Page 50 of Savage Crown
“Please, I beg you to reconsider. Have mercy,” I wept, rushing forward to cling to his arm. My fingers tightened around his armor like I feared he might fade into mist if I didn’t hold on.
He sighed, but rather than get frustrated with me or angry, he reached out and patted my back like a father would a child. His touch was gentle, grounding, and warmth rolled through me in soft waves.
“Human plans make things difficult for me sometimes, but there is always another way.”
I jerked back from him, craning my neck to look up into his eyes. They looked like they held galaxies, sparkling swirls in endless depth.
“Brynn Brighton, you have always had faith in me, and you are correct: I do not make mistakes. I have great plans for you.”
He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders. Heat bled through my skin, not burning, but warm enough to loosen every knot of fear inside me.
“You never lost faith, and you are so loyal to those you care about. You remind me so much of Valkaryn the night her life was taken and she landed at my feet, begging to be sent back to make things right.”
I nodded, feeling waves of warmth going from his fingertips into my shoulders, spreading down my arms like liquid light.
“Yes, please send me back. I’ll do whatever you want.”
He dipped his chin, looking me square in the eyes to the point that it was hard to hold his gaze. His presence pressed into me like a weight, ancient and overwhelming.
“I love all of my creations, no matter how lost they seem, but some of them get too lost. They are too far off into the call of the darkness to be redeemed.”
I frowned, confused. Who was he talking about?
Then a thought came to me about who he might be talking about.
King Harrow.
“He’s hurting people. Good people. I have to help them. I have to end him,” I told the Creator, my voice steady even as fear crawled up my spine.
He looked sad for a moment, but nodded. “He will have to answer to me for his error. Then Valkaryn will have to fulfill her promise to me, and I would like you to help her. Balance must be restored in my creation.”
I frowned. “What promise?”
“The lost ones, the ones who let the darkness go too far, I was talking about the Elite. I allowed them to have magic so that they could protect and provide for humans.”
I chuckled, unable to help myself. “Well, they failed at that.”
“Yes. That’s why I would like you to help Valkaryn strip the Elite of their magic.”
I gasped.
Wait… what?
“What I give, I can take away,” he boomed, and his voice vibrated in my chest, resonant and unshakable. The ground beneath my feet seemed to tremble, humming with unseen power.
“You deserve a good life, Brynn. You have one of the purest hearts I’ve ever seen.” He smiled like a father would at his daughter, warm and proud.
Then the ground vanished beneath me, and I was falling, air rushing past, my soul hurtling downward like a stone dropped into water.
My soul slammed back into my body, and I gasped, sitting up so hard my head cracked into something solid.
“Ow!” Kaelric shouted, and my eyes popped open.
I realized I’d cracked into his head.
Because he was hovering over me.
I was lying in a bed, my bed at home in Hildreth. The faint smell of wood smoke and linens told me I was safe before my mind caught up.
