The Heart of the Darkness

by M. J. Padgett

  I winced when he sliced his own palm, releasing the thick, black substance that robbed his veins of human blood. He released my hand, giving me every opportunity to decline, to run away, or beg him to wait just a little longer. I did none of those things. Instead, I pressed my palm against his, mixing my blood with his darkness.

  Immediately, my light washed him in an ethereal glow that livened his skin and brought color to his cheeks as it always had. At the same time, I felt the darkness creep into my veins where it would work its evil deeds—only this time, I knew how to control it. I blocked it from my heart and mind, closing it off where it could only bump against them in anger. It was a complicated amendment to the binding spell most witches knew well, but it was effective, and soon, my light warmed me again.

  “You appear well. Are you?” Cole asked.

  I licked my lips, quelling the queasy feeling in my stomach. “I am.”

  I felt his heart swell, the joy that grew with each breath he took in my presence. It killed me. Despite all that he was, somehow, he found a way to love me... and it would kill him.

  “I should send a message to the Seven. This can be settled by morning if all are in agreement,” he said, reminding me that I had only completed the first phase of my plan. I nodded even as I tried to devise a way to send correspondence to the Seven myself. My original plan had taken a major detour when Cole appeared as a dragon with Scarlett, and from then on, everything I decided was off the cuff—but so far, so good.

  “I wish there was another way, but if you swear still, then send a message, and... we will end this,” I said and turned away from him.

  “I will make it as quick and painless as possible, my love.” He placed a kiss on my neck just under my ear, then turned to leave the room. Before he went, he picked up a book and placed it on the table beside the fire. “Should you truly wish to understand my affliction, you might find the answers in my journals. Here is the most relevant. Perhaps when I return, you will no longer lie to me about your feelings, and they might be true once again. Or, at least, you will know the whole truth.”

  He sped from the room, leaving me in a gust of wind and a flurry of snowflakes that would have been beautiful under different circumstances. Rather than read the book, I sat on the floor again and focused. Somehow, I had to reach one of the other witches. Heidi was the strongest, but Stella was probably the only one who would abide by my wishes to the letter. With that in mind, I concentrated my energy on her, reaching her, speaking to her through our magic.

  But the journal taunted me. It sat upon the table with all the answers, teasing me as I tried to send the most important message I might ever send to another person.

  Read it...

  I squinted my eyes tight, realizing it was the dark energy forcing itself against my brain again. I blocked its angry thrumming and focused again.

  Only a page or two...

  “Oh, would you cease! I will read the journal once I have completed my task!”

  With that, the evil slunk into its corner and obeyed me as it always had. Strength of will, that was what Cole had always called it. My ability to harness the dark power, absorb it into my own natural power, convert it into light energy, then produce a type of magic that far surpassed the ability of any other magical entity would suit me well if I could complete my mission. If... I grumbled and forced myself back to the present.

  Stella was there, just in my line of sight. She was traveling, moving from Goldene Stadt to... an encampment with her brother? That I did not see coming, but I was pleased the boy was alive and well. I tickled Stella’s mind until she began looking around inside the vehicle.

  Can you hear me, Stella? It’s Annabell.

  “Stop the car!” Stella screamed, then grabbed her head as I invaded her thoughts. I hadn’t meant for it to hurt, but it was the only way I could warn them Cole was coming.

  I’m sorry, Stella. Just listen to me. Focus on the sound of my voice, and I will hurry.

  I waited and gave her a moment to recover. She fell from the car and rolled on the ground as people surrounded her. I was sure the pain was immense for such a reaction from the huntress, but without warning, Cole would take who and what he wanted. After a moment, Stella sat upright with her palms pressed into either temple. She nodded.

  “Go on. Hurry,” she gasped. “It feels like a rod cramming through my head.”

  Cole is coming.

  “We’re not ready!” she yelled, causing those around her to stare at each other, dumbfounded.

