Chapter 18
Rule eighteen: When meeting with your murderer, take safety precautions.
M aybe I should consider getting a time-share in hell, given I keep having moments where I wish the earth would open and swallow me whole.
This is one of those moments.
Morgana stares at me expectantly, which I mean – fair. I had no idea my meltdown yesterday might have damaged her realm. The entire idea sounds downright ludicrous.
“I have no idea,” I answer honestly.
Morgana narrows her eyes a bit. “Interesting. And how long ago did these powers manifest?”
I purse on my lips, hoping I only look like I’m trying to remember the exact date. She asked about ‘these powers,’ so technically, I wouldn’t be lying if I didn’t mention the ghost-related stuff.
“Shortly after I found Leon,” I answer. “I made a similar storm the night your forsaken came for us, and then I accidentally blasted Leon across the room when he was trying to force me to uncollar him.”
Morgana’s mouth twitches into a slight smirk when I mention blasting Leon.
I stand corrected. Maybe it’s Leon who has no friends. He really needs to work on himself.
Or, more accurately, after trying the dating world, all men should work on themselves.
I continue, “Leon put an energy siphon on me after I blasted him, and Sin removed it yesterday morning.”
Morgana hums but says nothing. The room is painfully quiet. I continue to pick at my food to give my hands something to do.
The silence stretches on, and I finally decide to pry. “You already knew about the first energy storm, right? I’m assuming your forsaken told you.”
I imagine at least some of them saw the sky light up into clouds of angry purple.
Morgana stretches up from her chair as she answers, “Don’t believe everything you’ve been told. Most think the forsaken are my spies, and I’m happy to let them believe that. But the broken spirits can’t communicate with me. They have decayed past that ability by the time they are sent here.”
I frown. “But you sent them after me.”
I will never forget the forsaken on the ceiling of the parking garage. That clocks as one of my top three shit-my-pants life moments.
“The Shadow Realm has been used for thousands of years as a haven for broken souls. The spirits come here when they are either too decayed to retain their humanity or if they are broken from a traumatic death. My ancestors have always been caretakers of broken souls and could command them. They passed the ability on to me,” Morgana answers.
I frown, wanting to ask why the souls aren’t sent into the afterlife, but Morgana continues before I get the chance.
“Can you call your power at will?” she asks as she walks to my side of the table.
I lift my hands in front of my face and think, ‘Spooky purple powers,’ but nothing happens.
Shame.
Dropping them, I look back at Morgana, slightly embarrassed. “No. I didn’t even realize the energy came from me when the storms happened.”
Morgana hums again before heading towards the door. Maybe she’s disappointed that her prophesied ‘chosen one’ is useless.
Same girl, same.
She pauses but doesn’t look back at me as she calls out, “Meet me in the courtyard in ten minutes if you want to learn how to control your power,” and then walks out of the room.
Is there an unspoken rule in the Shadow Realm that you should leave people gaping when you walk away from them? Maybe it’s a power play. Either way, I’m getting tired of always being left with more questions.
I finish my dinner, considering Morgana’s offer. Pro, learning to control my powers might significantly increase my chances of not dying. Con, Morgana is the reason I died in the first place. Mind you, being kept as an immortal prisoner by the Council sounds worse than death. Still, I’m not ready to go on coffee dates with this woman. If she was willing to kill me once, who’s to say she won’t do it again?
Which brings me back to the pro. Learning how to control my powers will probably increase my chances of surviving this.
Sighing, I move my wine over in favor of a glass of water.
A late-night meeting with my murderer – what could go wrong?
An icy chill clings to the air tonight, mirroring my feelings of trepidation. After quickly stopping in my room for my fighting leathers and weapons, I find Morgana in the courtyard as expected. While getting ready, I also took the time to devise a few ‘don’t die’ strategies.
Strategy one, when meeting with your murderer, always be prepared.
The added weight of my blades gives me some comfort.
I passed Magnus and Damien, snuggled up together in the sitting room when heading down to the courtyard. As an added precaution, I took a moment to give them the heads up that I accidentally almost blew up the realm, so Morgana was going to teach me to control my powers.
Strategy two, when meeting with your murderer, tell a friend where you’re going – so they know to check on you.
I am nailing this.
Magnus and Damien wanted to question me more about my realm-breaking energy, but I hurried on, not wanting to be late for my training.
I walk to her now, rubbing the cold from my arms and cursing myself for not bringing a cloak. Morgana is unmoving as she waits for me. The effect is a bit creepy. She looks like a Halloween animatronic, with her black eyes and long black dress. Her outfit is complete with a warm-looking cloak.
Jealous.
“So, how are we going to do this?” I ask as I reach her.
Morgana grabs my arm, and in a blink, we’re no longer in the courtyard. When I see where we are, the cold of the night air has nothing on the feeling of icy dread that washes over me.
We’re standing in front of the off-limits death forest. And, to make things worse, there’s a path leading in.
Oh no. No, no, no.
I don’t like where this is going.
Morgana lets me go as soon as I’ve caught my balance. And without hesitating, she starts down the path.
“This is where you’ll be learning to control your powers,” she calls before turning to see me still hesitating at the forest’s edge. “Nothing here will hurt you as long as you’re with me. ”
That should make me feel better.
It doesn’t.
Still, I weighed my options at the table, so I follow.
