King of Deception, page 1
part #3 of Helios Mage Series
King of Deception
Samara Saward
Copyright © 2023 Samara Saward
All rights reserved.
This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover designed by: GetCovers
Formatting designed with Atticus
For Daniel.
So I can see how long it takes you to read this.
Foreword
Both the author and main character live in Australia. This book is written in Australian English.
Contents
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
28. Epilogue
Also By
About Author
one
When I finished the Prince’s Courtship, I didn’t expect to be taken to a doorless room. I certainly didn’t expect Holly to join me, crying about doomed escapes and people dying every time I try to escape. What I expected less, was Noxen Vadas kidnapping me in a blur of shadow and bringing me here, to the depths of Alston Castle.
To the dungeons.
Shadow Man’s vice-like grip remains on my elbow as he drags me along what I assume is some kind of corridor; this is what I get for letting myself get kidnapped, I suppose. Noxen’s shadows still block my vision, rendering me blind. But I’m envisioning a dark hallway lined with cells, a ground made of compacted dirt, and water trickling down rough stone walls, creating patches of slick green in the crevices. In my mind, I see each of the other ten maidens huddled under threadbare blankets in the corner of their cells, shivering. Tonight, the dungeons will be home to twelve girls. Each of them kidnapped, scared, and otherwise alone.
Noxen jerks me to the right, popping the bubble of my thoughts. A buzzing door slides open and I’m shoved through the doorway with force. Holly collides with my back and I turn to steady her as another clang reverberates through the space. The door slams shut behind us, the sound coinciding with the removal of our shadow blindfolds.
The sight I’m confronted with is not at all what I was expecting—that seems to happen a lot lately. Instead of the rough stone floor, the pale oak floorboards are gleaming. Rather than a dark hallway lined with cells, I’m standing at the entrance of a large square room, three of the four walls lined with cells of frosted glass: there are twelve cells in total. There are no rivulets of water streaming over hewn rock, only blindingly bright white walls and fluorescent lights lined across the ceiling.
There’s fucking electricity here?
Several chairs surround two couches, all upholstered in white leather. Tables dot the room in a similar layout to The Den at Alston Knoll. At my back is a large cell door, bars running from the floor to the ceiling, separating my new home and the rough rock wall of the corridor beyond. It’s pretty nice for a dungeon.
I turn to Holly. “Is this where you saw us?”
She nods. “That’s your room,” she says, pointing to the frosted glass door on my right. “Mine is opposite.”
“Where is everyone?” I ask, poking my head into the nearest cell. “And why is every room empty?”
“They’ll be back soon.” Holly takes a seat on one of the leather chairs, her head sinking into her hands. “He probably made them watch the trial. Remember this morning? He said every maiden who they eliminated from the courtship would be watching. I’ve learned to read between the lines when it comes to King Alston.”
With a sigh of frustration, I leave her to her thoughts. She’s been searching the future for a way for us to escape all evening; she’s exhausted both physically and mentally.
Again with the unexpected!
My cell isn’t what I’d expect a dungeon cell to look like. Not at all. There’s a bed against one wall, a wardrobe against the other, and a desk at the foot of the bed. Everything is white, like in the living space: the wood of the wardrobe, the bed linen, even the soft mat covering the floor. The walls are bare except for a single painting of the sun.
The next room I inspect is a replica of my own, except for the painting. This one depicts long shadows on a grassy field. The next room’s painting is of a chameleon. The painted image changes for every room. Followed by a raging fire are rays of light poking through clouds, then a tornado, vines, silver trinkets, a tidal wave, flowers and herbs, a pinkish crocodile with gleaming eyes, and a crystal ball held between two hands.
The maidens’ magic. It must be.
I head back to my helios room and rummage through the desk drawer. There’s nothing but pencils and paper. The wardrobe provides no answers or clues; it’s filled with white t-shirts, white jumpers, and white leggings. Fates, why white? Even the underwear is white!
A buzzing alarm has me dashing back into the living space. One by one, ten maidens shuffle into the room, pausing at the sight of Holly asleep on the chair and me standing dumbstruck by my bedroom door. My eyes are frantic as they search the line, finally landing on one of my closest friends as she enters through the metal door. The last of the lot.
“Larry!” I squeal, lunging for her.
Her emerald eyes are so wide, I fear for the safety of her eyeballs. “Embry? Wha–What are you… H–how are you here?” She bursts into tears. “P–please tell me you’re not… You’re n–not here, right?”
I wrap my arms around her and smooth her hair. I’d forgotten she stutters under stress. She’s been through so much over the last two or three weeks. In fact, I don’t even know how long it’s been since the king kidnapped her. Too much has happened. But regardless of time, that’s more that anyone should have to endure. Ever.
I rub circles over her back, whispering, “It’s okay, Larry. We’re going to figure this out.”
