by M. L. Greye
“You look ravishing.” Trez winked.
She laughed but couldn’t stop the blush from creeping up her neck. “You look like the peacock you gave me.”
True to his note with the first peacock, Trezim had brought a second one with him for Emry. A peahen, a mate to the first – so that they wouldn’t be alone. This one she named Acoba. It was absolutely ridiculous. Emry had no use for the birds. Although, her father seemed to enjoy their addition to his menagerie. At least they were good for that.
Emry breezed through the front doors of the massive estate on the arm of Trez. Citrine was with their father, and Krynto was right behind. Wherever they stepped, men and women dropped into bows or curtsies. They glided through the brightly lit halls to the grand ballroom on the main level.
Even though Nathilie’s home was nothing compared to the palaces of Heerth, her parents had clearly spent a great deal in celebration of their daughter becoming the consort to a prince. Tall, gilded candelabras were everywhere, casting their walls in a golden sheen. The same array of petals at the ceremony on the cliffs were scattered over every floor, carpeting the white marble in hues of saffron and lemon.
Inside the actual ballroom, the entire ceiling was hidden by enormous suns constructed of fire – spinning and shifting so that they were constantly in motion high above. Musicians sat on a slightly raised dais in the center of the room while dancers spun and twined around them in steps of both Heerth and Enlennd.
Emry watched the dancers as Trezim leaned in so his mouth was near her ear. His warm breath brushed her skin. “Shall we?” He asked.
“With pleasure.” She grinned.
Hours passed by like minutes. Emry moved from partner to partner for the Enlennd songs. For the Heerth ones, Trezim was always at her left. Cit tried out a few of the Heerth Garba dances on her other side. Emry laughed and stepped and sweat, despite the hired Grays who kept the ballroom cool. She danced until her hair drooped and her sandaled feet ached.
It wasn’t until long after midnight that the musicians ceased, and everyone was asked to go out into the garden behind the estate for a performance of some sort. Trezim found her again. She’d just finished a waltz with an older Kruth lord. Not a particularly exhilarating partner, but she was growing tired anyway.
“Come with me.” Trezim slid his hand into hers and began in the opposite direction as everyone else – back towards the interior of the estate, not out through the glass doors to the garden.
She frowned. “Where are you taking me?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he continued to lead her out of the ballroom through the crowds. Somewhere in the back of Emry’s head there was a warning going off about how it must look with Trez pulling her away. She ignored the thought. She liked gripping onto Trezim’s cool fingers – her dancing had warmed hers.
Trez led her from the lit hallways into ones that were dark. Emry instinctively adjusted her eyes to see better. Trez kept going until he reached a staircase, a less ornate set than the grand one at the entrance but still not meant for servants. They went up two flights until they were on the third floor. The top floor.
It was completely dark up here. Yet, Trezim kept going until he reached the particular closed door he’d been searching for. He glanced over his shoulder to her with a smile and twisted its doorknob. The door led to a bedroom. Just an empty guestroom. Not really anything extraordinary about it. She frowned but before she opened her mouth to ask why he’d brought her here, he crossed the room to the pair of glass doors at the backside of the room, dragging her with him.
He pushed those open, as well, and pulled Emry through them onto a balcony. A very small balcony. It was only big enough for the two of them to stand side by side. The balcony faced out the front of the house, opposite to where the special performance was supposed to be taking place.
She dropped Trezim’s hand and latched onto the wrought-iron railing that went up to her ribs. A bit high for a balcony railing. “Why are we here, Trez?”
“Because this is my gift to you,” he said softly. “This was my idea.”
“Gift for what?” Emry blinked.
“For your birthday,” he replied, his smile warm. “It’s today, isn’t it?”
Emry stared at him. No one celebrated her birthday. Cit and her mother once had back in Anexia – back when no one cared she and her sister existed. But it had been years.
Cit and her father both had given her small trinkets that morning at breakfast before leaving to the cliffs – a bracelet from Cit and the necklace Emry now wore from her father. But that was the extent of it. They hadn’t even said why they were giving her those things – so no one would hear. Stupid Enlennd tradition.
