Gloom's Whisper

by Sela Croft

  Rounding the corner, I was face-to-face with the last person I needed to discuss my plans with.

  “Natasha,” I said, surprised to find her standing in the hall. “What are you doing here?”

  My sister smiled and took my hands in hers. A single tear ran down her cheek, as she looked up at me. I saw sympathy in her eyes. She wasn’t angry with me. She was clearly the only one.

  “You knew,” I said. “You knew this would happen.”

  She nodded. “Do you understand now why I didn’t tell you what would happen?”

  The voices coming from the door behind me continued to roar. I heard Valter yelling. His voice had the power to cut through anything. Thankfully, the words were muddled. The overall tone was obvious, though. They were nowhere near coming to an agreement.

  I nodded, pulling her away from the door. “Will it get easier?”

  “That’s a difficult question to answer, Logan,” my sister said. “Easier for you…Valter…Florian? Callie…the kingdom?”

  “For all of us.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t say,” Natasha said, shaking her head. “It will be easier for some and harder for others. But for you, this will test you like nothing you’ve faced before.”

  “I’m prepared for that.” And it seemed that if I was with Callie, I was prepared for anything, so long as I made sure that she was safe and reunited with her sister.

  That fact didn’t rid me of the concern for Shadowland. I worried for my brothers, most of all. I was leaving them to reunite Callie with her sister, while leaving my own sister. I wasn’t sure how that could be right, but I knew it was. One day, the others might understand.

  “I still worry, though,” I said. “Was this the right thing to do?”

  “It was the best path to take,” Natasha said, smiling up at me. “At least, the best of what I could see. You did the right thing, Logan. So, go to her.”

  Chapter 45

  Callie

  After eating, and talking with Bernadette about my recent adventures, I made my way back to the sitting room. The cook seemed to have a way of making me feel better, no matter the circumstances.

  So much had happened in that elaborate sitting room. It had been the place where Logan had brought me, after the attempted kidnapping in the prison. It was where we’d fought, and where others had argued.

  It was also a place where we had grown to know each other. So many conversations had happened in that room. So many tears had been shed, connections made, and fears faced. It seemed only fitting that I bookend my time in Logan’s home, in the very room where it had all started.

  After entering the room, I walked to the large window. I wanted to take in the view. I enjoyed seeing Crystal City illuminated below. The sight gave me hope.

  “I’m going to find you, Rosamon,” I said, staring off into the distance. “Nothing is going to stop me from rescuing you.”

  Amalia’s voice rang out. “That sounds like a challenge, little one.”

  It didn’t surprise me when the landscape in front of me changed. I didn’t begin to tremble when Crystal City transformed into the Fae capital. The constant feeling of unease that I’d experienced, since leaving Amalia’s palace of torture, was one that I’d grown accustomed to.

  Her sudden appearances were beginning to bore me.

  “Maybe it is,” I said, turning to face her.

  The room behind me was no longer draped in the regal adornments of Logan’s home. The space was the typical, dark stone, eerily lit space that the princess brought with her.

  I wasn’t surprised to see her. I was surprised to see that she wasn’t alone. At her sides were her guards—the Redcaps. They sneered at me, their grisly features twisted with hideous amusement.

  “Don’t be foolish,” Amalia said.

  Although her words floated on the air with the same, sweet melody as usual, there was a cutting undertone to them. The princess was on edge. I sensed that she’d been pushed to the brink and I’d been the one who had pushed her.

  “Your time is running out, Callie,” she said. “Return to me, or you and your sister will pay.”

  She knew how mentioning my sister would affect me. She knew that Rosamon was my weakness. Threatening her safety was Amalia’s only hope of getting me to cooperate. And if I had been alone in my efforts to save Rosamon, I might have given in. I felt the desperation tugging at my heart, wanting so badly to do whatever it took to see her again, to be at her side no matter the consequences.

  But I wasn’t alone. I had Logan. He’d promised his full support and I believed him.

  “Why are you so insistent that I return to you of my own free will?” I said. “If you’re so powerful, why don’t you just poof me there or whatever?”

  The princess didn’t reply. Not with words. Her features told me what I needed to know, though. She stared at me, her face hard as stone, and I sensed hesitation. I held her gaze for a moment, allowing the silence to envelope us, and observed her with a new level of scrutiny.

  “You know what I think, Amalia?” I said, then stepped toward her. Her guards stiffened, but she held out her hand to keep them back. “I think that you’re not really as powerful as you’d have us believe. I think that your threats are empty.”

  My statement had an effect. And although I’d anticipated it, it still startled me. I watched her countenance change. Her smile faltered, her brow furrowed. Then rage simmered to the surface. Her eyes were filled with hatred. She took a step in my direction, giving me the urge to shy away from her. But I didn’t. I refused to let her scare me, anymore.

  “You have no idea what you’ve just done, little one. But you will see. Your sister will pay for your mistakes. Believe me…she will pay.”

  I tried to convince myself that the princess was bluffing. If she could have harmed Rosamon, she would have done so, already.

