “Well, it appears that you keep killing my watchers, and I can’t very well allow that to continue, now can I?”

I adjust my footing, ensuring I am prepared for an attack. “If you keep sending watchers to attack me, my family, and my human, then you leave me little choice.”

It doesn’t escape my attention how he seems to be avoiding my question of why he is here, and I contemplate asking it again, but he continues.

“So how did you do it? You’re just a guardian. You shouldn’t be strong enough.”

A deep satisfaction grows within me at the realisation that he is a little concerned, possibly even afraid of me.

“It appears I am,” I say, “so what’s your deal, King Zalore? You rarely hear of a King fighting his own battles.”

He laughs, and I take note as the other watchers move in a little closer.

“That’s because the King you know is weak. I’m not afraid of anything.”

I tighten my grip on my daggers. “Nor am I.”

Charging forward, I slash my dagger across his leg as I slide to the side. The other watchers advance on me, and he holds a hand up to stop them.

He stomps toward me, and I kick him in his thigh. He grabs my ankle midair and twists my leg before throwing me across the field. I land hard, my head knocking back into a rock. My vision blurs slightly as he cuts through the grass toward me. Gods above, that hurt. I struggle onto my stomach, and then try to stand up and fail.

With no other choice, I roll onto my back just before he reaches me and snatches my daggers from my hands, tossing them aside. He takes my wrists, pinning them above my head with one of his large hands, and leans over me.

“You really are special, aren’t you? I like a feisty female… Maybe I ought to take you back to my Kingdom. You would make a fine Queen.”

My eyes widen as his words register in my mind. I struggle against his hold, and he laughs. He reaches for something from his pocket, and I realise it’s some sort of wire. He winds it around my wrists, binding them together. My mind feels hazy as I grow tired. This wire is doing something to me.

“What’s happening to me?” I demand, panic rising in my throat.

“Something to prevent you from killing me.” He touches my hand, studying the ring on my finger, then tries to remove it.

It zaps him, sending him flying backwards.

I dart my gaze around the clearing, trying to understand what in gods just happened. Was that the ring?

Zalore cautiously approaches me. “Very interesting…”

A low growl ripples out from the tree line, and my focus snaps toward it.

A group of Zelons charge out into the clearing and attack the watchers. Zalore picks me up like I weigh nothing more than a feather and throws me over his shoulder. He makes a run for the gateway, and I scream.

One of the Zelons bounds toward us and bites down hard on Zalore’s leg, and he drops me. There’s a distinct crack when I hit the ground, landing on my side. I cry out as pain cuts through me, and I shift my focus to the Zelon. Zalore is punching it in the head, but it won’t release his leg. He takes his sword, and before I can do anything to stop him, he slits the Zelon’s throat.

“No!” I cry out.

The Zelon falls to the ground, and its deep-blue blood oozes from its neck.

Finlay! Please, help me! I shout through our mind link. I’m in the Dark Forest. Watchers are attacking. They’re killing the Zelons.

There’s no response as I scan the field. All the other watchers are down, except one.

“Garron! Let’s go!” Zalore shouts to him and he grabs the wire wrapped around my wrists and starts dragging me toward the gateway.

I wince as the wire cuts into my skin under the pressure. This is it. I’m as good as dead.

Garron jumps through the gateway just as several angels land in the clearing. My focus falls on Amaros, who has never looked so pissed in all the time I have known him. His broad shoulders are hunched, bobbing up and down with every rapid breath he takes. His fists clench at his sides and he zones in on Zalore’s grip on my wrists.

His eyes blaze when he glares at Zalore. “Let. Her. Go. Now,” he demands.

Zalore laughs, releasing my wrists, and backs up toward the gateway. “Very well, Amaros.”

They know each other?

Amaros doesn’t blink while he continues to glare at Zalore. “Leave. Now.”

I spot Finlay amongst the other guards and he steps forward. Who’s watching Kyle? I ask through the mind link.

Not now, Zarla. “Don’t let him go!” he protests. “We should lock him up in the cells!”

