Chapter 60: CHAPTER SIXTY | TARCUIS

CHAPTER SIXTY | TARCUIS

TARCUIS

I sat on the edge of my field and watched them labor until their backs bent and their hands bled into the soil that fed me.

The guards stood behind me, fanning my shoulders while I chewed sugar cane, the sweet juice soaking my tongue as screams tried to reach my ears.

Men were dragged up when their knees gave out, and the whips cracked the air while the voices of my guards barked, “Stand up,” making fear obey faster than flesh ever could. I smiled at the rhythm of it all. Pain keeps time better than drums.

A young guard approached with sweat shining on his brow. He leaned close and whispered that it was done.

I clapped my hands once. It was loud and sharp, then I laughed. “You made sure the arrow found her?”

He nodded quickly. “I heard a scream,” he said. “I’m sure it did.”

“Good job,” I replied, waving him away like dust. The game I planned was moving exactly as planned.

I rose and walked toward the mansion, past pillars carved with victories older than memory. Beneath the floor, I unlocked the passage that breathed cold secrets.

The door opened to candles and chalk circles carved deep into stone. A young woman knelt at the center, spell bounds glowing around her ankles and wrists.

I stepped closer. “Make me the most powerful man on earth,” I said, laughing softly.

Her face lifted. “You look like your sister, Aspen,” I added. “Obedient, though she isn’t.” I smiled wider. “But I’ll fix her. Don’t worry, she’ll soon be like you.”

She nodded slowly and returned to the spell, lips murmuring words that bent the air.

I left and signaled the guards to seal the door, and I heard the locks snap shut almost immediately.

Behind me, a footstep approached. I turned to see my right-hand man standing and waiting.

“How many children were taken yesterday?” I asked, not turning.

“Twenty-five,” he replied.

I spun fast. “Tell Darius he’s getting slow,” I snarled. “What the fuck is twenty-five?”

“Get me my phone,” I barked. My right-hand man didn’t hesitate, and before I knew it, the device was in my palm before the echo died.

I dialed Darius myself, and it only rang once.

“Explain,” I said when he answered. “Why are you sending twenty-five when you could have sent close to a hundred?”

There was silence, and the only sound I could hear was breathing. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Trafficking is harder now and there are eyes everywhere. Plus, I slowed down because I’ve been focused on finding Aspen for you.”

“That’s bullshit,” I snapped. “Do not confuse excuses with effort.”

“I’m trying—”

“Try faster,” I cut in. “Send twenty-five more before the day ends. I don’t care how.”

“That will… Yes,” he whispered.

I ended the call and handed the phone back without looking. “Take me to them.”

We walked down corridors that smelled of damp stone and fear, and we passed doors that cried softly. We stopped, and he unlocked the last gate and stepped aside.

They were packed together, small bodies folded into corners, their eyes too big for their faces. Some stood when they saw me, while others didn’t move at all.

I clicked my tongue. “Poor things,” I said lightly, like I was commenting on the weather.

One child reached out, and I slapped his hand away.

“They’ll be useful,” I added. “If they survive.”

I turned and left them there, the gate slamming shut behind me. Their cries followed for a few steps, then the stone swallowed the sound like it always did.

We hadn’t gone far when Rino rushed toward me, his steps uneven. He was trying to say something when a woman from the inner chambers ran past him, screaming. Her gown was torn, her hair loose, and her eyes wild.

“My lord,” she cried, falling at my feet. “The lady in the power room… she has collapsed.”

“What?” I roared and pushed past her.

I ran toward the power room doors, which were already open when I got there. The candles flickered wildly, smoke twisting toward the ceiling. She lay in the middle of the circle, her body stiff and her eyes rolled back. The magic was still crawling around her skin like dying insects. The symbols on the floor pulsed once, then faded.

“No,” I shouted. “No!”

I dropped to my knees beside her and shook her hard. “Wake up. Wake up!” Nothing. Her mouth was open, but no words came out. The power was slipping away. I could feel it thinning and escaping me.

“My power,” I screamed. “My power!”

The walls answered me with silence.

I stood and turned on Rino. “Find Aspen,” I said, grabbing his collar. “Find her for me. The red ones are coming soon, and I need my power to be complete.”

Rino didn’t look at me. Instead, he nodded once and ran out the doors.

I stormed out of the room and went straight to my chamber. Everything in sight paid for my anger as I shattered chairs and broke the glass in my way.

The door creaked open, and my wife stepped in. She moved slowly. Her body was wrapped in silk, and her eyes were trained on me like I was something she could calm. She reached for my arm, and that made me slap her.

She fell to the floor with a cry and stared up at me, shocked. “What did I do?” she whispered.

“Are you blind?” I snapped. “Can’t you see I’m not in the mood?” I laughed harshly. “Or did your father’s slavery make you slow?”

Her face crumpled as a tear slipped down her cheek. She didn’t speak again. Instead, she stood up quietly, bowed her head, and walked out.

I turned to the mirror and smashed it with my elbow. The shards fell everywhere, reflecting my rage in broken pieces.

“Aspen,” I said aloud. “I need your powers.”

I paced the room, stepping over the glass. The red ones would never wait. They won’t.