It was then that a tall, cloaked figure entered the room, brandishing a sword.
Arii’s eyes darted to Elijah as he jerked to a halt in the doorway, silver eyes swiftly taking in the scene.
The corpse whirled, nostrils flaring and teeth baring in a feral snarl. Elijah went rigid as it lunged at him, the heart of crystal within her chest flaring as if his presence awoke a new spurt of energy.
It lunged in a frenzy to reach the bodyguard but collided with Arii, sending their two bodies crashing to the floor.
Nem flew to Sybell as the Princess wailed, putting her body between the girl and the creature.
It slammed Arii’s skull against the floor. Stars burst before her eyes as the back of her head collided with stone, and the animated corpse lunged from her to Elijah.
It hit him in a wild flurry of arms, hands clasping his head as its teeth sank into his neck. Elijah grunted, grabbed the body’s hair, and yanked it free of his flesh, punching a hand to its chest so it stumbled back.
Arii rolled onto her stomach, eyes wide as Elijah pressed a hand to his neck before pulling it away, fingers tipped with blood. Her stomach rolled as she felt bile rise in her throat.
He had been bitten.
For all they knew, the curse could be transmitted by bite. If what this was could be a curse. They could not rule it out.
The corpse screamed, teeth red with blood as it lunged at him again.
Elijah’s sword was swift and without hesitation as the steel slid through flesh and bone, severing its head from the shoulders.
The body dropped like a stone, the head rolling across the floor to rest beside his feet. Elijah dropped to his knees before it, sword clattering to the floor soon after. His eyes were fixed on the servant’s head, red hair fanned out against the warm wooden floor, his expression drawn with sadness, brows pulled into a grimace.
Arii slowly stood, the back of her skull throbbing as she made her way to the guard, pausing before him before kneeling too. Her hands clasped his cheeks, angling his head to survey the wound.
His silver eyes lifted, their deep, haunted depths swirling and complex as they met hers.
“I guess decapitation is the answer to stopping it, then,” said Nem gently as Sybell cried in her arms, the girl’s head pressed into the Fury’s shoulder. If it were any other time, Arii would have laughed at the fact that Nem was allowing a human to seek comfort in her arms.
Arii’s fingers touched to the wound as Elijah watched her in silence, his eyes fixed on her face. She was surprised he was allowing her to touch him, but then her mind slid back to their time in the library, his breath on her face as their lips inched closer, electricity sparking between them.
“We need to monitor you, just to make sure whatever that thing was - it cannot pass on its affliction by bite.”
Nem spoke from the hearth. “I do not think that is how it was made. The thing inside the afflicted girl’s chest was a Nexus Crystal. Its magic gave life to the corpse.”
Elijah frowned, now hard as ice as he began to rise. Arii followed.
“Something sinister is happening here and we need to figure out who or what is behind this before anyone else shows up like that… thing.”
“Thing? That was Ingrid!” wailed Sybell, her eyes red rimmed as she pushed from Nemesis. “Someone did this to her! And now…” The Princess choked, her words halted by a terrible sob.
“We found her in the cavern under the castle,” said Arii, her eyes sliding to Elijah as she felt his heavy gaze. Hopefully, he would not ask what they were doing under the castle late at night, but she knew that he would - and she hoped he would wait until they were no longer in Sybell’s rooms.
“We must call a meeting with the King and tell him everything we have learned,” Elijah finally said, his tone flat but gentle as his eyes found Sybell. “Princess, I will have someone gather Ingrid’s remains so that you can have a proper burial.”
Sybell sobbed as she pressed her hands to her face. Arii had never seen so much emotion from the girl before and wondered why a mere maidservant’s death brought forth such anguish.
“I’m… truly sorry Princess,” said Arii, her voice devoid of any mocking.
The maid, she had not deserved her fate.
No one deserved that.
Arii meant every word as they moved to tend to their wounds before facing the King.
~~~
Nem offered to stay with the Princess for a short time before agreeing to meet with the King to report on what had happened.
Arii gently wiped the blood from the bite on Elijah’s neck as they stood in the healing ward, studying the shallow crescent of human teeth dotting his skin. It seemed to be healing already, the broken skin scabbing with dry blood - the corpse’s blunt human teeth had not been able to tear a chunk of his flesh, and for that she was grateful.
Arii’s eyes inched to Elijah’s face as she worked, seeing his brows drawn and his silver gaze fixed anywhere but on her. The vulnerability she had seen in the library was long gone, the sharp lines of his face hard and distant as if in deep thought. Pressing a thin square of gauze to the cleaned wound, Arii’s fingers brushed a lock of his dark hair from his neck.
His hand shot up and grabbed her wrist with the swiftness of a striking snake.
Elijah sat on the edge of a medical bed, Arii close enough to tend his wound. His head turned and his eyes met hers, her own wide with surprise. She felt the air sizzle between them as his frown deepened.
“Have you something against your neck being touched?” she forced out, feeling that strange warmth in her stomach return under his gaze. Elijah was silent a short time, his iron-like grip on her wrist not letting up.