Zalore smirks at Amaros before turning and jumping back through the gateway.

Amaros is at my side in a flash, untying the wire from my wrists. He scans my body for injuries before his gaze settles on mine. “Are you hurt?”

The panic in his tone is clear, surprising me somewhat.

“I’m not sure. Maybe. I feel really weak. That wire did something to me. It drained my powers…”

He gives me a knowing look and brushes his fingers over my wrists. “Yes, I have heard of that before. The watchers use it on Earth when they need to detain angels.”

Well, that makes sense, I guess.

“How did he know your name?” I question.

He helps me to my feet, and I sway a little before he scoops me into his arms.

“I am the King’s first guard, Zarla. All angels know who I am. Come on. Let’s get you somewhere safe,” he tells me before taking off into the air.

Although being this close to him bothers me somewhat, there is no way I can fly on my own right now, so it’s probably for the best. That watcher did a real number on me, and I feel like I need to sleep for a week to recover. And then I realise Kyle is probably alone.

“Kyle,” I say with urgency.

Amaros tenses at the mere mention of Kyle’s name.

“Tell Finlay to get back there, at my command,” he says, clearly referring to the mind link.

I try to connect to Finlay, but I’m too weak. “I can’t,” I mumble, my voice sounding weaker by the minute.

“It’s okay. I’ll make sure Kyle is looked after. Don’t waste your energy worrying.”

Before I can argue, I drift into darkness.

My eyes flutter open and my head spins. I’m in my quarters, tucked under the covers of my bed. Amaros is asleep in an armchair to my left. How long have I been out for? I sit forward and immediately regret it when my head throbs. Amaros stirs, sees me sitting up, and hurries to my side.

“Take it easy, Zarla,” he says, gently lowering me back down on the bed.

“Is Kyle okay? Is Finlay with him?” Panic laces my voice, and I try to calm down.

He’s okay, I tell myself. I would know if he isn’t.

He places his hand on my arm, his lips tight. “Yes and yes. There’s nothing to worry about except your own recovery. You hit your head pretty hard, and your body is still weak from the wire.”

I reach for a pillow to prop myself up, and Amaros takes over, pulling me forward by my hand and places several pillows behind my back.

“Better?” he asks as I lean back against them, and I nod.

“How long have I been sleeping for?”

His brow furrows, as if he is hiding something from me.

“Amaros?” I press him.

He sits down on the edge of my bed and runs a hand through his dark hair. “Two days, approximately.”

My eyes grow wide. “What? How is that possible?”

He reaches for a glass of water next to my bed and hands it to me. I drink the entire thing, still thirsty when I’m done.

“Your body was very weak. It needed to recuperate. It makes it easier for you to heal yourself when you’re asleep.” He takes the glass from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine.

We lock stares for a moment before he clears his throat and looks away. I think about the clearing and what happened back there. I remember the Zelons coming to my rescue, protecting me. My heart aches as I picture what Zalore did, killing the male Zelon so needlessly, as if it were nothing.

“Did any of the Zelons survive?” I ask, my voice not much more than a whisper.

He sighs, his shoulders slumping. “They killed several, but most of them healed themselves and ran back into the forest.” He pauses for a bit. “They have special healing abilities too, so long as their injuries are not fatal. No one, angel nor creature, can bring themselves back from death.”

Wow, that’s fascinating. I know little about Zelons, but it didn’t surprise me. They are magical creatures. I can certainly believe they would have special abilities too, being the protectors of the Dark Forest.

“I rode one,” I say, and Amaros abruptly turns around to face me.

“What? How?” he asks.

I laugh. “I’m not sure. It just came up to me in the forest, rubbed its face with mine, and lent down so I could climb up onto its back.”

He stares off into the distance as if reflecting on something.

“I’m sure others have ridden them before,” I add, feeling a little uncomfortable by his reaction.

He softly smiles. “I only know of one other angel who has ever ridden one.”

I knit my brows together. “Who?”

His gaze finds mine. “Your mother.”