But Trezim knew. His gold eyes knew her sunrises – could count her days – and he’d brought her to this unused guestroom because of it. She tilted her head to one side. “It is, but what’s your-”
A loud hiss in front of the estate caused Emry’s head to whip around. It was followed almost immediately by a boom that was loud enough to make the windows rattle. Streaks of light ruptured the night sky.
“Fireworks,” Emry gasped.
“You mentioned once you’d only seen them one time before,” Trez said. “So, I had my father get these from one of the Ship Lords he has an arrangement with. I convinced Nakomis his bride would love them.”
Another succession of booms and lights drew Emry’s attention upward. Like shooting stars. That was what fireworks reminded her of.
“Thank you, Trez.” Emry twisted to face him, gripping onto the railing with one hand. “I think this is the best birthday gift I’ve ever received.”
“Well, you only turn eighteen once,” he chuckled.
“You’re a good friend.”
Trez watched her with an odd look on. “Just a friend?” He asked quietly.
Her heart stuttered, suddenly picking up in pace. “My closest friend?” She offered.
“Nothing more?” Trezim was back to smirking. He inched closer to her on the already tight balcony.
“Should you be more?” Emry’s heart was now thundering in her chest. She laid her free hand over it, as if that would calm it somehow. It was beating ferociously. Painfully even. Her chest hurt.
Trezim’s head lowered towards her own. He was going to kiss her. It was what she wanted, wasn’t it?
If it was, then why did fear suddenly blast through her?
Blinding, piercing fear. Paralyzing and agonizing. She grimaced. She’d already survived kissing him once, she was sure she could do it again. Yet, her body was locking up on her – as if on its own, completely out of her control.
“Emry,” Trez said slowly – concern in his voice as he froze inches away from her. “Are you alright?”
Her mouth formed the word no, but nothing came out. Fear coated her throat, panic clogging her lungs, and darkness seeped out of her. Swirling shadows. She sank to her knees in the small space of the balcony, gasping in for air.
“Emry,” Trez repeated in alarm. He crouched down beside her.
The shadows encircled Emry, wrapping tightly around her, blocking Trezim from view. There was so much darkness coming out of her.
Fear and pain. Pain and fear. With an undercurrent of anger. So much anger. Emry began to tremble.
These were not emotions she was experiencing herself. The thought hit her with a jolt. Where were they coming from? Emry could only think of one place – her store of power.
They’d never spontaneously risen up like this, though. Not without reason. A potential kiss from Trezim was not a reason. Either way, she needed to reel it all back inside.
With a moan, Emry turned her palms upward and drew in the escaped shadows – sucked in the agony and terror until she could see Trezim’s wide eyes, the horror within them, until every last twisting tendril had returned to her. Then, shifting through the emotions that now overwhelmed her, she grasped onto the hidden power and shoved it down deep within her, burying it as far as it would go.
She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath, telling herself that her store didn’t really feel fuller than it had – refusing to wonder at why the emotions leaking out of her hadn’t made her store feel emptier. When she opened her eyes again, Trezim was gaping at her.
“Emry,” he breathed. Hesitantly. Uneasily.
“I’m fine, Trez,” she replied firmly. “I just- I just momentarily lost control.”
The fireworks were still booming overhead – many of them, all at once. A finale. Emry tilted her chin up to watch the last of them, avoiding Trez’s eyes. She smiled. “The fireworks really are the best gift anyone’s ever given me for my birthday. Thank you, Trez.”
He didn’t respond. He sat there silently as the fireworks finished. By the time Emry lowered her gaze from the sky, he still hadn’t spoken again. He raised his knees in front of him, and he had a sort of wild look to him. Like he would bolt at any moment.
Her smile faded. “Trez?”
Trezim shook his head as if trying to clear it. “I should get us back before we’re missed.”
“Probably a good idea.” Emry nodded.
