Forsaken Secrets: A slow-burn new adult fantasy romance (Isle of the Forsaken Book 1)

by Olivia K Moto

  "You sure seem to know your way around,” Eli said.

  Lynk shrugged. "It's just common sense, lordling. If you're looking for something big, powerful, and scary, go where the people are leaving. These people were obviously scared of something back here."

  21

  Kaiya

  "What if we're passing rooms with relics in them?" I asked as we passed another partially burned down door. I'd have to come back and take a closer look without these two. If I could convince Eli to let me use the tools between hunting trips, that is.

  "We aren't. Those were study rooms," Lynk said, voice short.

  "I suppose that makes sense … but they could just as easily be cataloging rooms or offices."

  He just shrugged.

  "Wait! Have you been researching this place, too?" Eli sounded indignant.

  "Perhaps," Lynk grunted.

  "Ha!" Eli sped up, keeping pace with Lynk. "So you aren't just following us to keep us safe?"

  "Whatever gave you that ridiculous idea?" he said. "I don't like anyone enough to follow them around without a reason."

  "Could have fooled me," Eli muttered under his breath. I tried not to laugh.

  We turned a corner and Lynk froze, holding up a hand. "Stop."

  "I thought there was no danger since it's been closed for a thousand years?" Eli said, mimicking Lynk's tone from earlier.

  "Shhh," Lynk hissed.

  I froze, my hand dropping to the small dagger in my sleeve.

  A swirling darkness swept into the orange glow of Lynk's lamp. It stood taller than me, and writhing shadows stretched around it like some sort of cloak, completely obscuring its shape. "A shade?" I yelped. I'd never seen one outside of books and Empire propaganda posters.

  Maybe Eli's fears weren't so silly, after all …

  Before I could decide whether to stay or run, Lynk pulled a curved blade from the sheath on his back and was whirling it smoothly above his head. Darkness spread from the hilt and coated the blade, melding with the shadows of the shade as it came down in a clean arc. The creature's head rolled towards me with a sickening plop and I stared as the shadows swirled towards Lynk's blade like it was some sort of shadow magnet.

  I let my eyes drop to the head and gasped. Now that the shadows were gone, it looked almost … human … ?

  My stomach lurched.

  Another shade turned the corner, the shadowy form writhing with every step towards us like a cloak in the wind. It was quickly followed by three more.

  That was a lot — even for a monster hunter!

  My feet moved of their own volition until I was just a few feet behind him.

  He moved too quickly for me to do much, though … like he was as much shadow as they, his blade glinting in the lyphos light as it tore through their shadowy forms.

  Finally, he paused, taking a deep breath and letting his blade rest for a moment.

  A movement to our left caught my eye, and I spun to face it, bumping into Eli in the process. A new human-shaped monster lurched forward with an uneven gait. Pustules covered its body, and decomposing flesh hung loosely from its jaw.

  "A ghoul," Eli whispered. "What in the seven hells IS this place to have both spirit and body wraiths wandering around?"

  Lynk grunted and stepped past me towards the ghoul.

  My stomach lurched as a clump of long, brown hair detached from its skull and fell, making a sickening plopping sound on the floor.

  These were SO much worse than the shades.

  Lynk just stood there, though, his body relaxed as the ghoul lumbered ever closer. It was as though he wasn't intimidated at all by those gnashing teeth, already dark with the blood of previous victims.

  When it was within sword reach, he spun that blade again, and its head and arms toppled to the ground.

  It paused for a second and I waited for it to collapse like the others. Instead, it lurched forward.

  My pulse raced. Why wasn't it dying?

  "It's too strong," Eli whispered.

  Lynk cast a look back at us, then dropped into a crouch.

  A strange pulsing spread through my body and pain like lightning shot across my lower back as Lynk let out a loud roar and swiped with the blade once more.

  This time, the darkness coating the blade expanded out and enveloped the ghoul in writhing shadows.

  After what felt like forever, the shadows retreated to the blade and my jaw dropped.

  The ghoul was nothing but an empty, crumpled uniform on the ground.

