Free Web NovelChapter 55: Chapter 55
Riley’s POV
I feel weak.
Not just physically weak but mentally weak too, like everything is happening too fast and my brain cannot keep up anymore. Three days. Three days before they decide whether to use me as bait or drain me slowly in front of thousands of monsters.
I sit on the cold floor of my cell, my back resting against the damp wall, my knees pulled to my chest. I try to breathe slowly but my chest keeps tightening.
Suddenly something slides roughly across the floor and hits my foot.
I flinch hard and look down quickly.
It is a plate.
A real plate with actual food on it.
I turn my head to the side and see him.
A young man is sitting inside the cell next to mine. There are iron bars separating us but I can see him clearly. He does not look like a Blood Tither. He does not have that cold, predatory look in his eyes. He looks tired. Pale. Human.
"You might need that for your strength," he says quietly. "I managed to steal it today."
I blink at him.
Steal?
I look back at the plate. It is not the disgusting scraps they usually throw at me. This looks fresh. Real meat. Bread. Something that smells good. Very good.
But wait.
"You stole it?" I ask slowly. "How are you able to steal and not able to escape?"
He smiles slightly and leans his head back against the stone wall inside his own cell.
"That is a very fair question," he replies calmly.
I narrow my eyes at him.
"If you can leave your cell to steal food," I continue, "then why are you still here?"
He does not answer immediately. Instead he studies me like he is trying to memorize my face.
"I have waited to meet you for a long time, Riley Grayson," he says softly.
My heart skips.
"You know my name?" I ask quickly.
He lets out a quiet breath. "Your name was not originally Riley Grayson. Do you know that?"
I almost laugh.
Okay.
Now I am sure he is crazy.
"My name is not my name?" I chuckle weakly. "That sounds pretty ridiculous, mister."
I pick up the plate and take a bite because honestly I am starving and if this is my last good meal then I am not wasting it.
The taste hits me and I freeze.
It is really good.
Very good.
This is not prison food. This is something prepared properly. Something stolen from somewhere important.
I start eating faster.
"Where did you even get this?" I ask between bites.
He watches me carefully.
"I told you," he says. "I stole it."
"How?" I insist. "How are you walking around this place and not being killed?"
He smiles again but this time it does not reach his eyes.
"Because they do not see me as a threat," he replies quietly.
I pause for a second and then continue eating because I need the energy.
"I know you will doubt it at first," he continues. "And that is fine. But you should know something."
I do not look up at him.
"Your real name is Aemoria Morvayne Emberwyn."
The food stops halfway to my mouth.
"What?" I ask slowly.
"Aemoria Morvayne Emberwyn," he repeats clearly.
I stare at him.
"Seriously?" I say and shake my head. "That sounds like something out of a fantasy novel."
I snort slightly and resume eating because this is ridiculous.
"That is not my name," I say firmly. "My name is Riley Grayson."
He stays silent for a moment.
"You must never let anyone know your real name," he says finally.
I roll my eyes slightly.
"No one," he continues more seriously. "If you do, you will be in great danger. Just like your parents were."
The plate slips from my hands instantly.
It crashes against the floor loudly, food scattering across the stone.
My heart starts beating violently.
"What did you just say?" I whisper.
He leans forward slightly, his expression serious now.
"Your parents," he repeats quietly. "You do not know what truly happened to them, do you?"
I stand up slowly, gripping the bars between our cells tightly.
"My parents died in a car accident," I say sharply. "That is what happened." freewebnøvel.coɱ
He studies my face.
"That is what you were told," he corrects calmly.
My breathing becomes uneven.
"Stop," I say quickly. "Stop talking."
"They were not ordinary humans," he continues anyway. "And neither are you."
"Shut up," I snap, my voice rising.
"They were hunted," he says. "For what they were"
I shake my head aggressively.
"No," I whisper. "No, you are lying."
He shakes his head slightly.
"The name Aemoria Morvayne Emberwyn belongs to a bloodline older than Obsidian Veil and older than the Blood Tithers," he says. "A bloodline that was nearly wiped out."
