by Bailey Dark
I leave him in the dungeon, his laughing echoing up the stairwell. At the top of the stairs, as I push out into the hall, the old witch shuffles towards me. I see an indentation in a window cushion where she had been sitting and I know she was waiting for me. I offer her a tired smile as she falls into step behind me.
“How is he?” She asks.
I study her wizened face curiously. “Why? You abandoned him.”
“Some memories don’t fade,” she says simply. “Now, how is he?”
“Strange.” I frown. “He was coherent until I left him. After that, I didn’t understand him.”
The witch nods. “I suspected something like this would happen,” she sighs.
We round the corner, where I see Erzur pacing outside my office. I scowl at the sight of her. “What do you mean?”
“Eons of aging will catch up to him now. His mind will be lost first before his body crumbles to dust,” the crone explains. “It will be slow at first.”
Erzur hears the witch’s remarks and snorts disdainfully. “We should have killed him. He’s useless to us mad.”
“He knows about the Shades,” I say bitingly, hazel eyes narrowing at her.
Erzur curls her lip. “Surely he answered your questions? Then his purpose has been served. I’ll make it simple and kill him myself.”
I snatch her wrist as she strides past me. I wrench her towards me, glaring down the bride of my nose at her. “Don’t touch him. He lives until I’m certain he has nothing more to say.”
She stares at me, as if debating arguing further but she relaxes in my grip. She eases into me as if it was nothing more than foreplay and looks at me through her thick lashes. “Anything my love desires,” she purrs.
I glare at her disgustedly, pushing her lithe, curvy body away from me. “Enough, Erzur,” I snap.
“Enough?” She laughs wickedly. “I haven’t even started.”
I leave her and the old witch in the hall, locking the door behind me. I press up against it, breathing heavily. Guilt washes through me. As much as I don’t want to, as much as I try to think of Verity, I can’t help the flush of heat I felt when Erzur ran her body the length of mine. I swallow hard and whirl around, anger flooding through me. My fist slams into the wooden bookshelf nearby, pain searing in my knuckles. I take a deep breath, shoulders shaking, as I relish the pain. I deserve it. I stare at the blood on my knuckles and Verity’s cloak flashes through my mind once more.
Chapter 6
Verity
The pearlescent ring I slipped onto my pinky finger glimmers in the red glow of the sunset. I stare at it, head swirling with questions I can’t answer and emotions I don’t understand. When Altair slipped it into my hand before I left, I hid it instinctively. I know he means it as a replacement for the engagement ring I lost, but why? He’s with another even now. Perhaps even in her bed.
I inhale sharply at the thought, trying to drive it away but all I can see is the two of them tangled together. I feel Serus leap up onto my shoulder, a low purr in his chest. “Don’t think such thoughts,” he says. “You must keep your head.”
I look at him from the corner of my eye, blinking back tears. “I just don’t understand.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” he chides me.
“We’ll be stopping soon to camp for the night,” Thal says, riding to my side.
I nod and force a smile. “Good, I can’t tell you how sore I am.”
He laughs, tossing his head back. “You’ll get used to it in time.”
We ride beside each other, making light, meaningless conversation until the other Fae find a suitable place to camp. Underneath the long shadow of a cliff, besides the beginnings of a forest, we circle our horses. I groan as I dismount, legs aching and bones creaking. Thal offers a hand but I just slip down the side of my horse. I rest against the beast’s warm side, sighing as my legs get used to standing.
“What can I do?” I ask, turning to Thal on shaky legs.
He glances around. “Why don’t you just rest? We can handle it.”
“I don’t want to ‘just rest’ while the others work.” I frown. “Let me help.”
“Find us some firewood, then,” Thal says, looking reluctant to give me a job.
I push past him into the thin trees and start gathering sticks and branches and dry leaves for kindling. I’m not a damsel in distress anymore, I want to scream. I can help. I wonder vaguely if Altair would have had the same reaction; if he would have suggested I let others do the work for me. I grimace. I forced them to take me with them, made Thal my keeper. I won’t be more of a burden on them than I already am.