Damita’s shrill laugh stabs at my ear drums. “And how do you propose we do that? You only just got here, trash. Give it a few days, then see how merry your outlook is.”
Even though I pull away from my hug with Larry, I don’t dare let her go. I look every single maiden in the face. “There are twelve of us here. Twelve strong women with twelve powerful branches of magic. He wouldn’t have chosen us if we were weak. Together, we can figure this out. I know we can.”
Hope blossoms on a couple of faces and apprehension on a few more.
Damita rolls her dull blue eyes. “And what’s your magic, then? He can’t want you for your elemental power; I have water magic, too. That’s why I’m here. And Tempest is a light mage, so why would he need you for that? If we’re all in this together, I think it’s time you started being honest about who you are. About what you are.”
“You’re right, Damita. I’m done lying and I’m done hiding. I’m a water elemental, you can’t dispute that. But my light magic is not what you think it is. Being a light mage was just a cover. I’m a helios mage, which means I wield the power of the sun. Heat, light, and electricity.”
Tempest gasps, but everyone else looks confused.
Sage clears her throat. “Care to elaborate on that?”
I’m not one to blow my own trumpet, but these girls need something uplifting. So, I square my shoulders and take a deep breath before saying, “I’m the heir of the winter solstice, known as the personification of the sun. As the renewal of life, I’m destined to free us from this hell. I’ll end this asshole and whatever sick plan he has for us. If Alston thinks he can control me, he has another thing coming.”
Most of them scoff and laugh. It’s understandable. As heir to the winter solstice, I’m all but a myth, according to them. It isn’t until Sasi demands to know why Vadas—the king’s advisor and right-hand man—would kidnap me if I didn’t have a rare magic that the other girls acknowledge the truth. With reluctance.
Of course, there are a handful of girls who still don’t believe my claim; Damita, North, and Sage don’t hang around long enough to hear about the prophecy or how my parents gave their lives for my safety and that of my twin sister. A sister I’ve never met. Those girls retreat to one of their rooms, whispering insults as they go.
I only roll my eyes at their backs and turn back to the rest of the girls.
With a groan, I roll over, clamber from my single bed, and scowl at the flashing red dot in the corner of my room. When I arrived last night, I didn’t notice the security cameras. They were yet another thing I didn’t expect to be here, since Talaron doesn’t rely on human electricity, so I didn’t even look.
I won’t make that mistake again. Expect the unexpected
When the lights were dimmed and the other girls and I shuffled to our rooms, the flashing red caught my attention straight away. Now, it’s a complete contrast to the white, as if to remind us we’re being watched. White linen, furniture, and walls. White clothes and shoes. Everything is white except for the flashing of the cameras; one in each of the twelve rooms and one in each corner of the living room.
I slide my arms into my—yes, it’s fucking white—robe and tie it around my waist, startling at Larry as she enters my room in a matching silk robe.
She gives me a weak smile. “How did you sleep?”
I sit back on my bed. “This mattress is harder than a rock. I tossed and turned for most of the night. But not because of the slab of stone I was sleeping on, but because I was waiting for Rone to rush in, guns blazing. Obviously, he didn’t come, or we’d be long gone.”
She sits beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “He’s the Prince of Talaron, Embry. I’m sure he has a lot on his plate. It’s possible he doesn’t even realise you’re missing; the end of the Prince’s Courtship would take all his attention.”
Tears spring to my ice blues. “No, you don’t understand. He was more than just my escort, and more than just the prince. I… I love him, Larry.”
She huffs in surprise and flattens her orange curls in an anxious move. “I think you need to explain. How? When? When they took me from the castle, you and Rone hated each other.”
I give her the rundown on my own enemies to lovers romance. Rone, pretending to be an escort and hiding his royal identity, made me fall head over heels for his surly attitude. Me, scared to let anyone love me, pushed him away until I couldn’t fight it any longer.
She’s amazed at how I convinced Queen Jania to let me sit with the prince for a meal during one of her appraisals, before anyone even knew who he was. Her reactions about the selkie attacks, the death of a grandmother I had only just met, and discovering I have a long-lost twin are befitting of her best friend status. Her inclination to chastise Rone and his actions softens as I tell her about how he stuck by me through all of that, protected me, and made me feel wanted and cherished. I leave out the gory details of our intimacy after the ball, though. No one needs to hear about that. Besides, the memory stings now.
I just want to be close to him again.
“He actually wanted to cut the courtship short and marry you, rather than whoever the winner is?” she asks.
I nod. “But the king said no. At least we’ve found out why; he wanted me here in this prison. Any idea what he wants with us?”
Tears fill her eyes. “The shadow mage takes us away. Every day, it’s a different girl. Th–they experiment on us. He tortures those with stronger magic sometimes. We haven’t figured out what it is he wants. It’s… It’s getting worse, too.”