  It doesn’t matter. It’s time. Raise your armies. Once Cole takes the first, the others won’t be far behind.

  “How do I know this isn’t a trick?” Stella asked, growing accustomed to the feeling of my thoughts needling into her mind. At least, her voice no longer wavered.

  It is a trick... against Cole. I will strike against him tomorrow before the ceremony.

  “The ceremony?” she asked, staring at the ground.

  He must prepare before the absorption can begin. Then I will strike. I must admit, this is not how I had planned to win this war, but I will win. So, help me... I will win.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Hayden

  The Bastian Castle, Schattenland

  SUTTON PURSED HER LIPS as she pressed her pen to the paper. Benjamin was nowhere to be found, presumably deep in the bowels of his library researching like everyone else, but that left Sutton to do all the necessary royal work—whatever it was. Usually, she seemed content to perform her duties, but today her hand was heavy, and her eyes often drifted from the paper.

  Kylie was still in Schwarzwald, aiding the recovery of the injured, while Matthew moved back and forth between the kingdoms so he could see his infant son while also maintaining his royal duties. Soon enough, that would be too dangerous, and I couldn’t decide if that was my daughter’s fault... or mine.

  “Stop, Hayden,” Sutton said without looking up from her work.

  “Stop what?” I asked as I crossed my legs for the tenth time, only to uncross them a moment later.

  “It’s not your fault or Annabell’s. It just...” She paused to wave her hand around for a moment and to stare at the wall, then said, “It just is what it is, Hayden. Sometimes things aren’t anyone’s fault. Sometimes it’s just... life.” Her short, dark hair bounced when she waved her hand that way, taking me back to simpler times when she used to chastise me for a bad grade in high school.

  “How comforting. I can’t even blame it on anyone.” I sighed and stood so I could pace, giving my antsy legs something to do.

  Sutton put her pen down and walked out from behind the desk. She opened her mouth just as Devon knocked and stepped into the room. The sight of him no longer bothered me, especially since I had Jack, but for some reason, his presence at that moment set me off.

  “What?” I snapped.

  He narrowed his dark eyes and pursed his lips, swallowing a witty remark. Instead, he said, “I’m going to ignore that since you are upset and under loads of stress,” then handed Sutton what he’d come to give her. “You were right about Benjamin. He’s hiding out in that dungeon of a library trying to find anything he can about this Cole person.”

  Sutton unraveled the paper Devon had given her. “This is literally a scroll that says he’s found nothing. Why did he go to the trouble... again?” She tossed it aside into a pile with several others, all most likely communication from our eldest brother. After discovering Snow lied about the fate of the Seven Sworn, Benjamin had grown a bit cold toward her. We all had, but her omission changed nothing about the situation. Sutton might die, but none of us would talk about it. We would ignore it because that’s what our family had always done—Sutton held it all together, Matt did everything he could to smooth the bumpy parts, and I... caused trouble, which never really changed.

  Devon’s stare shifted from Sutton to me, and I knew exactly what he was about to ask. It was all the poor guy could ask since, in a world filled with fantastical creatures and powe
rful witches, he was about as plain as a cup of milk. “How are you holding up?”

  “I don’t know that I am,” I admitted, finding his presence less grating than I had when he first entered the room. “I’m not sure how to feel or what to do.”

  “I don’t believe for a moment that Annabell betrayed us. Something is off about the whole thing for sure, but I don’t think it’s her fault,” he said.

  “You don’t?” I asked, pausing my pacing to gauge his expression.

  “No, I don’t. I can’t shake the feeling that we are missing something, a key piece of the puzzle.”

  “Right, like who Cole is and why he’s doing what he’s doing,” Sutton said, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.

  “No, it feels like more than that. Like a piece that even Annabell doesn’t understand.” Devon started to pace beside me, stepping to the side when we passed, then back into stride until we each reached a wall and had nowhere to go.