When I return to camp, the Fae are skinning a deer for dinner. I look away from the blood pooling around the carcass, my mind flashing to the blood I spilled in the ether. I drop the firewood in the center of camp and start building up the flames. Thal joins me and we’ve coaxed the flames to light in minutes.
With the fire roaring and fresh meat, we eat a filling meal under the winking stars. I glance up at them wistfully, noting the patterns that are becoming more familiar to me now than the milky way in the human realm.
“What is it?” Thal asks under his breath, quiet enough that the other Fae won’t hear our whispered voices.
“The stars,” I say, “They’re different than the ones at home.”
“The human world.” He nods, looking up with me. “Do you miss it?”
“I miss the people,” I sigh. “My parents.”
He shifts uncomfortably. “Why didn’t you choose to go back? There’s nothing keeping you here any longer, is there?”
“It never occurred to me,” I say, surprise lacing my voice. “This place is my home now.”
Thal lays a hand on my knee, squeezing it comfortingly. “I’m glad you decided to stay. I know… I know Altair will ensure you’re taken care of.”
I laugh bitterly. “That’s the last thing I want – to be his charity.”
“That’s not how he would see it,” he murmurs.
“It’s what it is,” I bite back, searching for my sleeping roll.
I turn my back to Thal and the fire as the rest of the Fae crawl onto their sleeping mats. One keeps watch, a watch I know they’ll rotate throughout the night, though I was never asked. They know I don’t have the skills to protect them if anything creeps up during the night. I close my eyes, stomach clenching. It’s for the best. I’m exhausted from the ride and my recent healing anyway.
Sleep takes me quickly and I dream.
The ether swirls around me, dark and coiling. Somehow it seems more menacing than it was before. There’s a candle in my hand, a single small flame pushing back against the shadows. I start forward, wishing Serus was on my shoulder or coiling between my feet. It’s silent here and the lack of noise is oppressive. So quiet, I feel as if I can hardly breathe.
I slow, fear coiling in my gut. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck rises and I know something is close. When I hear the wet sounds of chewing, I curl my shoulders as if to make myself smaller. The darkness splits like curtains as I creep forward. Black, shining scales on a back with a protruding spine shines in the faint light. I hiss, recognizing the grotesque beast crouching over a mess of blood and gore. A demon.
Fear nearly paralyzes me, but I inch backward as silently as I can. Its eyes snap towards me, as if it finally noticed my candlelight. I freeze, mouth open in a silent scream as it crawls towards me. Blood drips from its maw, teeth stained red with it. A low growl rumbles from its throat and I suddenly feel as if I can't breathe. Nausea mingles with my fear when its breath wafts over me – stinking and rank with rotten meat.
Suddenly, a shadow bursts across my vision, coiling around the demon. It takes form; too long limbs, fingers with claws, a head that's too small. I fall, the candle slipping from my hands to roll towards the strange shadow creature. It looks up from the now-dead demon and its head slowly swivels towards me. My heart is in my throat, choking back a scream of fright. It's eye
s. Oh, its eyes. Human. Bulging. It smiles at me and the scream finally splits from my throat, shrill and high. With a mouth filled with small, human-like teeth, the creature's smile is too wide. All features are lost to the darkness except its gleaming eyes and bright, white smile.
Shade. Shade. Shade. The word echoes round and round in my mind. I don't know how I know this, but instinctively I do. I scurry backward on my hands and feet, but the creature's grin only broadens. Shade. Shade. Shade.
“Verity,” it says my name.
I reach for the dagger at my waist and brandish it towards the creature.
“Verity.”
A hand wraps around my wrist as my eyes fly open. Thal leans over me, his brilliant eyes locked on mine. He doesn’t bother glancing at the dagger in my hand as he gently pushes it away from his neck. I gasp sharply, realizing that it was only a dream. Only a dream.
Tears leak from my eyes as the fear ebbs and I realize I’m safe. Thal scoops me into his arms and I don’t protest as he silently rocks me. He’s warm, his arms strong like branches that could keep any danger away from me. I choke back my tears, struggling to regain control of my breath.