My hands start trembling on the bars.
"You are insane," I say weakly. "This is insane."
He looks almost sad.
"You think it is a coincidence that the Blood Tithers’ leader personally infiltrated Obsidian Veil and took you himself?" he asks. "You think it is random that you drained a scout without touching him?"
My stomach twists painfully.
"I did not do anything," I say, fear crawling up my spine instantly.
"Exactly," he replies.
I stare at him.
"How do you know all this?" I demand. "Who the hell are you?"
He hesitates.
"My name is Banel," he says finally. "And I was assigned to watch you."
My heart drops again.
"Watch me?" I repeat.
"Not in here," he says quickly. "Before. Long before."
My mind spins.
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"When your parents were killed," he says quietly, "you were taken and hidden. Your identity was erased. Your name was changed."
"That is not possible," I say immediately. "I remember my childhood."
"You remember what they allowed you to remember," he replies.
I step back from the bars.
"This is too much," I say to him, feeling anger rose inside me" Stop talking"
"You were placed with a normal family," he continues. "Raised as human. Kept away from anything supernatural."
I shake my head repeatedly.
"Why would anyone do that?" I ask.
"To protect you," he answers instantly.
"From who?" I shout.
"From them," he says quietly.
My stomach sinks.
"The Mountain Dires. Wild Ravens. Blood Tithers. Rogues, Vampires, Witches, Werewolves and more especially the Satyres have been searching for the last Emberwyn heir for years," he says. "They never found you."
"Then how did they find me now?" I ask quickly.
He looks at me carefully.
"You went to Obsidian Veil," he says simply.
My chest tightens.
"The energy there awakened what was sleeping inside you," he continues. "It made your blood react."
I feel dizzy.
"No," I whisper. "This is not real."
"You drained that scout," he says. "You did not even realize it. Your blood does that when threatened."
I remember the moment.
The scout attacking.
The sudden weakness that hit him.
My heart pounds.
"You carry ancient power," Bane says quietly. "And if they learn your true name, if they learn exactly who you are, they will not wait three days."
Fear grips me completely.
"What will they do?" I ask softly.
He looks directly into my eyes.
"They will drain you slowly," he says. "Until nothing is left."
Tears burn in my eyes but I refuse to cry. freēwēbnovel.com
"Why are you telling me this?" I demand. "If you were sent to watch me then whose side are you on?"
He looks away for a moment.
"I was sent to protect you," he admits.
My breath catches.
"By who?" I ask sharply.
He hesitates again."By your mother," he says finally.
The world stops.
"She died," I say automatically.
"That is what you were told," he repeats again.
I feel like the walls are closing in around me.
"This is not funny," I say weakly. "This is not something you joke about."
"I am not joking," he says firmly.
Footsteps echo loudly down the corridor.
We both go silent instantly.
Bane leans back against his wall casually like nothing happened.
Two guards walk past slowly, glancing into our cells before continuing.
When the hallway goes quiet again, I grip the bars tightly.
"If what you are saying is true," I continued, "then why am I here?"
He looks at me seriously.
"Because Laden suspects," he says. "But he does not know yet."
"And if he finds out?" I ask.
Bane’s expression darkens.
"Then Obsidian Veil will not be the only place that will be ruined."
My plate still lies shattered on the floor.
My heart is racing so hard it feels painful.
"You must never tell anyone your real name," he repeats firmly. "Not Laden. Not the council. Not even the Alphas."
I swallow hard.
"Why not the Alphas?" I ask.
He looks at me carefully.
"Because once your name is spoken in full by someone powerful," he says slowly, "it awakens you completely."
A chill runs through me. "I do not even believe you," I add, shaking my head.
"You will," he says quietly. "Soon."
I slide down slowly to the floor, my back against the wall again.
My mind is spinning.
Aemoria Morvayne Emberwyn.
The name echoes inside my head and I hate how it feels familiar.
"No," I say to myself. "My name is Riley."
Bane watches me silently from the next cell.
"Whatever you believe," he says softly, "just remember one thing."
I look at him.
"They did not take you by accident."
