I offered my hand, and she took it, just as afraid as I was. “We’ll stick together, okay?” I asked.
Together, we walked outside, through the winding path of corridors, to the common courtyard. There, my father argued with anyone who looked at him sideways, while my mother and aunt tried to calm him before he dropped dead of a heart attack.
“All of my children! They are all taken from me over and over, and I cannot stand this another moment!” he bellowed, echoing through the open area. Mother fell to her knees in a mess of tears as Aunt Clara tried her best to comfort her. It was no use. There was nothing they could do. The courtyard was filled with people we loved, with villagers who loved us, but there was no one who could save us from our fate.
Parker, another of the Seven and the man who’d tried to protect Cecily and me when we were kids, approached with Ophelia, whose face was red and slick with tears. He was surrounded by those who loved him as I did and depended on him just as much. He swallowed hard and said, “Are you ready for this?”
I shook my head and let my breath out with measured evenness to calm my own nerves. “No, but I suppose we must.”
Ely tugged my arm slightly, bringing my attention back to him. A flash of that cocky smile and the way he teased me when he came for me in Philadelphia came to mind, and I fell in love with him all over again. When I first saw him in the diner, I felt that connection, and I knew the feeling would sustain me through whatever came next.
I pulled him closer and kissed him, letting the familiar feel of him cement into my memory even deeper. I heard sniffles and cries all around me, but for a moment, it was just Ely and me. When he released me, Larkin and Ulrich came into view. Larkin was a mess, so much so, she had some difficulty controlling her dragon. Her eyes periodically flamed, then calmed as she worked hard to control the beast. She would lose her love and her brother, both Ulrich and Ethan, to the darkness. And then it hit me hard—everyone would suffer unimaginable loss. Mothers, siblings, spouses, children... we were someone to everyone. It seemed life had played another cruel trick on us.
Ely wrapped an arm over Larkin’s shoulders, giving her some strength in common sorrow.
“I will do everything I can to keep Sierra safe,” Ulrich said to Ely, who shook his hand.
“I will do the same for your family while you are gone,” Ely said. “You never know. You might win this thing.” Ulrich nodded with sorrow in his eyes that said he knew we could not, but we would try anyway.
There were more rounds of goodbyes, including Ross, who couldn’t stop hugging me. We had all found each other again. Somehow, we survived the misery of that little yellow house together, had been reunited in the strangest way, and now we would be separated forever. At least I knew they would be together even after I was gone, and they would be a family for my son who would love him and care for him with my husband.
I heard a gasp and turned to find the source. It was my Aunt Clara, but the person standing near her made me gasp as well. Alorna, the villagers, and the Organization members who had been frozen were awake—not just awake but walking around as if nothing had ever happened to them at all.
“What is going on?” Alorna asked. Chris darted toward her and picked her up, spun her around, and kissed her while everyone else gawked at the scene.
I spied Kai across the yard beside Nikola, both sporting relieved expressions—they were the only ones.
“Well, it appears my good faith offer truly was worth your trust,” a man said. The crowd turned to find Cole slowly approaching, simply walking through the wall surrounding the castle as if it weren’t even there, then his wispy figure solidified as he stopped just short of Parker. The heat emanated from him in waves, reminding me that though he offered some small token to save our family, he was there to take another part away. He blinked, shifting his stare from Parker to me, then to Ulrich and Sutton.
“Am I to believe you are here to turn yourselves over to me without a fight?” he asked. His black hair still smoked, and those eyes... pure fire.
“We will if you spare our families,” Parker said.
“I will as I promised,” Cole said, but King Agustus had other thoughts on the matter.
My father charged toward Cole with a sword drawn. His roar startled me, but I was powerless to stop what happened next. Parker, seeing the flame flare in Cole’s eyes, leaped between the two. Attacking Cole was a death sentence for my father, whether Cole had promised to spare everyone else or not. I had no doubt the man would not tolerate a direct attack from the king, even if he wanted to. Something about those eyes said he was not always in control of his actions, and it unnerved me.
