The Exiled King

Chapter 22 - Unforeseen Reunion

An indescribable rage welled up within him as Garyth witnessed the events unfold. He instantly teleported down to the back archer legions and singled out the rule-breaking archer cohort. He stuck out his hand and twisted and the entire cohort was beheaded, their bodies dropping to the ground and their crimson blood soaking sand and hard packed dirt beneath them. The other demons beside them scattered, fearfully looking at him.

"What are you looking at?!" Garyth sneered, a maniacal gleam in his eye, "Get back to your posts! They broke the rule, so I punished them for it."

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Jason's body jerked and he took a gasping breath. Immediately, he felt a lot of pain and he groaned. Taryn, who'd been closest to him other than Lirya, immediately turned around in disbelief.

"Y-You died?!" Taryn exclaimed.

Jason grunted as he pulled arrows out of his body, his guardian powers rapidly healing the wounds.

"That-Ah! Wasn't me... Ow!" He yelped as he dropped several arrows to the ground, coated in his blood, "Something possessed my body. I-I was in the Ether... I think."

Jason saw Taryn's face morph into confusion and the elf asked, "How long? How long was the imposter in your body?!"

Jason frowned, then answered, "After you left, I fought the demon guards by the gates of Esover. I'd killed almost all of them, but the last one knocked me out I think and when I came to I was in the Ether."

He decided not to mention the 'in-between' or his encounter with his father and brother or the king of Heresh. He'd been disoriented enough to wake up stuck with enough arrows to make a porcupine proud, but also in the middle of a full fledged battle.

A horrorstruck expression crossed Taryn's face as he quickly filled Jason in on the proceedings and how 'Jason' had joined them since Jason had been knocked out and none of them had noticed.

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Garyth took a step back, thinking quickly. Lirya was rising above the battlefield, surrounded by the whirling maelstrom of her dark power.

This isn't good! She's awakening! He thought, I'll have to suppress her, quickly! We have to take her now, or it will be too late!

He brought out a silver manacle and hesitated, but steeled himself.

It'll only suppress the power. When I remove this again, she'll revert back to this form until she learns to control it.

I really didn't want to do this, Garyth thought, but I need to buy time.

For the sake of everything I've done.

"Master! Let me do it!"

The masked sorcerer warped next to him and took the manacle from his hands.

"If anything, I ought to do it... since it's her after all."

Garyth relented and he nodded, but told him to be careful. He waved his hand and warped the masked sorcerer up to where Lirya was, creating a wind platform beneath his feet.

The masked sorcerer stepped up to Lirya with the silver manacle meant to suppress her powers. The strong winds created by Lirya's uncontrolled darkness pushed him back and he struggled to get closer to her.

He hissed in pain when a blue spark touched his arm, burning the clothing and flesh underneath.

Though Garyth stood far away, his hawk-like eyes saw everything clearly. He marvelled in Lirya's power.

Her power was... incredible. With raw power alone, she was destroying the battlefield utterly. Demon after demon fell, and she tore great, gaping holes in the ground. With only a bit of control - her powers were endless. Enough to measure up to a god...

And that's what I'm hoping for, Garyth thought to himself.

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Up above the battlefield, the masked sorcerer braced himself, then launched himself into the whirling maelstrom. He grasped blindly, reaching for Lirya desperately.

His hand grasped a slim wrist and without thinking, he pressed the silver manacle around her wrist just as the pressure was about to be too much and his vision dimmed.

With a soft click the manacle closed around her wrist.

The darkness flew back into Lirya and her eyes faded back to brown. Her legs buckled and she collapsed, unconscious.

Thank... goodness, The masked sorcerer thought as he felt all of his strength drain from him.

He felt, rather than saw, as Garyth materialised near him and picked his and Lirya's bodies up and carried them through a portal. When he heard the gentle chiming and the quiet rush of water, his body relaxed.

They were home...

And Lirya was with them...

Then he thought no more.

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It was soft and comfortable. Lirya opened her eyes to see a ceiling with crystals that sparkled like stars. She looked around, seeing that she was in a beautiful room with delicate crystal decorations and a massive chandelier hanging from the top. Her mind was foggy as she sat up in bed and peered around. Her arm felt heavy and she looked at it to see that there was a silver band around her wrist. She tried to tug it off, but it refused to budge. As if he knew she'd woken, Garyth walked into the room.

"Welcome to your new home, Lirya," He said warmly.

W-What?! Lirya thought, horrorstruck.

"Where am I? What happened? " Lirya asked, then she lifted her hand and let the manacle jingle, "What's this?!"

Garyth grinned and answered, "I have need of your abilities, so I have taken the liberty of bringing you with me. Do not fear - I will make every effort to see to your comfort."

"The manacle is there for your safety. Your powers are too strong for your body right now, so I've suppressed it with the help of this manacle," He continued smoothly.

Lirya was silent for a moment, her mind racing to understand what had happened. All she remembered was an aching pain deep in her heart, then the explosion of her power.

"There's someone you should meet," Garyth said pleasantly and smiled, calling out a name. The large door down the hall opened and a boy who looked around her age stepped in.

Garyth pointed to a boy, "Eryian, meet Lirya."

The boy had curly dark brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes. His hair framed his face, reaching below his chin. He wore a dark tunic over a red shirt with three gold bands on each sleeve. He smiled a crooked grin that could have melted hearts.

"Hello, sister."

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There will be one more chapter of this part. This is the end of the first draft of book two.

Thank you for sticking with me so far and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story.