Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 98 : This Isn’t Magic, It’s Hell

*Xander*

Ianthe walked in step with me as we left the cave. This annoyed Zeke, who walked a few paces in front

of us with his shoulders tight and his head snapping in our direction every once in a while.

I was telling Ianthe everything, holding nothing back. Egoren, my family, the pack lands–everything. At

this point, why not? If I didn't find Lena soon, everything was going to s**t anyway.

She was especially curious about the White Queens and had many, many questions.

“So, your kind has witches too?"

“I don't think they like being called witches," I smirked as we followed Zeke along a well-beaten trail

through the rocky landscape leading to the abandoned city. “But they are pretty different from shifters,

you know, wolves."

“But you're different as well–"

“Not nearly as powerful as my mate," I interrupted with a shrug.

I'd already told them both about getting attacked and the blood being drained from my veins, then

waking up buried under shriveled bodies that turned to ash when I moved. Zeke looked weary, but

Ianthe had been wildly impressed, pressing me for information.

But when it came to giving me any more information about themselves, they were mum. I figured it

didn't really matter, given that I was killing their king and getting the hell out of the place as soon as

possible.

It took longer than I thought to reach the city. It was the dead of night by the time we crouched behind a

large boulder, waiting for Zeke to give us permission to continue forward. It was much, much lighter at

the base of the valley than it had been in the thick forest, which was now far above us, barely a shadow

against the inky black sky. A moon shone against the slate that fanned out over the valley, reflecting on

the ribbons of yellow and white rock woven into each layer of thin, brittle stone. Far away I heard a

screech, and it echoed through the valley, disappearing on the breeze it had ridden in on.

“What makes that sound?" I whispered to Ianthe.

She pursed her lips. “We call it Nahga," she whispered as Zeke motioned us to continue down the trail.

“I've never seen one up close. It's some sort of winged creature. It belongs to the king."

I wondered if it had been the same winged beast that had taken Lena, and the same that had plucked

me from the ground when Oliver, Adrian, and I were stopped on the highway leading to Crimson Creek.

But, based on the far-off look in her eyes as she scanned the horizon, I had a feeling the Nahga was

something else entirely.

“There's many of them–spies, in my opinion, for the king. They also sound the approach of day."

“Which is coming soon, so we need to pick up the pace if we're going to reach the river," Zeke cut in,

his voice edged with annoyance.

I arched my brow at him as he fixed me with a scowl.

“Maybe we should stay in the city," Ianthe suggested, her voice as sweet as sugar as she gave her

brother practiced doe eyes.

Zeke frowned at her. “You're stalling the inevitable, Ianthe," he said flatly, but then he looked up at the

sky, noticing the streaks of pale violet on the horizon. We still had a few hours before daybreak, at

least.

We walked through the abandoned city without stopping. Ianthe moved in front of us after a while,

leading the way along what looked like it had once been a road. Large cracks had split the road open in

several places and had extended to the buildings as well, toppling some over on each other.

“Quakes," Zeke said shortly, following my gaze.

“Is that why there's no one here?"

“There's no one here because the city was once a stronghold of a rebel army against King Nikolas, and

everyone was either killed on the spot and eaten, or taken as slaves for his mines."

I pressed my lips into a tight line.

“It's been abandoned for centuries," he continued.

That I believed. The buildings were towering above us as we walked, several stories high but shrouded

in an ancient darkness my mind couldn't comprehend.

“How long have your people been fighting the king?"

“Longer than your own recorded history," Zeke quipped, shrugging a shoulder. “Our people were once

the children of this realm. The High Vampires weren't always called thus. They were our Gods and

Goddesses. They were unseen, the children of the creator of our world. He was called, and is still

referred to, as 'The Father,' but King Nikolas refuses to acknowledge the title. He kills anyone who even

utters those words."

“What changed? What caused all of this?" I waved my hand in a wide circle toward the crumbling

remains of what used to be a massive metropolis.

“Greed, I assume. I'm sure the truth has been twisted and exaggerated with time. Some say the very

second The Father turned his power over to his children, the High Vampires, they turned on each other.

They killed one another until only one was left."

“King Nikolas?"

“Yeah, I guess. He's the only one anyone has ever seen. The rest of them are just myths."

“This place is awful," I breathed, not even trying to hide the words.

Zeke smirked, looking back at me for a moment before we left the desecrated city behind us.

The stars were still shining overhead when we reached the river. It wasn't much of a river, if I was being

honest, but it was the first sign of running water I'd seen since Lena pulled us into the realm.

