The Heart of the Darkness

by M. J. Padgett

  The basket of food no longer seemed enticing, but sleep did. Despite my aversion, I lay beside Cole on the forest floor and closed my eyes. When he woke and found me there, his trust in me would grow. I needed him to trust me. I needed him to let me in again, not just under the surface, but fully back into his heart. Cole needed to believe he had worn me down and that I would never leave him again. Once he believed that, then I would kill him.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Calla

  The Salien Castle, Schwarzwald

  “IF YOU DON’T STOP EATING chocolate covered espresso beans, I’ll need to peel you off the ceiling,” Ava said as she paced from one end of her quarters to the other. She had lived in Germany long enough to adopt the accent, but not long enough to eliminate her mother’s French influence when she was stressed.

  “You know, I almost forget your mother is French, then you get stressed and can’t decide what accent works best,” I teased and popped another bean.

  Ava glared at me, but Brody chuckled.

  “Remember when we joked about you growing up to be president or the queen of a country? Why didn’t we tease you about becoming a doctor or a lawyer instead?” Brody asked.

  “She still would have ended up here,” Wil said and leaned back in his chair as he rubbed his temples. We missed our son, but having him and the other children locked away safely was more important until we knew what we were up against.

  Marcus slipped into the room without a sound but sighed when he saw we’d all crammed into his bedroom. I’d already received a phone call from Cecily, so I knew his meeting in Goldene Stadt had been a doozy. There was sure to be some twin bonding time in our future, but until then, I was just happy he wasn’t quite as mopey as he had been before.

  Ava crossed the room again and kissed his cheek.

  “How... did it go?” Brody asked, his forehead furrowed in anticipation.

  “I’m sure you already know,” Marcus said and fell backward on his bed. “It’s not how I thought it would be. I prayed they would find the Daniel guy and that he would be Stella’s brother as they thought, but I still feel... I’m not sure. Technically, I did still kill the guy, not to mention...” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I murdered her whole family, and she forgave me!” He popped back up and waved his hands around. “They both forgave me, and he hugged me.”

  “It wasn’t you, not really,” Ava said, barely keeping it together. “Perhaps they have accepted that and are ready to move on? Maybe you should try?”

  She was probably right, and I would do well to consider doing the same. But that wasn’t my style. I ignored any and every feeling I had about who I had been in a former life if only so I could focus on the next task—ridding the forest of the Darkness—but I knew the moment peace fell over the land, I would dive headlong into an array of emotion that would take many years to sort through. Marcus, though, was in a different spot. It was this wolf in this life that had killed the Kruse family and maimed Stella. It wasn’t as easy for him to brush it off as another lifetime.

  “Even so,” Marcus said, “I don’t suppose there is time to tackle that problem. He’s alive, and he’s trained an army of villagers to aid us. Stella, Ari, and Jemma will join them to prepare.”

  “Prepare for what, exactly?” Brody asked, glancing at Wil.

  Wil only shrugged. His worn, tired eyes connected with mine, and he forced a smile, but there would be no real happiness until we knew what was to come. Had Annabell betrayed us all? Would we need the wolf to fight the Darkness? If Stella gave us the elixir, would we become savage again or find control over the wolves inside?

  A chill shot down my spine, so I focused on my husband and Brody, who were taking turns guessing what Annabell’s plan was. Truly, it did not matter. If she’d betrayed us, then we stood no chance against the Darkness. If she had not, then she would find a way to tell us and help us.

  “You’re oddly calm about this,” Marcus whispered as Ava listened to Wil and Brody.

  “About what?” I asked, cramming beans in my mouth.

  “Everything. Are you totally fine with who you used to be?” he asked.

  “The Beast? No, not really, but...” I paused to think, then said, “I’ve just accepted that I’ve done things I cannot change. I’m sure later I will think about it and need to go through some sort of grieving process, but I also think in some way, Stella and her actions changed me.”

