Prisoner of Chaos (Redemption Book #4)

Chapter 33

Rift

"Scenna's gone to keep an eye out in Underlund for the surprise attack we learned of. Here, take my hand," I say to Father Ryland, offering him a hand.

Father Ryland smiles and takes my offered hand. Clasping it, he says, "you are ever surprising me, son. I'm--I'm sorry I didn't find you... that I didn't take you away from her."

"Stop getting sentimental on me, the past is the past, you can't change it," I mutter, "and just 'cause I'm holding your hand doesn't mean I'll start calling you Dad, or some shit like that."

Father Ryland's expression only softens with endearment and I roll my eyes. "Let's go to Hyland and wake up this bitch's frozen corpse."

Yes, let's.

In a flash I trace us to the utmost north of Axus into the middle of a blizzard.

By Arlite, it's cold!

"Coats?" Ryland asks me with teeth chattering.

"Wuss," I say with a snicker, but it's my turn to raise an eyebrow when Father Ryland claps his hands before drawing a circle in the air a shield of light around us to block out the wind, snow, and cold.

"What?" Father Ryland says innocently with a shrug, but still unable to help a "bet you didn't see that coming" smug expression.

I grin and allow myself to appear impressed because I am. I guess he really is my Dad.

"Shall we?" Father Ryland asks, extending a hand ahead and we struggle forward through the drifts. We've landed in an abandoned town where the old Sanctuary should be.

"Everything is covered in snow, which building is it?" I ask him.

"It would be circular and should have a symbol of the Lord of Light on it," Father Ryland says.

"What a place for Evil incarnate to be buried," I mumble, scanning over the stone ruins.

It's useless with all this snow to make out any differences in buildings. I crouch down and close my eyes, there must be Dark energy coming from the tomb of the Dark Lord's body.

"Alright, tell me where it is, DL," I growl. I know he's waiting.

Right in front of you, idiot, the Dark Lord cackles.

"Screw this, I'm using Dark Magic, if you don't mind," I say, glancing over my shoulder at Ryland standing in his light shield.

"I won't stop you," Ryland answers, crossing his arms and taking a step back.

I wave my hand back at him. "Further away, I don't want the Light energy to disrupt what I'm about to do."

Ryland nods and walks over to the ruins of an old well a good distance from me and leans against it. He runs a hand agitatedly over his steel grey hair, I can tell anytime I use Dark magic he's uncomfortable.

I pound a fist down into the snow and release Dark energy into the ground, disintegrating the snow in slow fingerlike steaks and halting the blizzard so the snowflakes hang in the air around us.

I rise up to my feet and give Father Ryland a wink. "What?" I say innocently at his impressed expression.

"You just stopped the weather," Father Ryland counters back. "Is that really a good idea?"

"Only for a few minutes," I say, rolling my eyes at him. "And look, over there. I give you the Sanctuary of Hyland."

Father Ryland squints his eyes and walks through the stilled blizzard. The streets I've uncovered from the snow are made of stone.

We walk into the Sanctuary and stomp the snow off our feet. "Allow me," Father Ryland says, brushing me aside and producing a beam a light from the palm of his hand.

"Is this turning into a competition?" I ask him, waggling my eyebrows. "Because I'm pretty sure you're about to know what defeat is."

"Um, excuse me, but do you know how do this?" Father Ryland asks, snapping his fingers, the light goes out.

"No, light shows wasn't something my mother covered in preschool," I say dryly.

"I can teach you, you have the abilities in your blood, you are of the line of Garret," Father Ryland offers.

"I can't learn anything of the Light with this leech on me, if you remember it's unpleasant to use any of those abilities for me. Now be a good human lamp and light the way," I say with a chuckle.

"You really need to work on being nicer to your old dad," Ryland says. His right palm lights up again, he rubs his hands together and the other palm lights up. "The crypt is beneath the Sanctuary."

I gaze around the circular building, it's covered in art. On one wall someone has graffitied the words, "Long Live Prince Raoul." Alongside a graffitied image of someone chopping off the head of a Cursed.

"Prince Raoul?" I ask, Father Ryland.

"Corseth's grandson, they say he was the last Cursed standing at the end of the Cursed wars," Father Ryland says.

"What happened to him?" I ask, because the graffiti is dried blood.

"I wrote my dissertation on him," Father Ryland explains. "He killed all of his kin and he was the last Cursed standing at the wars, he is the person Alvar and Kyla are descended from directly. They say he long ago went mad and lives in a dragon form atop a high mountain peak or some nonsense like that."

"There are stairs over here," I call to Ryland, motioning to stone steps leading down under the Sanctuary.

Ryland's footsteps echo the large empty space as he walks over to stare down into the black hole.

"Are you sure the Dark Lord's body is down there?" I ask, a chill runs up my spine. This is really going to happen, and now that it's come to it I'm worried I won't be able to defeat him. What if I'm doing the wrong thing?

Father Ryland starts down the steps without me. When I stand at the top hesitating he turns around. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I--um--I want to know for sure I can beat him," I admit with a sigh.

"True, there is no going back once we do this," Father Ryland says. "But what is the other option? You can't kill yourself to destroy him. He won't allow you to. You've tried multiple times."

"I could have tried to by using light magic," I mumble.

"Really? I have a feeling the Dark Lord grows more powerful inside you at every moment," Father Ryland says. "He won't let that kill you."

"He claims he wants me to do it," I say.

"Well, let's give him what he wants," Father Ryland says. "Because I'm not going to let you kill yourself, son."