She realized too late she was trying to still sound cheerful and hated herself for it. She was trying to compensate for his sudden look of uncertainty. She felt like she’d done something terribly wrong, but really all she’d done was lose control for a moment. It’d been an accident. Nothing more. Yet, she still felt ashamed, even though her mind told her she shouldn’t. People stumbled with their abilities all the time. It was fairly common. No one was perfect.
When Trezim led her back through the house, though, this time he didn’t hold her hand. He didn’t even touch her.
:::::
Working night shifts just wasn’t the same since Quinn had left. They dragged on now, whereas with Quinn, they’d slid by.
Her easy company had made walking the border not seem so incredibly dull. As it did now.
It was a clear night – hardly any clouds. Even though the moon was a waxing crescent, it still shed just enough light to filter down to the forest floor. Declan could make out his partner for the night about twenty feet from him – a new recruit named Oak or Aspen or some sort of tree name … Declan couldn’t quite remember.
If he’d had his way, he wouldn’t have been teamed up with anyone. That way he could sprint along the border instead of skulking about at a snail’s pace. But it was the orders of Commander Jaymes – in an attempt to protect his patrols from the random disappearances. From the bandits or whatever they were.
A twig snapped nearby. Declan loosed a mono-note whistle – a question to his partner, asking if he’d made the noise. A high two-note whistle was the reply – confirming the noise had been his partner and that it was all clear. Declan repeated his single-note whistle twice, alerting his partner that he was going to keep moving, and walked on.
He adjusted the blade that was strapped down his spine. It was cutting into his left side. The weapon didn’t actually belong to him. It was from the garrison’s trove. Declan had yet to purchase his own. He could have commissioned his father to make him one. Declan had been training with Levric’s swords since he was a child. He just didn’t feel the need to have his own. There were always plenty around, and Declan had yet to need one while on patrol. Unfortunately, the one time he’d actually needed one, he hadn’t thought to bring one because he hadn’t been on a patrol.
His tree-named partner sounded off a sharp whistle of quick staccato notes, asking Declan to wait for him while he approached. Declan sighed and came to a halt. The fresh recruit probably needed to pee and just wanted someone to watch his back.
Declan glanced up through the trees. The forest here at the border wasn’t particularly thick, not like up towards his own village or in Kruth. He could make out the chunks of clouds moving overhead, blocking out some of the stars.
The shuffling of footsteps over dried leaves and packed dirt alerted Declan his partner was nearby. He lowered his gaze and turned in the direction of the noise, only to fall back a step. His partner, hidden beneath the hood of his coat – the same coat Declan wore as part of his uniform – had somehow managed to sneak up on him. He stood maybe a foot away. Declan swore and tried to remember his partner’s eye color. Did he have some green in his eyes to make him near silent in the forest?
“What do you need?” He asked.
White-hot pain suddenly blasted upward through Declan’s legs. Stabbing, throbbing, burning agony. Declan gasped and fell to his knees. Sparks danced in the corners of his vision as his partner crouched down in front of him, one hand extended. As if the tree-named man could do anything.
Something was terribly wrong. Declan gritted his teeth to stop himself from crying out. He scanned the forest as his heart raced.
His partner’s hand wrapped around his wrist. For what reason Declan had no idea. Declan whipped his head around, peering over his shoulder, struggling to keep his breathing even. This wasn’t right. Panic threatened to clog his throat. He couldn’t see anyone out there. He and his partner were the only ones there. They were the only ones–
A new source of pain enveloped his wrist – the one his partner had grabbed.
He whirled to find a woman gripping onto him. She wasn’t his partner – this woman with a scar through her upper lip. Yet, she wore the same coat he did. Her hood had fallen back revealing the twenty-something woman clutching his arm.
She’d sliced open the top of his hand with the dagger in her free hand. Declan tried to tap into his speed, tried to move, tried to do anything at all as she sneered at him. Nothing happened. He was frozen in place – paralyzed.
