The grin on Wolfbane's face was disgusting, but he released Ferdinand. He whimpered and panted, trying to catch his breath as Cage's words poisoned the air between them.

"But I don't want it," he said. "Fherras played his cards, and I've long accepted that. You will be king, Fer."

"Why should I be?" Ferdinand's voice was little more than a whisper. "Why, when I don't have the birthright?"

"You do as far as everyone knows. You have more legitimacy than me in the eyes of the people." Cage wasn't sure why he was saying all this. Not that it mattered much when they were both imprisoned by Woflbane. But somehow, he didn't want to lose his brother's love, his respect.

"My legitimacy is based on a lie." His voice sounded so defeated that Cage wanted to tear Wolfbane's head off. "Why didn't you tell me?"

This was why. Because Cage had always known that Ferdinand would not accept the injustice. He would want to do what was fair, what was right. Which was why he would be a much better king than Cage could ever be.

"I swore to mother that I wouldn't. I... swore to my king." The last words fought their way out of his mouth. "And I am no fool. I recognize the truth. You will make a much better king than I ever could.

"Are you sure?" Wolfbane stepped close to Fer again, his grin filled with malice. "Are you sure he will make a good king?"

"Yes, you abomination," Cage spat out. "I'm sure."

Wolfbane slid a jagged blade dagger from a scabbard underneath his cloak and placed the tip against Ferdinand's stomach. He flinched at the contact. "Allow me to disagree."

The blood rushed to Cage's head as the effects of their imprisonment suddenly became clear. "What do you want, Wolfbane? You got me."

"True, I did." He pressed the blade into Ferdinand's skin. Blood stained his shirt, but he sucked air through his teeth and didn't cry out in pain.

"So have at me and let him go."

"I can take it, Kale," Fer said, his voice trembling with pain.

"No, you can't! And you! There will be hell to pay if you hurt the crown prince, no matter who you think I should be! What the fuck do you want anyway? I bet Fherras would give you anything, that Fer himself will reward you once he is king--"

Wolfbane laughed so loudly, Cage fell silent at once. "You think I'm searching for the king's favor?"

"I think you're actually trying to strongarm him into something."

"Oh, no." The blade sank deeper, and this time Ferdinand cried out. "I don't care for anything your king can offer. Because he could never stop me from getting it myself."

Cage struggled against the bonds harder than ever. One of the legs of the chair broke from its fixture. The following second, all his muscles burned in pain as they tensed, impeding all movement. Wolfbane had one of his arms reaching out towards him. There was no trace of a smile on his face now.

"I should stop underestimating you, boy."

He really should, but Cage didn't like this new approach. It hurt to breathe, much like it did when Cecil caught him in a similar magic hold. He'd been so dismissive of her attempts to convince him to free himself, but he realized he really could have used that skill right there. Instead, he was frozen in his chair, no longer held by the iron cuffs, but the agony inside his own body. It only sent his magic into a frenzy, and it now felt as if he were not just getting crushed from the inside out, but on fire, too.

Still, he pushed words out. "What...are you trying... to get... from this?"

"Trying to get?" Wolfbane's voice was musing now, but he kept his evil yellow eyes on Cage. "That's what you fools don't understand. You, that pitiful king of yours, that pathetic steward of Endir... I don't care! About Iride, about Endir, about fucking Tallia or the Southern Isles. You are all the same. Looking for order. I abhor order."

The dagger dug deeper into Ferdinand's stomach and blood gushed out of his mouth. Cage fought against the magic bond. It only tightened the hold, making it hard to breathe.

"The only thing that matters in this world is power. And you know what gives power? Magic! They call me a collector, but I'm much more than that. I'm a consumer. And I will consume all the magic out of this wretched world. And it will tremble before my power."

Cage would've laughed if he had the ability. He had no idea what real magic was, what Cecile and even Alathea were capable of. For them, using magic was like breathing. They were using it like a weapon, and that was not its purpose.

Wolfbane's focused expression morphed into a blood curdling grin. The blade moved upwards, cutting through Ferdinand.

"No, what are you doing? Stop!" Cage tried harder, but his muscles wouldn't move. The sharp pain made him nauseous and lightheaded as his skin burned. Magic was taking its toll, punishing him for thinking he could control it.

