Chapter 150: I can always have your head.
~Raphael's POV~
I sat at the dining table, watching Caleb closely. Something was very wrong with my friend. His eyes looked empty, like a puppet's eyes.
"Caleb?" I said softly.
He didn't answer. He just stared ahead, a small smile on his face.
I looked straight in the eye and used my mind-reading powers. I have found myself using them a lot for the past seven months.
But once again, I decided to glance through his mind to find out what was happening with him and see how far he was under the spell.
Inside Caleb's mind, I heard the same thought over and over;
'Isla loves me. I must do everything for Isla. Isla loves me. I must do everything for Isla.'
The words sounded strange like someone had put them there. Like someone was making Caleb think these thoughts.
I felt anger growing inside me. First, they had taken Drogon. Now, she had done something bad to Caleb's mind. Enough was enough.
I wished I could talk to Grey, my beast, like before. Grey would know what to do. But Grey was part of me now. We were one person.
I just didn't know how to use all my new powers yet and I can't use my old ones either except the mind-reading one.
Suddenly, I felt heat in my hands. I looked down and saw small flames dancing on my fingers. The fire didn't hurt me. I knew instantly that I needed to cook off and calm down.
I stood up fast, pushing my chair back with a loud scrape.
"Gemma, Caleb, follow me," I said in a firm voice.
Gemma, stood up with bright eyes filled with hope. But Caleb didn't move. He just sat there, staring at nothing.
"Caleb," I said again, louder this time. "Come with me now."
Something changed in Caleb's face. His eyes cleared like he was waking up from a dream. He started to stand.
But then Isla, who had been quiet until now, spoke up.
"Sit down, Caleb," she said in a sweet voice. "Stay with me."
And just like that, Caleb sat back down. His eyes went empty again.
I felt something snap inside me. A hot, angry feeling rushed through my whole body. I could feel my eyes changing and the flames coming up.
Fire is anger, ice is fear, wind is sadness, happiness is earth. I repeated in my mind trying to calm overwhelming myself.
People often said my eyes were my most striking feature, gray like storm clouds. But now, one eye turned completely black while the other stayed gray, I could see this through the silverware on the table.
I turned to Isla, my voice deeper and more powerful than before.
"Do you dare order my people in my presence, Isla?"
Fear flashed across Isla's face. She knew she had made a big mistake. I read her thoughts and could see her panic growing.
"I-I apologize, Your Majesty," she stuttered, her voice shaking. "I just need your advisor to discuss important court meetings."
I stepped closer to her, my mismatched eyes boring into hers.
"Court meetings of kissing him?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. "Court meetings of placing him under a spell? Court meetings of selling him out for him to be brainwashed?" My voice rose with each question. "Or am I missing something, Queen of the Northwest Kingdom?"
I said the last part mockingly, making it clear she was acting nothing like a real queen should.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about, Your Majesty." Isla looked away from me, but I could see her hands shaking.
I read through her mind again. ' I have messed up. Alasia is going to kill my son. What have I done?'
Alasia. That name again. The woman who had ruined so much, now she is involved with this too?
"Whatever spell you have placed on him, remove it this minute," I commanded. "And go get me your husband and my general. I know what you did to them. So stop those stupid lies you're thinking of telling me."
Isla's face went pale. "Y-your M-majesty, l-let me explain..."
I cut her off with a wave of my inflamed hand. "Keep your mouth shut and you might live."
The room fell silent. Even Gemma, who was usually brave, stepped back from me.
"I will count to three," I said. "If you haven't started removing the spell by then, I will forget that you are a queen. I will forget that you have a son. I will only remember that you hurt my person and tried to harm my kingdom."
Isla's eyes filled with tears. "Please, Your Majesty. She has my son. She said she would kill him if I didn't help her."
"Who has your son?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Alasia," Isla whispered. "She came to me two weeks ago. She said she could make Caleb love me if I helped her. I didn't know she would hurt him like this. I just wanted him to look at me the way he looks at..." She stopped talking.
"The way he looks at Gemma," I finished for her. "His mate."
Isla nodded, tears falling down her face.
I felt tired suddenly. So many people are hurt because of jealousy and dark magic.
"Help him, Isla," I said more gently. "Help Caleb now, and then we will talk about saving your son."
Isla wiped her tears away and nodded. She moved closer to Caleb and placed her hands on either side of his face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Then she began to speak words in an old language, words that made the air feel heavy and strange.
Caleb's body went stiff. His eyes rolled back in his head. Then he slumped forward onto the table.
"Caleb!" I rushed to my friend's side. "What did you do to him?"
"He will be fine," Isla said. "The spell is broken. He's just sleeping now. When he wakes up, he will be himself again."
I checked Caleb's breathing. It was steady and strong. I turned back to Isla.
"Now, tell me everything. Where is Alasia keeping your son? And what has she done with my mate and my general?"
Isla took a deep breath. "They're in the old temple in the forest. The one no one goes to anymore because people say it's cursed."
"The Dark Temple," Gemma said, speaking for the first time. "My grandmother used to tell stories about it. Bad things happen there."
I nodded. "Then that's where we're going. Gemma, stay here with Caleb. When he wakes up, tell him what happened. Isla, you're coming with me."
Isla's eyes widened. "But Your Majesty...."
"No arguments," I said firmly. "You got us into this mess. You'll help us get out of it. And if you try anything funny, remember; I can always have your head."
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