“I have something against all of me being touched,” he said, his voice a deep rumble. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, and it was not lost on her that his chest had begun to rise and fall just as shallowly as hers had.
Arii’s throat worked as she swallowed, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I’m trying to help you, Elijah.”
His silver eyes softened ever so slightly then, as if a layer of his own carefully composed defences had hesitantly slipped. “My apologies…” he said gently.
What had happened to this man that just a simple brush of his neck had his hackles rising? His hand loosened its grip, fingers sliding across her skin as it dropped to his lap once more. Warmth pooled in her belly at his brief, gentle touch, and she quickly finished pressing the gauze down.
Arii stepped back from him, surveying her handiwork.
“The wound is not deep, it’ll heal quickly.”
If only she could have used a tiny bit of magic to help heal his wound to prevent a scar, but then her cover could be blown. The thought of a scar marring the smooth skin of his neck had her feeling uneasy.
So strange what emotions these men were dredging through the ice of her heart.
Elijah stood then, rolling his neck gingerly before gazing down at her. “Thank you,” he said, and she felt he meant it.
He moved towards her and she stiffened as his hand brushed back the neckline of her tunic, revealing the light scratches there. His fingertips lightly brushed her flesh, and she felt fire ignite within her core.
Oh Gods.
All from a tiny brush of his fingertips.
“What of your own wounds?” His eyes surveyed her, roving over her neck and down her body. Every part of her that his mercury gaze touched seemed to flare with fire.
“Merely scratches,” she whispered, all too aware of his fingers on the skin of her collarbone. Something seemed to shift between them, and Elijah moved closer. His tall, solid form was so large in comparison to hers, his breath hitched as his thumb swept over the shallow scratches.
“You heal quickly…” he murmured.
She
looked up at him, his eyes now fixed to the creamy skin of her neck and collarbone.
The moment almost felt… intimate. The adrenaline of the events in the Princess’ rooms had long gone, leaving them with an aftermath of confusion and fatigue. It was a biproduct, this strange feeling between them, from the stress of seeing and being attacked by an animated corpse…
Right?
Arii’s lips parted, and Elijah’s eyes swept to them, their depths darkening with something… desire?
No, the bodyguard surely did not feel desire for her.
Perhaps it was disgust?
But if it was disgust, why was he standing so close that their bodies almost touched? So close that if he were to lean his head down, their lips would collide without hardly an effort of movement.
If it was disgust, he would not be surveying her face with a look of intense curiosity.
“Elijah…”
His name on her lips seemed to break whatever trance he was in, and the man’s eyes lightened, his face taking on its usual hard expression as he moved away from her, fingers falling away from her tunic.
As they fell, she saw tiny fleck of purple paint on his fingers.
“Come, we should get to the throne room,” he said, his voice rough as if he had not spoken in hours.
Arii watched his broad back as he lifted his hood and swept from the room. The fire still remained, smouldering, warping - flickering deep within her core as she swallowed. She remained where she was for a few long moments, pinching at the strange feelings and gingerly pocketing them back behind her crumbling defences.
Before too long, Arii sighed deeply, gathering herself to follow Elijah from the infirmary.
~~~
By the time their meeting in the throne room ended, Arii could not stop the feeling of bone deep fatigue flooding through her body. Nothing but the thought of falling upon the soft down covers of her bed filled her mind as she trudged tiredly to her rooms. Once there, she did not take the time to undress – instead falling face first onto the bed, quickly drifting into oblivion as soon as her head slammed against the pillow.
Before long, a world began to form before her eyes. Her feet dashed through the inky darkness, cutting through the water and creating swirling flurries of bioluminescence around her boots. Stars littered the midnight void above, hanging in the air before her as she waded through the shadow dream.
“Not again,” Arii groaned.
Last time she was here a mirror of herself had torn out her heart, claiming she did not need the beating, bleeding muscle.
This time, there was not one figure standing a few feet away.
No, there were many.
Some were tall, some were short, and some were an average height, ranging from rotund to slim. None were the same, except all were faceless, their features blurred beyond recognition.
Star-speckled mist danced around her feet, gliding across her path. It was cold, almost bitingly so, and Arii felt the strange sensation of unfamiliar dread blooming in her chest.
Her nose twitched, eyes narrowing as one of the figures moved. Her hand flew to her hip, fingers curling around the hilt of her dagger.
The way the figure moved… it was not right.
Arms jerking, feet moving like they had no joints – wooden and stiff. Head lolling to the side, hands raising to their dark chest.
Arii felt weight on her shoulders, invisible hands pressing her down as mist drifted past. Her teeth clenched, jaw twitching as she watched the bodies jerking her way – faces blurred.
Afflicted, they were afflicted, just like Ingrid – Arii was sure of it. Blue light dashed across the space between them, watery light ricocheting off the starlit pool at their feet.
Muscles coiling, stomach tightening in knots, Arii prepared herself to fight, teeth baring in the beginnings of a snarl. The bodies moved, flickering beacons in the dark as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Anguished moans drifted across the mist, wails of despair so deep she felt them to the depths of her soul.
Her soul, the dark depths that felt nothing – suddenly flared with sympathy. Yet, she felt a fire enter her limbs as awareness narrowed her vision.
