The Forgotten Light

49. Darksen

He hardly slept at all that night, because whenever he let his eyelids droop, he saw her wide-open, full of madness, hazy eyes.

Ever since she banged her fist on the wall, he knew the girl had been having terrible visions. Cressida really knew how to mess with someone's head. This time she made his slave girl feel those emotions that accompanied her most often, only that much more strongly. It turned out that in her case it was fear. Who would have expected that brave, dashing souls most often felt exactly that.

He had never seen such terror in someone's eyes before.

Throughout the night, he wondered what would have happened if she hadn't had the silentium bracelet on her arm. Were her visions so strong that they would have come to light thanks to the power she possessed? Then the dagger she thought he used to pierce her heart would really be there...

The girl finally entered the room. He looked at her closely; she looked like the old her - tough, relentless, as if there was nothing that could break her. But now he knew that this was only an appearance, and that underneath this image of a strong woman was actually a frightened little girl.

His father rose from his big chair and rubbed his hands embellished with shiny rings.

"I think a little time off did you good. You probably gained strength and are ready for more. Well, so today, I thought we would change the rules a bit. Exceptionally in your favor. Perhaps creating this... protective aquarium, makes you lose strength too quickly and therefore later you are not able to create more. Which is why today we will skip this stage, but it doesn't mean at all that we will be completely defenseless. You can't see them, but my soldiers are hidden around us, and as soon as they sense that you are up to something, they are ordered to shoot."

Darksen looked closely at her emaciated, pale face, but couldn't read anything from it. He couldn't predict what the girl was going to do, and he had to admit that now even he began to feel a little fear.

Indeed, he was very familiar with this feeling, especially from his childhood.

The girl remained silent, which knocked King a little for a loop.

"Today we will try something new, namely, you will play with the elements."

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but Thandor immediately interrupted her, "And I don't want to hear that you can't do something until you try it."

"You're right, I wanted to warn you right away that I can't create any of the elements," she said, confidence in her voice. "I also wanted to say that I will try, but on one condition."

His father was dumbfounded, while he himself raised his eyebrows high.

"A condition? I'm here to make conditions," growled the King, walking closer to her.

She looked so frail next to him. Her body posture was certainly inherited from her human mother. If she were more like her father, she would have been definitely taller and reached Thandor at least to the tip of his chin.

"Release Aryanele from the dungeon."

The King snorted with laughter at this. "Not going to happen."

Darksen had no idea who she meant, but he was surprised that freeing some slave would make any difference to his father, if Raysun's daughter agreed to obey his orders.

"In that case, she will get a full meal today," she persisted.

Thandor thought for a moment, finally nodded. "Fine," he agreed, and immediately added, "In exchange for yours."