“About what?” he asked, hooded eyes suggesting he knew exactly what she meant, but was merely afraid to say it out loud.
“What Iragos said, back there in the Chambers, about Kronos… escaping.”
Kayne sighed and pushed his tray away. His hood was down now, spilled around his shoulders, as was the custom when dining or in one’s own room.
He looked so striking with his freshly shorn hair, his jagged jaw line and pure green eyes, she had to force herself to breathe. “I suppose he means that, no matter where they’ve got Kronos locked up, anything is possible with a dark mage of his power and… cunning.”
She swallowed, pushing her tray away as well. Slumping back in her crystal chair, she fixed Kayne with her own gaze. “And they’re expecting the two of us to stop him?”
He smiled, dazzling her with its intensity, and leaned forward. “Why not?” he asked, bluffing with his cockiness. “It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”
She scoffed, leaning forward as well. The dining hall was mostly empty, but she knew they couldn’t kiss. Not like this. Not here. “But that was before we knew any better,” she reminded him. “Now? I’m not so sure I’m up for Round 2.”
“That’s what squire training is for, Aurora,” he said, leaning back to look at her admiringly. She loved when he did that, and could think of no better way than to spend the rest of the evening.
Or, for that matter, the rest of her life…
Epilogue
Far beneath the bowels of Mage City, deep below the lands and hills and valleys of the Land Below, Kronos paced in his cramped cell. Gone were his cloaks and his finery, his hood and his velvet slippers. Now he wore dirty, damp rags, his left ankle chained to the wall of his cell.
Something dripped in the hallway, constantly, into a dank, moldy puddle below. He paced as far as his leg chains would allow, or about halfway to the door of his cell, then turned and paced back to his stone cot, carved out of the impenetrable wall of his cell.
His salt and pepper hair no longer flowed around his head but merely slithered around his face, as if still wet though it had been days since his captors allowed him to bathe.
Outside his cell door, stationed at all times, half a dozen Guardians stood sentinel, thick in their natural armor, unblinking in their distrustful gaze. Having stolen the Orb, he had disgraced not only their position but, having been charged from birth with protecting the orb, their entire race.
Now they watched him like a hawk, hoping – just hoping – Kronos would try to escape. The Guardians would love nothing more than to tear him to pieces, savoring every moment of his pain.
Kronos vowed to never let that happen. Nor did he intend to squalor the rest of his life chained to a wall. No, Kronos had magic on his mind. Dark magic.
For what the Guardians, the mortals, or even the enchanted in Ythulia didn’t understand was how powerful dark magic could be when one dwelled within darkness.
The longer Kronos stayed below ground, hidden from the sunlight, isolated from others, the stronger his power grew. One day, he knew, he would be powerful enough to break free.
It might take months, it might take years, or even decades, but Kronos could wait. He quite enjoyed the darkness, but forced himself to scowl for the benefit of his captors.
After all, if they thought he was enjoying himself, they might decide to take him somewhere closer to the light. And that just wouldn’t do. Not for the plans that Kronos had in store, not only for the Guardians, but the Council of Brightness.
To say nothing of the sniveling young runts who had put him there: Kayne and Aurora. For those two, he had special plans. Very, very special plans indeed…
About the Author
Tracy Lane lives in Kissimmee, Florida with her son Jesse and her daughter Brittany. After publishing her first book Paranormal Properties in Feb. 2013, she has since written a few short stories and plans on writing another 8 books.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Epilogue
About the Author