by Kyra Quinn
“Pull his head in your lap and close your eyes,” Aster advised. “Focus on Viktor being healed and strong, ready to fight.”
“While I’m at it, why don’t I imagine the scythe in our hands?” I rolled my eyes. Still, I took her advice and crossed my legs as I pulled Viktor’s head into my lap. He said nothing as he waited, his breathing shallow. The skin on his face was scraped and bloodied, his lip swollen. My heart raced as I swallowed and tried to banish my discomfort.
I pressed my fingers against his temples and closed my eyes, his blood warm and sticky beneath my fingertips. I pictured his lopsided smirk and the way my name sounded in his silly accent. I thought of his warm, woodsy scent and the honey shade of his eyes. Come on, Viktor. Help us live so I can see your stupid smile again.
Viktor’s head shot out of my lap and upright with a gasp. I yelped as he clutched his skull. His shoulders heaved with each breath. I reached forward and laid a gentle hand on his back, his skin warm.
“Shh. We need to keep moving,” I said, my voice a thousand times calmer than I felt.
“No, we need to find that scythe. Lili, where was the room your mother took you to?” Aster asked.
“How should I know? She didn’t give me a blueprint to the castle.”
“This may be your first visit to Shadow City, but your mother was right. You’re the crown princess of the Shadowrealm. This place is in your blood. Focus.”
“Can you even hear how stupid you sound?” I scoffed. “How do you expect me to know anything about a place I’ve never been?”
“We don’t have time to argue. Swallow your pride, close your eyes, and try,” Aster snarled. She gripped my shoulders so hard I felt her nails break skin as she shook me.
“Stop!” I pushed her off. I drew in a shaky breath. “Fine. But I don’t know this place any better than you do.”
I shot her one last icy look and closed my eyes, my pulse the only sound in my ears. I tried to picture the room of weapons Daeva had taken me to; the scythe buried amongst the arsenal. Where in a castle would I hide a private collection like hers? Where would something so savage be safe from prying eyes and greedy hands?
“Her chambers.” I gasped as the answer hit me like a brick to the face. “The room is attached to her private chambers somehow. The spell she used wasn’t like the one you performed to get us to Starbright. The room changed, but it didn’t move. Her chambers are the only place where she knew her stash would be protected from the demons she employs, let alone Zanox.”
A small smile tugged at Aster’s cracked lips. “Lead the way.”
Viktor tilted his head and sniffed the air, his eyes still yellow. “That way.” He pointed down the hallway on the left. “Her scent gets stronger down there.”
We sprinted down the hallway, our feet echoing against the concrete. It was only a matter of time before Daeva finished her business with Remiel and resumed tracking me. Remiel’s face flashed through my mind, my chest tight. Would he be proud or furious that we hadn’t bailed on our mission?
“There,” I said when I saw the double doors to her chambers. “This is where the demon took me. I’d bet my left leg the arsenal is built into her room.”
Aster threw the doors open and ushered us inside. Footsteps appeared in the hallway. She pressed the door closed as gently as she could, the terror on all our faces identical. The bedroom appeared unchanged from the way I remembered it, the empty fireplace the only difference.
“How opulent. Must be one perk of being Queen.” Aster’s nose wrinkled. “If you wanted to hide a large stash of weapons from everyone else in the castle where would you put it?”
“A spell, maybe?” I asked. “An illusion ward to hide the room from us?”
Aster shook her head. “That would only work on mortals. Anyone with the Sight, Zanox included, would see the truth. She must have invented a physical hiding place for the weapons.”
Viktor groaned. “It’s not possible to hide a room inside another room. That isn’t how reality works.”
“Or what you know as reality,” Aster said. “We’re not in Astryae anymore. If the lights and vehicles powered by fallen souls didn’t give it away, things work a little different in Shadow City.”
I spun a slow circle as I studied the room for anything out of place as if I had any idea what it might look like. Shared genetics aside, I knew as much about Daeva and her life as I knew about magic. When nothing jumped out my heart sank. Was Daeva too clever in hiding her weapons? Had I suggested we check the wrong place?