“We’ll get out of here, Larry. I know it’s hard to see that right now, and we’re all scared, but we will get out.” I grip her hand, squeezing. “The twins are still out there. Juniper and Clovis will search for us. Even my mentor from Orion House, Caspian, will look far and wide. We’re missed, and that counts for something.”
I can almost imagine the twins now as they realise I’m missing. June would plait her long black hair and draw her sword, threatening anyone and everyone for information. Clove would furrow his brow and take to his books in search of answers, not surfacing until he found something.
“Thanks, Em,” she mumbles.
Wanting to distract her from the sadness of being stuck here, I point to a rectangle outline on the wall. “What’s that?”
“Oh,” she says, perking up a little at the change of subject. “That’s the food hatch. Whenever they deliver our meals, they’re sent through the hatch. If we don’t retrieve them after a minute, they take the food back and close it up.”
A buzzing alarm pierces the prison before I can respond, and I jump to my feet, my heart pounding. “What’s that?”
“The king’s advisor is here to take us to the showers. Every day it’s the same. Showers, then breakfast. We’re taken for bathroom breaks four times throughout the day… unless it’s our turn to be taken to the torture room. Dinner is usually served when the girl who was taken returns. You’ll get used to the routine. Come on, we better head out.”
Shadow Man is waiting for us beside the sliding cell door. His thin horseshoe moustache makes me just as furious now as it did the first time I saw him—back on Earth when he shadow hopped me away from my life. I glare at him now, defiance running rampant through my veins.
His deep brown eyes narrow. “Hurry up, Miss Bloom, we don’t have all day.”
I follow Larry as she joins the line of girls waiting by the door, thinking about how I’d take great pleasure in plucking Noxen’s moustache hairs out one by one.
Noxen waves a brown hand through the air, sending twelve dense shadows to obscure our eyes. “Let’s go,” he says.
Larry’s hair tickles my chin as she leans back. “Hold on to my shoulder. The shadow mage leads the way, but if one of us gets lost, the guards won’t feed any of us dinner.”
Gripping her shoulder, I give it a squeeze; I can hear the fear in her tone. Fear for me, fear for the other girls, and fear for herself. The thought encourages my defiance to morph into rage and my helios powers squirm.
That’s right!
My magic stems from the sun, and what is a shadow under the sun’s rays? Gone. It’s damn well gone. I encourage my three helios powers to separate and pry my light away from the heat and electricity. The line moves forward, so I shuffle along with it, concentrating on sending the light to my eyes. My distraction causes me to bump into Larry several times, but she doesn’t complain.
The door clangs shut behind us at the same time I use my powers to push aside the shadows that were blinding me. Not enough for the shadow asshole to notice—I hope—but enough that I can see where we’re going.
I keep my face neutral as Noxen strolls past, on his way back to the front of the line. The last thing I need is him knowing I’ve bested his shadow powers. He’d almost certainly duct tape my eyes closed if he knew.
The corridor outside the white room is what I’d expect from the dungeons of Alston Castle. Within the roughly carved walls, charms glimmer under the light of the floating light orbs, spaced evenly along the length of the corridor. A compacted dirt floor and cells of all shapes and sizes complete the image.
From what I can see as we shuffle along, the underground prison is shaped like a T. Our shared cells are at one end and our bathrooms at the other. How inconvenient. There’s a short corridor stemming from the main path that leads to a spiral staircase.
That’s how we escape.
There aren’t any electronic devices in the main dungeons. No cameras, no buzzing alarms, and no fluorescent lights. That will be an enormous advantage when we escape.
Nearing the door to the bathrooms, I pull back my light magic and let the shadows creep back over my eyes. I couldn’t have held it for much longer without growing fatigued from the use. Fates, I desperately need that onyx stone back. How long can I use my powers for without losing my mind?
I’m not sure I want to find out.
The line moves again and I follow it into the bathroom block. Goosebumps pebble my skin as soon as I enter; it’s colder in here than in the corridor.
From behind me, Noxen says, “You have fifteen minutes.” He lifts the shadows from our faces and a door thuds from behind. We’re locked in.
Ten of the girls set about showering while Holly and I take in the room.
Across one wall of the long, narrow space, twelve shower heads jut out over sinks from the white tile, with no partitions or walls to separate each of them. Along the opposite wall, twelve toilets. Again, there are no doors for privacy, but at least they have a half wall between them. The middle of the room is host to two benches with white clothes and towels stacked in twelve neat piles.
Accustomed to the degradation of being a prisoner, the other girls are already washing themselves, looking anywhere but at their neighbour. I follow suit, stripping and taking the last remaining shower space. As I scrub my body with the hard white soap, I find myself curious about the charms lining the walls.
