Chapter 3
Two weeks later, everything changes and goes to hell.
It starts with Marcus screaming. I'm in the kitchens helping Cook prepare lunch when we heard the sound echoes through the castle. No it wasn't the usual screams - the ones we're all used to those. This is different. It sounded like a cry for help,it was raw and desperate. The kind of sound that comes only from someone who's finally been pushed too far.
"Poor boy," Cook mutters, but she doesn't stop chopping the vegetables. " I always wondered when that one would break."she said without pity.
I immediately drop the plate I'm holding. It shatters against the stone floor, but I'm already running.
The screaming is coming from Vorthak's private study. I take the stairs three at a time, my heart pounding against my ribs. The guards at the door don't stop me, they already know I'm allowed anywhere in the castle.
I burst through the doors and freeze at the sight.
Marcus is chained to the wall, naked and bleeding. There are fresh cuts across his chest and arms. But that's not the worst part. The worst part is what's on the table beside him.
A small pile of fingers. It looks like child-sized fingers. I screamed in horror nearly throwing up.
"Ah, Kael," Vorthak says without looking up from his blade. "Perfect timing. I was just explaining to young Marcus here about the consequences of defiance."
"You said you'd keep him safe," Marcus said as he sobs, staring at the severed fingers. "You said if I behaved, you'd protect my little brother."he screamed but Vorthak didn't flinch one but.
Instead he shrugs. "I lied. The boy was getting expensive to feed anyway." He picks up one of the small fingers, examining it like it's a piece of art. "Though I must say, he screamed beautifully at the end. Just like you're doing now."
Something immediately snaps inside me.
Maybe it's the casual way he talks about murdering a child. Or maybe it's the sight of Marcus, he's barely more than a kid himself ,but here he is broken and bleeding. Or maybe it's three years of rage finally boiling and spilling over.
I don't think my actions through, I just move in fury.
The letter opener is sitting on his desk, I don't think,I just grab it and throw it at him, aiming for his throat.
It almost hit him,but he dodges it last minute.
Vorthak's reflexes are inhumanly fast. He catches my wrist just inches from his neck, his grip is like iron. "Now that...," he says, sounding almost impressed, "was unexpected and very impressive."he added smirking
The letter opener drops to the floor. His hand tightens around my wrist until I feel my bones grinding together. I grit my teeth to prevent myself from crying out.
"Three years of obedience, and now this? he asked with a raised brow. What could have made you react this way, I wonder?" His red eyes search my face."Ah, I get it now,he said pointing to Marcus.You see yourself in him, don't you? The frightened little village rat who thought he could resist me."he let out a mocking laughter.
I knew he was right, but I won't give him the satisfaction of admitting it.
"Let him go," I say through clenched teeth. "Kill me instead."
Vorthak throws back his head and laughs. "Kill you? Oh, my dear Kael, death would be far too merciful. No, I think it's time for a different lesson entirely."
He releases my wrist and walks over to his bookshelf. Behind the leather-bound volumes is a hidden compartment. From it, he pulls out an ornate wooden box covered in strange symbols that seem to move and shift when I look at them directly.
"Do you know what this is?" he asks, setting the box on his desk with surprising care.
I shake my head.
"This is a soul mirror, he said tracing his fingers on it. It contains ancient magic, and is incredibly rare. It was a gift from a rather desperate sorcerer who owed me a considerable debt." He traces one of the symbols with his finger, and it glows briefly. "The magic is quite simple, really. It swaps the souls of two people, placing each consciousness in the other's body."he smirked l.
When the voice registered in my brain,I screamed "You're insane."
"Am I? Think about it, Kael. You want to know what real power feels like? You want to understand what it's like to hold life and death in your hands? Well then, here's your chance." His smile is pure malice. "Of course, that would mean I'd be in your body. Your worthless weak, mortal, and utterly powerless body. I wonder how long I'd survive in the dungeons with the other prisoners?"
He's bluffing, my intrusive thoughts screamed,He has to be, there's no reasonable explanation to this madness. No one would risk something that insane just to prove a point.
But then I look at his eyes, and I realize he's not bluffing at all. He's completely serious.
"You're scared," I whisper. "You're actually scared of what I might do with your power."I said trying to talk him out of this nonsense.
"What do you mean by scared?" He says as he opens the box, revealing two perfectly polished mirrors about the size of dinner plates. "No, Kael. I'm curious. Curious to see if three years have truly broken you, or if there's still some of that defiant little boy left inside."
The mirrors begin to glow with a soft, silver light. I shiver, noticing the drop in temperature.
"However, this process is irreversible," he continues without fear like he's discussing the weather. "Once activated, the soul mirror can never be used again. So choose carefully. Accept this gift and become what you've always dreamed of being or spend the rest of your very short life wondering 'what if.'"
Marcus has gone quiet, watching our exchange with wide, terrified eyes. He knows he's witnessing something that's going to change everything.
I stare at the glowing mirrors, my mind racing. This is insane, I thought. Vorthak with my human body would be vulnerable, that I am sure of but he'd still have centuries of experience, knowledge, cunning. And me on the other hand in his body? I'd have power I don't understand, a demon physiology I've never dealt with, and every enemy he's ever made coming for me.
I know it's insane and I almost back out,but then I think about Marcus's little brother. I think of all the other slaves,of Lyra's dead eyes and Senna's broken mind. I remembered my village burning while I watched helplessly from the slave cart.
And most importantly,I thought about three years of being powerless while this monster destroyed everything good in the world.
"Do it," I say my mind made up.
Vorthak's eyebrows rise. "Just like that? No negotiation? No begging for mercy?"
"You said you wanted to see if I'm still defiant?" I step toward the mirrors, feeling their strange energy wash over me. "Here's your answer."
"Fascinating he says." He moves to stand across from me, placing his hands on one mirror while I place mine on the other. "Any last words, my dear pet?"
I meet his gaze and smile. For the first time in three years, it's a real smile. "Yeah. Go fuck yourself."
The mirrors explode with light. Pain like I've never felt before washes through my body. It's like being turned inside out while on fire and drowning all at the same time. I feel my soul being ripped away from everything I've ever known.
The last thing I see before I lose consciousness is Vorthak's shocked face as he realizes what we've done.
When I wake up, everything is different.
I'm lying on the floor, but I'm much stronger and taller now. I can feel power coursing through my veins and when I open my eyes, the world looks sharper, and colors are more vivid.
Across the room, someone is groaning and trying to sit up. Someone in my old body, moving with Vorthak's arrogant grace despite being trapped in human flesh.
I look down at my hands, Holy shit. It actually worked.