How is that possible? Is that just a coincidence, that the only other angel he has ever heard of riding a Zelon is my mother? Something inside tells me no, it’s not. I have learnt more about my mother in the past week than I have my entire life.

“Are you all right?”

I shake my head. “Sorry, it’s just… Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

He picks up my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, but doesn’t let it go. I find it comforting, although I only hope Astelle or Hethenos don’t walk in. All hell will break loose if they know he’s holding my hand, as ridiculous as that sounds.

I pull my hand back, giving him a small smile.

“I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?” he asks, his features laced with concern.

“No, you didn’t. It’s just, I don’t know what’s going on with Astelle, but I don’t want to get in the way of anything. She hates me enough as it is. Hethenos, too.”

He gets to his feet and paces the room.

Oh no, I’ve upset him. I shouldn’t have said anything. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you?—”

“You didn’t,” he assures me. “I’m just sick of her spreading rumours about the two of us. It’s inappropriate.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Well, Hethenos seems to think that it’s true.”

He digs his fingers into his head and lets out a frustrated grunt. “That woman will be the death of me.”

I can’t help but laugh, and he glares at me. I raise my hands up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. But they’re both… I think you know.”

He sighs, walking back to the bed, and sits down. “I do.”

Feeling like a change of subject is in order, there’s something I haven’t yet asked him about. Something very important. “Amaros, do you know much about that gateway in the Dark Forest?”

“I do. It’s powerful, and very dangerous. For decades, we have protected its existence using powerful magic. We sealed it, preventing anyone from entering through it. It also prevented anyone from exiting through it. Someone appears to have broken the seal. That must be how the watchers got into the Kingdom the last time.”

He goes quiet then, likely remembering the last watcher attack. We need to do something about it before it gets any further out of hand. He knows Zalore. I wonder if he can meet with him to understand the reason for the attacks.

Surprising me, he reaches out and touches my cheek. It still feels tender from where Astelle slapped me.

“Did she do this?” he asks, his expression torn between anger and sadness.

I bite my lip. “If by she , you mean Astelle, then yes,” I say. “How did you know?”

He drops his hand. “I spoke with Mikel, and he told me what happened.”

“Amaros, can you be honest with me? Is there something between the two of you?”

His expression changes, as if he’s toying with an internal battle, before he looks at me. “After I heard what she did to you, I ended it.”

Wow. Not what I was expecting.

“It’s not what you think. It was never anything serious. You know what she’s like. She’s very…persuasive.”

I adjust the covers, pulling them up higher. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself. I appreciate the honesty though. Her actions make sense now.”

He stares intently into my eyes. “She means nothing to me, okay? There’s someone else I care for.”

With the way he’s looking at me, I can guess who he’s talking about, but I don’t want to make things any more awkward than they already are. There can never be anything between us. I just don’t think of Amaros in that way, not to mention he’s been with my sister. That’s just…gross.

“I was so worried about you. I thought we almost lost you… If Zalore had taken you back to Galespo, only war would have brought you back. He is a very powerful male, a powerful angel. They don’t have many females there, so often the watchers will steal females from the other Kingdoms, even from Earth, to be their mates.”

My stomach turns at the thought of being forced to be someone’s mate, and I feel for all the females who are in that position. One day, if I ever rule over this Kingdom, I will set them free.

Amaros reaches out and strokes my cheek, then takes a lock of my hair and tucks it behind my ear. “I will never allow that to happen to you.”

“Thank you. I think that was Zalore’s intention. To bring me back to Galespo. He said I would make a good Queen.”

He glances at my ring and frowns. “You will, here in Silanthia,” he says, reaching out to touch my ring.

I move my hand back, remembering how it harmed Zalore when he touched it.

“Where did you get that?” he asks.

I twirl the ring around my finger. It’s so beautiful, although I can tell there is much to learn about it.

“It was my mother’s,” I say, half answering his question. “Did you ever see her wearing it?”

He abruptly stands. “I should probably go, leave you to it. You seem to have improved a lot since waking up.” He heads toward the door.