  “I’m done believing you, Amalia,” I said. “All you’ve done is lie to me from the beginning. You haven’t told me the real reason you want me to be reunited with my sister. It’s not just us, though, is it? Our father has something to do with all of this, doesn’t he?”

  For the first time since I’d had the misfortune of making her acquaintance, I saw the princess recoil against my words. Her shock was evident.

  Amalia backed away. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Why would I believe you?”

  Leaning in, Amalia’s eyes met mine. “Don’t play with things you don’t understand, little one. That’s how people end up getting hurt.”

  Chapter 46

  Callie

  All I could do was laugh. I found it amusing to watch her try to hide her own fear, when she’d played with mine so freely, since the day I’d met her. That was how she gained control—finding people’s weaknesses and using those weaknesses against them.

  She was a bully. And bullies were insecure, scared people.

  I’d had my fair share of experience with bullies. But she was unlike any that I’d met before. Not only was she trying to mask her own insecurities by bringing attention to mine, she was trying to destroy anything that represented those insecurities. There was something about my sister and me that made her feel weak.

  That meant that the princess must need us. I knew she needed us to help end the war. But there was more. Something else was going on, and I had to figure out what it was.

  “You’re afraid,” I said.

  Now, I was the one smiling. I had the upper hand. “What is it you’re afraid of, Amalia? You didn’t seem afraid, until I mentioned my father. You didn’t know I knew about him, did you? That’s what scares you. You’re worried about what will happen if my sister and I are reunited with our father. Why is that?”

  She didn’t answer. Her jaw went rigid. Her guards stared at me, poised and ready to strike, if their leader gave the order. She didn’t though. She didn’t do anything.

  My courage blossomed. “What would happen if I freed Rosamon, and together, we freed ou
r father from your prison?”

  She continued to stare at me, her eyes cold and emotionless. Over the course of my speech, she’d regained composure. Any semblance of fear that I’d identified in her face was gone. But it wasn’t replaced with the taunting amusement, so often there.

  She remained solemn and she said, “I’m warning you, Callie. Do not attempt what you are saying.”

  “Oh, you’re warning me? What kind of warning is that, Amalia? One of your token warnings backed by empty threats?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “This is a warning backed by concern. For you. For your sister. For everyone in Shadowland. Do not attempt to free your father. He must remain where he is.”

  “Concern? As if you could feel such a thing for anyone but yourself.”

  “You don’t know what you’re playing with here. You’re nothing more than a foolish child. You don’t know what will happen.”

  “You insult me and expect me to believe you?”

  “Think what you will of me and my kingdom, but I am telling you the truth, Callie. This time, I am telling the truth. What I am asking you to do is in the best interest of everyone.”

  I sensed her sincerity, but waited for it to falter. It didn’t. Either she believed what she was saying, or she was getting better at lying. Either way, I didn’t care. I was done listening to her.

  “You lost any chance you had of getting me to believe you, long ago,” I said, with my hands clenched into fists.

  “And yet you believe him? You believe the vampire?”

  The princess laughed a mocking laugh that made my blood boil. Any fear or doubt that had been present in her mannerisms was gone. Her anger rose to the surface and her laughter echoed off the stone walls around us.

  “Of course, I believe him,” I said. “He isn’t holding my sister captive. He isn’t keeping me from her…or from my father.”

  “Is that all it takes to win your favor?” Amalia said. “You’re blind. You only see what you want to, not what is right in front of your face. If you do not heed my warning, if you follow through with your plan, you will fall victim to the vampires. Don’t doubt that for a second.”

  “They won’t hurt me.”

  “They won’t…or he won’t? Can you honestly tell me that you feel safe around them? All of them? They feed on humans, Callie.”

  I bit down on my bottom lip and I fought to keep the memories of things I’d seen from flooding my mind. I thought of the people I had met: Gretl, Sienna, Lisette. And of the stories I’d heard about the farms where quality blood was cultivated. All of it threatened to shake my resolve. But I wouldn’t allow it.

  The princess was lying and manipulating me. She knew my weaknesses and was using them against me.

  “Vampires are exactly what I’ve told you they are,” Amalia said. “They are nothing more than savage parasites. They have been parading around, pretending to be heroes, for centuries. Perhaps their game has become their reality. But it isn’t ours. We see them for what they are, not what they claim to be.”

  I glared at her. “You lie.”

  “They bring nothing but death and destruction with them, wherever they go. It’s who they are. It’s how they survive.”

  Her words were too much like what Geoff had said to me, before we left the manor. They threatened to dredge up doubt I’d buried away, when we’d left the home in the woods.

  I remembered with blinding clarity that Amalia had sent the Wild Hunt. She’d tried to kill us. Logan had protected me. He’d been the one to save me.

  Logan was good. Amalia was evil.

  I refused to let her get into my head. I wouldn’t let her win this game of manipulation.

  “They only became what they are to defend themselves from creatures like you,” I said.

