Prisoner of Chaos (Redemption Book #4)

Chapter 19

King Lionel boils every drop of my Cursed blood.

This situation I'm in is impossible.

Fists clenched at my sides to keep my limbs from changing, I walk as gracefully away from him as possible to rejoin Wes by the desserts table. Speaking of desserts... I wrinkle my nose at the smell. Nothing looks appetizing. My stomach can't take this much longer.

"What did Father have to say?" Wes asks.

"He wants war," I say curtly, but in a hushed voice. I need someone to share all of this with, someone who doesn't have a strange hold over me that borderlines in obsession. "That's what he had to say. He doesn't believe the Dark Lord exists either."

"After I told him of my personal experiences?" Wes snorts. "Of course Father wouldn't believe me. He's never respected nor loved me enough to believe or back up anything I have to say."

"He'll regret it." I put a hand on Wes' shoulder. It's got to hurt, and I recall my own father not believing my word, except in my case, he wasn't entirely incorrect. Wes offers me a dessert and I gag at the sight. Normally I'd love a sylph fritter, but now it smells like crap. "I'm feeling sick again. Is there going to be a toast?"

"Yes," Wes says, "But it won't be for another hour or so. We in Erlund like our events going long into the night. Do you need to get away for awhile?"

"I'd appreciate it," I say, and I clear my throat. My stomach growls and I clutch my lower abdomen. Ugh, I'm so hungry. "None of this food is working for me, and yet I'm starving. How can that be?"

"You should talk to another woman who has been with child, Kyla," Wes says with an amused smile. "I'd have no idea why you feel this way."

I nod. "I'll be off."

I move to the balcony, away from the party guests. The cold wind prickles my bare skin as I step outside. My stomach clenches once more, and suddenly I'm throwing up over the edge of the stone balcony railing. A rattle shudders through my wings, the bones are attempting to change, and take my other form. The longer I'm denying the beast the more it tries to control me.

A familiar warm trickle comes down from my nose.

Another bloody nose? God, I'm falling apart!

"Are you going to go see Father now?" a voice suddenly comes from beside me and I glance down. It's the little Cursed boy. "You need to be careful. You'll have to find a place to nest or Raia will die."

I wipe my nose. Who is this Raia the child keeps mentioning?

"What do you mean?" I ask him. Who is this kid? How does he just appear out of nowhere? Kind of like Rift...

"You're not safe here, you felt the need to nest, so you have to see Father," the boy says. "That's what you told me you do."

"I told you this?" I blink at him. I don't remember telling this little boy anything of the sort. "Who are you?"

"Ash," the little boy says, extending a hand.

"Ash," I repeat. Hmm... "Where do you come from? How did you get here?"

"I'm a mage as well as a Dragoni. That's how I got here. I think I'm from an island off the south seas of Underlund. It's called Nyst," Ash says.

"That's really far away, what are you doing here?" I ask him. Although I've never heard of an island known as Nyst.

"I'm here to help you find peace, for you and Rift and Raia," Ash says. "Here to warn you."

There it is again, he's talking about stuff that thoroughly confuses me.

"Warn me about what?" I ask.

"The Dark Lord," Ash states, his expression grave and he gazes out into the falling snow wistfully. "You cannot let the Dark Lord live. If you do, all of Axus will be lost in chaos forever."

"Huh?" What is he trying to tell me?

"He'll be here soon, and you're going to go with him," Ash states.

"Why would I do that?" I ask him.

"Because you loved him," Ash murmurs. "And you wanted to be with him forever."

This kid is talking in the past tense now. "What do you mean loved him?" I'm so confused, the mysterious Ash is scaring me, and suddenly I'm wondering if he and I are connected in an unexplainable way. I must be crazy to assume this, right? He can't be... "Ash, what is your mother's name?"

"Kyla," Ash says.

"Yes?" I respond.

"No, that's her name... Kyla," Ash states, his eyes meet mine and suddenly I see myself and Rift in him. It doesn't make any sense. I've always, deep inside, known what he is though.

Ash is my son.

I stare at him stupidly. How can Ash be my son though? Is he from my future and that's why he's here to warn me?

"Don't ask me anymore questions," Ash states. "I'm not here to stop you from nesting and having Raia. I'm here to stop you from keeping, my father, the Dark Lord alive. He begged me himself, while in one of his few moments of sanity, to tell you."

"You know my future then?" I ask him, studying his face. He's beautiful. I can see Rift's features too. Carefree hair like Rift. High set cheekbones like Rift. Deep set eyes like Rift.

"I'm here to stop the future where I exist," Ash states grimly. "The worldsend future."

My poor little boy is here to stop his own future? I gape at him. What a terrible future to come from if you believe the only way to fix it is to go back and stop your own existence from happening! What has this little boy seen? His eyes are so old for his age.

"I didn't know Rift had the ability to leap out of time?" I say, he'd never revealed that kind of power to me at least. Maybe he doesn't know about it?

"I'm the only known chronosmage to ever exist in Axus," Ash explains. "You should see your family's old friend, Sola Brightfeather. She's the closest known being to what I am, and she'll help guide your path once you choose a different future and I no longer exist."

"What will it mean to stop the Dark Lord, Ash?" I ask him. "Will your Father and I be--um--together?"

"Father said, you need to convince him to kill himself," Ash says gravely. "He told me that when given the choice you chose to be with him even though he is the Dark Lord... because you loved him."

"What happens to me... in the--in the future?" I ask him, my throat balling up. Rift will need to kill himself? Oh, Holy Light, no, please...

"I have to go," Ash says. "You'll keep seeing me as long as worldsend is your future."