Chapter 221

Chapter 221

CAS SANDRA

A manipulation?

My head began to ache as I tried to make sense of all that Kaleb had said. Had Emmett’s interference in saving me from the inferno truly been more than just an act of kindness and heroism?

As I thought of Emmett, I remembered the unfinished sentence Emmett had said to me in that dream.

I left something for you, Cas sandra, and you’re the only one who could use it. And the thing

I felt suffocated by all of this. Between the n*ecklace, my revealed identity, being taken to a foreign land, the downplayed marriage proposal, and now this business with Emmett and his sorcery, I felt as if I were about to break into a million pieces. There was simply too much going on at once, and I couldn’t handle any of it.

I wanted to tell Kaleb that everything he’d uttered was wrong- deeply, horribly, completely wrong, but I couldn’t let out a word. The lump in my throat felt like a boulder and my heart kept skipping in my chest. As I swam with dizziness, I began to wonder if I was about to pass out, but I managed to steady myself before my knees could buckle.

Kaleb studied me for a second and then took a step toward me. “I didn’t mean to push you, but you needed to know that Emmett wasn’t a great man. I couldn’t let you continue on with this idea of him. He used you. That’s all he knew back then. Deception”

He paused for a moment and then continued. “Did you know how my father discovered that Asher’s father was involved. with sorcery?”

“No,” I managed to say, but my voice was utterly quiet

“It wasn’t a coincidence,” he replied. “The way it happened, I mean, I had mentioned it briefly before, when we spoke in Anemond…Years ago, Emmett visited Asher’s father and told him that he knew of a way to become immortal. The former Alpha King, well fascinated by the idea, decided to listen to Emmett. Emmett was lying, of course, because there’s no such sorcery that could bring one immortality. Eternal life is nothing more than a myth.”

The Northern king paused, but I didn’t utter a sound. I had little to say until I knew the full story. Just as he’d said, he’d mentioned something about Asher’s father seeking out immortality, and though the details were fuzzy, I swore that he’d mentioned the Felix family in that story.

“The Alpha King asked Emmett why he hadn’t used magic to make himself immortal,” Kaleb continued. “If he knew the trick to it, why was he still mortal? He doubted Emmett’s proclamations at once.”

“Does this have a point?” I wondered.

“Be patient,” he sighed, and irritation flashed across his features. “Emmett managed to come up with an explanation to satisfy the king’s questions. He said that a sorcerer was not able to use the magic on themselves because the ability to cast spells shortened their life spans considerably. Most sorcerers and sorceresses weren’t able to live past 40 years old. And to be an immortal required sacrifice. Since Emmett had no family, he had no one to sacrifice.”

I tried to make sense of it all. Was there any truth to that? If Emmett hadn’t died in the woods, would he have passed away by age forty?

“Was the king convinced?” I wondered.

Kaleb shot me an impish frim. “He did. He began to consider the idea greatly. Living eternally meant eternal power. If he were to continue on past his intended years, he could remain king forever. It was an enticing offer for a man such as that.”

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Chapter 221

I shook my head slowly

“When it came to the matter of sacrifice, there was little to consider,” Kaleb mused. “There was no one the king reall about at that time except his only son, Asher Collins.”

“He would never do that,” I insisted. “The king would never have sacrificed Asher. Their relationship was complex, but he would never agree to sacrifice Asher:”

“But he did,” Kaleb revealed. The king agreed to sacrifice his son for the greatness of his own soul”

“I_I don’t understand,” I said as another touch of dizziness came over me. Asher was clearly alive and well. So, what did any

of this mean?

“He decided of his own volition,” he said with a shrug. “At the end of the day, the king’s power meant more to him than his own son. Emmett was surprised by this. It was all a test, of course, to prove what kind of man the king truly was. If he had shown any sign of remorse for killing sorcerers in the past things may have ended differently.”

“So, what did he do?” I asked.

“Emmett deliberately allowed Darrin Felix, the Beta, to find out about this plot,” Kaleb stated, and my heart plummeted in my chest. “He wanted him to know what kind of man he was serving. Darrin Felix was a loyal and righteous man. He tried to persuade his king and convince him to make a different choice. He believed making a sacrifice like that would destroy Wegalla, But the king was determined. He didn’t care who he had to destroy.”

I fought to catch my breath and my lower l*p trembled in shock.

“So, that’s why my father had to die,” I surmised. “Because he turned against the king?”

“He never truly betrayed the king,” Kaleb said gently. “Even at the last minute, he didn’t tell others what the king had planned to do. He simply accepted his fate and allowed his family name to go up in flames, so to speak.”

My eyes felt sore and tears welled up instantly. I bit my l*p to control the urge to cry. But as I stared at Kaleb, a thought crossed my mind and a sarcastic laugh escaped me.

“This all sounds well and good, but it’s all a lie. I accused through my laughter. “There’s no way you could know the details of all of this.”

“Don’t be so sure,” he replied evenly. “You know what I said is true. I can see it in your eyes. You know your father isn’t a

traitor.”

I turned away from him, but he continued anyway.

“Despite Darrin Felix’s attempts at dissuasion, the king actually went through with the sacrifice,” Kaleb noted. “Though tragically, he died before he could discover it was all a lie. He never achieved the immortality he so desperately sought.”

“But Asher didn’t die,” I said, and I turned back to face Kaleb, “I don’t understand.”

“Sacrifice didn’t mean death,” the Northern King replied. “That’s not what Emmett wanted from the king. It was control. A price was paid, Ca ssandra. Haven’t you noticed something isn’t right with your Alpha King? With his b*dy?”

I was instantly stunned.

Did he mean the black marks?

Was he talking about the disease? Had Emmett inflicted it as punishment for Asher’s father’s wrongdoings?

Just as I began to panir, Kaleb reached out to me and gently touched my face. I stiffened at his touch, and when he pulled back his hand, 1 noticed wetness on the tips of his fingers.

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