***
Blinking away the memory, Emory sucked in a deep breath, and took in the forest around them. Shivering against her shock and the bitter cold, her fingers turning blue, her mind desperately tried to plan.
With chattering teeth, she asked, “Where are you t-taking me?”
“Back to my lair.”
“What are you?”
It snapped at her. “An ancient creature that has been long forgotten. I have been trapped in between time, waiting for this day to come. Usually, I take a blood price to feed my magic. I’m sure you know little Fae, that our power is always a give and take.”
Her mind raced as she pieced it together, the only creature she knew from myth that took a blood price: A seer and exchanger of truths.
“Gortach,” she whispered.
“Clever girl.”
Emory was sure early hypothermia had set in, her limbs becoming more sluggish with every second and her mind diving into the betrayal.
Adair killed your parents. He killed your parents.
Licking her cracked lips, downy flakes of snow shook off the trees, drifting lazily on them. One landed on her nose, melting; the icy droplets turned pink from the dried blood, and tears slipped down her face.
Why didn’t she try harder to reach through to him? To make him explain what was going on. Each day, he had become more withdrawn; each day, he had pulled further and further away. All along, he was the nightmare. The threat. She steeled her heart at the truth. If Gortach didn’t kill her, Adair would.
The snow crunched underneath their feet, and they wove through the trees, deeper and deeper into the heart of the woods. Hours must have passed, and they were lost to what was happening. It was an amazing effect, how entering the forest was like entering another world, everything peaceful and quiet when outside its confines the world was being ripped apart.
Stumbling, she landed on her knees, throwing up in the same moment. Tears stung her eyes from the force, the foul acidity filling her senses.
“Get up!” Gortach scowled, but she couldn’t move.
The iciness of the snow held her, and she bowed her head. Tremors raked her body; she was frozen.
“Pathetic human, move!” He pulled as she fell face first in the snow, ice shards tearing her skin.
That’s when she felt it. The sharpness in the air, the churning of energy. Gravity left her, and in a flash, she was being held up against Gortach’s chest, his inky talon pressing against her throat, poised to end her.
Vomit and blood covered her, and she swallowed, her gaze roaming the empty woods. The wind picked up, blowing more snow off the branches as Gortach rumbled, “If you want her to live, reveal yourselves!”
It was a split second before Memphis stepped out from the dying light, his blonde hair matted and stained as he hollered, “NOW!”
The snow around them shifted state, turning into water. The wind became savage, and the trees bowed as the water rose and rose, gathering into a roaring wave. Emory saw two figures behind the water, their green hair shining. The wave crashed down, and they both succumbed, drowning on land.
The water crashed against Emory, knocking the wind out of her chest. She was dragged down with Gortach, the chains binding her, the metal collar cutting off her oxygen. She felt his talons rip through her clothes, clawing at her back. Frantically kicking her legs, she tried to swim up, her chest burning. Her lungs expanded and expanded, her ribs straining against the pressure.
Water filled her nose, and panicking, she opened her mouth. Water filled her lungs in searing pain. Dots filled her vision, and she was dragged deeper, the chains pulling her down, down, down.
All she could see was the dappled water as the afternoon light filtered through it, and Emory knew she was going to die. The thought filled her, and weakly, she kicked her legs again, fighting against every fiber in her body. Flashes of memories came to her, her parents’ voices ringing in her mind, the last words they ever spoke to her. And she fought.
“You will learn that greatness does not come from a country’s acceptance, or even a crown. You will see, Emory, that greatness comes down to a person’s decisions and what they choose to stand by. Even when every odd is against them.”
Fire burned through her, and she wondered if Adair thought he was on his path to greatness. Darkness pulled at her, and she clawed toward the surface, any surface. There was a flash before her, imploring green eyes, and a strange guttural voice that yelled, “Ceol!”