  I sighed. “I guess I just—”

  “Secure the princess!” A scream broke through the evening air only moments before a guard rushed through the room. Sutton was already rounding her desk and stood beside me, her hand outstretched to grab me.

  “Come, Princess. We must ensure your safety in the—”

  Before the guard could lay a protective hand on my sister, the wall behind her burst open, and she fell forward into my arms. I spun around and let her fall toward Devon, who had fallen to the ground after the explosion. He pushed to his feet and caught her as I turned back to the gaping hole in the castle. Stonework rained everywhere, and dust filled the room. I lost sight of the guard, but it was hard to miss the dragon slowly morphing into a human that set foot inside the room.

  Cole, in a black fog, stepped to the desk and paused. Once the rubble settled and his eyes connected with mine, a shiver coursed through me.

  I raised my hands, prepared to strike.

  “Hayden,” Devon said, shaking his head. “You can’t beat him. He’ll kill you.”

  “A wise man, Helena Frenzel. You should listen to him. To kill my beloved Elfriede’s mother would put an awful taste in my mouth, not to mention a sting in our blossoming relationship. I would prefer you to deliver the princess to me so that I might leave without causing additional harm,” Cole said. If I had passed him on the street, I might have noticed his striking good looks, but nothing more. He looked as usual as any human in this form, but I knew underneath was evil so dark and cold it could not be contained—this I knew from experience.

  Bitterness bubbled just under the surface, keeping me from seeing straight. Instead of submitting and turning over my sister, I shoved my hands forward with everything I had. Cole sailed backward, out of the room, and crashed into the rubble below. I heard screams, likely villagers, but I knew my actions had not killed Cole. Nothing could.

  “Go, hurry!” I screamed. Devon and the guard dragged Sutton from the room, kicking and screaming.

  “Hayden, no! No! He’ll kill you!” Sutton screamed as they pulled her toward the safety of the hidden library.

  They hardly had her out of the room before Cole emerged from the billowing dust again. He cracked his neck and pulled a long iron bar from his chest. Once tossed aside, he turned his attention to me again. His eyes flamed with a deep orange that rivaled every sunset I had ever seen. Narrowed on me, they seemed to see right into my soul.

  “You know,” he said, “it was never my intention for you to be infected with this thing. I was impressed by your ability to defy it for as long as you did. Rose was a bratty child who never understood her purposes or her place, and for your suffering, I do apologize. I wish it had not happened as it did. Still, I cannot change the past. Only Elfriede can time shift in such odd ways, but that is beside the fact.”

  “Is there a point to this rambling?” I asked. Fear tickled my throat, knowing my end was near. Sutton was right. I was no match for evil incarnate, and once he was done teasing me, he would surely kill me on the spot. I found I was afraid but not regretful. If I saved Sutton, even just this once, then it would be worth my life.

  Cole chuckled and brushed his black hair from his face. “I came for the princess, but she can wait. I have some time. Instead, I think I will take you. My Ellie will be pleased to have her mother.”

  He reached for me, so I thrust my hands forward again... for nothing. Barely a breeze passed over Cole as he stalked toward me.

  “Come, Hayden. Wouldn’t you like to see your daughter again? I will not force you, but I would like for you to come on your own.”

  “To what end? So that you can kill me in front of her?”

  His eyes dimmed until they were nothing but orbs of darkness, black pits that reflected my own image. As I stared at them, they lightened slightly, so they were a deep brown—something less intimidating but still nefarious.

  “I will not kill you, for my beloved cares deeply for you.”

  A thought occurred to me that hadn’t before. “How did you know Sutton was one of the Seven?”

  Cole tipped his head to the side. “You can hide the mark all you want, but your actions give away your secret. You protect the Seven as you protect the children. I would not harm a child, by the way, and when your kingdom is under attack—”

  “That’s not true,” I said and crossed my arms.

  “Which is not true? That you display your weakest points, or that I would not harm a child?”

