by Emily Rose
“Follow me,” I said, turning on my heel heading toward the bedroom door.
We wandered out of the bedroom and down the quiet hallway, toward the giant doors I had been visiting for the past few nights.
“What are we doing in the library?” he asked.
“This is going to sound crazy, but I read something here the other day that might help us. I didn’t think much of it when I read it at first, but now that you’ve said the King hasn’t been acting normal…”
I rushed to the same bookshelf and pulled out the book from the other day.
I read it out loud. “The darkness that will dwell in the Shadow Forest will be one of great lengths. Power of evil does not weaken. It only strengthens, feeding off of like souls. When the spirits possess a power great enough, they will enter the human realm, overtaking hosts for their own will.”
When I looked up, Aiden was staring at me. His eyes were so wide, I don’t think I had ever seen that much white in them.
He grabbed the book from my hands, reading the rest of the page for himself. I took a deep breath, letting the cool night air calm my body. This was insane. At least I had some sort of clue as to what was happening to me. I somehow found comfort in the fact that I wasn’t the only one.
For what seemed like hours, we sat in the library, flipping through the old books. We read books of history, magic and the old rulers. It was astonishing how much information was kept here.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know about all of this,” I said as I lowered one of the books down to the giant wooden table.
“I never really had a reason to come here. When I was a kid, sure. My old tutors brought me here all the time. But I haven’t stepped foot in this library in years.” He hardly took his eyes off the book he was reading. I caught myself staring at the way he flipped the pages of the delicate bindings, and the way his face lit up at every new discovery we made.
This was Aiden. The King's son. I should have hated him. I should have despised his very presence and revolted at any attention he gave me. But I didn’t. I wanted to know more about him. The mysterious, confusing man in front of me was just a boy. I spent the next few hours asking him about his childhood and about his life here in the City. And he did the same. I talked to him about Jax and Riley, and my chest ached at the way he leaned in, intent on listening to every detail. As much as I tried to stop it, my stomach even tingled when he reached his hand across the table, grabbing mine. His laugh was soft and warm when I told him about Harvey and her cat from home. It was like the feeling of the morning sun on my skin. It was refreshing.
After hours spent in the library, Aiden looked at me. “Let me see your flame,” he said. This was the topic I had been hoping to avoid. An embarrassing heat filled my cheeks. Aiden could obviously control his flame. That much was obvious by the way he let it flicker just hours ago. I didn’t have control like that.
“I can’t,” I said. “There isn’t… I can’t just make it appear. It doesn’t work like that.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean? I’ve seen it plenty of times before.”
“No, you’ve only seen it when I’m angry or I feel trapped. Like I’m going to die or something. I think Ophine is helping me, at least that’s what she says.”
“Wait, Ophine? You’re telling me the goddess of fire speaks to you?” He leaned forward, his brows drawn together.
I paused. I wasn’t sure if I could trust Aiden. I wasn’t even sure if I could trust myself. But I did know that I needed an ally. I was stuck at a standstill here, and Aiden had answers. At least, more answers than I had. I needed someone in the royal family to trust me. Either Aiden really needed my help, or he was an even better liar than I was.
“Sometimes, yeah. It used to be just in dreams, but lately it’s like she’s right there with me when I’m fighting.”
“When did it start? Was it around last year like me?”
This was it. I had to tell him.
“No, the first time I saw the flame was when I was 13. Royal guards stormed Sundown, killing my parents during the night while I sat next to them. Ophine was there, literally in the room with me. When I called to the gods for help, or for mercy, she showed up. I don’t know why, at least I didn’t until…”
“The prophecy… but why would royal guards kill your parents? I’ve never even heard of my father talk about Sundown.”
I couldn’t even look at Aiden. Was he playing dumb? Or was he actually that stupid?
“I would assume it’s because your father is a merciless murderer. But that’s just a guess.”
Heat pulsed through my body. Anger.
Aiden’s eyes widened.
“See, I can feel that. Just now, you got angry.”
He could feel my anger? “Yes, how-”
“So try now, Ruby. Get angry. Show me the flame.”
Get angry. These days, it seemed like I was always angry. I thought about that night. The attack. I had no idea why the King would want my parents dead, and nobody else in Sundown. I had thought about it every day for the past five years. It was sickening.
I didn’t try to suppress my anger. I didn’t try to stop the heat from spreading under my skin, tingling my fingertips. Instead, I brought my hands up to the table, palms upward.
Ophine. Power. Goddess of flame.
At the simple thought of her name, power pulsed through my arms. White flames jumped from my hands. I did it. I had willed the flame to come.
Aiden laughed. Well, it was more of a giggle. It reminded me of a child’s laugh from back home.
I laughed, too. I felt something new rising in my chest. Pride? Success?
Either way, this was a start.
I was going to learn to control my magic.
13 The Prophecy
The next day, two guards rushed into the infirmary. My time here was up, and the only thing I had accomplished was reading a few books in the library.
I jumped out of bed and gave the hallway one last look. This was probably the last time I would see the outside of the cages or the fighting ring.
I was escorted through the familiar corridor. Only this time, I wasn’t terrified. I didn’t feel dread or hatred. I felt something even worse. Even more dangerous.
