Solstice Souls Book 2: Black Fire, White Flame

The Light From Within

Wei Ying POV

A thin trickle of blood trailed from Wei Ying's lips. He spat the coppery taste from his mouth and wiped the remaining droplets away with the back of his hand. Looking up at the man who watched him with a hungry gaze, Wei Ying imagined all the ways he would kill Wen Rouhan.

He traced the pad of this thumb over the slightly pink mark on the inside of his wrist. It was in the shape of his fish charm on his bracelet. Wei Ying hadn't noticed it until he had woken up that morning. It worried him that he couldn't remember his charm flaring up.

It must have been when the choker first activated. Wei Ying had felt nothing but searing, blinding pain when the jewels dug into his skin. It was no wonder he hadn't felt the burn of his bracelet alerting him to Lan Zhan's situation. Yet he still felt guilty.

His beloved jade was in danger. Or at least had been. Was he still in trouble? Was Lan Zhan hurt? Dying?

Images of his beautiful husband-to-be injured, bleeding, crying out for him flashed through Wei Ying's mind. He had been so stupid to run off, to leave Lan Zhan behind with no one to help him. It was all his fault they were separated and both in peril. If he hadn't acted so irrationally, Wei Ying would be with his jade right now. They would be in each other's arms, safe at his grandmother's along with his parents.

He hated himself.

Unfortunately, there was no time for self pity and blame. If he had any hope of reuniting with the man he loved, Wei Ying had to push those useless thoughts away. He had to think, anticipate, and concentrate to pass whatever tests the Wens had in store for him and live to see another day.

And that's exactly what he was going to do.

Today's tests didn't seem to involve living things. Apparently, the Wens wanted to see how he would survive if subjected to natural trials.

First, he was chained and weighted with a large boulder before being thrown into a giant wooden tub of water. What his enemy didn't know was that Wei Ying could hold his breath longer than any Jiang Clan member. Swimming with Jiang Cheng and wrestling with him in the lakes of YunMeng for so many summers gave Wei Ying an unexpected advantage.

While the guards wrapped his still half naked body in heavy chains, Wei Ying never broke eye contact with Wen Zhuliu. A half-cocked smile was the last thing the Wen general saw before the two men on either side of Wei Ying were ordered to push him in.

A small drum began to beat slowly as the Wens watched the now quieting pool of water. Wei Ying could not hear it, but he did listen to his heartbeat. It slowed as he relaxed his body. His lungs held in the precious air needed to sustain him until he freed himself.

Even though his eyes were closed, Lan Zhan's face smiled back at Wei Ying in the dark. And not just any smile.

It was the one that said, Show them what you can do, my love.

80 beats.

120 beats.

Wei Ying placed all of his focus on his core. The dark energy swirling inside was finally given permission from its master to come forth. It flowed through his body like a flooded spring stream in Cloud Recesses. The chains around his body began to burn brightly, the intense light radiating inside the pool like a red sun.

Onlookers gasped as the once calm surface of the water boiled with spurting bubbles. Wisps of black smoke poured over the edges, spreading like thorny vines over the wooden planks. The elders and heads of military rose to their feet, unable to contain their excitement.

Wen Zhuliu glanced at the clan leader sitting next to him. Wen Rouhan was now fully engrossed at the pool of what now looked like blood boiling in the center of the arena. His dark eyes watched intently as Wei Ying unleashed his power and sent it spiraling above the pool. Wen Zhuliu couldn't stop the thin smile of satisfaction from sliding across his lips as he, too, felt the young Wei heir's energy sizzle in the air around them.