The Heart of the Darkness

by M. J. Padgett

  The guards shot their arrows at him, forgetting, it seemed, that the princesses were not invincible when not in our wolf forms.

  “Cease fire!” Henry screamed from the balcony. “The princesses!”

  The guard stopped firing, but the witches refused to let us go so easily. My mothers, both Ravenna and Jeanine, ran into the open courtyard. Heidi and Julianna were not far, followed by the rest of my siblings and Luzia, Larkin’s sister. No one would survive if Cole was angered regardless of what promise he made to Annabell.

  “Go faster!” I screamed at Cole, who obliged. The dragon ducked his head and rocketed toward Das Unbekannte. Elizabeth wiggled in his grip but soon fell limp and accepted our ride would not be comfortable, not like it was riding the Austerlitz dragons.

  Behind us, I heard Henry shouting orders and remembered Ethan was still in Schwarzwald. As one of the Seven, Cole would surely return for him. I could only hope when he did, my family would allow Cole to take him without a fight, for Cole’s patience was probably too thin to measure.

  Once the kingdom was far behind us, I looked ahead. Snow fell all around, dotting the roofs of the outlying villager’s homes. Their windows twinkled with candles, reminding me of the day—Christmas Eve. My eyes stung from the wind, so I closed them and let the tears fall. My son would wake to find his mother was gone... and might never return. I never even got to tell him goodbye.

  Inside of the forbidden land, it was darker, as if even the trees knew they held secrets. I had not been in Das Unbekannte ever in my life, and with good reason. It was a lost place filled with monsters where only the bravest of soldiers dared to venture. Most never returned. Those that did were never the same. Some who ventured there returned with tales of darkness, and still more returned with no story at all. The land was as mysterious as any.

  Cole dipped low over the trees, then settled in an open area just outside of a large stone structure. In the distance, I could see the spires of a gigantic castle, one that rivaled any in the forest. He released Elizabeth and me, then shifted. He said nothing but pointed toward the door of the stone building. Elizabeth pushed open the heavy wooden door and entered. I followed, surprised by the interior. I had, understandably, expected a dungeon of sorts—cold stone walls and floors, heavy iron doors, no comforts at all. But what I found was a small room with a roaring fireplace. In one corner was a large bed with a chaise beside it. In another corner was a wood-burning stove where the scent of porridge extended toward my nose.

  “What is this?” Elizabeth asked.

  “It is to be your prison until it is time,” Cole said in an even tone. He gave nothing away.

  “This is a prison?” I asked, looking around again. It seemed quite cozy to me.

  “You have built me to be an impossible monster, incapable of empathy or sympathy or any other human emotion. I am not,” Cole said. He crossed the room and opened a chest, then pulled several blankets from inside. I didn’t bother to mention we thought those things of him based on his actions thus far since it would not change our situation in the slightest.

  “You will find the porridge is ready to eat. There is dried fruit and meat in the food locker for lunch, and I will bring you meat for dinner... assuming there is time for such things.” Cole’s tone faltered for a moment, almost regretfully, but I ignored it in favor of watching Elizabeth.

  She crossed the room to the fire and stoked it, almost as if she were prepared to make herself at home. She then turned around and offered Cole a vicious stare. “How kind of you. Now, would you leave us so that my sister and I might mourn all we have lost alone rather than in the presence of a pompous, entitled, malignant dimwit such as yourself?”

  Cole chuckled. “As you wish. You cannot escape. I will return soon.” He opened the door, closed it behind him, and left nothing but the scent of pine and smoke behind.

  Elizabeth’s gaze fell back to the fire. For a long time, she stared into it while I stood staring at her. Finally, she relaxed her shoulders. “Promise me if I suffer, you will end it for me.”

  “What?” I asked, stepping beside her.

  She looked up at me. “Promise me you won’t let me suffer. I will accept death, but please do not let me...”

  “Shh, Elizabeth. I promise. And I ask the same of you.” I took her hands, and we fell into a hug. “We will do this for each other,” I said.