Pressure was loosened from her wrists, from her neck, and she felt her body suspend in the water, floating up. Hands frantically clawed around her waist, and she was surging upward, through time and space. Maybe this was what dying felt like, a freedom, a fierce peacefulness. Her eyes were closed, and she felt herself climb, up, up, up.
Until she broke through, and freezing air assaulted her.
Eyes flashing open, Marquis’s face filled her vision, his forearms pressuring hard down on her chest. He hissed in pain, his wrists bound in makeshift splints, and she gazed at them, wondering who had hurt him.
Sputtering, he rolled her onto her side as water spewed from her lungs, and she dragged in painful breaths. “Good, Emory. Listen. Breathe. Listen to my voice and breathe.”
More voices circled around her.
“Memphis, will you shut up? He just saved her life.”
Brokk.
“Oh, and you’re so trusting, all of sudden, when we all almost died for them!”
Memphis.
“Will you both be quiet? We don’t have long.”
Tadeas.
Relief coursed through her violently, and she coughed up more water, shivering from the freezing water that soaked her clothes.
“Emory, you have to lie still for me for a second, okay? We have to get your clothes dry.” Marquis’s voice was soft, and she closed her eyes, exhaustion crippling her.
Her best friends argued around her, not trusting the prince. She didn’t understand why. Over the course of the last couple of weeks, Marquis had a steadying force from just being himself. He had never pushed her like Adair had. He had never confused her like Memphis did. And so, she lay still as a roaring wind sounded all around her, and she was lifted from the ground. Her world became a spinning entity. The wind was warm, like she was standing on a coastline bathing in the sun. She spun, faster, faster, faster.
Until gently, she drifted back down, finding her feet underneath her. Her hair was tangled and wild, but she opened her eyes, swaying slightly as she croaked at the disheveled prince, “Thank you.”
Marquis dipped his head and stepped back when Memphis shot forward, gripping her in a crippling hug, whispering in her ear, “I thought I had lost you. I thought you had...”
His voice was thick with emotion, and she hugged him back. “I’m here.”
Breaking from his hold, she looked at Brokk, looking rough but nonetheless alive. “How did you all find me? I saw you fall Brokk... And Adair...”
“We split apart because someone wanted to be the hero of the day,” Memphis said, raising a pale eyebrow at his friend, “but it didn’t take me long to figure out you weren’t in the Academy. I used Brokk’s secret tunnel and headed for the woods. That’s where I found Marquis and Tadeas.”
Brokk cut in, “Adair has some control over the army. I knew Gortach had you, and I barely got away, but I did.”
Piecing the rest together quickly, she looked over her shoulder, the suspended roaring orb of controlled water churned behind them, the limp body of Gortach floating within it. Shivering, she looked back at the group. “Thank you. I owe you all my life.”
Tadeas looked to his son before moving toward her. “Emory, we have to get back to the Isles. Right now, this country is lost to the Strattons. You can all come with us, find sanctuary there.”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she looked to Brokk and his gaze darkened. Her heart dropped into her stomach, but she knew she had to hold firm.
“Thank you, Tadeas, but no. P
rotect the Isles, and I will call on you.” She stuck her hand out toward him. “For all our sakes, I hope you will keep your promise to come to Kiero’s aid when we need you.”
He shook her hand firmly, his voice gravelly. “We will uphold our end. You will always find sanctuary on the Isles. Where will you go?”
Her pulse jumped, her heart battering against her chest unevenly as she whispered, “Into hiding.”
Nodding, he bowed to them. “There are dark times ahead. I hope that we will all meet again on better terms.”
Marquis mimicked his father, wincing against his splintered wrists. He caught her eye and quirked a smiled. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, same to you.”
He shuffled, uncomfortable, but in a clipped tone whispered, “If you see Adair again, don’t immediately try to kill him. He is still in there, I think, despite what he has done.
Anger licked at her heart, confusion and frustration battering against her will. Bowing her head, she said, “I can’t make any promises.”