  “How so?” Marcus asked with hope in his tone.

  I pursed my lips and thought back over the days. “I watched her, and whenever things got hard, she never backed down. Even when she walked away from you in that field, she still came back, and she still fought for what she thought was right. Even now, she’s helping us when she could just kill us all and be done with it.”

  “What?” Wil screeched. I hadn’t realized he’d tuned into my conversation with my twin and scowled at his outburst.

  “Think about it, Wil. What’s the easiest way to make sure the Seven Sworn doesn’t merge with the Darkness? She said it as much herself. Killing us is the only option, and truly, it makes more sense for her to just kill the Seven and be done. But she hasn’t. She hasn’t even tried,” I said.

  Though Wil had heard the same words from Stella’s mouth, it was as if it hadn’t really filed into place until that moment. He reached for me with clouded eyes and a tightened jaw. I took his hand and smiled as much as I could, thinking of how he would raise our son alone if the worst happened. It wasn’t just him. Elizabeth and Kylie were mothers of infants, hardly a few weeks old. If Elizabeth was killed alongside me, Jay would be in the same position as Wil. If Matt died, Kylie would be as well. I thought of my brother, Ely, and him raising Hans without Sierra for several years, and it led into a downward spiral that I shook from my head before it could dig its claws too deeply into my heart.

  “I can’t afford to be afraid right now, Wil. You understand?” I asked. He nodded and released my hand.

  “I’m sorry. It’s always painful to think of losing you, but you are right. It would be easier for her to eliminate the problem, but she has not. I believe Stella truly wants what is best for the forest.”

  After a moment of quiet, Ava stood and sighed. “Unfortunately, we must meet with Snow and see if we can piece together what will happen now. With Annabell missing in action and no idea what she’s doing, we need to figure out a back-up plan.”

  Now that—that made me mad. Snow. How dare she not tell us the truth from the beginning? She knew so much more than she shared with us—primarily that we were meant to merge and possibly die—then had the nerve to behave as if she were offended by our anger toward her. When we were all under the control of the Darkness in the last fight, before Scarlett was freed from its grip, I wanted to rip Snow’s pretty little throat out. I wasn’t so sure it was the gooey evil that made me feel that way, though.

  “Calla, are you alright?” Ava asked as her hand settled on my shoulder.

  “Yeah, fine. Why?” My clipped tone was a clear indicator I was not, and my best friend knew that.

  “Because you’re going to break the bedpost if you don’t let go,” Brody said.

  I released it and shook my hand out. “I’m not happy with Snow, so let’s just get this over with. Please tell me it’s just a small meeting. I cannot handle dozens of people today.”

  “Only a few. You, me, Wil, Elizabeth, and Jay. Snow, of course, and Heidi since she’s already made it clear she doesn’t trust Snow anymore,” Marcus said. His tone said he was in the same place, but as the king, he wouldn’t outright accuse her of anything without solid proof.

  In my heart, I did not believe Snow wanted to harm us, but her deceit did not bode well for maintaining the trust we had worked so hard to build since her return. I reminded myself of everything Ulrich had said, that she worked diligently to protect Hans and the people of Schwarzwald for as long as she could before the influence of the Darkness’s evil took her entirely. Ulrich had no reason to lie to us, s
o I let a deep breath settle my nerves.

  Marcus led the way, and the rest of us fell in line behind him. Some days it felt as if all we did was meet to talk about defeating evil without actually moving forward with the deed. Other days, it felt as if we had been fighting nonstop while taking steps backward.

  “There you all are,” Snow said from behind me. Her voice sent chills down my spine.

  “We’re always here,” Marcus said with a scowl. “We’re always here, always tired, and always so pleased to see your face, sister.”