The blade kept riding up as Ferdinand screamed. It was drowned by the blood gurgling in his throat. Wolfbane wasn't stopping, his yellow eyes fixed on Cage. The magical hold on him only tightened, and he wondered if it would kill him from the inside out, if Wolfbane's sick face was the last thing he would see. Ferdinand getting cut open in front of him. Tears stung his eyes, but even they couldn't move down his face.

The door burst open. Wolfbane turned his attention towards it, and Cage could take in a deep breath. Someone collided with the giant body, but not strongly enough to bring him down, given the sheer size of him. With a snarl, Wolfbane tore the dagger out of Ferdinand and swiped at the newcomer. Trix jumped out of the way, but not fast enough to avoid a cut to his forearm.

Three other pirates burst into the room, but Trix threw his hand out towards them and sent them rolling back out into the hallway with magic, slamming the door after them. Wolfbane grinned, but it was tinted with annoyance.

"Ah, one of the magical ones. You weren't as stupid as to come alone, were you, Kale?"

Cage struggled against the magical bond again. Even if it was weaker now, lessened by Wolfbane's divided attention, he still couldn't break it. He tried to bring the lightning to his fingers, but his magic refused to behave, smothering him in return.

Trix slid his sword out of its sheath, a snarl on his face, and charged at Wolfbane again. The pirate turned away from Cage completely and used his magic to paralyze Trix instead. He froze in mid-stride and dropped to the floor. Cage drew in a deep breath and focused his own magic on the iron cuffs. He jerked as hard as he could, and they fell to the floor with a loud clang.

Before he was on his feet, Wolfbane had turned to face him again, holding his dagger against Trix's throat.

"You might still get to save this one," he said, his voice strained.

Trix didn't seem to want to be saved because he drove an elbow into Wolfbane's stomach. The pirate cursed furious, and blood made its way down Trix's neck as the blade nicked his skin. Wolfbane growled and sunk his claws into Trix's shoulder. He groaned in pain and froze once Wolfbane pushed the tip of the dagger right under his jaw.

Cage took this in as his body shook of the remainder of the magical hold. Then, even if he didn't want to, his gaze moved to Ferdinand. The prince sat still in his chair, slumped, his entire torso carved open, like the hanging doors of a grotesque dresser. Through the mess of skin, muscle, and flesh, Cage could see his heart.

It was no longer beating.

He reached out a trembling hand, wondering if he'd be able to heal, to get it starting again. Save his brother and the heir to the throne of Iride.

"Don't. Move." Wolfbane warned.

Trix sucked air through his teeth, but Cage didn't care. He couldn't take his eyes off his brother. Off what was left of him. Eviscerated without reason, just because Wolfbane could. Just because he had magic and he answered to no one and nothing.

"The same fate awaits your friend if-- Aaah!"

Cage looked up just as Trix removed his bare hands from Wolfbane's face and fell to the floor, thrashing and moaning. Wolfbane himself dropped the dagger and stumbled back into Ferdinand, throwing him off the chair and to the floor.

For some reason, it was seeing the helpless body splayed across the floor that did it. In the blink of an eye, Cage's body was engulfed by a heat he was well too familiar with. His first impulse was to rein it back in, be terrified that the monster still existed. But the agony inside him and the grief replaced any rational thought, and he let it out.

The sharp pain of breaking bones twisted his body, but he could barely feel it. It was nothing compared to the storm inside his heart. His fingers burned as they morphed into claws, and fangs replaced his teeth. He didn't stop the transformation halfway like he'd done when facing the sea serpent. This time, he let it all out, retreating into the safety of darkness.

He and the beast wanted the same thing. To grow bigger and stronger. To slash, bite, and destroy. Even as he let the monster take over, he became aware that he could still control it. And he knew exactly what he wanted it to do.

In the blink of an eye, he was upon Wolfbane. The pirate stared with terrified eyes and jabbed his dagger. It grazed the beast's ribs, and it snarled.

Move past it. You don't care. You never cared before.

Its fangs sunk into Wolfbane's throat, tearing it out, while the claws dug and slashed into every bit of flesh they could reach. He knew Wolfbane was dead the moment the taste of his blood changed. But it wasn't enough, nowhere near enough for the beast. Its hungry eyes focused on the next target that was lying on the floor, still moaning, his hands clasped around his head. The beast leaped.

No!

That was Trix. He wouldn't harm Trix. The beast would have to look for targets elsewhere. There was an abundance of them outside the door. He let the beast get to it, tear through it, tear through the men on the other side.