Aster tapped her foot against the ground, one tile after another. She made a slow line back and forth across the room as she stopped on each tile to stomp. “When I lived at the coven, a lot of the girls would hide things in the floorboards. No one pays attention to floors unless they’re cleaning them.”
“I’ll check the bookshelf,” Viktor offered. “The secret passageways are always hidden behind bookcases in the stories.”
“Grab something to wear while you’re at it,” Aster said with a smirk.
Viktor rolled his eyes as he snatched a silky plum robe from the end of the bed and tied it around his waist. “Clothing hinders my movement in a fight.”
“I’ll tackle the wardrobe.” My head throbbed with pain as I marched across the room. All I cared about was finding whatever weapons Aster wanted and getting out. We jumped into tearing the room apart, our conversation muted for the moment.
The gowns and blouses in my mother’s closet were enough to make me cringe. The rare silks and satins of her gowns made them worth more than the entire city of Faomere. At least I hadn’t inherited the vanity quirk from her.
“Hey, look at this.” Aster pressed her palm against the wall. “This one sits out a little further than the others.”
“So the architect couldn’t see a hole in a ladder. How does that help us?” Viktor asked as he tossed books from the shelf on the floor. “I hate to disappoint, but I’m sure there’s nothing sinister hidden behind this bookcase.”
“If you’d listen for two seconds, you’d realize it’s behind this panel,” Aster said, her tone flat. “Now get your furry ass over here and help me figure out how to move it.”
Viktor’s face flushed. He threw the book in his hand on the ground and scurried over to where Aster stood. He leaned against the wall with his shoulder, his face scrunched as he tried to force himself against the wall. Viktor groaned with the effort, but the wall didn’t budge.
“This can’t be the spot.” Viktor grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder. “Not much point in having a secret passage if you can’t get into it.”
Unless that was the entire point. “Move.” I dashed in front of the wall. “Daeva would expect Zanox or a demon to force their way in. She’s probably protected against that.”
I rested my hand against the wall the way I did to Viktor’s head and closed my eyes. I pictured the inside Daeva’s vault once more, the scythe in front of me in my mind. A small gasp cut through the air beside me as the wall moved beneath my hand. My eyes ripped open to find a wooden door in the wall’s center.
“How did you do that?” Viktor’s mouth fell to his chest.
“Don’t know, don’t care. Doesn’t matter now. Let’s grab what we came for and get out of here.” I gripped the handle and threw the door open to the arsenal.
“What in Anja’s name...” Viktor’s eyes flickered around the room. “Where did she even find half of this?”
“Stolen like the scythe.” I made a beeline towards the weapon in question, eager not to stay in Daeva’s room any longer than necessary. “Can we save the chitchat for the other side of the veil, please?”
“How are we even supposed to carry it?” Aster eyed the scythe. “Even the surrounding energy looks hazardous.”
“I’ve got this.” I gritted my teeth and ripped it from the wall. A jolt of energy shot up my arm, the metal of the handle ice cold.
“Do you know how to use that?” Viktor’s eyes narrowed.
/> “No. But I also can’t transform into a wolf at will.”
Aster reached for a katana on the wall. “This is coming with me for now. Call it payback for the daggers and stave.”
Viktor’s eyes flickered between us and the weapon stash. A frustrated growl escaped his clenched teeth as he snatched a matching pair of strange blunted three-pronged blades. When he caught my bemused expression, he added, “I don’t have the energy to shift. Still recovering. The Sai will help for now.”
We marched out of Daeva’s chambers and back into the maze of corridors. “Find the exit,” I ordered, my tone icy. “No more stops. Cut down anything stupid enough to get in our way.”
It didn’t take long. We made it less than fifty feet down the hallway when the first demons appeared. Viktor hacked and slashed at the red-eyed monsters as Aster swung the katana in swift circles. Something between fear and contempt flashed in their eyes as the tip of Aster’s blade sliced through their jugulars as she cut through the air.