“Shh,” he hushes me gently. His hand strokes my mussed hair, soothing me. “It was only a dream.”
My mind flashes to Altair as I try to remember a moment like this. But there isn’t one. I push away gently and take a shaky breath. “I saw something. I saw something called a Shade.”
Thal’s eyes widen imperceptibly but then he schools his face. “You’re sure?”
“You know what it is,” I say, brows furrowing.
His arms tighten around me and I realize I’m still cradled in his lap. A blush creeps to my cheeks and I consider slipping out of his arms completely, but he doesn’t seem bothered. I relax in his arms as he mulls over my accusation. “They are dark beings that pose a great threat to us. To the world.”
“But Sadal is defeated,” I trail off, quieting my voice as one of the Fae soldiers grunts in his sleep.
“The old Bloodbane warned us about the Shades,” Thal explains. “They’re trying to get out of the ether and into our realm.”
I bite my lip, fear lancing through me when I picture the frightening creature again. “Does Altair know? Does he have a plan?” The questions spill out of me before I can stop them.
“He’s working on it,” Thal says. He shifts me out of his lap and back onto the ground, curling up beside me. “You should rest.”
I stiffen as Thal drapes an arm over me, content to share my sleeping roll. “What are you doing?” I hiss.
“Sleeping,” he grunts. “Or at least trying to.”
“Go back to your own mat.” I jostle him lightly.
“If I do that, who will wake you from your nightmares before you wake up the whole camp?” He asks. His voice is light, teasing, but I feel a wave of guilt.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
I feel him shift beside me and he eases onto one arm, peering at me. “You know, most women would trip over themselves to sleep with me.”
“Beside you, not with you,” I correct him, laughing softly.
“Doesn’t matter,” he says, his voice low like a rumble in his chest. I swallow hard and meet his green eyes. “Take advantage of it tonight, Verity, I may not offer twice.”
I roll my eyes. “What a privilege.”
“It is for me,” he murmurs. I can’t look away from his gaze, from his eyes that seem to drink me in. He clears his throat, shattering the stillness between us. “Goodnight, Verity.”
“Goodnight,” I mumble, turning my back to him.
I try not to think of his heat washing over me, or his arm draped over my hip, or his fingers that curl only inches away from mine. I close my eyes and I immediately see the Shade in my vision. Fear lances through me and my heart pounds too fast. I open my mouth, breathing harshly. Thal’s fingers play over my hair, tugging lightly and gently. It reminds me of the nights when I had nightmares like this, and my mother did the same. I relax, easing into the sleeping mat. Sleep takes me quickly again and I feel Thal’s fingers threading through my locks all through the night.
Chapter 7
Altair
Pain smarts in my shoulder as I roll over, the first rays of the morning sun hot against my eyelids. I hiss in pain, startled by the guttural sound that escapes me. I open my eyes and see long claws stretched out in front of me. I lunge up, adrenaline rushing through me as I stare wide-eyed at the paws in front of me. My paws.
The bed frame creaks under the enormous weight of my body in my beastly form. I crawl off of it, tucking my wings close to my body so they don’t jostle the posts and canopy that keep out the frigid night air. Quietly, I pad across the room and swat the window open. Cool morning air rushes in with the first hints of Fall.
I catch sight of myself in the mirror, all glossy black fur, hazel, cat-like eyes, and crow wings. I must have shifted somehow in my sleep, perhaps due to a dream. A familiar sensation sweeps through me, tingling the memories in the back of my mind. It wasn’t so long ago that I woke like this every morning, cursed to spend the day in this form.
I close my eyes and search for the remnants of Maaz’s power in me. I find it and grab hold of it to make the change back into my Fae form. But nothing happens. Doubt pricks at me but I shove it away, trying once more. The shift that came once so easily to me escapes me. I feel a wave of panic as Maaz’s glittering eyes flash through my mind. I hear her last words echoing so clearly, it’s as if she’s in the room with me. The curse is permanent now.