My father’s sword sliced right through Parker, eliciting a scream from Ophelia that was louder than any of the others that echoed around me. My father gasped and fell to his knees, catching Parker as he fell. Cole steamed—quite literally—and growled. He yanked my father up by his shirt-front and tossed him aside, then knelt over Parker.
“Please,” Ophelia begged. “Please don’t take him like this. He’ll die.” She sobbed as she grasped at Parker. His eyes were fixed on her face, but he could not speak as the blood poured from the gaping wound in his abdomen.
“He will die anyway,” Cole said. “But I cannot allow it before he is useful to me.” Cole’s darkness spread from him in a ghostlike ooze that floated over Parker in a fog, curling around him, lifting him until it made its way into the wound. Parker cried out but was powerless to stop the darkness from invading him. Ophelia backed away before the blackness reached her, too.
“What are you doing to him?” I asked panicked.
“What must be done to preserve his life until the absorption. Come no closer,” Cole said, holding his hand up. I hadn’t even noticed I moved closer until I felt his heat upon my face. Ophelia reached for Parker’s face, but Cole grasped her arm. His gaze leveled against hers—coal-black against crystalline blue—until something remarkable happened. “I am truly sorry it has come to this, but I must take him. You may tell him goodbye, and that is all, but do wait until he is healed, or the Darkness will take you as well.”
Parker’s body sealed and settled on the ground once again, but his eyes... they nearly matched Cole’s. Ophelia fell over his body and sobbed. When Parker woke, I knew he would not be the same Parker we loved, for now, the darkness had taken him. For the first time since we entered the forest, I knew I would not survive what Cole had planned for us, not only in my mind but also in my heart.
Cole’s stare drifted from Ophelia to me, and he nodded. “You may say your goodbyes, but it should be quick.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Annabell
Elfriede’s Castle, Das Unbekannte
SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I felt it immediately as if my own power had diminished and flowed into another, but Cole was nowhere to be found. That could mean only one thing, and it sent a chill down my spine. Another person contained the same darkness, and that meant something must have happened in Goldene Stadt when Cole went to retrieve additional members of the Seven Sworn. I felt those four moving from the kingdom and into the dark lands, but I began to doubt the power of the stones. I could not say why, but I felt it in my gut—everything was deviating from my original plan, and only one person could help me get it back on track. I needed Snow.
“Annabell, what’s wrong?” Hayden asked.
“It feels all wrong. I know Cole has four more, but something is wrong with one of them. The Darkness has spread. Come,” I said, gathering my things. “We must go now. I think I know where he is keeping them.”
“We’re going with you?” Jack asked though he pulled his coat on.
“Yes, and I need to contact Stella again. I need her to bring Snow. She’s the one who can help me get this back on track if something did go wrong. Hurry, please,” I said and tossed books around. None were the one I wanted, but it didn’t matter. I’d memorized the spells and enchantments after hours upon hours of reading them, so the book was probably un
necessary.
“Can you tell what happened? Who is infected?” Hayden asked.
“No, only that it is a small amount, but you know how quickly a small amount can multiply if the host is not prepared to fight it.”
“What about the stars? Will they know how to find you when they... fall?” Jack asked, still confused about how their return would come to pass and their part in the grand scheme of things.
“No. They’ll know what to do. Stars don’t just fall out of the sky without a purpose. Caroline will ensure they find us.”
“Caroline? The Salien triplet’s adoptive mother who died in the fight against Rose?”
“One and the same. And Parker’s friend Pieter. Dannie, too,” I said, forcing a small smile upon Jack’s face. Cecily and Sierra’s old roommate was his friend, too. “Worry not. They will know the right time and place. No matter where we are, they will find us now that the die has been cast.”
“How will we get to wherever we are going? It’s snowing hard,” Jack said, glancing out the window once more. It was all he’d done—pace and look out the window.
