I know, I uploaded a chapter yesterday, well I'm in a very good mood this week lol
This chapter is in a completely different POV but it's in here for a reason.
The next chapter will be the final chapter; the epilogue. Tomorrow will mark 4 months since I started writing this book so I will be posting the epilogue tomorrow for the 4 month anniversary so look out for that one.
I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
Rae' Rae x
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Tatum's POV
Forbidden Spell: A spell that is not permitted or allowed regardless of level, age or ability. If attempted, is punishable by imprisonment, exile or death.
There is a reason why spells are forbidden in my realm. They've been made that way due to the past where dark mages have used them for wrong, therefore making the spell unusable for all.
Usually, I would never have thought about using a forbidden spell. I am a well known and a well respected General and to use a forbidden spell brings disgrace to the kingdom I fight for as well as the title I had been given.
I hadn't known Corinne or Calliria that long so why did I use the spell to help them? I used it because I know for a fact, if the roles were reversed and I was in Corinne's position, she would've used the spell to help Sasha. How could I be selfish and not allow Corinne a second chance with her mate?
With every spell, especially forbidden ones, there is always a time constraint on them. The spell I used was called The Blood Magic Spell. In the past, that spell was used by dark mages to bring to life those who had fallen on their side in order to continue their evil. It was only used for evil and because of that, the King and Queen made it forbidden for anyone to use, no matter who they were.
The spell was very complex and even as a level ninety-two mage, it took a while to master. I bet you're wondering why I learnt the spell in the first place? Well, forbidden or not, in the past I had a feeling I would need it. It is forbidden to use the spell; it is not forbidden to learn it.
A spell such as The Blood Magic Spell was very powerful and is the only spell that can bring someone back from the dead; within a certain time that is. Usually, it only works within a five-minute time constraint. I wasn't sure whether Calliria had passed five minutes into her death which is why I made Corinne aware of the fact that there was a high chance the spell wouldn't work at all. I wanted to be positive about it but I didn't want to give her false hope in the process. She was hurting enough as it was and I didn't want to add fuel to the flames.
As I had used the forbidden spell, I was arrested immediately after. I went willingly because there was no way I could deny using it. Like I said, the power it held was strong and the King and Queen had a way of sensing power such as that. They had obviously sensed me using the spell which inevitably led to my arrest.
I wasn't even sure if the spell worked or not. When used, the spell places a protective barrier around those who it was used on, to make sure they were protected from any harm. Calliria was already dead but in order for the spell to have any chance of working, Corinne had to die for a few moments as well to reconnect their souls. Hence the protective barrier, making sure nothing interfered with the process. Once the barrier is made, everything after that point is out of my hands.
My arrest came immediately after the barrier was made. I never got to see whether the spell had worked before I was dragged off by the guards. I did send a prayer to the Goddess as I was dragged off though, praying that the spell had in fact worked.
This could be the end of me, meaning I would never know if it worked. That made me upset but I didn't let it show. A disgraced General I may be but I wasn't named a General by showing weakness and I wasn't about to start that now.
Currently, I was standing in front of my King and Queen, along with the council. It had been a week since that fateful night at the vampire kingdom and no matter how many times I ask someone to update me on the wolf kingdom, no one gave me anything. It was frustrating but I was in no position to question it.
I lifted my bowed head to face the gazes of my superiors. The stares they were giving me were intense but I wasn't fazed. Even in the eyes of punishment, I would not back down. It wasn't in my nature to,
"Tatum Wolfram." The Kings voice boomed, "You are being charged with the use of The Blood Magic Spell. How do you plead?"
Taking in a deep breath, I met the gaze of my King before speaking clearly, "Guilty."
They all shook their heads in shame and I didn't blame them. However, I knew that if I was in the same position, I would do the same thing over and over again.
I have never felt the pain of losing my mate, thank the Goddess, but I could only imagine how painful it must be.
When you lose your mate, I heard it was like a knife to the heart. A pain so sharp runs through it and it's like your heart is literally shattering. When the mate bond is created, you are linked together through soul, heart and mind and if one of you dies, you take that link with you and the one who is still alive is the one who feels the effects of it.
The fact that Corinne was willing to take her own life to be with Calliria again said a lot but I couldn't let her do it. Calliria wouldn't want that to happen to I stopped it before it could.
