Destiny Forgiven (Shadows of Destiny) (8 page)

_{Sadness crept in. She wasn’t fulfilling that promise very well. Death at the hands of Maddox Blackwell was a truly ironic and twisted fate.}

_{Maddox sighed deeply. “Come on.” With sagging shoulders, he unlocked the door to the hallway. “Time to go back.”}

_{I’m losing myself
Cee. Sometimes I think I’ve forgotten how to smile.}

_{Maddox to Felicity
in a letter, October 2003}
 

_{Walking the corridor toward the head Councilman’s chambers had always made Maddox feel like a child. Maybe it was the ominous look of the black door at the end of the long hallway that did it. Or that he was never sure what his father had in mind when he summoned him. Though he’d never once laid a hand on Maddox, his glare had the same effect as a beating in getting his attention. He wasn’t afraid of his father, but when it came to interacting with him it was wise to tread carefully. On some deep instinctual level, he understood that – as did most everybody else.}

_{If Maddox failed to break Felicity, he supposed his father would. That thought sent a wave of panic through him.}

_{Mine
. A growl fought to get free.}

_{He recoiled. His? His what? His prisoner? Fuck
, he was losing it. Still, he had to keep Saith away from her. If his father knew that he’d brought the girl to his room yesterday, he’d probably have him removed from the Council – not that Maddox enjoyed being on it in the first place. It was an obligation – part of the job of running the prison and interrogation unit. Unlike his father, he cared little for politics. But it meant everything to Saith for Maddox to follow in his footsteps so, like a good son, he did what he was told.}

_{It wasn’t as if it were a hardship. He was paid well and got to do what he most believed in – protect his people. The boy with the yellow hair invaded his thoughts, small and innocent. Was he protecting who mattered?}

_{Shaking free from the image, he rapped on the door twice then opened it when his father answered. Saith rose from his chair behind the desk and gestured to Maddox to sit across from him.}

_{After he obeyed, his father sat back down in his desk chair.}

_{“You wanted to see me, sir.” Dread filled him. His father would doubtlessly ask about the interrogation and he still had no concrete information.}

_{Always in control, Saith ignored Maddox and went back to writing whatever he’d been working on before he came in. Maddox took a moment to study his aging father. His hair was finally starting to gray. Wrinkles made grooves in his forehead and he had two frown lines on either side of his lips. Having lived in Caerwyn most of his life, his aging had slowed significantly. Caerwyn was the most valuable of treasures and the sorcerers owned it. They’d been protecting it from the filthy creatures of the Underworld for over five hundred years. The land was in high demand because it was enchanted. For the length of time a person spent in Caerwyn their lifespan increased by at least
three times, they could not die from injury or disease, and any magical abilities were enhanced. It made for a very popular haven for supernaturals, but sorcerers didn’t like to share.}

_{His father cleared his throat and kept writing. He must’ve been over two hundred and fifty years old now. They didn’t keep track of birthdays. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever having celebrated one. Memories of his childhood had always been hazy – like they’d happened to someone else, not really to him. When he thought about his time before he was Inkman, it was as if someone were telling him a story. A story about a stranger. He accepted this because it wasn’t his job to question. But now…
now that Felicity had planted little seeds of doubt in his head, he wondered what it meant.}

_{“How old am I?” he blurted then kicked himself.
What the fuck are you doing, Maddox?}

_{His father finally looked up at him. If he was surprised at the sudden curiosity, he didn’t show it. “Does it matter?”}

_{“Of course not. I was just…”}

_{“Curious?” He arched a brow.}

_{Maddox shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant.}

_{“Honestly, I don’t remember the year. The month was June. I remember that because the
irises were just starting to bloom when we buried your mother.” His father rarely talked about her death, and when he did it was with no more emotion than he would discuss the purchase of a toaster oven.}

_{“Have you heard of Adfer Falls?”}

_{Saith studied him a moment before answering. “No. But there are many places I haven’t heard of. Why?”}

_{“It came up in conversation. I was wondering if you knew anything about it.” Why did his hands feel sweaty? He’d never lied to his father before. It felt…wrong.}

_{Not many would’ve noticed the small shift in Saith’s position or the tightening of his lips, but Maddox knew him well enough to see the signs of displeasure. “Is there something going on that would compromise your job? Are you having a personal crisis?”}

_{“No.” Crisis was an understatement. “Of course not.”}

_{He gently slapped his hands on the oak table. “Good. We can’t afford any breaks in our system right now.”}

_{“I know.” There was no perfect time for an identity crisis but right now was especially bad. Were the gods sending him a message? Was this meant to test his devotion to his vows? No Soldier of the Light betrayed their oath – unless they wanted to die. Being relatively new to the ranks, there wasn’t much room for failure. And being
the top councilman’s son meant he had a lot to live up to.}

_{Maddox wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and straightened his spine. “So what news of this new Underworld Queen?”}

_{Saith waved a hand dismissively. “She’s a child. No older than twenty-seven or some such. Lived in the human world most of her life. She’s a nuisance, that’s all.”}

