"You will listen ,silently ,to what I have to say"

River sank to his knees . He will not run. He will not resist. His legs were way too weak for that.

"You have something that I need "

River could not help but glance up at him in complete confusion .

"The metal "

He felt a feeling akin to relief wash through him . This has to be some kind of a misunderstanding . Right?

"I do not have it"  He whimpered .

The beastly creature unleashed a deafening rumble , a cacophony of  displeasure that echoed like thunder.  It was like a foreboding nimbus ,threatening to strike upon the unfortunate soul that provoked its master.

"That's not true " Kaizer loomed over him like a furious god , looking more menancing than the beast.

"I do not have it ,Your Majesty "  River  forced his words out through his closing throat.

"Gods have spoken to me " Kaizer stated. "Gods make no flaws "

River felt his eyes burning at the rims. Gods words are final . If god says he has it , he has it, even if he dont . River's vision blurred . He did not want to cry. He did not want to seem weak .

"You ..Majesty ..can ask Lord Wolfram" He tried despite knowing it was futile. His words meant nothing against God's.

"Wolfram does not know what happened to it "

River blinked vigorously ,trying to see through tears. His brain felt cramped but he had regained some of his ability to think logically. What did he mean ? Wolfram had clearly said Raven Alistair had it. Multiple times.

Kaizer must have notice the ugly look of perplexity on his face because his cold eyes narrowed .

"Whatever he said to you, " he whispered "he said to bring you here"

River felt like a heavenly lightning struck him in his core.

His muddled mind was doing a very poor job processing information that was being dumped on him . What had Wolfram said to him back in Linchet? He tried to recall.

"..Alistair ran away with the metal like less of the dog he is.."

So he ..didnt ? Then what happened to the metal? What happened to Raven?  River felt as if his skull is being drilled.

"He found that the orb has melted and infused in to your hand " Kaizer said,his voice devoid of any warmth . "But when he removed and opened it, it was empty "

River's whole soul quivered at the memory of the heated globe melting his skin off. He could smell the scorching flesh right now and he retched  . The gruesome sight of the gooey blood and flesh flashed behind his eyes and it made his throat clamp .

So..thats why..

"Why didnt you take the orb? It was far more important "

"I cant leave you there ! We are friends!"

River felt his mind whirling as everything fell in to place. Wolfram had said Raven went back to Sandgill with the metal because he knew River would try to go back looking for the Southern King. He wanted River to come to Wesown ,because he did not know what else to do or where else to look for the metal. Not because they were friends. Not because he cared.

And River had followed him like a lamb.

"How did you.." he gulped forcing the bitter feeling down his throat. "Know  Im .."

"A Verlice ?" Kaizer sighed . He looked exhausted ,like he did not enjoyed this confrontation any more than River did .

"Wolfram found traces of devine essence while treating you . Rest was just deductions and assumption "

With a shiver down his spine River realized that they had known ,this whole time. They had kept silent , watching him , observing him, lying to him.

River's eyes welled with more stinging tears as things started clicking in his brain . Kaizer sending hounds to follow him when he went out of his sight ..Wolfram keeping him under constant watch ..the sudden abandonment of the search for the metal...

How laughable . How very-

"My devine essence .." he muttered under his breath .

As River confronted the looming realization, a thousand times more terrifying than the unseen beast lurking behind him, he faintly grasped the truth. His devine essence was unscathed  when he got out of that chamber ..the metal had not marred it..something else had ...someone else..

"You carried an Alistair sigil on you " Kaizer explained . "We could not afford to get South involved "

"So you .."

"Wolfram did " Kaizer sounded exasperated .  " His devine essence allows him to make alterations to someone's body. He mostly focuses it on healing department . But he can break as well as he can mend "

Lies..it had all been lies ...

"We spoke to gods , prayed him to inform us of the metals whereabouts, because we did not want to harm someone innocent "

So ..he was just been held in a lenient prison until the heavens passed on the judgement ?

"Gods spoke ..I have it?"

Kaizer nodded silently ." I have no enmity towards you Verlice .If you hand me the metal with no resistence -"

"I cant give you something I do not have myself "

Kaizer closed his eyes . He seemed more haggered than Einar on his sick days .

"Is that your final answer?"

River nodded solemnly .

"Then it is decided " Kaizer sighed heavily "River Verlice , you have brazenly defied the Gods "

"I DO NOT HAVE IT!" River screamed , his own voice startling him. The beast growled in warning behind him but he did not care.

"IM NOT LYING ! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME !!" He bit back a sob " I DO NOT HAVE IT!"

"You will appease the gods with your blood "  Kaizer stated  "in three days "

"I do not have it"  River whimpered defeatedly " I can  die, but not for something I did not do"

"My hands are bound ,Verlice " Kaizer sighed ,turning his back on him .

"Does.." River rubbed his palms over his eyes "Is Einar part of all this ? Was he lying to me too?"

"What do you think ?"

River did not know what to think . He did not want to think. Everyone he had ever dared to trust ,even for a single day, had ended up betraying and abandoning him. Could Einar have been acting all along ? To lull him in to a false sense of security? To keep him busy so he dont catch on to anything ? He was Kaizer's right hand man . Of course he knew.

"He has no reason not to "  River spat, his words laced with anger, pain, and confusion. It wasn't the impending death that tore at him, but the searing emotions of deception, unjust accusations, and the sting of betrayal.

Why?

"Then you dont know him" Kaizer said , his voice barely above a whisper "Dont die hating him and curse him any further. He knows nothing "

River sat on his knees and gazed at his back. He suddenly realized why the Western King had looked so distressed and exhausted throughout this conversation . The reason behind the weariness etched to his face ...

He was sending his companion's deciple to die.

"He will hate you " River whispered and watched his shoulders slump further in satisfaction .He was going to die anyway . Might as well hurt some feelings before he go.

"You are lying to him , keeping him in the dark " River hissed, hatred seething in to his voice  "He will hate you! "

"That is something I can live with " Kaizer glared at him over his shoulder . "I have far worse fears "

He then called in the gaurd . The door clicked open and River felt the presence of the monster behind him vanish .  He let his body go limp in relief ,every fiber of his being aching from straining under tension for so long.

"Take him to the dungeon " He commanded the gaurd " and confine Lord Ashford to his chambers until I order to let him out"

Author has something to say

Thank you for reading my story!!! I really appreciate it so much!!!

Author believes she had written a semi -decent plot twist.  Comment and let me know if you saw it coming!

Author will not run her mouth any further .

Thank you again.
Author try her best to upload the next chapter today itself!!!

Kaizer Schulz

Einar Ashford