Thoughts of Jonas made Remir hurt worse. His friend needed this information, but Remir was helpless to share it. With each visit to the Dark Lord, Remir’s will to resist grew weaker. As easy as it should have been for Remir to leave this monstrous churchman and teleport to Jonas, sadly, every fiber in Remir’s body vibrated with the need to feel Dark Lord flesh under his palms. The need to hurt, to feel the pain only Sin Garu could bestow, shook him with an addict’s compulsion. And self-loathing.
Nohjen flicked several blades of grass clinging to the robe covering his sturdy body. “Tell Sin Garu we move tonight. By tomorrow, the Storm Lords will be without an overqueen. Then we’ll begin eradicating the rest of your kind from our land.”
The magic binding Remir to Sin Garu’s will blasted through him. Excruciating pain throbbed behind his temples as he forced out the words, “You’re not at all concerned Sin Garu will kill you and your kind? He has no fondness for Light.”
“But he respects power. The Church knows how to protect itself.” Nohjen shook his head. “I’ve no liking for Sin Garu, but he and others like him exist. So we sacrifice some of Tanselm’s power to soothe a hungry Dark Lord and help our world overcome its shortcomings. In the end, Tanselm’s will remain ours.”
“You trust him to keep his word?” The words felt like shards of glass ripping through his throat, but Remir did his best to instill doubt.
Unfortunately, Nohjen stood firm. “No. But he knows what we’ll do to him if he tries to break our agreement.”
What could the Church do? Curiosity blazed, driving Remir to pursue his questioning.
Nohjen waited, studying Remir with reluctant interest.
“And what of the other worlds Sin Garu will conquer with Tanselm’s power in his hands?” Remir was sweating, a burning pervading his limbs as he tried in vain to warn this man away from the course the Church had set.
“What of them?” Chilly brown eyes stared back at him with dismissal. “As long as Tanselm remains safe, the Church and I have done our duty. But I will make sure to share your concern with my fellow Light Bringer.” Nohjen chuckled, his voice like daggers slicing Remir’s last hopes to shreds. “Now give me what you’re supposed to…fhel-sa Efan melea.” Unworthy Dark Lord whore.
Remir wanted nothing more than to take the head from this man’s body. Instead, he watched himself hand the bastard a small black bag that appeared from out of nowhere. Dread overwhelmed him. “Four strikes to the chest. No more, and no less,” he said in a toneless voice, his body a puppet controlled by Dark lord strings.
For your disobedience, Darkling, we’ll spend quality time together this eve. Sin Garu’s laughter resounded in Remir’s mind, the promise of retribution swift and deadly.
Nohjen took the proffered bag and disappeared into the forest without another word. Despite Sin Garu’s threats, or perhaps because of them, Remir struggled to go after the churchman, to take back what would amount to a crushing blow at the Storm Lords.
Lexa, he mentally shouted. Dark Mistress, please. I need you.
Like the dozen other pleas he’d sent, this one, too, went unanswered.
Desperate to find the Storm Lords, to do anything he could to warn them, Remir focused on Cadmus, the Storm Lord he knew best, trying to get a lock on the man even as he fought the encroaching Darkness of Sin Garu’s command to return home.
A sudden blast of Dark energy gave him much needed respite from the sorcerer’s mental tampering.
“Not you, Remir. Please, tell me I’m wrong.” Jonas tugged him into a small clearing, strapping down his arms and his magic.
Unable to free himself, Remir could only wait.
Jonas circled to stand in front of him. His gaze had darkened to a deep black. The fury snapping from his aura was enough to make Remir wince with shame. But at least he could function through the pain hampering his magic. Jonas’s Dark energy sapped some of the strength of Sin Garu’s binding spell.
“I —” Blue flame shot from Remir’s mouth, a monstrous wave of pain taking him to his knees.
“Shit.” Jonas muttered under his breath and turned the power ensnaring Remir into a boost of energy, helping him to further block Sin Garu’s Dark magic.
“Hurry,” Remir rasped, fighting the coldness freezing his vocal cords. “Church… kill… the qu —”
A demon’s shriek echoed. Remir writhed in agony as a creeping evil wound through his blood.
“I didn’t want to believe it when Lexa told me she suspected you. I told her she had to be wrong. Not you.” Jonas leaned toward him, speaking through a tightly clenched jaw. Worry mingled with the blame in his gaze, and he increased the surge of energy he lent Remir.
Remir tried again to do the right thing. “Help.” He coughed, pulling at his throat, his chest, needing Jonas’s strength to make sense of the misery that had become his life.
“I’m trying to help, damn it.”
“Warn…queen.”
Jonas stilled. “Ravyn?”
“K-k-kill her.” He took a deep breath. “To-night.”