This time, he didn't need to focus. There was no need to. He let the monster inside him have its way, ignoring the splashes of blood on his face, the taste of it on his tongue. It didn't matter. The fangs, the claws, the broken bones. The blood, the screaming, and the dead. None of it mattered when Ferdinand was dead, cut open by a magic-wielding monster who wanted nothing.

Just like me.

He'd failed. He'd set out to rescue Ferdinand and make things right again, and he'd failed. There was no making it right anymore.

The beast could have its way.

🌟

Kat had felt the moment someone had hurt Cage, and it had put their plan in motion. As they snuck off the boat and onto the jagged rocks, she'd focused as hard as she could on their bond, trying to determine what was happening. It caused her to almost slip and break her neck and earned her a hissed lecture from Jinx.

"One thing at a time, Kat," Jazz said, his tone much calmer. "As long as you don't drop dead, he's fine."

Maybe it was supposed to be a joke, but it only brought a bout of fear to her, and she did her best not to think about it, even as her heart thumped against her ribs as if to indicate that she was still alive.

Alathea helped them navigate the rocky beach to a set of smooth steps carved into the cliffside. Once they started climbing, she had to put her entire focus into not sliding down to her death. That would put a quick end to Cage's adventure as well.

At one point, they reached a wooden platform that seemed to be leading along the side of the ship-like building, like a sort of balcony. Jazz faltered, his eyes turning white for a moment, after which he nodded, and the three of them started an agonizingly slow advance toward the building.

It was very dark, but they didn't dare shed a light on their narrow path for fear of discovery. After a while, they could see people shifting on what used to be the deck. They seemed alarmed as they shuffled towards the two doors leading inside.

"I think it's safe to assume that Cage and Trix have been discovered," Jazz said, his tone much too calm.

"Then let's hurry up," Kat said, trying to bypass Jinx.

"Not unless you want to take an arrow through the throat," Jinx snapped. "Let's reach safe ground first."

Why did she always have to be so negative? "They're all busy attacking Cage and Trix!" Even if she couldn't feel Cage getting hurt anymore. "They won't see us."

As if to prove her wrong, Jazz twirled and sent one of his throwing knives into the darkness. A grunt and a thump proved he'd hit his target.

"First rule of battle," he said in the same calm voice. "Never underestimate your opponents."

"They're out there!" someone shouted.

"Now we hurry." Jinx followed Jazz, who had picked up the pace considerably.

Kat hurried to catch up with them and not slip off into the darkness. Jinx lit her hands to make it easier to see the plank under their feet, then launched a fireball towards the entrance. Kat saw it hitting its target while two other men fell once Jazz's knives hit theirs. She pulled out her crossbow and stopped for a second to drive an arrow through another pirate making his way out.

The closer they came to the door, the more they could hear the ruckus. People were shouting, the screams filled with fear.

"What the fuck happened?" Jinx mumbled as the three of them reached the door.

The corridor beyond it was strewn with bloodied bodies. Kat's stomach jumped into her throat. She didn't think she'd ever seen a body before. Hurt people yes, but not ones slashed open and left to die on dirty floors. The number of them was overwhelming, as was the metallic smell of blood tainting the air. Her insides heaved with the need to vomit as she caught sight of a particularly disfigured man. Did anyone deserve this? But with that question, she realized the obvious. Those men they'd killed were not out there to attack them. They were trying to escape. But escape what?

"This way," Jazz said, hurrying along the hallway, jumping over bodies.

Kat started off after him, doing her best to ignore the blood bathing her boots, the stench of death which seemed to fill the entire building. Her stomach still churned, on the very brink of emptying its contents. She focused on the ceiling instead, but once she found traces of blood there as well, she decided that Jazz's back was a lot more interesting.

They climbed another two floors, all of them filled with varying numbers of bodies. It became increasingly hard not to stumble, but they could finally see a new door which appeared to be leading outside. It was hanging half off its hinges, letting in more panicked screams and faint moonlight.

"Jazz."

The three of them froze and turned to glance over their shoulders. Trix leaned against the wall, a body slung over his shoulder. His shirt was drenched in blood and he sounded odd, as if he were both annoyed and desperate. Both his eyes were visible, and the light in them sent a shiver down Kat's spine. His hands were bare.

"What happened?" Jinx asked at once.

Trix winced as though in pain and gritted his teeth. The tension in his jaw was visible even in the dim light. His eyes drooped closed and when he opened them again, they were yellow and with a slit pupil.