A new sort of panic washed over him just as her eyes began to glow. Like how Emry’s had done in his dream. But this stranger’s eyes were glowing red, not silver – she was a Ruby.
“I need blood,” she said in a raspy voice before dropping her head slowly – so, so slowly – to his wounded wrist.
Inside his head, Declan was flailing and screaming, but not a sound sneaked out of his open mouth. And not a muscle moved. That burning had seized his entire body.
He was forced to watch in absolute horror as the Ruby ran her tongue over the shallow cut she’d created, licking his blood. Where her warm, wet tongue touched, his skin sealed up – healed.
She released his wrist and moaned, sitting back on her heels. She shut her eyes and grinned. “I always forget how refreshing Teals taste. Your blood is so fast and smooth.”
The burning suddenly ceased, and Declan collapsed into a heap on the ground. The moist dirt clinging to his face, his body trembling. He needed to get up, needed to run, needed to scream. But he couldn’t move – he couldn’t even make himself blink. Nothing responded. He was trapped inside the husk of his own body. He was partially certain the only reason he was breathing at the moment was because this woman allowed it. Declan had never been more terrified in his life.
“What is it with you and Teals?” A gruff voice sounded from behind Declan, but he was incapable of turning. “The other one’s a Gray. You should have gone for that one, like we’d planned.”
The other one? Did he mean Declan’s actual partner – the tree man?
“We have plenty of Grays,” the Ruby drawled, opening her eyes again. They’d stopped glowing and she did indeed have some green flecks in them around the outer rims of her eyes. “I have yet to master a Teal.”
The man snorted. “That’s because you keep killing them when they run away.”
“Let’s hope this one is wiser than the Teals before him.” The Ruby pushed herself to her feet. “Have you come to move him? Or to pester me with your idiotic musings?”
“He’s still conscious,” the man said at Declan’s back. “Did you not notice, Kearns? Are those abilities you’re so proud of slipping?”
Kearns laughed, or that was what she tried to do. The noise that came out was closer to a brittle cackle – raspy and nasally and low. Declan would have cringed if he’d had control of his
body. “I can test my abilities on you, and you can let me know if they’re still working,” Kearns leered in that odd voice of hers – it was as if someone had permanently scarred her vocal cords.
“Just knock him out already. I want to get back to Quirl before his Gray friend comes looking,” the man retorted at Declan’s back.
“Fine.” Kearns dropped down in front of Declan again. His heart still thundered inside his chest, a sharp rhythm inside his head, filling his ears. The woman brushed a finger across his forehead. It felt like a brand, searing into his very skull. He wanted to yell, but his throat wouldn’t respond. Nothing responded. He couldn’t even make himself blink.
“You have such a pretty face. By far the best-looking Teal I’ve found.”
“Kearns,” the man’s voice warned.
“Last I remember, I hired your black-eyed brawn, not your brain,” she shot back. “You want your money? Stop with your incessant nagging. You do as I say, not the other way around.”
The man’s response was a mumble of curses. Kearns sighed as if dealing with an impatient child and returned her attention to Declan. She tapped his forehead with one finger. “Sleep.”
Red flashed in front of Declan’s eyes, filling his vision. Blinding, hot red that began at the base of the back of his neck and shot all the way up to his eyes.
Agony unlike anything Declan had ever experienced erupted through him. He was screaming, but he couldn’t hear his voice. This must be what it felt like to be stabbed in the head.
It was too much. The pain was overwhelming him. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t … Darkness swept in cold and soothing. Declan succumbed to it willingly.
BOOK TWO:
EQUALS
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Declan fell face first into the mud. Cold, oozing mud – coating him from head to toe. His arms trembled as he struggled to raise his head out of the muck. The worst part was that he had absolutely no memory of how he’d gotten into it. He felt weak, like he’d been sick. Had he been sick? Where was he? The last thing he remembered … it’d been night, not day. He’d been out on patrol – not with Quinn. No, he’d been partnered with someone new – someone with glowing red eyes. Ruby eyes.