  Of their own accord, my hands went from crossed to poised on my hips in a disciplinary stance, one I often took with Annabell when she was overly defiant—before I knew she was Elfriede, of course. “Both points, Cole. You’ve traumatized the children with your actions, allowed Bianca to use orphans for her own army, and I’ve no doubt you’d use them against us to win. As for the Seven, Calla is one of the bravest I’ve ever seen. She never hides behind when...” Cole chuckled, confirming the thought that had just popped into my head. “This was a trick, wasn’t it?”

  “I’m sorry, Hayden. I really am but thank you for giving away two of the necessary wolves that I will need to end this once and for all.”

  “You tricked me?”

  “Yes and no. I had a feeling about your sister, which confuses me since she is not, in fact, your sister even though you love her like one. You confirmed it with your actions. I hadn’t expected you to offer the identity of another but thank you. Now, come along.”

  I stepped back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “If you come with me to please my Ellie, I will ensure the safety of the rest of your family,” he said.

  “You’ll kill Sutton, so I don’t believe you for a moment,” I said, backing away again.

  “Sutton is an unfortunate situation, but I can assure you that I will not harm your brothers or any other soul in the Kingdom of Schattenland. Your village people will remain safe and secure and will remain so for as long as they live. Come with me and see your Annabell.” The way he said Annabell as if it stung his tongue forced me from my defiant rage. If I could see her, then maybe I could figure out exactly what was going on. If I figured it out, maybe I could stop it.

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked and stepped forward.

  “Nothing. Just... try not to wiggle,” he said.

  In a surge of power and darkness, Cole transformed into his dragon form and snatched me from where I stood. His talons wrapped me in a vice-grip, but he did not pierce my skin. The dragon shot through the blown-out wall and into the darkness, where the cold bit at my exposed skin. I had never ridden any of the dragons from Liliental, fearing the height would make me nauseous, and I was not wrong. Soaring over forest unaided by modern planes seemed downright unnatural to me, yet it also felt... freeing.

  I stiffened my frame so that I could see up toward the sky. Millions of stars brightened it, indicating I had been in Schattenland much longer than I’d intended. Jack would be angry when he called and discovered I was gone. He might even come for me, a reality I had not
considered until I was passing over the forest at break-neck speed.

  When we crossed the border and flew into Das Unbekannte, a clear line divided the forest. On one side was hope and light. On the other, nothing but darkness and fog and the smell of fire. Cole dipped his neck under to check on me, then refocused on his flight.

  Soon enough, Cole deposited me on a soft bed of pine, flapped his expansive wings twice, then shrank into a human once again, landing on his feet a few paces from me. He smelled like smoke, and the flame in his eyes had returned, if only for a moment. He offered his hand, which I took, considering I had already come this far and denying him would likely be a death sentence.

  The moment my fingers settled in his palm, I felt the familiar burn of his evil. It was as if it had never left my body, so familiar I almost vomited. I snatched my hand back and gasped.

  “There, there. You’ll be just fine,” he cooed. “It cannot escape me to draw into you, I swear it.” He offered his hand again but did not force me to take it. My fingers trembled, but I took his hand and allowed him to lead me through the trees into a clearing. A massive castle, well hidden by tall trees, erupted from the earth.

  Through the floral-carved archway stood statues on either side of the walkway leading to the curved staircase that would, inevitably, lead into an ornately decorated interior. I did not recognize any of the images in statue form but assumed they were once people important to either Cole or Annabell, though I had difficulty thinking he cared about anyone but himself. The walk wasn’t necessarily unpleasant but holding the hand of such an evil creature felt unnatural enough to give me chills.

  “Ellie shivers constantly. Must be a bit drafty,” he said as if he were making some effort toward kindness. I could see where a woman might fall for his charms, but those eyes... pure death and destruction. To hear him call my sweet Annabell by another name unnerved me, but I said nothing. I assumed it would make no difference.