“Damn, this thing is light.” She giggled as the demons dropped to the ground at her feet. “And it looks great in my hands. I might have to hang onto it.”
I rolled my eyes as we sprinted once more, but fear crept into my thoughts. We wouldn’t cover enough ground fast enough on foot. Daeva’s soldiers had the advantage of knowing the terrain and how to track us, and we’d lost too much time already looking for the scythe. Unless we outpaced them, we’d be dead within the hour.
I grabbed Viktor’s arm as we raced through the castle. “Can you shift when we reach the gate?”
“If I drop the Sai. There’s no moon here, but the fresh air should give me a boost.”
“I want you to grab onto me when we get outside,” I told Aster, my voice low.
Aster blinked. “What?”
“Grab onto my waist and hold on! Viktor can run faster if he doesn’t have to keep pace with us, and we’re far too slow on foot. We need to fly.”
Aster shook her head. “Do you even know how to do that?”
“Only one way to find out.”
The only one of us awake when he entered the castle, Viktor led the way through the winding corridors towards the front gate. More demons waited around damn near every turn. We hacked and slashed our way through Daeva’s monsters without a moment’s hesitation. With our stolen weapons, none lasted longer than a moment or two. By the time we raced through the gates and into the brisk night air, thick black goo covered every inch of our bodies and weapons. Every limb on my body ached with fatigue.
I bolted for the woods as fast as my feet would carry me, my thoughts focused elsewhere. I fixed my eyes on a specific tree and pictured soaring through the skies with Aster. Every inch of my body pulsated with energy until I worried it might burst from my ribcage.
As soon as Daeva’s castle gates were behind us I turned to Aster and shouted, “Get ready!” Viktor dropped his stolen weapons to the ground. The sleek robe around his waist ripped to shreds as he twitched and convulsed. Within the span of a heartbeat Viktor vanished, the midnight wolf racing towards the forest in his place.
My wings fluttered against my back. I clenched my teeth and strained myself forward. I flapped with all the strength I had left, but our battle out of the castle left me winded and fatigued. Aster’s voice whispered something, but I ignored her. Nothing mattered more than escape. If I didn’t get us off the ground, Daeva’s men would find us in a matter of minutes.
“Lili, hurry!” Aster squealed.
“Now!” I slowed my pace long enough for her to wrap herself around me. After running with Viktor’s weight on my shoulders, Aster was as light as a feather.
I squeezed my eyes shut and imagined the wind beneath my wings. I tried to imagine myself with the majestic strength of a phoenix rising from the ashes. A cold breeze slapped my cheeks. My feet lifted from the ground, higher and higher as we built up momentum. We rose and fell as I struggled to balance Aster’s weight. My wings burned against my back. Aster squealed and tightened her hold as we soared above the treetops.
But flight did not come as naturally as I’d hoped. When the dark wings first sprang from my back, I’d expected a short flight to take as little effort as a stroll around town. But the combination of Aster attached to my body and exhaustion from the battle rendered my movements weak and clumsy. Aster dug her nails into my flesh as Viktor darted through the trees below us. He pointed his nose towards the ground, presumably to sniff out the veil. What sort of aroma did a portal between worlds have? Cinnamon and spirits?
We dipped low as I struggled to balance Aster’s weight around me. I thrashed my wings against my back. I gritted my teeth as wind slapped my face. Thick trees surrounded me on either side as I struggle to weave between the trunks.
“Do you know where to go?” Aster asked.
“Home. We follow Viktor to the veil and go home.”
* * *
Smack! The left side of my body crashed into a dead trunk. My vision blurred as we tumbled out of the sky and smashed against the ground, Aster on top of my chest. She groaned and rolled off me with a scowl.
“Told you—”
“Not now.” I swallowed back the copper taste in my mouth and pulled myself to my feet. “We need to get back up there.”
Aster shook her head. “Another crash landing might kill us both. We’ve put some distance between us and the castle. We can find the veil faster on foot from here.”