Hope.
The rest of the cages weren’t even unlocked yet. It was so quiet, so eerie. The calm before the storm.
Harvey jumped up from her cot when she saw me.
“Oh my god! Ruby!” Her voice was quiet, but it echoed off of the stone walls. As the guards slammed the cage shut behind me, Harvey jumped into my arms.
She was still here. Still alive. That was something.
“You’re okay! Gods, we were so scared!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” I said. I pulled back to look at her face. Her pale, young face. “How are you? How’s Riley?”
“We’re both fine. People have been leaving us both alone, for the most part. I think people are worried about you coming back. Especially after the King saved you and all.”
The King?
“The King isn’t the one that saved me, Harvey. It was Aiden. I’m sure the King would celebrate if I dropped dead right now.”
Harvey smiled. “The King, the Prince, what’s the difference? They love you! The Prince has taken a special liking to you, I see.” She winked at me, and I had to fight a smile.
“No, he’s just protecting his father’s Champions.” I felt a blush rush to my face as I remembered the way he held my hand in the library, listening to every detail about my life.
“Yeah, whatever,” she said. “He came to Riley and I after you were attacked. He told us you would be back soon, and that he would watch over you. He is very handsome, too.”
“Harvey,” I barked. My voice was stronger than I wanted it to be. She flinched. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I’m not here to catch the Prince’s eye. I’m here to kill and to die. Same as everyone.”
She sank away from me. “Right.”
I didn’t mean to hurt her, But there was no time to take interest in the Prince. I was starting to regret all the time we spent together in the library, sneaking through the castle at night. Maybe I had been ignorant. A pawn in the Prince’s game.
I was the King’s Champion. Nothing more. My burnt skin was rough under my fingertips as I ran my hand across my collarbone. I could not forget. I could not stray.
When the cages unlocked a few minutes later, Harvey and I walked silently into the Courtyard. The sun was already gleaming over the stone walls, warming my skin. I rushed to the back of the yard, expecting to finally meet up with Riley again. If I was going to have to train with the Champions every day, I had to talk to Riley as much as possible before training started.
He jogged over to us, throwing his lanky arms around my shoulders.
“Look at you, little raven! You’re alive!”
I smiled. Little raven. He reminded me so much of Jax. That just served as even more fuel to get out of that place.
“So have you guys been making any plans while I’ve been gone? Any ideas on how to get the hell out of here?” I asked.
“We’ve really just been trying to stay alive, but we do have an idea or two,” Riley said. He sent a side wink toward Harvey, who bit her lip and looked at the ground.
“Well don’t keep me waiting, what’s the idea?”
Riley looked around cautiously, then stepped closer to us.
“During the fights, most of the guards are upstairs watching the action. Only a few stay here in the Courtyard. We could steal a few weapons and try to fight our way out, but...”
“But we would never make it through the City gates alive,” I interrupted.
“Right. So then we were thinking… after you got attacked, it only took a few minutes for the Prince to come to you. Guards weren’t even there to see the attack, they were already waiting in the cages for the fighters to lock up. And that was what, minutes before lockdown?”
“Yeah, so what are you saying?”
“I’m saying, if we can hide in the Courtyard, maybe in the showers, and find a way to skip lockdown, we would have all night to try and sneak out of here. The place is barely lit up, anyway.”
His plan was horribly naive. “They would notice if we were gone, Riley.”
He looked at Harvey, then they both smiled.
“Not if only one of us was gone.” They both looked at me now, nervously grinning.
Oh, hell no. I knew where this was going.
“Absolutely not,” I said, backing away. “That won’t work.”
Riley stepped forward, grabbing my wrist. “You know he likes you, Ruby. Everyone can see it. There’s a reason Opal attacked you and not any of the other Champions. She’s jealous.”
I wanted to tell them that I had already tried to get them out of here and failed miserably. I wanted to tell them that the prince didn’t like me, he was just fascinated by our shared talent. I wish they knew. I wish I could tell them about the magic, and about Aiden’s secret. Would they even believe me? Telling them would put them both in danger, anyway.
“I have to go,” I said. The King’s Champions were gathering around the training ring, ready to fight. “I’ll think about it, Riley. I’ll see you guys after training.” I turned my back to them and walked toward the practice ring.
Were they crazy? Aiden was not going to help me. He might have needed me for his own personal magic partner or whatever, but if he was afraid of anyone, it was King Xavier. He wouldn’t step out of line.
I took a deep breath, clearing my thoughts as I walked toward the Champions. This was my first day back in days, and I had no idea what Aiden had said to them when I was gone. But Opal didn’t even look at me. She didn’t even raise her eyes from the floor as I approached.
Was she afraid? I hoped so. I couldn’t help but notice the remnants of bruises still lingering on her face, as if she had gotten badly beat up in the past few days. Satisfaction tickled my chest.
If I had learned anything during my 17 years in Aslan, it was that people will always get what they deserve. Gods or no gods.
✽✽✽
Days went by. I didn’t see Aiden. I could hardly focus during training. My mind kept wandering to the massive library. The story of the prophecy.
