Chapter 82 82
“Get away from him now, fae female!” the General growled at me, his arms almost covered in his scales. “My dragon detests faes, so I won't forgive myself if I let my dragon hurt you. This is why you must listen and get off him.”
I shook my head, "He's my brother, so leaving is quite impossible, and I'm sure your dragon knows that.” I snarled back at him, my voice nowhere calm or pleading, because I could see that they had no atom of letting go in them.
I could tell that Dragon Sovereign never ordered them to lash River up to that stroke, but they didn't even want to care if he was dead or not, and just wanted to complete the remaining five strokes.
“General, I already mentioned to take the remaining strokes. Why can't you just let me?” I yelled, my arms still around my brother.
But he smirked, and in the next second, the rope he was holding was crawling towards me. More like a reptile, covered in thorns, he wanted to hold me out with the rope…little did he know I wasn't that powerless fae any longer.
I hadn't even moved my finger when the rope crawled back to him and dug its tip into the ground, causing him to stagger backwards from the wave it came with.
Their eyes all snapped wide, glaring at me with shock written all over their faces.
“Don't hurt my brother or me any longer. Just let me take the strokes for him, and we are good.” I said once again, expecting them to understand that I meant no harm and was still obeying their rules.
Instead, they all joined hands together, with their powers… thickening the thorny rope and invoking it towards me. This time, I believed I wouldn't just be hurt, but River, who was still unconscious, would.
Slowly, I let go of my brother, having his body relax on the seat that he was placed in, and then I commanded my powers through my fingers, my chest burning in anger as I had them all struggling to get off from the rope which I had used to tie them together.
They winced, fought to free themselves. It happened that their powers became void while in the rope, so I made use of the opportunity, having them whipped with my fae powers, until they began bleeding and unconscious on the floor.
No other General came closer as they all left for their lives. I didn't realise I was this powerful to even challenge a dragon until now.
‘I didn't plan to do this…’ I thought to myself and loosened the chains used to hold my brother's limb still, and then I flitted with him into his cell. ‘Feels so good having back my powers and doing things I loved. Can I conquer Dragon Sovereign with it?’ I shoved the idea out of my mind and sat opposite River.
The first thing I did was to heal his bruises, and then I began transferring some of my energy to him so he could awake.
___
Even when the sky became dark, I refused to leave the cell and my brother alone. No General came to take me out, but I heard the others all wailing and whispering, but I cared less for the state of the ones I attacked.
They brought it upon themselves, or such wouldn't have happened. They weren't the reasons I recovered my powers, but they longed to get a taste of it, and I wasn't so stingy as to ignore them for a long time.
“What are you still doing here?” I heard River mutter, and I shifted my butt closer to where he was. “How did you come here?” he asked again, his voice so low and weak.
I took his palm into mine, “I came to tell you how I was mastering my powers, and ask if I need to cultivate?”
He shook his head, “You don't need to. Your powers aren't the same as the other faes.”
I squinted, "Aren't they the same? Why is that? Why am I different?”
He shrugged, “I really don't know, but I found out while awakening your powers. I think your fingers could even be useless at some point…” he coughed repeatedly and continued. “There's a lot I don't understand about your powers, so every part of you can command it.”
Every part of me? Was that why I didn't even move my fingers, and the rope crawled back initially?
“Vina, what happened? You should start returning….
“I'm not leaving you until you recover,” I said calmly, and meant it. “I fought them, and I don't know if they survived it.”
His eyes grew large, and he put his back away from the wall, “You did what?”
“Don't blame me, because they caused it…”
“You shouldn't be…
“They refused to have me take the remaining five strokes and didn't care if you died while they lashed you. So when they tried attacking me, I couldn't hold back. Why would I?” I cut him short and even pouted at the end.
He stared at me for what felt like eternity and shook his head. I only hoped he wasn't regretting helping to awaken my powers, because I was just saving us and didn't mean any harm until they wanted to harm us first.
“Still, you have to leave now that I'm awake,” he finally said, and I shook my head. “Davina!!”
“You’re weak, and so I can't….
“So it's true! You really smell of murder,” came a voice from the doorpost, and we turned together to see Dragon Sovereign standing there. “You recovered your powers and decided to try them on my men first, huh?”
I was supposed to quiver, but I lost all fear and quietly stood up from the floor. I walked forward and bowed to him first, then I started, "Shouldn't you investigate to be sure how it happened?”
“Whatever! You have no right to do that, the same way your brother had no right to cultivate in my realm. Now that you took the lives of four men, what am I supposed to do with you?” he asked, stepping into the cell. “Davina, how long have you been planning this?”
I clenched my palms into a fist, a kinda enmity I didn't know I had for him swelling in my chest. “Your men tried to kill my brother. Why would they? Even if he did, was there anyone who warned him initially? We aren't from here, so we don't know your rules. But killing him because of that?” I scoffed and walked to the side. “Dragon Sovereign, would you have loved it if they killed me because I was protecting my brother?”
“They wouldn't dare kill any of you, because they know the repercussions.”
“Big lie!!” I snorted and cocked my head to the side. “Well, I really didn't want them dead, but they pushed me to do it.”
He looked down on me like I was nothing, his arms folded. “And, when and why did you recover your powers? You were weak before I left.”
“Unfortunately…” I walked forward until I closed the distance between us. “...you pushed me into doing it.”
I really wanted to believe that there was someone else in me speaking, because I was courageous, but not this way.
He nodded gently, “You found out that I wanted you dead soon. When I always mentioned that your life is in my hands, what did you think?”
“The same thing you think right now. You didn't expect me to live my life under your shadow? You never created me and must not take my life.”
“Davina!!”
“Do your worst, Sovereign! Before I decided to awaken my powers, I already saw what it would mean.” I said calmly, but with a sinister smile. “If those men are dead, then I have used them as scapegoats for the others. Whoever hurt my brother again would regret ever doing so, provided I live.”
He stared at me silently, more like shocked at what I had just become. “You should protect yourself first before doing so to another person, Davina. I will not stand a fae attacking any of my persons under my nose.”
As he spoke, I noticed the smoke coming out of his nostrils, and soon, my whole body was wrapped with his stormfire. I had seen it when he used it on Irian, and I could attest that the pain was excruciating.
“Now that you are like this, can you even save someone?” he said, his eyeballs all turned white. “Should I try this on your brother and friend, too? You must think awakening your powers means that you can overshadow me.”
I tried to speak, but I couldn't even find my voice again.
My skin was burning. I felt the hotness in my spine too, and I just wanted to drop into the river.
I couldn't even command my powers at that moment, and I feared my skin would shred apart.
River tried to stand, but he was struck from behind, and he landed back with his ass on the floor. He growled at him, and I kept shaking my head for him not to hurt my brother.
Soon, I slumped to my knees, my tears burning in my cheeks, and I slowly stopped feeling my body.
“If you happen to be this way in the next ten minutes, then you could take your last breath, dear powerful fae,” he said, and I could smell the mockery in his voice.
He was cruel, more than they even said. He didn't even deny wanting me dead, and was just doing it now.
With the devilish smile across his face, he was really enjoying seeing me in such pain.