  It was eerily similar the military gear the guards at the Fort wore …

  What in the seven hells was happening around here?

  I turned to Lynk. Some of the shadows were sinking back into the blade, while the rest climbed his arms and seemed to melt into him.

  "Wh — wh — " I tried to talk, but my tongue was too big for my mouth.

  Lynk met my gaze and my heart stuttered. His eyes swirled like deep black pits.

  Eli grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Had the wraiths done something to Lynk?

  His lips twisted into a familiar sardonic grin. "What did I say about needing to protect you two?" He wiped his blade and slid it into its sheath. "You wouldn't last a day without me around."

  I couldn't look away from his black eyes — the shadows were receding, but I could practically feel that energy still pulsing off of him.

  The blade was obviously a korra interrupting relic of some sort, but what was he to be able to wield it?

  "Uh — what was that?" Eli whispered, taking the words right out of my mouth.

  "Just me doing my job, lordling."

  I cleared my throat and stepped closer. "No. I don't think so. You obviously aren't a normal mage, Lynk. What are you?"

  He grimaced and turned away. "Same as you, little thief. Same as you." Then he strode off down the hall.

  What in the seven hells was that supposed to mean?

  "And here I thought Jaiel was the only Eater!" Eli's voice was a few decibels less cheerful, but he sounded much more positive than I.

  "What does that even mean?" I asked. "And why are these wraiths human?"

  "What did you think wraiths were?" he asked, cocking his brow, then turned to chase Lynk. "When humans use too much tainted magic, they change into wraiths, but they're still human at their core.

  Well, when he said it that way, it seemed obvious. But I'd never thought of them like humans before …

  "You coming?" he shouted over his shoulder.

  "Only if you promise to explain what an Eater is," I muttered, moving fast to catch up.

  "Fine," he grumbled. "But it's not like I know all that much."

  Lynk walked ahead of us, stepping over rubble and more burnt skeletons. I looked at Eli expectantly.

  He groaned, but nodded. "Until today, I thought it was only possible for Fae to be Eaters."

  "Fae? What do you know about Fae?"

  "My mentor, Jaiel, is one …"

  I grabbed his arm. "You know a Fae?!? Don't tell me you speak Fae, too?"

  His eyes widened.

  "You DO! I knew it! When I saw those Fae notes in the journal, I assumed you had a translation lying around. But you don't, do you? You can read it! Did he teach you?" The words came out in a torrent. I'd always dreamed of learning Fae, but it was reserved for the wealthy.

  All those hours spent scraping together what little bits I could from the books the Harlsteds had gathered … Gods. Life really wasn't fair sometimes.

  "So, is Jaiel an Eater?"

  "Yes. Though don't ever tell him I'd told you. He'd kill me."

  "But what is an Eater?"

  Eli shrugged. "He just lets out his shadow monster, and it eats up whatever wraiths are around. I don't know the mechanics of it, though. He doesn't like to talk about it."

  I gasped. "It eats the wraiths? Does he have a relic like Lynk, then?"

  Eli shook his head. "He told me that he's too young to get the Fae gifts and was born empty — or some nonsense like tha
t. His parents sent him here, and the Empire did something to him that gave him the shadow monster. He's never told me much about that time in his life, but I get the impression it wasn't good."

  I nodded, "Poor guy." To be sent to a foreign country to be experimented on? What kind of parents would do something like that?

  "Wait." I stared at him, pieces clicking into place. There weren't many Fae in our country. Not since the wars. But I'd heard that there were inroads being made, and they'd sent a young Fae prince over to work with our Kings.

  That couldn't be him, though, could it? The world wouldn't be that small …

  "Eh. Don't feel too bad for him. His life is pretty good now. Plenty of money, a good job, and alllll the women love him. That damn charisma of his is powerful, and being a prince certainly helps!"

  My jaw dropped. It was the prince. Eli knew the Fae prince … Holy hells!

  I itched to pull out my notebook and ask more questions, but this wasn't the time. "So he's a Fae prince. Has some kind of charisma that draws people to him. AND he can absorb wraiths?"