I was f*****g thirsty.

“Is it good to drink?" I asked, watching as Ianthe tucked her hand in the crook of Zeke's elbow. They

turned to look at me as they reached the water's edge, Ianthe's eyes glimmering like gems.

“It will be," she said, and I was utterly confused but I followed them nonetheless.

I hopped over the cragged rocks with ease, and in less than a minute were on the other side of the

narrow, lazy river. Ianthe stopped, filling up a jug she'd pulled from her bottomless bag.

She held it between her hands for a moment, then met Zeke's eye, then mine. She raised the jug to her

lips and drank deeply, then handed it to me.

The jug was hot to the touch and I nearly dropped it. I gave her a weary eye before I drank. It was

clean, and cool.

Ianthe hadn't told me what her powers were, but maybe filtering water so it was drinkable was one of

them.

“The sea is five miles away–" Zeke began.

Ianthe groaned. “It's farther, and you know it. We should camp here."

“Ianthe–"

“I'm with Zeke on this one," I said, tilting the jug back to my mouth. “I have somewhere I need to be."

Zeke was fighting back a smile as Ianthe narrowed her eyes at me.

“I can take you to King Nikolas right now," she said sharply.

“No, you can't." Zeke's tone was heavy as he put an arm on his sister's shoulder, squeezing. “You have

to go, Ianthe. We talked about this. You know why–"

“I know," she bit out, on the edge of surrender.

Zeke had mentioned that Ianthe was well known to the king, but I didn't know how, or why. She met my

eye as though my questions had been said out loud, and I felt the urge to cower under the force of her

gaze.

“The king is powerful, but not as powerful as my kind… my father's kind. They have summoned me

home," she began, looking as though this was a speech she'd rehearsed. “The king has been trying to

destroy my kind for centuries, unsuccessfully."

“The lower vampires have sent countless armies to try to overthrow him," Zeke cut in, his eyes

darkening. “But we're nothing without the alliance of the Great Covens."

“So…" I shifted my weight, catching the starlight reflecting in Ianthe's eyes as I looked from her to

Zeke. “You're using Ianthe to recruit–"

“It's a long story, and we don't have time to discuss it now," Zeke said sharply, waving his hand in

dismissal. “We have five more miles before daybreak. Let's go."

***

I followed them through the darkened landscape for the remainder of the night. The mountains that had

once towered above us fell away, and soon the crashing of the waves against a nearby shore filled my

ears.

The sky was a shallow violet as the stars began to fade, the first signs of day breaking over the water.

But there was no landscape along the horizon. The water seemed to just… stop.

It wasn't until Ianthe went to the water's edge and removed her hood that I noticed it. A thick wall of

mist hung over the water, nearly a mile out, the fine particles of clouds reflecting every color of the

breaking dawn.

I could have asked what it was, but I knew–magic, something unexplainable, a break in this realm,

leading to another.

“Let them know you're here. I don't have much time," Zeke said in a low, pained whisper. Ianthe turned

to look at him, her face glistening with tears. “We will see each other again, Ianthe."

“This is unfair–"

“This world wasn't meant for someone like you. You must go."

Ianthe knew this in her bones. I could see it on her face as she focused on her brother, tears rolling

along her jaw. She turned away from us, kneeling before the water as gentle waves broke around her

knees. She laid her palm over the water, and within seconds light began to trickle from her fingertips,

mingling with the surf.

I watched the ribbons of power move through the water, fanning out and disappearing into the distant

depths.

Zeke hissed as he pulled his cloak over his head, shielding himself from the first light of day.

“Go, Zeke," Ianthe said, a choked sob escaping her throat as I gasped, unable to tear my eyes away

from the wall of mist and magic.

It… opened, like a door. And through the opening came a small boat rocking on the water with no

captain in sight.

It was nothing more than a rowboat, but it came toward us, inch by inch coming closer to taking Ianthe

to her destiny, whatever that was.

“I'll take you to King Nikolas's kingdom," Zeke said painfully, covering the exposed skin of his jaw with

his hand as he turned away from the horizon. Ianthe had stepped onto the boat, her back to us as it

slowly began to move out into open water.

“This is all just…"

“Hell," Zeke quipped, his mouth forming into a tight line. “This isn't magic, Xander. It's hell."

A brief flash of muted light washed over me, and Ianthe was gone.

“I need to find shelter," Zeke said before disappearing into the rocks behind us, no doubt seeking

shelter in the split boulders the size of a house that lined the shore.

I could do nothing more than sit down on the rocky beach, my gaze fixed on the mist.