“I have horses. Don’t worry,” I said. “Just try to trust me and be prepared. This might be what we’ve been waiting for.” Even though Cole didn’t have the last of the Seven, I knew his persistence would pay off. It seemed they were not putting up much fight, and for that, I was grateful. It meant Cole wasn’t slaughtering people in his mission.
Hayden and Jack followed me down a long staircase and toward the rear of the castle. Cole had, by some magic unknown to me, maintained a stable of horses in my absence. Why I could not say, but they all seemed hearty and healthy despite his absence most days. Horses, my favorite animal in all the world, had been his way of wooing me ages ago. He brought me several along with pretty dresses, mountains of jewels, and pastries from only the best bakers in town. If he had only learned that his love was enough, that he was enough, and I didn’t need those things, then perhaps the darkness in him would not have encased his heart so well.
In the stable, the horses stomped and protested. It seemed even they knew something was brewing, though I had no doubt I could sway them to my will. We readied them quickly and prepared ourselves for the cold. The storm grew fierce, almost a blizzard that would soon make its way into the other kingdoms. Das Unbekannte always had been a brutal land during the winter months, but with the protective barrier almost nonexistent now, its brutality spread into the other kingdoms. One needed to look no farther than the monsters that spilled into the lands daily.
I urged my horse forward, then glanced over my shoulder to ensure Jack and Hayden were close behind. The horses were sure-footed and crossed the terrain with ease. A wolf howled in the distance, but I could not make out who it was over the sounds of hoofbeats. For all I knew, it was a beast of the natural variety. Left unencumbered for centuries, they had grown large and sturdy.
Long ago, Cole had built another home for me, something small and cozy, that we used as an escape from the castle. When we wanted to hunt or just exist in a single room together, we went there. I had already checked the dungeons in the castle and found no one. Unless Cole had built another dungeon elsewhere, then the cabin was the only place that he might hold them until it was time for the absorption.
The ten-minute ride slowed into twenty as the snow confused our direction a time or two, but eventually, the cabin appeared in the distance. Lights flickered in the windows, but it would not be the first time a lonely wanderer had managed to survive the monstrous forest and made camp in our home. Lights did not necessarily mean the Seven were there, but when Calla crossed in front of the window, it confirmed my suspicions.
Hayden and Jack came to a stop beside me, our horses frothing despite the cold. “I’ll take the horses for water and put them in the shelter,” Jack said, pointing to the small barn behind the cottage.
I released the horse and prepared myself for what we might find inside. Hayden took my hand and pushed the front door open. Six sets of eyes landed on us for a moment before Sierra crushed Hayden in a hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been so worried since you were taken. Is Jack here?” she asked.
“Settling the horses. Is everyone okay? Annabell said someone had been injured or something,” Hayden said as her eyes assessed each person in the room.
“It’s Parker. He tried to protect my father and was stabbed, then Cole healed him somehow, but... but the darkness is in him like it was in you. He’s asleep now, but when he’s awake, he can’t control his anger. Cole gave him something to help him sleep.”
Sierra spoke to Hayden, but she watched me intently from the corner of her eye. None of them trusted me, not truly, but I did not blame them. Finally, Sierra focused on me.
“Did the spell I sent wake Alorna and the others?” I asked.
“It did. Thank you,” Sierra said. “Annabell, what is happening? First, we were meant to fight Cole with all we had, and now it seems like we are rolling over and giving up.”
“Let me help Parker, and then I’ll tell you everything,” I said and pulled my cloak off.
Parker was on the bed, sweating despite the cold. I could feel it in him as I approached, dark and twisted like the tentacles of an octopus clenching his heart. Now was the time to test my ability, which would only be enhanced by the stars once they returned. If I could manage Parker’s darkness without passing out or growing tired, then it was a step in the right direction.
“What are you going to do to him?” Sutton asked, the least likely to ever trust me again.
