Chapter 19

I opened my eyes to find myself staring at a stone ceiling, my body pressed against an equally unforgiving floor. The darkness of my surroundings left me disoriented, uncertain of where I was. When I finally gathered the strength to sit up, my heart sank—metal bars stretched before me, cold and ominous.

"A cell?" I muttered in disbelief.

"You've really done it this time," came a familiar voice. I turned to see Hina sitting just beyond the bars, her expression grave.

"What happened? How did I end up here?" I demanded.

"You're being accused of kidnapping a member of the Aithmuir family," she said, her tone cutting and severe.

My blood ran cold. "Kidnapping? They attacked me first! I was just defending myself!"

"The men you fought were hired by the Aithmuir leader to retrieve her," Hina explained, her eyes never leaving mine. "You interfered."

"This is madness! Should I have let them kill me?" I protested, but Hina's unwavering gaze only intensified.

"You disappeared with the girl," she continued, unmoved.

"I didn't even know her! I was confused, disoriented by some kind of illusion, and she grabbed my hand and pulled me away. By the time I came to my senses, they were already attacking us."

Before I could say more, a guard appeared, unlocking my cell. "The master requests your presence."

"It seems Aedric has secured something," Hina noted, rising to her feet, though her tone remained distant and measured.

I was shackled and escorted out of the dungeon. We climbed stone stairs that seemed to stretch endlessly, and suddenly I emerged into a sprawling mansion—a stark contrast to the cold cell I'd just left. The walls were adorned with magnificent paintings, and everything spoke of wealth and power.

"I have matters to attend to," Hina said as she headed toward the exit. "From now on, follow Aedric's instructions to the letter." Her voice had taken on an odd detachment that unsettled me further.

The guard led me through the mansion's long corridors until we reached a grand chamber. There, at the far end of an enormous table, sat an imposing man with a thick beard—clearly someone of considerable authority. Aedric stood beside him.

"Aedric," I called out, a wave of relief washing over me at the sight of a familiar face.

The moment my lips parted, an invisible force slammed into me like a physical blow, driving me to the ground with brutal force. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

"Do you think yourself stronger now, Maelric?" Aedric's voice was cold and measured.

"Young people need to learn their place," the bearded man added, his voice reverberating through the chamber.

Aedric approached me, still pinned to the floor. He cut away my shackles and helped me to my feet.

"Do you know who I am?" the man demanded, his voice thundering through the room with such intensity that it made my ears ring.

"No," I replied nervously.

"He is the leader of the Aithmuir family—essentially the governor of this city," Aedric explained.

The governor. His presence was overwhelming, almost suffocating, and his arrogance ignited something within me. But I couldn't afford to anger him further. The situation was already dire.

"Were you with Crystal?" he asked, his voice still booming.

"Yes, but only when those two cloaked figures attacked us."

"How do you know each other?"

"We don't. It was the first time I'd ever seen her." I decided to keep the park encounter to myself.

"Hmm. Listen carefully to your situation. Publicly, we will declare that you kidnapped Crystal, and you will be executed. Many witnessed your fight on the rooftops yesterday, and the destruction you caused has already sparked rumors about a missing family member. This way, we quash the gossip entirely."

My stomach twisted. Execution? This was madness. It was unjust, completely irrational.

Before I could protest, Aedric cut in smoothly. "Executing him only proves that you allowed someone to kidnap a family member. Would that not damage your reputation?"

"It sends a message," the governor responded coldly. "It shows what happens to those who try."

This was insane. He wanted blood, wanted a scapegoat, regardless of the truth.

"I suppose if I were to expose some of your darker secrets publicly in exchange for sparing my apprentice, you wouldn't object," Aedric said with a challenging tone.

"I would annihilate you before you had the chance," the governor shot back, his voice dropping to something far more dangerous.

"Try me," Aedric challenged.

The tension in the room became suffocating, as if violence might erupt at any second. The governor's massive frame seemed to expand with barely contained rage.

"I'll offer you a deal, out of respect," the governor finally said, his tone shifting slightly. "The men I hired are taking their time, and I specifically ordered them to be discreet. If you bring me Crystal before they do, you'll live. They, however, will hang."

His words hit me like a second blow. Why was he so obsessed with killing someone? This was fundamentally unjust—either they died, or I did. I didn't want that. The unfairness of it burned inside me, along with a growing rage. I wanted to destroy this mansion, wanted to see him sprawled across the floor, humbled and broken. He wasn't the god he believed himself to be.

"What's with those defiant eyes, boy? Are you looking for a fight?" the governor challenged, his tone dripping with contempt.

"I believe we've said all that needs to be said," Aedric announced, seizing my arm and pulling me toward the exit.

Once we were outside the mansion, Aedric released me. I fell to my knees.

"This is unjust!" I screamed, my voice echoing across the empty street.

"What did you expect? Reasonable people?" Aedric replied flatly.

"Why is he so obsessed with executing someone?"

"To send a message to Crystal," Aedric said calmly.

"What message?"

"That if she runs again, someone else will die. That's the message."

How could he be so indifferent? The man was using death as a tool, as casually as one might use a toy.

"Hina, have you found them?" Aedric called out.

"They're in the sewers. We'll likely have to fight," Hina's voice came from behind Aedric. I hadn't even noticed her arrival.

Aedric turned to me directly. "Navnlos, I've bought you time. From here on out, you need to find your own solution."

"You won't help me?" I asked, my voice small.

"Hina will accompany you for support, but you need to figure this out yourself. You have everything you need to find the answer, so don't worry."

He owed me nothing. He'd already risked becoming an enemy of the Aithmuir family on my behalf. I couldn't ask for more.

"Here, take this as a gift," Aedric said, removing his black tunic with white stripes and handing it to me. "It serves as armor, so don't lose it."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone with Hina.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," I said quietly. "Thank you for standing by me."

"Don't worry about it," she replied. "We're companions. We support each other."