The gods will leave the burden for someone new.
I wished I could practice my flame. I wished I was still in the infirmary, with free range to the castle. What if I missed my last shot at killing King Xavier? My next fight would be any day now, and survival was never guaranteed, even with Ophine on my side.
Riley and Harvey grew closer every day. Thank the gods for it, too, because I was exhausted from looking out for both of them. At least they had each other. A tiny weight was lifted from my shoulders.
Every night, I saw them in my cage. Lingering shadows watching me from the hallway. The same shadow I had seen in the showers and more. It was like each of my kills was coming back to haunt me. I tried to ignore them, and it had been working so far. They only showed up when my mind was quiet, leaving us alone together in the darkness.
I’m not sure how much time went by, but I stared up at the ceiling. Harvey’s breath was steady and deep next to me. She had no problem sleeping, which honestly amazed me. She was so calm, not worried about the fact that she had yet to fight in the ring.
I closed my eyes but sleep never came. The phantom feeling of fire under my skin kept me awake. My body was begging for it, wanting more.
I didn’t even hear footsteps walking down the corridor. Just a tiny tap on the metal bars. I picked my head up.
Soren.
“Get up,” he whispered. “Come with me.”
I didn’t question it. I didn’t even hesitate. I grabbed my boots and slipped through the cage that Soren held open, following him silently into the darkness.
“Where are we going?” I asked after we were outside of the cage corridor.
“Out of the city for the night,” he responded.
My heart rate shot up instantly. I was leaving the City?
Sensing my confusion, Soren continued. “Prince Aiden asked me to bring you somewhere. It’s just a mile or so into the Shadow Forest. Here, put this on.”
He handed me a large, black cloak. I slipped it over my shoulders, pulling the hood over my head. The weight felt comforting. Reassuring.
“We’ll have you back by morning, don’t worry.”
Right, I was really worried about that.
I nodded at Soren as he turned around, leading me up a dark staircase. My mind was racing. Why would Aiden want to see me? And why in the Shadow Forest?
As he opened one of the castle doors, the chill of the night brushed my skin. Somehow, this air felt different from the air in the Courtyard. It was freer. Fresher.
He silently lifted me onto a large, black horse that was waiting in the shadows just a few feet away. He jumped on after me, and we rode.
We didn’t use the main entrance to the city. Instead, Soren led us quietly through the darkest, unlit parts of Aslan. We rode next to the tall stone wall toward the back of the city before he slipped through a small, unarmed entrance in the stone.
I didn’t ask any questions. If Aiden wanted to leave the castle without anyone else knowing, I’m sure he had his ways.
So we rode through the dark forest. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. How encapsulating the life in the forest could be. The familiar buzz of life tickled my senses. The air was crisper than I remembered, smelling like pine and fresh grass. The giant trees echoed any sound we made in the silent night.
The horse galloped quickly through the small path. I had no idea how Soren knew where to go, but the singular horse tracks in mud told me Aiden was already here.
Minutes later, a dark, hidden tent came into view straight ahead of us. It was only visible by a tiny lantern that hung outside the tent entrance. As Soren and I approached, I began to hear voices. Aiden and someone else. A woman.
We hopped of
f of the horse. Soren said nothing, but motioned for me to enter the tent. I tried not to pay attention to the prickling on the back of my neck.
I pushed open the dark, heavy flap of the tent. It was bigger than I thought it would be. Aiden sat across from the woman on the floor, the light from the lantern flickering behind them.
“Ruby,” he said. “You made it.”
I stayed put and straightened my back. “Yes, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
The woman stood up first, walking toward me. She was beautiful. No, not beautiful. She was perfect. Her black hair flowed freely to her waist, meeting the long skirt that dragged the floor. Her eyes were bright green, even brighter than Aiden’s. She had an amused look on her face as she studied me, only inches from me.
“So this is her?” She asked, turning to Aiden. He only nodded.
“Welcome, child! Sit!” She took my hand and pulled me to the floor where they had been sitting. Child. She hardly looked older than I was.
“This is Isobel,” Aiden said. His legs were folded in front of him. He seemed so relaxed. Where the hell was I? “She can help us with the flame. She knows all about the prophecy.”
“You told her?” I whispered. A feeling of dread creeped up my back. This was not good.
“You can trust me, girl,” Isobel said. “I’ve been waiting for you for many years now.”
Waiting for me? “Wait,” I said, looking around. It was filled with potion bottles and herbs. I would have thought her to be a healer, but she was nothing like Amaris. Nature flowed through the tent, merging with it. Not to mention the fact that she was living out here in arguably the scariest place in Aslan. “Are you a witch?” The last word came out in a whisper, but it seemed too loud in the quiet of the Shadow Forest.
Isobel just laughed. “Yes, Ruby. I guess you could say that. Your Prince here has told me a lot about you. I’m glad you came.”
“We can’t be here,” I said to Aiden. He should know better. It was bad enough that we had been accessing the flame in the library. Now, visiting a witch? If the King ever found out… this was a death sentence.
“Relax,” he said. “I’ve been coming here for the past year. My father will never find out. He never enters the Shadow Forest, especially not at night.”