  Snow looked at me, her gaze telling. Those green eyes sparkled like emeralds surrounded by thick, dark lashes. She batted them a time or two and turned her ruby lips into a slight smile. She knew she had overstepped more than once, but she wouldn’t apologize. Instead, she pushed the door open and entered the dining hall, where she took the seat at the head of the table, staking her claim in the grand scheme of things. While I loved my half-sister, some small part of me wished she hadn’t returned. I shook that thought from my head along with many others that had no place there and took the chair opposite her.

  Brody had long ago decided he wanted no part of planning meetings, so he darted off to find something else to do.

  Snow cleared her throat and organized a stack of papers. “First order of business, what to do about—”

  “Just... just stop, Snow,” Marcus said, holding a hand to his forehead.

  “Whatever is the problem?” she asked.

  “You!” Marcus dropped his hand and yelled, then slammed the table. “You are the problem, Snow. You lied about what you knew. If we had known the truth, perhaps we could have planned for our families a little better. Perhaps we might have prepared ourselves for the likely outcome of this fight!”

  “You cannot be sure the Seven will lose!” Snow cried.

  “No, I cannot, but I know if there is even the slightest possibility, Stella will kill them,” Marcus said, forcing Wil to flinch. Jay had quietly entered as usual, but Elizabeth was nowhere to be found. I assumed the baby was fussy and left it alone, but Heidi missing from the meeting was concerning.

  “I won’t let her kill—”

  “You have to!” Marcus said. “Stella will wait until the very last moment, but she cannot allow them to merge with the Darkness. You know that. You always have. And get out of my chair. You are not the reigning royal.”

  Snow pursed her lips but said nothing more as she moved from my brother’s chair. He took his place as the door creaked open, and Heidi entered, followed by Elizabeth, who looked as worn and tired as the rest of us. My sister smiled at me and sat beside Jay. She refused to look at Snow, presumably for the same reason none of us could.

  “I only wanted to protect you from... I... I suppose I should have told you, but I feared if you knew you might shirk your responsibility. I should have had more faith in you.” Snow pressed her hands onto the table to keep them still.

  “Have we done so thus far?” I asked, leaning forward. “Have any of us walked away from our duties?”

  She shook her head. “No, and you all can hate me forever, but the truth remains. We need to focus on the present, and if we win the fight, then you can exile me or kill me or—”

  “Oh, stop being so dramatic,” Elizabeth said. “Just... move on to the purpose of the meeting, please. Our nanny can only manage so much, and I would like to spend as much time with my child as possible before I die.”

  “Lizzie,” Jay whispered.

  Elizabeth’s eyes softened, and she sighed. “I’m sorry.” She lowered her head, hiding her face behind a curtain of dark hair.

  It was quiet again, so I moved the discussion along. I wanted to see my son, as well. “Do we have any reason to believe Annabell has betrayed us?”

  Snow shook her head. “I don’t believe so. This was not part of the plan, but I cannot believe she would turn her back on us. Everything that has happened has been by her design since I returned, so I am sure she will find some way to communicate with us. Perhaps then we will know what to do.”

  “So, we hurry up and wait?” Wil asked with a groan.

  “I’ve had more than enough of that,” Jay said, reminding me he and Wil had been embroiled in Snow’s drama for far longer than anyone deserved.

  “What else can we do?” Snow asked.

  “Send a search team,” Jay offered.

  “The Darkness would have our heads before we got within a day’s distance from Annabell,” Heidi said. “I’ve had no luck researching him by name, Cole, as Annabell said. There are no records in Schwarzwald or Goldene Stadt. I am waiting for Hayden to return with any information from Schattenland.”

  “Anything to know about it is probably in Das Unbekannte,” I said. “That was the kingdom Elfriede came from, correct?”

  “In a sense, yes, but remember the whole of the Black Forest was once part of her kingdom. When she disappeared, our ancestors captured chunks of the land,” Snow said. “Technically, we sit in The Land of Friedens now.”

  “So, we wait then?” I asked.

  “Train and wait, I suppose,” Snow said, then, “Though I do have another idea if any would care to hear.”