There’s a wave of panic and heat in my chest and I lumber to the window for fresh air. Taking deep gulps of air, I stare out at the ocean horizon. I didn’t fight off Sadal and lose so many of my people and Moritz’s just to succumb to Maaz’s dark game. I refuse. The fear gives way to sheer anger and determination. I focus on the shift, giving it all my attention and energy. Slowly, I feel it give way. The shift is painful this time as every cell in my body groans at the sudden influx of forced magic. I grit my teeth, holding in a cry as the bones pop and muscles flex back into their normal shape.
What feels like hours later, I open my eyes, covered in a sheen of sweat and on my knees in the morning sun. I pant, hands curled loosely on my thighs, as if placating the gods. My muscles throb and my joints ache, but I forced the curse back. It’s only a matter of time now before I can’t keep it from taking full effect. My shoulders sag as I think of all that Verity and I could have had together – all the possibilities that hung between us. There’s a dull pain in my heart and I know it has nothing to do with the curse.
I force myself to my feet and Verity off my mind. She’s gone. And there’s nothing I can do to change the past. Right now, the future of Alnembra hangs by a thin thread. If the curse claims me while I’m with Erzur, she’ll have every right to my throne as the more competent ruler – the one not chained by Bloodbane magic. My lips curl into a grimace. The last thing I want is Erzur’s greedy hands on Alnembra. If she finds out about the curse’s slow but inevitable return, she would only be more eager to see me out of the picture. I won’t let her use it against me. Closing my eyes, I pray that the curse won’t afflict me while around any of my enemies – even the ones masquerading as friends.
A bell tolls, signaling the hour, and I rise to dress. There’s too much to be done to waste any more time to the curse. I stride from my room to meet Moritz in the council room. I know he’ll be there. He’s never been one for much sleep, preferring to work long through the night and early in the morning. When I push open the door, I find him stooped over a pile of papers. He wears an even heavier cloak now that the days are growing colder.
“Hello, Moritz,” I say, joining him.
He grunts. “You’re late.”
“I would hardly call this late,” I quip, slipping one of the papers detailing supplies out from under his nose. I peer at it. “How accurate are these numbers?”
“Taken yesterday morning.” He rises to his full h
eight and I notice that his white-blonde hair is mussed and greasy, as if he got no sleep.
“You’ve been here all night?” I ask, cocking a brow.
“If we have more enemies, I want to be sure we can be ready,” he says simply. “We can’t fight a winter war. Both Canes and Alnembra simply don’t have the food rations for it.”
I nod, dread coiled in my gut. “Perhaps we won’t have to. What do we know of the Shades?”
“Very little,” he admits. “My historians haven’t found any mention of them in our records, or yours.”
I purse my lips. “If it weren’t for Thal, I wouldn’t believe in them myself.”
“And Sadal?” Moritz asks. “What did he have to say?”
“He said they were evil – more so than even him. And they want out,” I say, my eyes shadowed as I think of Sadal’s cryptic words.
Moritz huffs. “As much as I put little stock in the dark god’s words, I don’t think it wise to rile an enemy we don’t understand yet.”
“Agreed,” I murmur. “We shall wait. Has anyone spoken to the Bloodbane?”
Moritz looks at me sidelong. “It seems you’re the only one who can stomach their presence.”
I think of Verity in her bloodred cloak and the suspicious glances from the Fae. I scowl, irritation flashing through me. If I ever discover any ill will towards her, I’ll cut the accuser down where they stand. I leave Moritz then, silently chewing on my stubborn desire to protect her from anything and everything that could harm her. I wish I could have gone with her. I wish things could be simpler between us. If I wasn’t a King, there would be nothing in this realm or any realm that could stop me from making things right between us.
The door to Cleo’s room is high in one of the fort’s towers and I knock. I wait for her to call, but she’s silent inside. I roll my eyes, knowing full well she’s simply obstinate and ornery. She’s there, waiting on the other side, listening with her Fae ears as I listen with mine. I push into her room.