  "He's also devastatingly handsome, and knows it."

  "Of course he does." I grimaced. "All the most beautiful ones do."

  Eli glared at me, green eyes twinkling. "I think you just insulted me, my lady. Either I'm vain or I'm not beautiful enough to be vain!? What a conundrum …"

  I gasped, realizing how my words had come out. "Not at all. You're just more handsome than beautiful. You know?"

  Eli waggled his brows. "I see. So I'm handsome …"

  No. No. I was not going there with him.

  I shook my head, cheeks warm. "Oh, stop it. You know what I mean."

  "Well, are you two kids done flirting back there?" Lynk's voice echoed through the chamber, and my cheeks heated.

  What was it with him calling us kids? And we were not flirting!

  We had fallen behind, though, so I took a deep breath, then raced to catch up.

  Finally, our orange glow met his. Those silver eyes glinted in the lyphos light, and my chest tightened at the look there.

  "You know, you aren't all that much older than either of us, old man."

  "Well then, not children." His lips twitched. Was that … a smile? "Let's stop not flirting and get to work."

  And then he was off again, wandering through a small square room.

  When he passed through a door ahead and turned, Eli waggled his brows at me. "What do you see in him, anyway? Is it the rugged clothes? Or perhaps those silver eyes? It certainly isn't his attitude!"

  I crossed my arms. "I see nothing beyond an irritating barbarian with secrets."

  "Mhmm. I think you have a crush on that irritating barbarian. I've seen the way you look at him, you know …"

  My jaw dropped. I … what?! No. That was preposterous.

  "You know," I smirked, "if you're noticing it, perhaps you're the one with the crush?"

  Eli waggled his eyebrows and shrugged. "I mean, he is rather attractive."

  Heat shot straight to my core as I pictured the two of them together … strong hands caressing firm muscles, lips, and tongues stroking, bodies grinding —

  No. I was not going there right now!

  Swallowing the giant lump in my throat, I glared at Eli. "You're just trying to get a reaction out of me."

  He winked. "Whatever you say, my lady."

  And then he was off, racing to join Lynk. I couldn't get what he'd said out of my mind, though.

  The way Lynk had looked at me back on the cliffs — those silver eyes soft as his fingers pressed into my chin …

  The way he'd let me look for marks beneath his collar …

  Gods, no. I did not have a crush on Lynk … just a healthy appreciation for his physical attributes.

  I mean, I'd be blind otherwise. Right?

  Yes. That's all it was. I shook my arms out and glared at Eli.

  Damn him for putting those thoughts in my head!

  "You okay back there?" Lynk asked, brow raised as he stared at me. Did he know what I'd been thinking about?

  No. Of course not. He'd probably just seen me shaking like a maniac and thought I was having a seizure.

  Cheeks warm, I nodded. "Just preparing. You know how it is."

  His brow lifted, but he let it go and kept walking. Eli still faced me, though, and mouthed, "crush."

  I glared at him and shook my head. He was completely and absolutely wrong.

  This was just a weird byproduct of being stuck in close proximity with two handsome men. I wasn't used to so much testosterone in such confined spaces. It was doing something to my hormones.

  Yes. That's all it was.

  Hormones.

  22

  Kaiya

  Lynk stopped us just outside a small hallway. What had been char marks along the walls a few rooms back were now melted and warped swaths of stone.

  Whatever destroyed the library had started beyond this hall.

  My heart raced. If we were very lucky, down that hall were relics that could save Aunt Grace and I. Hopefully, they'd been fully tempered and hadn't reverted back to their wild forms like that tree in the temple.

  Lynk stepped past me. "It looks clean, but stay alert. Those wraiths had to have come from somewhere."

  We walked through the darkness for a few feet, and then the hallway opened into a large area dimly lit by a violet glow.

  The stench was the first thing to hit me — that sickly sweet smell of death and decay.

  Gagging, I looked around. The edges were too dark to see much, but scattered all over the visible stone floor were ghouls … dozens of them … in different stages of decay.