  Her sudden timidity didn’t fool me. She would keep her tongue for now, but just as soon as the chance arose, she would try to take control of everything once again. Even so, I sucked down my annoyance and nodded.

  “Annabell chose to return as a child, so her influence would be more readily accepted. Who knows why that worked, but it did. That got me thinking about a lot of things Annabell did. I only know my part in this, to lead you all into the battle, but... why? What purpose do I really serve? And for that matter, if the Darkness is seeking a pack with the strongest wolves, then why would one of the Seven be a chimera? And why a dragon?”

  Marcus scratched his head. “Well, Stella said he wanted to merge with them to absorb their power. Maybe they don’t have to be wolves, just powerful?”

  “Okay, I suppose that is possible, but that still leaves the question of why? Why does he need to absorb them for more power when he is already the most powerful being in the world?” Snow asked.

  “What is the end game?” Wil asked, glancing at his brother.

  “And for what? What is his intention with all that power?” Jay asked.

  Elizabeth and Heidi both stared at the table, lost in thought, while I stared at the wall behind Snow. What was the ultimate purpose of absorbing more power? World domination? Surely, the Darkness was already strong enough to take anything it wanted. He had proven time, and again we were no real match for the power he possessed.

  “I think the only way to answer that question is with a different one,” Heidi said.

  “Which is?” I asked.

  “Who is he? Who is Cole? I doubt anyone will find any records of him, but he must have come from somewhere. He couldn’t have materialized from thin air, so there must be some story or documentation of his origin,” she said.

  “We assume he did not just appear. We have also proven time and again that nothing is impossible,” Marcus reasoned. “Here, in this land, it is entirely possible he just appeared from nothing.”

  Suddenly, Ava shot from her chair, knocking it to the ground. It startled half the room, leaving us all staring at her.

  “I know who he is, and I know how we can find information about him,” she said.

  “What? How?” Snow asked, halfway out of her chair. She seemed... pleased yet also... worried. I decided there was no reason to try to figure out her vast array of fake facial expressions and chose to focus on my best friend, who was flailing her hands around.

  “When the rest of you are in go-mode, I don’t have much to do but research and study. It’s how I learned the language and history so quickly after moving here. Come, I’ll show you.”

  “Where are we going?” Snow asked, her lips pursed. “I think you can simply explain your thoughts while we continue to discuss what Cole really wants.” When she was ignored, Snow groaned. “We
must figure out a way to control if and when the Seven merge. That should be our priority right now so that we can use that to our advantage, not traipsing around the castle following a lead that might not mean anything.”

  “Snow, can it,” Wil said, then gripped my hand and tugged me closer to him.

  We all followed Ava into the depths of the castle, down a darkened hall, through a passageway I had all but forgotten, and into my father’s private library.

  “I’ll just be a moment,” Ava said, then slipped down one of the dustiest aisles in the entire room.

  Snow crossed her arms and tapped her fingers on her biceps but kept her mouth shut. Her impatience was something I did not remember from our first life, but I, too, was not as I was in that life. The centuries had changed us. Even so, I could not help but notice her impatience this time was unwarranted. If Ava was right, we would know exactly what we were dealing with and, maybe, how to stop it.

  “Here it is,” Ava said, carefully placing a thick volume on the table. Its title was in an ancient language I could not decipher, but Ava had been honest—she had nothing better to do than learn while we fought monsters of unspeakable darkness.

  “The Complete History of Vessel Pottery,” she said, then looked at us.

  “Um... what?” Heidi asked, then let her fingers graze over the tattered leather cover.

  “Yeah... I was really bored, but look at this,” Ava said, turning the book on its side. On the spine was an emblem that faintly resembled a wolf. “And here. This chapter is all about the reason certain pieces of pottery bear particular marks.”

  Ava opened the book carefully and lay its delicate pages open for us to see. There, between an illustration of edelweiss and some peculiar sort of bird, was a half-human, half-wolf howling at the moon. I gasped and ventured to touch the page.