Falsified (Tarnished Book 2)

18 Free to Fly

Surprise! I'm Back.

The Old Crow King pushed back ten feet with his neck bent crookedly at the center. The snap of his neck going back in place made me cringe. He grinned at Zelme.

"Now that was unexpected, my goodness. It appears selling wares were not your only goal. You knew I was after him." he said while he rested his arm at his side. "Somehow, that was a dangerous decision to reveal my curse on you has broken. You found its weakness with a bit of help from that fallen royal."

Zelme smirked. "Well, he only left me a hint. I soon realized what you were doing to me and I will not let it take ahold ever again. Jaiden is the one who broke it. If I had not met him, then it would have still affected me." Zelme glimpsed over his shoulder at me. "Thanks to you, I can finally fly free. He bottled my power so I could not use it on him. He makes curses that work to his benefit, and it seems he's done the same to you."

"You make it sound so sinister," Ravela quipped while he strolled over towards us. "This curse is a bit different from yours, Zelme. He cannot reverse it as simple as yours." He paused a foot from Zelme. "Besides, your power alone will never be enough to defeat me."

Zelme scoffed. "Why would you think I was alone?" His eyes glinted and a big grin formed. "Kid hold on tight." he held his hand out to me. "Whatever you do don't let go of this hand, I promised I would get you home."

I scrunched my brow in confusion that he had a way to do that if the Old Crow was the only way out of the isles. I took a hold of his grip and a light blue glow revealed itself. "What the?"

Zelme smiled. "The wind accepts you as I do. You are the head of the houses, Jaiden. I will be your knight as long as you wish it."

I felt us moving into the air. We were floating. "By the maidens, how overpowered are you?"

He chuckled. "You would think that, but you ring truer to that than I do."

"Where do the two of you think you are going?" Ravela's voice became a growl. He latched onto my ankle. "I warned you that you would not get away a second time, did I not?" He pulled it.

My mind ran back to the Captain of the Ebony and how he tried to drag me down from the rope ladder. My power released and it blasted his hand around my ankle to nothingness.

"Nice one," Zelme cheered while we got higher in the air and then we flew fast over the palace walls. "Jaiden, the curse on you will overtake you if you let it. The grove is the only way I can help you."

I held onto his hand even though I knew Zelme risked himself for me. I glanced up at him unsure if his power was real. We were soon hovering over the grove. Zelme lowered us to the ground with ease like a hand that gently touched the soil. Zelme searched around us for a long moment. When he finally glanced over at me, I smiled.

"We're not safe yet," he said while he pulled me into the abundant ash oaks that made up the grove. "He won't wait, especially now that he knows you can see through all magic."

I tore my arm from him. "What does that mean?" I asked. "A man claimed I was one who can see."

Zelme sighed and glanced at me. "Look, magic is what that power of yours is. You are not fooled by his magic, Jaiden. He said that you are of the Navariz house which is the founding house of all others. You are its core. He wants to corrupt that."

I did not detect a false word in Zelme's voice. "The King of the Grove, why would he warn me of what I knew to be true?"

"That doesn't make sense to me, he usually calls out from the grove. He is unable to go far from it for prolonged periods. Ravela anchored the King of the Grove within his realm to prevent him from getting to you first." He started to wander into the grove with ease. He seemed to know where he is going.