Red and white searchlights bathed the sky. Viktor galloped over to where we stood, his fur matted with blood. He jerked his head and beckoned for us to follow. I shook off my fatigue and raced through the woods behind him. How long would Daeva’s men take to catch up? Did we have the strength left to fight them off?
“Lili!” Aster grabbed my arm and jerked me to a halt. “Look!”
The thin veil shimmered a few feet ahead. I exhaled a sigh of relief and lurched forward, eager to cross to the other side and put this nightmare behind us. “We need to close the veil. If we can travel between the realms, so can Daeva’s creatures.”
“We’ll add it to our to-do list,” Aster said. I could hear the eye-roll in her voice. “If the lore is true, Daeva herself can’t cross between worlds. For now, let’s focus on getting back to Carramar.”
Viktor sprang through the air and into the veil, his body disappearing into thin air. I bit back a smirk as I pictured his little paws doggy-paddling through the air as he fell.
Aster wrapped her arms around my waist once more and smirked. “Ready?”
I laughed, the sound breezy despite the tension of the moment. “I was ready before we ever left your house.” My arms around Aster, I closed my eyes and lunged through the veil to the other side. Aster’s delighted scream pierced my eardrums as we tumbled through the abyss.
The fall didn’t scare me as much with Aster attached. I folded my wings in and allowed us to plunge through the air, my body weightless in the void. Aster’s scream turned to manic laughter as she ran her hand through my hair.
“We did it!” She clutched the katana and pumped her fist in the air, her face split ear to ear in a smile. “I can’t believe we made it alive.”
“Not all of us.” My chest tightened. I pictured Remiel’s face clenched in Daeva’s claws, the unspeakable tortures she’d inflict upon him. A chill ran down my body.
We landed against the damp soil and leaves with a crash. The impact threw Aster’s body from my back and into a nearby beech tree. The bare branches shook with the force of her impact, a small groan escaping her lips.
“Graceful.” Viktor smirked, his wolf-form gone once more.
“Naked again, I see.” My cheeks burned as I turned away. “I don’t understand how this doesn’t become inconvenient for you.”
Viktor chuckled. “Don’t be a child.”
“She’s from Faomere, remember?” Aster said. “I’ll bet you’re the first man she’s seen undressed. Come on, we need to keep moving. The demons will return.”
“Let
them.” I snatched the scythe from the pile of leaves it had landed in. “I’ll make them pay one by one for what they did to us.”
Despite our losses, I’d never felt stronger. Adrenaline coursed through me and overpowered all sense of exhaustion. Dark energy flowered through me as I cracked my neck, ready for action.
Moss and ferns covered the forest floor. A snowy owl perched on the branches above us. The forest reeked of age as the ancient trees stretched towards the starless sky overhead. Thick fog hung over the lush foliage. For a moment, I couldn’t tell if we’d stepped into a fairytale or a nightmare.
Viktor grinned. “I see someone has developed the spirit of a warrior.”
Aster shook her head. “That’s admirable and all, but your powers are still immature. It’ll take time for them to fully develop, and even more time for you to master them. And I suck with swords. Let’s not go getting dead now.”
“Immature? Did you miss the part where I flew your staveless ass out of the Shadowrealm? At least my immature powers don’t need a silly stick to work.”
A branch snapped somewhere behind us. The part of me sane enough to feel fear stayed silent as I tightened my grip around the scythe. Angel or demon, I didn’t care. I’d slice their head clean from their shoulders.
“Bravo, children. I must say, I’m impressed.”
My lip curled back in a snarl. I didn’t have to see his ugly face to recognize the gravel of his voice. “You set us up, you bastard.”
“I did. How do you imagine one becomes a Marquis in the Shadowrealm? Loyal service to the Queen is repaid handsomely.” Andras stepped into view, his mouth curled in a wicked smile. “Impressive scythe, Princess. Sure you know how to use it?”
I clenched my teeth. “Why don’t you come closer and find out?”
“As much as I’d love to play with you, dear, I have a different task. Your mother has asked that I return you—and the scythe—back to the castle.”