Although, just as the protective barrier was being made, I knew that Corinne was feeling the effects of the spell. It feels like you were about to pass out when in reality, you were on the verge of dying for a few moments. I caught Corinne smile just as she died and I knew why. She didn't mind dying even though she didn't know what was going on. She was happy to leave this world so long as Calliria was waiting for her in another. It was true love at it's darkest point,
"Would you care to explain why you used this spell, knowing perfectly well that it is forbidden?"
My gaze diverted to Madam Victoria, head of the council, snapping me out of my thoughts,
"I was helping a friend and if I had the choice, I would do it over and over again, knowing that regardless of it being forbidden, I had done the right thing by using it."
"You helped Queen Corinne." She spoke as a matter of fact. I nodded and scanned everyone before looking back at her,
"Yes and no one will tell me whether she and Queen Calliria are okay. I understand I have broken a law but how can you keep such information from me?"
I refrained from raising my voice at this point because no matter how angry I was, now was not the time to portray that, especially not towards those who are of a higher authority than I was,
"We assumed you knew." Maria spoke out. I shook my head,
"I don't know anything and it's killing me. Queen Calliria was already dead but if the spell did not work, Corinne could be dead as well. Why will no one tell me?!"
She raised an eyebrow at my raised voice. I know it was a bad move on my part but I just didn't understand why no one would tell me if the spell worked or not. I had a right to know didn't I?
I was respectful in the face of the law, even when I was being punished for breaking it but I also had emotions and the fact that I was in the dark about something so major was frustrating for me.
Just as my Queen was about to speak, the doors behind me opened up. I turned around and before I could even look at who it was, I was knocked back a few steps by a force colliding into me.
It took a few seconds for me to recognise who it was but a smile came over my face as soon as I did. I hugged my mate back and enjoyed the feel of her in my arms. I hadn't seen Sasha since I left her during the war.
That was another thing they wouldn't tell me about but I knew she was okay because our connection was still in-tact, letting me know that she was still very much alive. I think that was the only thing getting me through this past week.
I gently pulled away from Sasha but kept her at arms length. I wiped away the tears that had fallen down her face,
"Why are you crying love?" I asked gently. She shook her head and started to play with her fingers, something she did a lot when she was nervous,
"No one would tell me how you were. I wasn't even allowed in here but I pushed my way through. I had to see you Tatum, I'm sorry."
I gave her a small smile, "You have no need to be sorry."
A throat cleared behind us and it made me realise where we were and who we were standing in front of.
Me and Sasha turned around to face our superiors and bowed to them, letting them know we were sorry for our disrespect,
"Usually, I would not allow her to be in here but I will make an exception." My King spoke. I was very grateful but I didn't dare to open my mouth and speak. I had already dug myself a deep hole and I wasn't about to make it deeper,
"So, the use of a forbidden law is punishable by imprisonment, exile or death. In any other case, I would choose out of the three but you have been one of, if not the best Generals I have ever had during my reign. This isn't easy for me to do but I don't bend the rules for anyone, even a General. Therefore, rather than me choosing, I am going to leave that decision down to you."
Sasha started to cry as those words left his mouth. I rubbed her back gently in order to try and calm her down a bit.
There was no way I could choose death, it would hurt Sasha and I wasn't about to put her in that kind of pain.
Imprisonment was better than death but I didn't want to be confined to a single cell for the rest of my life. Talking to my mate through metal bars isn't the life I want to have.
The final option was exile. Now exile wasn't too bad, it's just a case of having to fend for yourself for the rest of your life. I would be exiled to No Mans Land with the other exiled species from every realm. It wasn't an ideal choice but it was better than the other two.
I kissed the side of Sasha's head before letting out a deep breath and giving my answer,
"I choose to be exiled your majesty."
Sasha's cries got louder as those words came out of my mouth. I didn't want to choose that but what choice did I have?
The problem with exile is that only the person who is punished, is the one to be exiled. If they had a mate, they were separated. Hence why I said it wasn't ideal. However, I would rather be exiled, knowing that my mate is okay than die and cause her more pain. It would be selfish of me and selfish I was not,
"If she is to be exiled, I wish to be exiled alongside her."
