Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 739(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
I stare at Conan, trying not to flinch. A vessel…just like Garrett and that snake on earth.
“After that, I agreed to everything Manx said,” Conan says. “I agreed to step down and let him take over without argument. I agreed to remove myself from Tribal Hall completely, and I kept taking that bloody elixir, because he told me to, even though I felt like it wasn’t working. I wasn’t able to tell him no. I could only say yes, and it seemed that way for everyone in Whisper Grove eventually. He became our leader, and we relied on him. Trusted him.” He pauses, picking up his container of water and gulping some down.
“I will say that at some point, the elixir began to wear off for me,” he continues. “I was going to visit Manx to tell him that my memory was becoming fuzzy again, but when I went to his house, I saw someone else inside.” Conan’s face pales, the dark circles making his eyes appear rounder. “He…he wasn’t himself. It’s like he’d transformed into this darker man—someone I’d never seen before. But he, um…well, he looked like a demon from the tales about Inferno Isle. And he had a man in the cottage with him. The man was in some sort of trance as he stared at the dark man, and dark wisps floated in the air, like he was stealing his energy, or feeding his dark energy to the man. Whatever he was doing, I refused to stand for it, so I banged on the door and demanded him to stop. But that night is the last thing I really remember about Manx…if that was even his real name. It’s the last any of us really remember about ourselves.” Conan scratches at the scruff on his jaw. “I know it all sounds impossible, but it’s true. That man…he did something to us. He…used us. Harbored the energy of Whisper Grove to keep himself strong. He manipulated the people and the territory, and now that he’s gone, we’ve been sucked dry. We’ve been left with nothing.”
“Believe me,” I say. “Nothing about what you’ve said is impossible. I’ve seen some mad shit that I never would’ve believed if I hadn’t caught it with my own two eyes.”
Conan bobs his head and sighs with relief, eyes glistening.
“That person you saw sucking the energy from that man that night wasn’t Manx. It was Decius.”
Conan frowns at me. “What? No, that’s impossible! You mean Decius, from the original Tethered?”
“Yes.”
“But…how? All the Tethered died. How is that… I’m not understanding. How is that possible? And how do you know this?”
“Because he tried taking my life too. My energy.”
Conan’s jaw drops, eyes rounding. “B-but how did you escape?”
I lift a shoulder. “Got lucky. But this would explain why he could get past the protection barrier of Whisper Grove,” I tell him. “He’s stronger than any Mythic out there. His energy is very powerful, going back millions of years.”
“And I just welcomed him in,” Conan breathes.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Believe it or not, that man practically raised me. Turns out he was only using me.”
“Oh.” Conan’s eyes remain glassy as he looks me all over. “I’m so sorry. No one should ever be treated that way.”
I say nothing to that.
“I’m also sorry to have bothered you with this. We felt there was nowhere to turn, really. Vanora has so many guards and hoops to jump through just to get in. We thought to go to Luxor, seek The Council’s help, but it’s too far a journey, and I was afraid some of my people would die during their travels. Blackwater seemed like the safest option.”
“The Council wouldn’t have done a damn thing for you,” Killian grumbles behind me. “You were smart coming to us.”
“My Gunman is correct.” Killian fidgets at my side, grumbling a bit. He hates when I call him my Gunman, though that’s what his status is in the Blackwater Clan. He and Rowan are my Gunmen, and they’re the only two people in Blackwater with that title. “You can put your mind at ease, Conan. You came to the right man. We will help you,” I assure him.
“Conan bobs his head gratefully. “Thank you, Monarch Harlow.”
“Call me Caz.”
He nods again.
“We’ve brought plenty of food for you and your people, lots of regular water for the children, and Alora, the queen of Vanora, has agreed to deliver several barrels of youthwater for the adults within the next couple of hours. Your people will survive. As for Decius, he’s gone now. You’ll never see him again.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I just am. Trust me.” I won’t get into talking about the Regals. Some people believe in them, but many don’t—and for good reason. They practically left Vakeeli to their own devices and went off the grid. I was one of the many who didn’t believe in them until we stumbled across Korah. Sure, the stories were interesting to read, but I always had a hunch they were fairytales—made up things to give people a reason to meet, pray, and have someone to send their worries to. I don’t feel like going into a conversation about whether they still exist or not. They’ve kept low profiles for a reason. Best it stays that way before people try to find them.