His face darkened but Marquis dipped his head. “Until next time, Princess.”
And with that, the King and the Prince of the Shattered Isles turned their backs. Marquis faltered, before looking back at Emory. His emerald eyes flooded with emotion, as the winds shifted. The orb Marquis had created suddenly crashed to the ground, but just before it hit, it burst back into its downy snowflakes. The snow drifted lazily, like it had its own mind, curving and blanketing the world in its wintery state once more. Her throat became thick, and sincerely hoping they didn’t die, she turned back to a scowling Memphis and a pale-looking Brokk.
Memphis stepped forward, seething. “Why didn’t you agree? What do you think is left for you here?”
“Memphis Carter, my parents just died back there. Our home has fallen. One of my closest friends just betrayed...” she faltered and sucked in a shaky breath. “Do you honestly have the nerve to think I would let my parents dream die? For nothing?” Her voice cracked like a whip, and Memphis pressed his lips into a thin line.
Howls cut through the air, falling and climbing over one another in a haunting tremble.
Whipping around, she searched the fading light. “We don’t have much time.”
The howls grew behind them, sounding too close, too fast.
“Brokk,” Emory said.
It was just his name as a whisper, but she could feel his tension crackle like lightning behind her.
His voice was husky as he spoke, “No. Absolutely not. We are in this together. We have always been in this together.”
The wintery winds blew around her, as Emory steadied her breath. This was her home— her kingdom.
Turning around, she drank in the sight of Memphis and Brokk. The Academy had been their universe, where their friendship had bloomed.
Her heart stuttered at the thought that she would never be able to truly tell Memphis that she dreamed of them being together. And Brokk. How could she ever put into words that he was like the sun to her, radiating happiness.
Love wasn’t always clear, wasn’t always intimate, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. It was shown in their support; the boys in front of her had almost laid down their lives to find her. It was the fact it killed her to imagine her life without them. Love was their adventures, their bonds, and loyalty. They had found each other in this life—they would do it again. They were her best friends, and that bond could never be broken.
Lifting her gaze to meet Memphis’s, her pulse stuttered, his ice blue eyes cutting into her. Chewing the inside of her cheek, her words felt bitter as she said, “Adair killed my parents. Do you really think he will stop until any threats are out of his way? The entire school is gone.” Pausing a moment, Emory gathered her thoughts. “I will not let everything whither into nothing. My parent’s dream of peace can’t die because of Adair Stratton. I need time, and Kiero will fall under his madness for a time. Until we can fight back.”
Memphis scoffed. “You wish to disappear, but to be brought back? Impossible. Where could we hide from his army?”
Emory locked eyes with Brokk, lips pressing thin. How could she ask him to do such a thing? But Adair wouldn’t stop, and the Fae lineage had to survive. She would take back Kiero—she had to. Memphis’s gaze flickered between them as his voice dropped into a dangerous whisper, “What do I not know?”
The howls climaxed, and she could practically see the dabarnes’ gleaming teeth, how they ripped flesh so easily. How in hours, they had demolished some of the strongest people in Kiero.
The time was slipping by too fast. The army could be upon them at any moment, Adair leading them.
“Brokk, I am begging you. Please.” Her desperation bled into her words.
“You do know that I barely understand it myself? That this power in me is unstable.”
Emory threw her arms out. “I think you understand it better than you know, but you are afraid to give into such a strong ability.”
“Yeah, I am. Our world literally just entered another war that we barely understand because of forces rushing against us. We just lost our friends, our home. I almost died; Memphis almost died; you almost died. Our only safe passage just left because you are banking on me to do something I’m not even sure I can do.”
The cold air formed into fog as she exhaled hard. “I get that you are scared. I am too. But you didn’t see Adair. Didn’t see the look in his eyes as he saw his own mother and destroyed her without batting an eye. Gortach...” she waved her hand at the lifeless body. “...a seer who only knows the truth assured me that Adair is the reason this is happening. I lost him weeks ago, and no one, especially me, saw the change because we were all so wrapped up in what was happening around us! About kings and queens and a legacy!”