  “We cannot let him win, Calla. If we must... if we must end our own lives to prevent his win, we must.”

  I rubbed her back and held her tightly. “I know. We will do it together.”

  “I miss my son,” she said, bringing forth more tears. I knew her pain well, felt it deep in my own heart, and longed to change our fate if only for a moment. I wanted to hold my son and tell him that I loved him even though I could not see him grow up. He needed to know that I would never leave his side unless it meant protecting him, but I knew Wil would tell him. I knew Jay would tell their son. I knew, in my heart, we would live on in the hearts of those who loved us most.

  For the first time since I arrived in the Black Forest, I felt truly defeated. I knew, with a sureness that only came with acceptance, that I would soon die.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Annabell

  Elfriede’s Castle, Das Unbekannte

  “JUST HOLD ON, ELLIE. Not much longer,” Cole said. He carried me as I barely clung to life until he reached the outskirts of a small village where we often watched the people carry on their daily tasks. Once we arrived, he gently placed me on a bed of thick leaves and perched beside me, his eyes trained on the village.

  One of the baker’s daughters, a sweet girl with gentle magic that made the flowers bloom, entered the trees in search of something to occupy her while her bread rose. She hummed a melody that drifted toward my ears, but the darkness inside cringed. It surged forth, grasping my mind as she passed within a few paces.

  Cole pressed his hand on my chest, keeping me in place. “I’ll do it,” he said. In a flash, the girl was by my side, screaming for her life.

  I reached for her, grazed my fingers over her cheek, and whispered. Her screams ceased as her light soaked my soul with a brilliance that swallowed the darkness. Just a little... just a little more... until finally, the darkness was gone, and I could breathe again. I sucked in the air and let my eyes settle on Cole’s face.

  “Thank goodness,” he said and pressed his forehead against mine. “I thought I lost you. I cannot lose you, Ellie. You’re all I have.”

  “You won’t lose me, Cole. We must be more careful, that is all,” I said, then my eyes settled on the baker’s daughter. Her lifeless eyes stared back at me, hollow and accusing. I gasped and leaped to my feet. “She’s dead?”

  Cole turned an uncaring eye toward her and nodded. “She is. There was... more in you than she could manage, I’m afraid.”

  I turned on my heel and vomited, but even that did not ease my nausea. I had done it, the one thing I swore I would not let happen. It was the reason I let Cole take my light on occasion, to stem his own darkness so that he would not kill others. But I had. Too much of my own light was doused in darkness, and my body fed on it like a starved animal. And then...

  “What have I done?”

  “What you had to do, my love. Don’t you see? If you had not—”

  “No.” I shook my head. “NO! I cannot excuse this!”

  “Annabell!” Hayden’s firm voice woke me, as did her frantic shaking. When I rolled over to face her, she relaxed. “You were screaming in your sleep.”

  I sat upright and wiped my face. Despite my situation, I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten in... maybe days. Of course, she had anticipated this and managed to make a decent meal for me with what she could find in the castle. Cole was never much good at those things since he didn’t need to eat, but at least he remembered I was human again.

  “Why were you screaming?” Hayden asked, but there was a gnawing in my mind that I could not ignore. It was a steady hum that told me I had better f
ocus.

  “I need a moment,” I said, then pressed my hands over my face. Once all of the rubies had been found, all in jewelry or weapons, I bound myself to them so that I would know if and when the Seven were taken. Since the Seven were bound to their personal stones, we were, in a sense, also bound. I could feel their presence, determine how far or near each one was at any time.

  “Cole has... taken two of the Seven. I cannot say where, but the signal is strong enough that I believe they are close.”

  “What?” Jack asked. “How can you... never mind. I don’t care how you know. What do we do?”

  I dropped my hands onto the comforter that surrounded me. “Nothing. For now, we do nothing,” I said.

  “Maybe Jack doesn’t care, but I’m definitely curious to know how you knew they were taken,” Hayden asked.