Kat stepped back and hit her shoulder against the wall. Her heart thundered in her chest as realization came to her. The beast. All the death around her, it was Cage. But that didn't explain Trix suffering from it as well. Unless... Her eyes drifted to his fingers curled around the body he was carrying.

Trix shook his head and his eyes went back to normal. "We need to leave. Now."

"Okay," Jazz said, accepting his warning without hesitation. "Do you need help with..." His eyes drifted towards the body and he tilted his head in confusion.

"No, let's move."

"Come on, Kat," Jinx said, lighting her hands and leading the way outside.

Kat did the same, though she regretted it almost instantly. The flickering light made the bodies look even eerier. Even so, she steeled herself and followed Jinx outside, Jazz and Trix bringing up the rear.

The deck was filled with screaming men. A few of them had weapons out, but it was hard to take aim when their target moved like a ghost among them. To the far side of the platform, a giant shadow was engaged in battle with four men.

Kat's very insides seemed to freeze as she took in the very familiar shape of the beast. She'd thought that after so long, she would no longer fear or remember it. But she was brought back to when her wit and an iron dagger were the only things standing between her and death. After Cecile broke the curse, she expected to never have to face this monster again. And yet, here it was covered in blood, tearing away through screaming sailors.

"Shit," Jazz said between his teeth.

He glanced over her shoulder at their portion of the deck. It was free, the remaining pirates focused on either getting away or trying to bring the beast down. Trix had stopped behind them, panting, still holding on to that lone body. The shadows of more men appeared from the direction of the land, walking the large plank onto the once-deck.

"Cage can't fend all of them off," Jinx said, taking a step forward and launching flames toward the newcomers.

Kat did the same, sending a spiral out in the direction of the beast.

"Trix, are you alright?" Jazz asked.

Trix just growled, but Kat had stepped too far away to discern if there were words. Jinx had been right. Too many men had surrounded the beast, digging their weapons into its flanks. She was a little shocked that she couldn't feel the pain, as if that monster before them wasn't Cage.

But he is. And I have to get him out! That, she was sure of.

Jazz appeared to her other side and flung a handful of pirates away, his face scrunched in concentration. Kat redoubled her efforts as well, but the use of magic was draining her too fast, so she stopped the fire spiral and pulled out her sword instead.

Lights turned on in the buildings on the shoreline, which could only mean they'd alerted Wolfbane's entire posse and maybe the legend himself. They would be overrun soon enough.

"We need to get out," Jazz said, as if reading her mind. He glanced over his shoulder again. "Trix! Can we go down that way?"

Kat guessed he meant the ladder Cage and Trix gad used to get on which was right behind them. If they could get Cage back, it would be the easiest way to escape.

Trix mumbled something she didn't catch as she crossed swords with a man a head taller than her. Jazz threw him off her with a flick of his wrist, even if both his swords were out.

"Then drop the damn body!" he snarled in response to whatever Trix had said.

Kat whirled on her heels to point out that Jazz was right when she froze. Trix had lowered the body to the deck and had leaned it against the railing. The sight of it turned her stomach over, from the feet facing in the wrong direction to the eviscerated torso and the empty eye sockets. Why was Trix carrying around that poor disembodied man, so covered in blood his features were undiscernible?

Trix fixed the three of them with mean, yellow eyes again, a triumphant grin on his face.

"That's what you don't get," he said, his voice much deeper and harsher than it normally was. "I won." Then he shook his head and his eyes were back to normal. "No you didn't," he said in his normal voice. "You're dead."

"What--?"

She didn't get to finish asking because the floor suddenly shook under their feet, almost throwing her off balance. The quake was followed by a loud bang that drilled into her eardrums.

The sound was followed by others, though they seemed to come from further in the distance. And over the railing, behind Trix, she could see reddish lights in the night, like flashes of lighting. In those lights, she saw the outlines of ships.

Like ghosts in the night, they sailed away from the coast of Principala and into open sea. She knew that was a bad thing, but for a blissful moment, she couldn't place why.

At least until Jazz cursed furiously next to her.

"They're going for our ship."

✨️✨️✨️

Yes, it's still not finished, but the group is at least back together. Also, Wattpad ate my roses.

But loads of nasty things happened in this chapter and more nasty things are obviously coming. So stay tuned and see what will now happen when the heir of Iride is dead and all that's left is destruction. Also, the ship is under attack!

Don't forget to vote and comment if you're enjoying the story.