Lyra shrugged. "That’s what it sounded like. Two portals opened, one inside our prison, and one outside, where the monsters ca from. It was a dangerous day."
"You didn’t die." It wasn’t a question. Kaedros had been wondering how they survived when others hadn’t.
Lyra pointed to the big prison on the raised platform. "Nobody can break those bars. Nothing can reach us there, and since Master didn’t take us along..."
Kaedros understood. Whoever that Joint Accord mber was, they were strong enough to manifest two portals and take Collector, and likely so of his subordinates, as well.
"Do you know where he is now? Your master? Collector?" Kaedros asked casually, as if inquiring about the weather.
Lyra flinched, and the other prisoners cowered as if the na was a physical blow. She squared her shoulders. "I don’t know."
Kaedros smiled as hope stirred in him, she wouldn’t et his eyes. She was lying.
"Are you sure you don’t know? You don’t owe him anything, you know. Not after he abandoned you."
Lyra’s head whipped toward him, her teeth sinking into her lip before she looked away. Then she sighed. "When the man ca to rescue Master, he appeared in a flash of portal... and Master bowed to him. Why don’t you look surprised? There’s not a lot of people Master bows to. That ans the rescuer was a high-ranking mber of Joint Accord —much higher than Master."
"The man said, ’Collector, you are wasting away here. We have left you here to reflect on your doings, but now a mission calls you, and you will see that it benefits you in a way.’ Then they talked so more, and he took Master to another world for whatever mission."
"And what did Collector say?" Taria asked.
"He was happy, very happy. He said there’s a lot of bloodlines to harvest where he was going."
Kaedros already knew it, but his hand tightened with sothing close to dread. Here was the answer to whether he should remove his Bloodline Trait or not. He kept his voice emotionless, devoid of color. "And where is this world he was taken to? To start his new mission?"
Lyra frowned. "Sowhere in the lowlands of Aetheria." She shook her head. "I can’t rember—since it’s in the lowworlds..."
She trailed off as the temperature in the room rose, matching the aura that suddenly covered Kael. The hair on her body stood on end, and she shrank back toward the other prisoners.
Kael took a step toward her, his face a stiff mask, smooth, unreadable. Since when did her body feel this hot? She trembled as a great fire roared toward her, sweeping away everything in its path. Lyra scread as blue fire leapt and snapped, twisting toward her to strip the flesh from her bones.
"Kael!" Taria’s voice cut through like a shard of ice, parting the fire surrounding Lyra.
"Don’t frighten her, Kael," Taria said from her seat. "I don’t think you realize how potent our auras feel to those below us. You’ll kill her before you get your answers."
Kael stiffened.
Slowly, he his hands, took several asured breaths, and forced his emotions down. The crushing pressure in the air vanished as if it had never been.
He turned his eyes to her, earning only a nervous flinch, then inclined his head to Taria. "Forgive . I lost myself for a mont."
Lyra blinked as the illusion vanished. She found herself on her knees with the other prisoners before an angry Kael, who looked ready to burn her alive.
She hadn’t felt fear this potent in a long ti. The aura around the man before her was like a living thing, slowly choking the life out of her.
"Where?"
"Orib."
That was Vacuse’s new world.
He hadn’t expected anything else. He stood still for a long ti.
Rauk cleared his throat, looking at Kael through lowered lashes, pale blue eyes lazy and regal. "I don’t know what will happen when we get back to Orib, but know this, I owe you my life. For now, where you lead, I follow."
Kael inclined his head. Rauk was a prince first and foremost. He knew Rauk’s loyalty would only remain so long as Kael’s strength outweighed any throne. Still, he bowed thanks.
Gold had simply been watching with a grin. He was glad to be here, and even more eager to see what awaited them ahead.
With their goal achieved, Kael led them back through the first mountain tunnel toward the platform that would carry them to the second peak. The prisoners ca along, though wrangling the three unstable ones took so effort. Taria, Lyra, and Rauk managed to coax them onto the platform.
Kael barely noticed. His mind was turning over the implications. Collector. The Dragons. Throne of Ruinlight. Sothing tied them together, sothing he couldn’t yet see. The fact that Collector, an expert in removing Bloodline abilities, had been given a mission by a world-spanning organization made a chill run through him.
Whatever it was, it was happening on Orib. And the only way to shed light on it would be to win the Candidate Trials, and pry what truths Thalso was willing to share. Half-truths, perhaps, but better than nothing.
When Kael had asked Lyra how long ago the prison break occurred, she’d only said, "A long ti ago. Very long."
They reached the first chamber where they’d begun. Lyra and the others recoiled at the sight of bodies scattered along the way.
"That’s a lot of prisoners. Hard to see your fellows like this," Taria said, attempting sympathy.
"They’re not my fellows," Lyra snapped. "We were fighters in Collector’s underworld empire. Rule was simple, the strong take the best, the weak die. These dead? They were strong. That’s why they were kept far from Collector. I and the weak were locked with him in the main prison."
Taria grimaced. The more she learned about other worlds, the more both excitent and unease grew in her chest.
Lyra kicked a skull. "They treated like trash. Now look who survived."
Rauk coughed. Gold grinned.
Kael just sighed. "Did anyone escape with him?"
"Yes..his guards." Lyra shivered at the mory.
He said nothing more as the return portal spun open. They stepped through without hesitation.
On the other side, Thalso, Chef, and Nyra stood waiting in the Great Hall, relief plain on their faces. Kael almost felt insulted. Did they think he couldn’t handle this?
"Welco back," Thalso bood.
Chef and Nyra fussed over them, Gold included, while giving the prisoners a wide berth.
"I thought you’d be monster food by now," Chef said cheerfully, as if the idea pleased her.
"Stop jinxing them, you old bat!" Nyra snapped. Her eyes landed on Kael, scanning him once over, and her expression darkened. "You used a spell above your rank?"
Kael stiffened. "How do you know?"
Nyra’s voice was sharp. "I’ve been a mage longer than you’ve been alive. I can tell when a core is cracked."
Nyra snorted. "With your cracked core!
Kael felt the words hit like a slap. "...Cracked?"
Nyra snorted. "What do you think happens when you push a spell your core can’t handle? It breaks. And yours is."
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