“Why do you do that? Avoid tough questions?”

He pauses at the door and turns to me. “It was your mother’s. I saw her wearing it once. It’s a powerful ring. You need to be careful.”

I sit up straighter, leaning towards him. “Where can I find information about it?”

He shrugs. “You could try the Great Library, but I don’t know if that’ll get you far. The ring would have to be ancient for someone to have written about it. Take care, Zarla.”

After a quick shower, I dress in my guardian leathers, leaving my hair hanging in loose waves down my back, and make my way to the Great Library. It’s beautiful in here, one of my favourite places in the entire castle. Knowing my mother loved it too makes it feel that much more special to me.

The ceilings are impossibly high, and the large circular glass roof allows light to stream in, illuminating the library in a bright glow. The shelves are designed to shade the books from the incoming light to prolong their lifespan. Every detail is so well thought out. The flooring is polished marble, with thick rugs in sections around the reading stations with desks and comfortable couches spaced around.

A staircase winds its way around the edge of the interior walls of the circular building, leading to the higher levels with more books. There’s a special reading area near the top of the roof, but angels rarely go up there as it’s a bit of a climb to make it to the top. And no, you aren’t allowed to fly around in here, so that option is out of the question.

Suda, the librarian, is sorting books behind the desk when I walk in. Her grey hair is tied back in a loose bun, which matches the grey jumper she is wearing. She glances up as I approach her.

“Well, well, well… If it isn’t Guardian Zarla,” she says with an arched brow. “Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

I laugh. “Hi, Suda.”

“How can I help you, dear?” She smiles and repositions her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

“I need to find some information about this ring,” I tell her, holding my hand out. “I’m not sure whether it exists, but?—”

Her eyes widen as she grabs my hand. “Where did you get this?”

“It was my mother’s. It’s the reason I’m here?—”

“Follow me,” she interrupts.

She heads to the stairs and hurries up them. I follow close behind her as we wind our way up past each floor until we reach the third level. There’s no one around, and something tells me that was the idea behind coming up here. There’s a door near the edge of the wall, and she pulls a set of keys from her pocket and glances over her shoulder as she unlocks it.

The room is dark and fairly small. There’s a desk in the centre with several books stacked up on it, and thick wooden bookshelves line the walls. She flicks on an old lamp near the edge of the desk and closes the door once I’m inside.

“Zarla, do you have any idea what that ring is?” she asks in a hushed voice.

I glance around, unsure why she’s being so cautious when we’re alone. No one can hear us in here.

“All I know is that it was my mother’s. I’ve also seen it glow, but I don’t know why it does that.”

She turns to a shelf of books behind her and lets out a long breath as she runs her finger along the spines of them before stopping at one. She pulls the large leather book from the shelf and drops it on the desk. It lands with a thud, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

“That ring is powerful. More powerful than you know. I have heard stories about it, read things throughout history,” she says with an eerie intensity as she opens the book. “I’m forbidden to allow anyone to read this book. But…” She glances up at me as if deciding what to do.

“But I already have the ring,” I say, finishing what I imagine she is thinking.

She nods. “Your father won’t be happy. He instructed me long ago to hide this book. I don’t believe anyone knew your mother had it. No one can know about them.”

I furrow my brow. “About what?”

She flicks through the book and points to a section. I lean in to read it in the dim lighting.

“The weapons of the gods,” she says.

The hairs on my arms rise as my skin prickles. There is a drawing of my mother’s ring in the book, under the title “The Five Weapons of the Gods.” My breath catches as I read through the section beneath it.

The Ring of Rykel, handcrafted by the gods. Possesses the power to warn the wearer of imminent danger. The red diamond glows when danger is near. Wearer be warned: the ring has a mind of its own, and can interfere with one’s sense of reality, whilst also being one’s greatest weapon.

This ring will harm those who are unworthy and try to take it from the wearer.

The Ring of Rykel is one of the five weapons of the gods.

My gaze snaps to Suda’s. I’m wearing a handcrafted weapon, made by the gods.