My eyes widened in shock and I looked down at Sasha. She was willing to exile herself just to be with me? I was happy yes but I wasn't going to let it happen, over my dead body,
"No." I stated. She looked up at me just as shocked,
"What do you mean no? Don't you want to be together? We are mates Tatum and I don't want to be separated from you, not again."
I sighed and took both of her hands in mine, "I can't live with myself knowing that you could've had a good life in the kingdom but instead chose to be exiled because of me."
She shook her head defiantly. Sasha was very stubborn and it took a lot to get her to change her mind. I knew my reason for saying no wasn't up to her standards which meant she was not going to back down from her decision, no matter how much I tried to persuade her otherwise,
"My life is with you. I don't care if I have to live it in exile away from the kingdom, as long as I am with you, nothing else matters to me."
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, "You are not going to back down are you?"
She shook her head once again. I groaned and turned to face my superiors again who was looking down at Sasha just as shocked as I was. Asking to be exiled was something that doesn't happen a lot in any kingdom. It happens, don't get me wrong but it just doesn't happen often,
"Do you understand what you are asking Sasha?" The Queen asked, "Being exiled is not something people ask for so willingly."
Sasha nodded, "I do your majesty. Wherever Tatum goes, I follow, even if it means being exiled."
The Queen nodded and gave us both a sad smile before letting her husband take over again. The King stood up from his throne and me and Sasha bowed respectfully,
"Tatum Wolfram. Due to the use of a forbidden spell, you have broken a major law of this kingdom. As a consequence, I hereby exile you to No Mans Land. Your powers will stay in tact but you are no longer permitted to step foot into this realm for the rest of your existence. These are the words I have spoken and in the name of the Goddess, shall not be broken."
As he finished his sentence, I felt a pulling sensation in my chest before it vanished completely. That was my connection to the realm being severed. I was no longer a part of the kingdom and I was no longer a General,
"Sasha Wolfram," He started again, "Due to your request of wanting to be exiled, I grant it and hereby exile you to No Mans Land. As I said, your powers will also stay in tact but you are no longer permitted to step foot into this realm for the rest of your existence. These are the words I have spoken and in the name of the Goddess, shall not be broken."
Sasha closed her eyes briefly and I knew she was feeling the same sensation I was. It wasn't a painful feeling but it wasn't a nice feeling either,
"Is there anything you wish to say before you leave?" The Queen asked.
Me and Sasha raised our heads to look up at them. Sasha stayed quiet but I had something to say, specifically to my former King and Queen,
"I want to say something. It has been a great honour to serve you your majesties and I hope your quest for a new General will be a successful one. For as long as I live, I will never regret using that forbidden spell and although you will not tell me whether or not it worked, I have to put my faith in my abilities and the Goddess and believe that it did work. Like I said, it has been an honour to serve you and I will forever be grateful to you both. Thank you."
I bowed to them once again and they gave me a single nod. I took Sasha's hand in mine and we turned, making our way out of the room and out of the castle completely.
Walking towards the border, I made sure to look at my surroundings. This would be the very last time I would see them and I wanted to take everything in now before I wouldn't be able to.
My whole life I had lived here and as much as I didn't want to admit it, it hurt knowing I would not be able to return. However, I had to trust in the Goddess and believe that she had another path set out for me. I just had to find it.
When we reached the border, I looked over at Sasha, "You ready?"
She nodded so we both turned to give a final look at the kingdom, taking everything in one last time.
We turned to face the border again and both took in a deep breath, stepping over the line completely.
I turned back and moved my hand forward but it was blocked by an invisible barrier. That is what happened when you were exiled. A barrier was made, making sure you would never step foot into the kingdom again. There were ways to get back in but they were slim and rarely ever happened.
I wiped away a fallen tear and composed myself. I couldn't be weak now, not in this situation. My mate was counting on me to protect her. I had to be strong for her.
As I looked over No Mans Land, it was mainly an empty wasteland. It wasn't all like this but as of right now, it was and we just had to deal with it.
Rubbing the back of Sasha's hand with my thumb, we took our first steps into our future. Whether it was bright or not was unknown but I had faith.
It would be my faith that would decide for us and reveal the unknown.
Was I scared? Yes.
Was I nervous? Yes.
Did I know what was going to happen? No.
None of that mattered though because as long as I had my mate by my side, my worries and fears would disappear, so the real question was; was I ready?
My answer? Yes.
I was ready.