_{“So you think she’ll surrender?”}

_{“I know she won’t. But what experience does she have in military strategy? It’ll be an easy win. The time to strike is now.”}

_{Despite his father’s easy dismissal of the battle ahead, something didn’t feel right. Working with the vilest of criminals had taught him one thing – never underestimate the enemy. “She took the throne from The Dark Lord. She must have some skill. We shouldn’t underestimate her.”}

_{“Of course not. We don’t know what kind of magic she has. In fact, rumors of incredible power are spreading. But that doesn’t mean she can defend a whole realm against an army. Our army. She’s only one person, no matter how strong her magic.”}

_{They’d just received a new group of recruits that week. They were still replacing valuable soldiers lost from the last time they’d attacked the Underworld. It had been before Maddox was born, but sorcerers often retold the story of the bloody massacre. And every one of them vowed to get revenge – only this time they wouldn’t strike until they were fully prepared.}

_{Maddox had little to do with that war. His war occurred inside the prison walls. Interrogations. Breaking his prisoners until they mumbled through every detail of their lives. His victims were mainly shifters from the rebellion. But there were other factions of the supernatural world at odds with the sorcerers. The Unseelie fae, for one, didn’t agree with the sorcerer’s mission to keep purity among the races. So once in a while, a witch or a fae appeared in one of the rooms to be interrogated for their part in the rebellion.}

_{Werewolves served a purpose
, though. They were expert hunters. Maddox knew his father hired them as mercenaries. Though the hypocrisy clashed with what he’d been taught – that vampires and werewolves were the spawn of Satan that the gods wanted destroyed – it wasn’t his job to think. It was his job to do what he was told. But lately, all he could do was think.}

_{Shifters and sorcerers made up the new batch of soldiers. Years ago they’d insisted on a draft within the shifter colonies. The sorcerers had sheltered them for too long on their land without demanding payment in return. When they’d refused to provide young men for the army, his father formed a recruitment squad and took them by force. That’s when the rebellion had begun.}

_{For such a small group, they were pretty damn effective. Or maybe they weren’t as small as Felicity had said that first day. She’d already proven herself a liar, and a good one. Maddox was one of the best at detecting lies. No need for fancy technological equipment. But she’d slipped past him anyway.}

_{She’d always been a good liar – used to cheat at cards too.}

_{He backpedaled. Now how in the hell did he know that? She must’ve said it when she’d been in his room last night. Yes, she’d talked a lot about their childhood.}

_{Normally, he’d have punished a prisoner for even trying to lie to him. What he should’ve done – what his father
no doubt expected him to do – was beat her to teach her a lesson. Pain did amazing things to a person. He’d used it himself to get people to talk.}

_{A vision of a young man, tied down, screaming as a lash
fell and bit deep into his skin over and over again flashed in his mind.}

_{His ears rang and sweat started on his forehead. What the fuck?}

_{He gave his head a shake. Where the hell had that come from? Must’ve been a session he’d watched a long time ago. As far as torture tactics went, he found the whip distasteful. He preferred mind games and starvation. And when it came time for pain, burns from a sorcerer’s Bolt was enough to get most men babbling anything he wanted to know.}

_{“Has anyone spoken with this new queen?” he asked. “Or attempted to send a message? Maybe she’s different than the Dark Lord. Maybe she’s not interested in Caerwyn and will keep the Underworld as what it’s mean to be – a prison for criminals.”}

_{War came at a cost – this one especially because it’d dragged on for so many centuries. Lives lost. Money. Land that could be of use wasted and burned. Sometimes famine. Shouldn’t it be avoided if possible? It didn’t seem like anyone on the Council had an interest in diplomacy.}

_{His father shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if she wants Caerwyn or not. This is a preventative measure. How long will this girl last as queen? We’re not only protecting our land, but our way of life. The way the world should be. It’s time to lock the Underworld away for good.”}

_{There was a way to do that? “How?”}

_{His father looked at him and smirked. “Make a deal with a dragon.”}

_{Dragon? Before he could question his father, the phone rang.}

_{“Captain Blackwell,” he answered.}

_{As his father listened to the person on the phone, Maddox thought about dragons. They were not to be fucked with. Did Saith really know what he was doing? He didn’t often question him but… dragons?}

_{The phone landed hard in the receiver and his father pursed his lips. “Seems your girl is causing trouble.”}

_{His heart fluttered at the words “your girl.” Yeah, he liked the sound of that. Too much. But trouble? “Where is she?” He rose from his chair, then realized how eager he sounded.}

_{Control yourself, Maddox.}

_{“Third floor, block four.”}

_{He nodded to his
father, left the room and headed straight for the stairwell. As he went, he forced calm thoughts into his mind to keep back the rising panic. Were they hurting her? Why should he be panicking? Why did he care what happened to her?}

_{Distance.
Fucking control yourself!}

_{With a deep breath, Inkman settled into place and he felt a sense of calm and order. Then it fell apart as soon as he stepped into cell block four.}