Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67437 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Gael quirked his brows. “He. . .looks healthier. There’s no darkness around his eyes. His skin is golden too. And. . .his hair is no longer white. Even the cracked lines along his cheeks are gone.”
The others nodded, the disbelief clear in their eyes.
Jareth’s voice shivered. “Again. . .why is he looking at us like that? It is just like days before when he seemed to be staring in our direction.”
Vesna blinked. “Have you all shielded your minds? Surely, he is probing your thoughts.”
“My mind is clear.”
“Mine is clear also.”
I curved my lips into a humorless smile and pushed my voice into their heads.
I have come to get advice from my most loyal generals.
Gael let out a long sigh and delivered his thought to me. We are here to advise you, master.
Nodding, I pushed the next thought into their minds.
Then, what should I do when my generals attempt to poison me with wine?
Some gasped in the back.
The air crackled in dread.
Jareth and Vesna exchanged looks.
Gael whispered to the others, “How should we handle this?”
“I do not know.”
“Clear your mind.”
“My blasted mind is clear!”
“Clear it even more.”
“How do we save ourselves?”
I responded to him.
There is no way you can save yourselves.
Gael blinked. “Did he hear me? I shielded my mind. I really did.”
“Are you sure?” Jareth muttered. “If not you, someone must have told him.”
They all turned to Faris.
Meanwhile, he simply watched me in awe. “I think he can hear us.”
Jareth snorted. “He cannot hear us. There is no magic in this world to make that happen. He has always been blind and deaf. There is no cure for him.”
I put my gaze on him.
Still, I can hear you all.
Jareth widened his eyes. “No. Did he say that he can hear me?”
No one spoke, but I slowly nodded my head.
Not only can I hear you. I can see you.
Silence filled the tent once again. Most of my generals went still, like statues, as if they were struck by lightning.
Faris was the only one who mumbled in his mind. Thank you, Ambi. You have finally answered my prayers. Our king is healed.
I drank their reactions like a fine wine. The reality of my sharpened senses slowly sank into their heads. Shock widened their eyes. Regret crossed their faces before many masked it.
Tons and tons of questions soared in their minds. They desperately wanted to know how I had been healed and even for how long. But, none of them deserved answers.
An unsettling calmness settled over me.
Now for the fun.
With an unhurried movement, I extended my right hand towards Jareth and faced my palm upwards. Next, I delivered a thought to all of them.
I wish I had more time to enjoy your suffering.
Jareth’s face twisted in horror. “No, my king. This is all a misunderstand—”
A shriek left Jareth as I suddenly lifted him with my magic—his body suspended inches above the ground.
Hmmm. I will finally get to see what I am doing to them. I often wondered what it looked like to everyone else.
The others watched, horrified, as I slowly clenched my hand into a fist.
Jareth’s face contorted in agony. Veins bulged against his pale skin. “P-please, father!”
You are not my true son.
I turned my wrist with a sharp flick, the motions as simple as the tune of a dance, but the result was anything but. A heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the tent as Jareth’s body convulsed.
Oh.
Blood oozed from every pore and dripped from his nostrils. A metallic odor coated the air.
“F-father, don’t do this!” He clawed at his skin as if that could relieve him of whatever pain was slithering within his body. “P-please!”
I turned my wrist in the other direction.
There was a second of terrifying stillness, then his body exploded. A sickening outburst of crimson painted the tent’s canvas walls, splattering entrails, intestines, and shards of bone scattering in all directions.
I recoiled.
That is disgusting.
My stomach twisted.
Gael screamed at the horrifying spectacle before him. Blood dripped from the tent’s ceiling. I stared at the remnants of what was once Jareth. Shock seeped into my bones. Even though I had expected the result, the grotesque reality of it was still appalling.
All this time. . .it looked like that? I must do another move from now on. That is too. . .disgusting to keep doing.
I slowly turned to face Gael and Vesna. They stood frozen in terror, yet their eyes flickered between me and the dark stains of Jareth throughout the tent.
I delivered a message to the others in the room.
I expect unwavering loyalty. You did not give me that.
Many of the generals inched back.
I placed my view solely on Vesna. With a swift motion of my hand, I seized control of his life essence. His body stiffened as he was lifted from the ground.
Vesna cried, “I-I. . .thought it was the b-best decision for the kingdom.”