“I’ll take it out as best I can, then Hayden can heal his wounds properly with her light magic.”
“How? You couldn’t remove it from Hayden,” Sutton said.
“I couldn’t then, but now I am... I must work, Sutton. I’m sorry. I’ll explain later,” I said, then shut out the whispers that infiltrated my ears. Calla and Elizabeth stood closer, and their discussion of whether I was trustworthy broke my heart. Ulrich, Sutton, and Sierra shooed them away so I could focus, but their words stuck with me. There was only one way to earn their trust back, and that was with the truth—the whole truth. I had to tell them everything and pray it was enough to win them back to my side.
I placed a gentle hand over Parker’s wound. It was different with him than with Cole. Where Cole pushed his darkness into me little by little, Parker’s subconscious knew he would hurt me, so he fought. I pulled harder, using my light to pry the darkness from his body.
“Let it go, Parker. It’s okay,” I whispered.
Another moment passed, then I felt him let go. The darkness ebbed into me, swirled around in the light, and then, before it realized its mistake, was doused by it. It was no more, but I was weak. My consciousness stayed, but I could hardly stand. I was disappointed, but I knew the power of the fallen stars would help me achieve my goal.
“Here, easy now,” Ulrich said and eased me into a chair.
Parker groaned and sat slightly, then hissed when his wound opened further. Blood spilled from it, causing Hayden to jump into action. “I’m not the best at this, but I’ll do what I can,” she said, then pressed her small hands over the hole. It took a moment for the magic to work, but soon it sealed and scarred. “How is it?”
“Still hurts but not as much,” Parker said. “Is... is everyone else okay? Did I do anything?”
“No, no. Everyone is fine,” Calla said, brushing the hair from his forehead. “You’ll be okay now.”
“Perhaps not. Someone is here,” Jack said, peering through the curtains. I hadn’t noticed him enter, so I assumed it was during my absorption. “Four silhouettes, but I cannot make out faces through the snow.”
I stood on wobbly legs and met Jack at the window. I didn’t need light to make out the faces. I knew that energy anywhere, and I chastised myself for not recognizing his magic in the snow that fell all around. I whipped the door open, startling the fools who had come searching for us. All four stopped in their tracks, al
most as if they had not even seen the cottage, to begin with.
“Get in here! Quickly!” I shouted, urging them in. Once they were safely within the cabin, I slammed the door and whirled around, lips pursed and arms crossed. “What are you four doing here? If Cole sees you, he might kill you!”
Kai grinned and nodded toward Larkin. “It was her idea. I just made the snow to cover our tracks and our scent.”
“It wasn’t all my idea!” Larkin said, glancing at Ulrich, who offered her pursed lips and a scowl.
“Yeah,” Nikola added. “It was a little bit her idea.” She pointed to Princess Luzia, Larkin’s half-sister, who blushed.
“Okay, okay, we’re all a little to blame for this. We agreed a recon mission was necessary. We’re getting bits and pieces of information from Stella but no concrete rhyme or reason for anything that has happened. One minute, we’re training and preparing, the next we’re walking right into Cole’s clutches.” Kai brushed the snow from his hair as he spoke, flinging snowflakes everywhere. “We need to know what’s going on before people start to do stupid things that will get them killed.”
Every eye was on me again, waiting with bated breath. Hayden placed a motherly hand on my arm. “Annabell, it’s time for the truth. We can help you if you let us.”
I nodded. “Okay. Okay, yes. You’re right. It’s time. I’ll tell you about Cole and me, and hopefully, when I’m done, you’ll understand why I did everything I did.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hayden
Hidden Cabin, Das Unbekannte
“EARLY IN HIS CURSE, when he was still a boy, Cole fought harder to control it, but soon the Darkness became too much for him alone. I knew I was a strong witch with light magic, so we tried a transference spell. I had soothed his Darkness in the past but never transferred from him to me. It worked, but it had significant aftereffects for me,” Annabell said.
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