Fight, she had to fight.
“Run, Ariiaya.”
Head jerking to the side as a gentle voice sounded beside her, Arii’s eyes widened in shock at the figure as it shuddered into existence.
It was almost like looking into a mirror, only this time, the woman beside her had creases on the corners of her eyes, and smile lines around her mouth. Dark chestnut hair waved around her strong face, her lips curving into a familiar smile,
Then Arii saw eyes of luminous violet.
Replicas of her own.
“M-Mother?” Arii whispered.
Her mother’s eyes softened, before fire ignited within their purple depths as she gripped her daughter’s shoulders. She was naught a few years older than Arii, and her touch felt realer than real. Arii felt her insides melting, liquifying with grief.
“My Violet Fire, you must run!”
“But-”
Her mother’s head twisted to the blackness behind them, the sounds of feet disturbing the water becoming clearer.
“You must get to him!” her mother growled, voice laced with severity, fingers digging in deep. “Do you understand?”
Following her mother’s gaze, Arii spied a figure in the distance, in the opposite direction to the slowly growing mass of afflicted bodies. A dark silhouette against a sky tinged purple and blue, misted galaxies glittered around a broad-shouldered, masculine body.
Who was he?
Eyes darting to her mother – her face so much like her own, Arii felt doubt tugging at her heart. Her eyes slid to the figures of the moving corpses, mere metres away now. “I can’t run, mother. A Fury does not run.”
“You must, Ariiaya. You must get to him; he is our last hope!”
Shaking her now, her mother pushed her roughly towards the figure as Arii objected.
“But who is he?”
The wails grew closer, the sounds turning to snarls.
“Go!”
Her mother whirled, hair fanning around her as she drew a knife. Boots fixed to the spot, Arii looked towards the shadowy figure, seeming impossibly far away.
“Is he... is he Father? Is Father here?”
“Ariiaya Trillia, you have potential to do good within you. You have a chance to make a difference, a chance to save this world from darkness.” Her mother’s hand flew to grip Arii’s fingers, her violet eyes bright with love. “You will change the path of destiny. It is your fate.”
Her fate?
Arii had never really given much thought to her own fate, truth told. She was content to drift along, doing as the Gods bid. She had always thought it was her fate to die at the end of a blade, smiling through teeth stained with blood, her heart a war drum within her chest as her veins danced with adrenaline.
This star-streaked dream was farfetched, a trick of the mind. The strange, whirlwind of emotions and thoughts she had been experiencing over the last few weeks had her losing trust in her own mind – in her own heart.
Her mother’s fingers squeezed hers, bringing her thoughts back. Amethyst eyes softening, her mother’s expression turned tender as she whispered, “I am so proud of you, my Violet Fire.”
Proud? She had nothing to be proud of. Arii was a killer, an emotionless shell who cared not for anything.
Her mind brought forth the faces of her friends, and she suddenly felt her knees weaken.
If she did not care for anything, then why did she hope with such intensity that none of those figures ahead of them were the faces she had grown to love – despite all she had been moulded to believe in, and how hard she tried?
“GO!”
With a final squeeze, her mother pushed her back in the direction of the figure and twirled to face the oncoming undead storm.
Arii felt a phantom pain spear her chest. With a cry of anguish, she spun on her heel and began to run, water splashing as she sprinted away from her mother.
Screams sounded in her wake, horrible cries of anger as Arii gritted her teeth and glanced over her shoulder. Her mother was gone, consumed by a rising wave of writhing, violent undead bodies. There were hundreds now, flailing forms with flashing eyes and bared teeth, screaming and wailing and the earth seemed to quake under her feet. Eyes widening, she twisted and sheathed her dagger at her hip, working her arms as she pushed all of her energy into her legs, eyes fixed on the figure in the distance.
The midnight sky above flared as lightning snapped in the distance. Thunder boomed, followed by a rush of air, causing the endless pool around her to ripple and whirl – reflective stars dancing across the tide. Lightning strobed across the horizon, illuminating the shadow dream in flashes of white light followed by a deafening boom.
Still, the figure ahead did not move.
“Father!” she called as the voices grew near – the gnashing of teeth so close she was almost afraid to look back. Suddenly the length of space between her and the figure began to fall away, dropping like she was sprinting towards the edge of a waterfall. Water fell like ink into an abyss, a bottomless oblivion with no end.
Still, the figure stood motionless, on the edge of a glittering cliff of stars.
Between them was a slowly widening, mist sprinkled chasm of space.
No… NO!
As her boots slammed against the water, droplets coating her arms, her cheeks, drenching her leathers – Arii realised she could not stop. Not because of the ravenous sea of undead in pursuit behind her, fingers reaching for her clothing and hair. No, if what her mother said was true – then there was a darkness on the horizon that she would have to face, one that she could not turn her back on.
It was a feeling to being on the edge of a new emotion, an uncertainty that she was not ready for it, or felt she was not worthy of feeling. Arii knew that what was coming was going to be far more complicated than what she was ready to accept.
Love, Blood & Fury Page 31