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her voice was hoarse as she jabbed a finger into his chest. “Brokk, you can get us all out of Kiero. We can be safe—you, me, and Memphis together. Like it always has been. Please.”
The snow drifted down around them, the afternoon bleeding honey-colored light, and if they were suspended in this moment forever, it would be chaos trapped in the breathtaking beauty of their world.
Brokk was visibly vibrating, and he swore, turning to slam his bloodied fist into the nearest tree trunk. It exploded, bark splintering around them, disappearing into the drifts. He didn’t turn around, but his words came out like poison, “Something happened when Bresslin had us. Whatever this is in me, I have always felt it there, but I don’t want to be more. I think you would all be scared, too, since being a shifter puts people on edge. But to also...” he paused then whispered, “but to also have the power to manipulate time. To jump through it.”
Memphis tensed, looking at his best friend as Brokk turned to them both, a darkness sweeping through his features. “It’s torture to feel that alive, when all I want is a shot at a normal life. A shot of feeling peace. But this, this is more of a beast than my other form. And I have no idea why it has to be me.”
Roars thundered through the air, shattering their illusion that they were alone in the woods.
“But I do know two things for certain. That for you, Emory, I will go to the ends of this forsaken country to keep you safe. And that your parents...” Brokk’s lips quivered as he snapped through his anger and welling sadness. “...even though I don’t understand why this is happening, I trusted their dream. I trusted what they wanted Kiero to flourish into, and it’s not this. It got twisted with their secrets.”
Memphis was so still, he looked like a statue carved from the ice around them.
Her heart welled, and she pled, “Then keep their dream alive.”
Focusing on Memphis, Brokk nodded. “I can do this. Jump through time, to keep her safe. But will you stay with me?”
Panic flashed through her. “What do you mean?”
She looked to Memphis, whose face had turned grave. He ripped his gaze from Brokk and looked like a ghost as he walked toward
her.
Emory whispered, “Memphis?”
Palms tingling, her breaths came in quick bursts. She could practically feel the ground underneath them quake, the distant army closing in on them. Her pulse flew unevenly, sweat collecting at the base of her neck, as she absorbed Memphis’s pinning gaze.
She flicked her eyes to Brokk, and he nodded once.
Memphis was before her, dissolving the space between them. His voice was gruff as he leaned in, his breath hot against her cheek. Both of his hands cupped her face gently. “I love you. Please, just never forget that.”
Ice ran through her veins, and the world dropped away. Her stomach felt like it was being ripped from her, and she had the illusion of warm hands supporting her. Labored, sickening wails were echoing around her... Or maybe that was her.
The forest became a blur, the ivory bleeding into everything, leaching it all of color. In the distance, a voice bounced toward her, like cutting through a fog.
“Em, hold on.”
And then, her world cracked into thunderous light. She was falling, the wind roaring around her, but she felt another presence, and she knew she wasn’t alone. They spun and spun, brilliant golds, greens, and blues fracturing around them like diamonds, blazing like embers. Ice ruptured through her, numbing her, until she was tearing through a sea of light.
The golds bled into silvers, curling and twisting like liquid metal. The blues and greens softened into teal, and it reminded her of crashing waves. She wasn’t sure she had ever been to the ocean. The thought struck her violently, and she tried to twist, but gravity pulled her down faster, her hair tumbling around her.
Where was she? Where had she come from? Who had she been?
With each thought, she spun faster, dislocating her sense of self, until there was the sweet scent of damp grass and the trickling warmth of sunlight on her skin. Her body slammed against the hard ground. There was a whisper of words, his soft voice dying, and then there was nothing but pain. Nausea and throbbing raked through her, and she was distantly aware of the world churning around her.
Heir of Lies (Black Dawn Series Book 1) Page 22
