Darklight 6: Darkbirth by Bella Forrest

Author:Bella Forrest [Forrest, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2020-03-31T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The younger Ruk let out a playful laugh, but he snapped back to his hesitant self in a second. "What do you mean, ruler? I know little of stones, and less of how they get here or there."

I knew what was going to happen, yet I was still drawn into the moment, watching these two intelligent, eager, and curious creatures meet for the first time before anything was dark and brutal and stained by betrayal.

Irrikus eyed Ruk intensely. "Don't be modest," Irrikus insisted. My breath caught as I watched the scene unfolding. This was Irrikus from the beginning. Even before he began to intentionally manipulate for his own cruel ends, he knew how to flatter and coax and smile to get the response he wanted. "You created something incredible. I've guessed that you are the all-powerful being who created the gates. What do they call you?"

Ruk paused, mulling over his response. A small smile played on his lips. "My name is Ruk. You may call me that."

The Ruk in the memories continued to smile, but present-Ruk watched with an expression I could only describe as mournful. From some of the things he’d said previously, I knew he had come to trust Irrikus and view him as a friend. How it must hurt him to relive this moment that started it all, knowing now that it would end with him being imprisoned for nine hundred years. I said nothing, but a new well of understanding for Ruk opened up inside me. He’d been taken in by a being who knew how to enchant without even using magic. Charm and flattery might be the most dangerous weapons of all.

"You fascinate me, Ruk," Irrikus drawled and lifted his hand. "I have power, but nothing like this. From the reports I’ve heard about you, I know you must be wise beyond anything I can imagine." He paused, seeming to grow suddenly nervous. “I must admit that I came here with a proposition for whatever creature I discovered was the maker of these gates.”

"Assuming I am the creator of these gates," Ruk said slowly, “what proposition were you going to bring?”

Irrikus pressed his hand against his temple with a disarming smile. "With my knowledge of my kind and your vast capabilities, I would like to create an alliance between the two of us, for our mutual benefit. There are things we can offer one another.”

"Perhaps," Ruk replied noncommittally. "Although, honestly, I don't see what you have to offer me."

A sharp, angry flash sparked in Irrikus's eyes, but it was so demented in appearance that I wondered if it actually happened. Was this current Ruk, projecting to add hindsight to the fatally significant expression he missed?

“I am soon to secure a place on the Immortal Council in Itzarriol,” he said. “I have connections and access to all the great libraries of our city, filled with books written by every caste. I can offer you my current knowledge, the experience of the Immortal Council, and all the dark soul energy at my disposal.

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