  This caused yet another bout of laughter. “Did you ever think we became what we are to defend ourselves from them? You only have half the story, Callie. Do with it what you will. But know this, if you don’t heed my warning, everyone will suffer. You can prevent that, though. All you need to do is trust me. Trust me, before it’s too late.”

  “I will never trust you.”

  “I would advise—”

  “I don’t care,” I said. “I’m done listening to you. I’m done with this conversation.”

  No matter what she said, I couldn’t believe her. I discovered something else about her during our conversation, though. She couldn’t hurt me. She didn’t pose any real threat to me. She was afraid of me—and of my sister and father reuniting with me. Fueled with the invigorating sense of confidence that realization provided, I turned my back to her. Then Caros melted away and Crystal City was illuminated, once again.

  Chapter 47

  Callie

  When Logan returned, I was still standing at the window. My conversation with Amalia faded to the background, as the prospect of embarking on the journey to find Rosamon filled my thoughts.

  I was excited but nervous. But knowing he would accompany me, provided a sense of calm.

  “Hey,” Logan said and walked into the room. “I thought I’d find you here.”

  “This is where it all started,” I said, then turned to smile at him. “Well, sort of. I guess it all started out there,” I said, looking back at Crystal City. “But you know what I mean.”

  “I do,” he said with a smile. It was genuine but vanished quickly. His emerald green eyes fixed on mine. When he reached my side, I took his hand and laced our fingers together.

  “What’s wrong?” I said. “Are you here to tell me you can’t go?”

  “I’m going with you,” he said, but looked concerned.

  “Then, what is it?”

  “Before I tell you, you have to promise me one thing.”

  “Anything.”

  “You can’t be angry with me.”

  My brow furrowed. “Why would I be angry with you?”

  “Because I’ve given up my title.”

  It took me a second to process what he had said. “Your title?” I said. “You mean, you’re not the prince anymore?”

  “Well, I’m always going to be a prince,” he said. “That’s a birth sort of thing. I can’t really get shed that. But I’m no longer the ruler of Shadowland.”

  “Oh,” I said and struggled to understand what had happened. “And why did you do that?”

  “Because I can’t be what the kingdom needs me to be.”

  “Because of me?” I said with wide eyes. “Logan, you can’t give up your title for me. I won’t let you. Your kingdom needs you. Your people need a leader. With everything going on and the war and…”

  “That’s exactly why I can’t lead them anymore. They need a leader who is completely dedicated to the fight. And I’m not.”

  He took my hands in his. I wanted to tell him he was being foolish and that I wouldn’t allow him to do what he’d apparently already done. But the feeling of connection that passed between us stopped me from saying that.

  I looked up at him, lost in his eyes. “What did the ruling council have to say about all this?”

  “They didn’t take it very well,” Logan said. His expression filled me with sadness. “I tried to tell them to accept my brothers as my successors, and they had plenty to say about that—none of it good.”

  “Will they listen to you? Will Valter and Florian take over?”

  “I’m not sure. But it’s not my concern any longer. You are my only priority now, Callie.”

  “But, your family…”

  There was something about taking him from his family to venture out into the Fae lands and find my own sister that made me feel selfish. If the situation had been reversed, would I have left Rosamon to help him find Natasha?

  The answer was, that I would have. And Rosamon would have wanted me to. So long as my own sister was safe, it would be the right thing to do. But, in this case, I didn’t know if Logan’s family would be safe.

  “I’ve done the best I can for them,” Logan said. “
Natasha has told me as much. My brothers might not see it; they might not understand it. But she does. She knows that this is what I must do. And one day, Valter and Florian will see the truth, as well.”

  “I still feel bad about it.”

  Logan lifted his hand to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen across my face. Resting his palm against my cheek, he stepped closer. “Don’t feel bad,” he said. “I wouldn’t change anything.”

  “But, if we hadn’t met…”

  “If we hadn’t met, I would still be the ruler of Shadowland. I would still be angry, bitter, and miserable, just like I’d been for longer than I can remember. If you hadn’t come into my life, I wouldn’t have remembered what it felt like to be human. I wouldn’t have discovered the side of myself that I cast off, when I became a vampire. Because of you, I’ve remembered how to laugh and how to be kind. I’ve remembered what it feels like to be vulnerable and scared. I’ve remembered what it means to love.”

  “Logan,” I said, my eyes filling with tears.

  For the first time in a long time, they weren’t tears of sadness. They weren’t provoked by fear or worry. They were tears of overwhelming joy.

  “We should get going,” Logan said, nodding toward the window. “Kaida will be joining us, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Of course, it is,” I said eagerly.

  “Well then, what’s stopping us?”

  “Nothing, I guess,” I said, looking out over the city.

  The adventures in Logan’s realm weren’t like any I’d dreamed of, when trapped in my dull life in Oregon. They were greater than I could have imagined.

  There were very real dangers, and I’d seen only a portion of the Fae land. What I had seen filled me with dread. Yet with Logan by my side, I could face the princess and her evil tricks.

  Logan took a step toward the window, holding tightly to my hand, prepared to call Kaida.

  “Wait,” I said, pulling him back. “There is one last thing we need to do before we go.”