  “The stones. Once each stone chose its possessors in the ceremony, I bound myself to them through the stones. I used a binding spell to link them to me. When the Seven move around, I can sense how far away they are. He has taken Calla and Elizabeth, but not Ethan. Either he didn’t know Ethan was in Schwarzwald, or he put up a fight. I suppose we won’t know until he—” I stopped, remembering I would not see Cole again until I had to kill him.

  “What? Why did you cut yourself short?” Jack asked.

  I shook my head. “Just because Cole won’t return. He said as much to me earlier.”

  “So... what? He abducted two women and did what with them? Where could they be if not here in the castle?”

  “I only know they have been taken. I can’t see exactly where they are. I do have my suspicions, but I fear going there might upset Cole’s plan. If that were to happen, he would change course, and I would be required to do the same. I prefer to keep my plan going as I have devised it.”

  “So... we keep waiting?” Jack asked.

  “Until he has everyone, yes. If I am too eager, he will unravel my plan,” I said.

  “But he must know you intend to kill him by now, right?” Hayden asked.

  “Yes, but he doesn’t know how, so I need to be patient.” I also needed them in the dark so they wouldn’t try to stop me. The people of the forest had a tendency to put themselves in danger to save others, and there was simply no way to save me. I couldn’t risk them dying for a foolhardy hope.

  I managed to untangle myself from where I had accidentally fallen asleep. I hardly knew the time of day anymore, but that didn’t matter. I had tasks to complete, so I pushed myself to move on with them. When I spoke with Cole, I hadn’t been lying about my feelings. I also had told the truth when I said what I had to do would be the hardest thing I had ever done.

  Jack and Hayden watched me, their hands clasped together as usual. I ducked my head, wishing to confide in my parents if only to have someone to talk to about my confused feelings.

  “Have... have you ever known you had to do something, but the task seemed so... just too much? That it was cruel and unfair, yet necessary?” I asked, glancing at my adoptive parents.

  Jack looked at Hayden, who bit her lip. “I have,” she said. “And I am quite sure Caleb felt that way when you asked him to kill me.”

  I felt the pain hit me in the gut as hard as it had that day, but everything worked out as it was supposed to. Caleb had come through, had killed Hayden so that she could issue her death wish, and everything was right again. I knew what he had done was almost impossible, yet he managed to fulfill his duties.

  “Annabell, we will help you do whatever you need to do. You won’t be alone,” Jack said, but if he knew what I had planned, he would never have said such things. Once the stars fell and I had the stones, I would take on Cole’s darkness instead of the Seven, even if it killed me.

  “I know you love him,” Hayden said. “I know, and it’s okay that you do.” She soothed me by running her fingers through my hair a few times before squeezing my shoulder. The two left me to process what must come next, but neither knew how close we were to the end.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sierra

  The Vogel Castle, Goldene Stadt

  “HAVE THEY AWOKEN YET?” I asked when Chris flopped in the chair across from me. Most everyone wandered the castle grounds, lost and unsure what to do next. After Cole took Jack, Cecily and I went into go-mode, which was promptly ended by our father, the king, before it even got started. He wasn’t wrong—we couldn’t exactly go off half-cocked and hunt down true evil—but it was frustrating sitting around waiting.

  “No, but the color has returned to Alorna’s cheeks, and she doesn’t look sick anymore. Clara and Aline are exhausted, but the spell Cole gave them didn’t kill them, so I guess that’s a positive,” he said.

  “I didn’t understand why Cole gave us that spell, but the more I think about it, it makes sense. If Hayden told Annabell what happened, and Cole really does care for Annabell, maybe it was his way of pleasing her,” I said, staring into the fire. It seemed all I could do was stare at things and think, especially with Hans safely in the bunker with the other children in Schwarzwald. Saying goodbye to him, not knowing if I would ever see him again, killed me.

  “Is that thing really capable of love?” Chris shifted forward and groaned. “The spell did work, but that doesn’t mean Cole did it out of some obligation to Annabell, does it?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know anything anymore. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. If Alorna and the others wake up, I have to say I don’t care.”