  So this was what happened when they didn't feed …

  I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat.

  "Don't touch those," murmured Lynk, sidestepping one that reached out with a rotting arm.

  He withdrew his shadow-wrapped blade and took off its head, then repeated the process with all the other ghouls in our way.

  "What's making that light?" I asked when he was done, stepping over a decapitated corpse to get closer.

  At the center of the purple glow was a small dome-shaped iron cage sitting atop a tall rod.

  My jaw dropped. Inside of the cage danced a spryke. The opalescent spikey ball of energy was writhing and bouncing around. It couldn't be any larger than my fist!

  "Well, now we know why those wraiths were out there," Lynk muttered.

  "How? What's a spryke doing back here? I thought they were extinct!" The questions poured out of me as I stared at the sad, trapped creature.

  "They keep wraiths away," Eli replied, voice soft. "After the Fall, when the bonded mages started turning into wraiths, the Kings hunted the sprykes to extinction. They were the only thing to keep towns safe … at least for a little while." Eli stepped past me and walked up to the creature, inspecting it and muttering to himself.

  "So how'd this one get here?" I asked.

  "That's exactly what I'd like to know," Lynk said from beside me, jaw tight in the purple shadows.

  "Shouldn't we set them free? We're here and who knows how long they've been stuck!"

  Lynk's eyes narrowed as he turned back to me. "You will do no such thing. That little spryke has been stuck in here for so long, they've likely gone completely mad. You see that darkness around the edges? That's the void twisting them. If they were free and chose to kill you, you'd be dead in seconds."

  Curious, I walked up to the cage, reaching out with my korra. Lynk was right, of course. Their korra was twisting, but the inside was still pure.

  They hadn't turned yet.

  It made me sick to think they'd been stuck in that little cage, tormented by all those damn wraiths! "What about you, Eli? Surely you could help?"

  He shook his head. "This spryke has been tempered, Kaiya — tamed and molded into a relic for whoever left it here. There's nothing we can do for them."

  My heart ached as I stared at the small bundle of purple energy.

/>   "Please — I must — freedom." The small voice in my head was light and airy, neither feminine nor masculine.

  I stepped closer, reaching out a hand towards the cage, remembering how free that tree in the Druid's temple had looked. If I could just open the cage …

  "STOP!" Lynk grabbed my hand. "I told you! They're too dangerous."

  I spun and glared at him. "I can't just leave them here like this! How would you like to be stuck in a small cage and tormented with wraiths for hundreds of years? If we set them free, they should revert. I've seen it work before."

  "It's a risk, but she might be right, old man," Eli said.

  Lynk's eyes glittered with pent up frustration as he stared between the two of us, but finally he spun to the spryke. "Fine. Gods damn it. But you should know that I have no idea if it'll work. Once a relic has been tempered, it isn't easy for them to revert. I'll have to kill them if they come after us instead …"

  "They can do it. I know it." Please don't hurt us. I whispered in my mind.

  Lynk grimaced, but nodded. "I'll be the one to free them."

  I shrugged. "Fine. You have the experience anyway."

  He shook his head, then strode over and paused in front of the cage. "Fuck. What am I doing? This is such a stupid idea. Those damn kids …" he trailed off, muttering the rest too quietly for me to hear.

  My lips curled into a smile as he broke open the cage with a loud clank, sending several of the bars flying, then took five giant steps back and withdrew his blade. Eli stood beside him, arms wide and eyes tight.

  I stared at them. Were the sprykes really that dangerous?

  The little ball of purple light bounced out of the cage and my smile grew.

  They glided away from us towards the opposite wall behind their cage, illuminating parts of the room we hadn't seen coming in. At the far back stood a tall metal door covered in strange markings, but between it and us were a dozen more ghouls. I looked over at Lynk and his shadowy black eyes and grimaced.

  How much more of that darkness could he take?

  The spryke paused over one of the disintegrating ghouls, though, and slowly unfurled, strands of white, purple, black, and blue spreading out over the corpse. Within seconds, there was nothing left.