  Chris was about to speak when Ely shoved through the doors and ran up to me. “Come on, we have to hide you and the others,” he said.

  “What? Why? Is Cole here again?” I asked as I followed Ely. Chris put his hand on my back, a protective gesture that was all the poor man could do. None of us could fight Cole, not really. Chris guided me as Ely dragged me along, but no one had said the exact reason I was running off to be hidden somewhere.

  “Ely, stop. Tell me what’s happening right now,” I insisted.

  He ran a hand through his too-long hair and let it drop to his side. His beautiful mahogany eyes were wet with tears, but he held them in. “Because I know if I tell you, you’ll be all responsible and do the exact opposite of what I want you to do.”

  I pursed my lips. “Ely, what is it?”

  He steeled himself and said, “He took my sisters. Calla and Elizabeth were taken just an hour or so ago. Marcus said it wasn’t violent. He just took them and left, but... Sierra, I can’t do what Marcus asked me to do. I can’t.”

  “What did he ask you to do?” Chris asked, glancing at me. Others had entered the room, but I couldn’t identify them because I could not take my eyes off of my husband.

  “He said you should go willingly, that Cole promised Annabell he would not harm anyone else as long as they didn’t try to stop him.” Ely’s cheeks reddened, and his jaw flexed. I knew he hadn’t thought his actions through because if he had, he would have realized that me being responsible and accepting my place was the only way to save our son along with everyone else we loved.

  “Ely,” I said.

  He shook his head and tightened his grip on my hand. “No. No, you don’t speak because if you speak, then you will talk me out of—”

  “Ely,” I said again, taking his other hand. “You know it’s the right thing to do. If you didn’t, then you wouldn’t be trying to ignore it so much right now.”

  “But I just got you back, and our son...” he faded, looking around the room at everyone we loved. Cecily and Felix had entered. Even Scarlett was feeling well enough to leave the confines of her room, though she clung to both Felix and Cecily as if she would disappear if she left their sides.

  “Sierra?” Cecily whispered, but I heard it in her tone—she knew. I shifted my gaze to her and nodded. “I swear I will protect Hans with my life. We all will, and... and Ely will never be alone to raise him. Never.” Tears slipped furiously over my sister’s cheeks as Scarlett held her arm tighter. Felix’s mouth fell open slightly, then his gaze turned tow
ard Ely, but he said nothing. There was nothing to say.

  There were so many people in the kingdom. I wanted to hug just once more before leaving, but I knew there was no time. If Cole was on a mission to gather the Seven, he was probably already on his way to Goldene Stadt. The best I could do would be to leave one last message with the people in that room. I released Ely and stood a little straighter. He groaned but stood by me all the same.

  “I just... I wanted to say to everyone here that I love you all so desperately. Please take care of one another, and if I don’t return, then... then do what you must to ensure the safety of the people. Please tell the others, Mama and Papa and everyone else, that I love them, too. And Hans...” I choked on my son’s name, unable to vocalize what they should say to him, but Ely knew.

  “I will say that you were brave and that you accepted your duty without hesitation even though it was the hardest thing you ever had to do. I will tell him that you loved him so much, you did not fear death because you were honorable, loyal, and nobler than any of the knights in his books he loves to read, and you knew if you died, it was to save everyone else.”

  Giant tears fell from my eyes as Chris covered his face. The man, a solid, tough detective, fell apart beside us. He had protected me as best as he could when we were young, but now there was nothing he could do. No one could change my fate, but Ely was right. I accepted it. I pulled them both into a hug just as more filed into the room.

  “Sierra,” Sutton whispered, still unsettled from watching Hayden taken from her. Then Jack was taken, shaking the foundation of her world. She was used to being in control, to planning, to working through things with logic and facts. There was nothing logical about what was happening, and not even Devon, Matt, and Kylie could comfort her, not now. Cole would take her, too, so there was no reason we could not support each other for as long as possible.