The darkness in the forest is thicker, but contrary to my expectations, moonlight does manage to filter in. Silver linings, as always.
I walk beside Morgana, focusing on the eerie screeches coming from all around us. The hairs on my arms rise at the sound. The screeches are precisely like the calls from the forsaken in the parking garage, though I’m not entirely convinced there aren’t killer clowns in here, too. Still, the forsaken stay away, and I see no sign of them or any other creatures that might want to tear us to pieces.
We walk in silence, following the winding path. Finally, when I’m convinced we’re going in circles, Morgana stops.
We’re still surrounded by the same forest. I was expecting maybe a secret laboratory. Or a magical obstacle course.
Things are taking a disappointing turn.
I ask Morgana again, “So, how are we going to do this?” My voice gets a bit more high-pitched at the end this time.
Morgana looks cool as a cucumber when she looks at me. “This is where your training will start. First, I’ll need your weapons.”
My gut says not to do it.
My brain says I’m already a dead woman for following her in here.
My stomach says I should have stayed inside and had dessert .
I hand over my weapons.
Morgana takes them as she continues to explain my training, “I’m a firm believer that the best way to learn how to use your powers is to have a good reason to use them. Not just facing off with a potential ally.”
Why do I not like where this is going?
“This forest is infested with forsaken spirits. Your task is simple. Turn around and walk out,” Morgana continues.
I frown as she steps away from me. “What are the forsaken going to do while I walk out?”
Morgana smiles. “I ordered them to stay away from us while I’m present. I’ll be apparating back to the castle now.”
My eyes widen, and panic unfurls as I realize exactly what this test will entail. “Morgana – I’m unarmed – I don’t have any way to defend myself.”
Morgana doesn’t look bothered. “You need to use the power locked inside of you. Not these.” She holds up my swords. “Don’t look so concerned,” she adds. “I’ve instructed the forsaken not to kill you.”
At my relieved expression, Morgana’s smile becomes a wicked grin. “They’re not allowed to kill you, but maiming is highly encouraged,” she finishes and then disappears, leaving me completely alone in the forest.
The screeching stops. There isn’t a sound now as I turn around on the path, holding my breath. I preferred it when they were making noise. At least that way, I had an idea of where the creatures were.
I don’t think I’m a violent person, but if I make it out of here, I might have to repay the favor and kill Morgana. With Cassandra’s memories, I’m sure I can whip up a few creative ways to slit that woman’s throat.
How long do I have, I wonder, until they realize Morgana is gone?
The path is littered with old leaves and twigs, making it impossible to stay quiet as I start back the way we came. I walk with purpose, but not too quickly. There’s no sense in wasting my energy. This is going to be a long walk back.
Every step is deafening, carrying over the sound of blood pumping in my ears. My best chance is to stay undetected for as long as possible. I can free the souls of forsaken, but I haven’t forgotten how they swarmed into the parking garage.
A swarm would be very, very bad for my health.
A branch snaps somewhere overhead.
Fool me once…
This time, I know better than to only look at the forest floor when looking for deadly creatures. I don’t stop walking but make sure to keep glancing up for the source of the noise.
Nothing.
It’s killing me to keep my footsteps steady and not sprint out of here. The forsaken are much faster than I can ever dream of being. There’s no running from them.
Another branch snaps to my right this time. But the sound is still above me.
‘Stand and fight before it calls for backup. Get in the open where it can’t ambush you, and brace your legs,’ a voice in my head barks out .
The voice sounds like it knows what it’s doing. I’m guessing Cassandra’s training is starting to mix with my own consciousness.
I should probably have that looked at. But if her memories help me survive this, she’s more than welcome to stay.
I walk a bit further until the path widens up ahead. This is probably as good as it’s going to get.
The forsaken is still stalking me. Branches snap around me as it circles.
My heart is thundering, and I might pee myself. But instead of looking around frantically, I close my eyes, trying to pick up on exactly where it is.
‘Steady,’ the voice in my head warns.
The sound of the forsaken gets closer, but I don’t move.
I’m not sure if that’s due to the fear paralysis or Cassandra’s memories telling me not to budge.
Finally, a low growl comes, the sound right behind me. I don’t want to turn around.
Slowly, my eyes open, and I turn, trying to keep my movements as non-threatening as possible.
The forsaken clings to a branch above me, its weight pulling the branch low. Its neck is craned back, and it turns to look directly at me.
Don’t show fear. I remind myself.
This isn’t my first rodeo with broken spirits, but I can fully admit that the forsaken are much more terror-inducing than the faceless creatures back in my realm.
It really comes down to the teeth and the moving. The faceless from back home blinked closer and closer to you, and that was creepy, but I think I could have run from one.
The forsaken are built like they were meant to kill. The razor-sharp teeth of the one above me gleam in the moonlight.
I swallow.
It lets out a series of high-pitched screeches before dropping from the branch. It walks on all fours towards me like some sort of demon animal. Claws dig into the soil, and it circles me, edging closer until finally stopping directly before me.
Breathe, Vivian. No fear.
I try to will my body to relax.
The forsaken sniffs at my boot before standing back on two legs. Its hot breath and the stench of rotten meat wash over me. I try not to think about the fact that the smell is likely its own rotten flesh. Instead, I focus on trying to feel for the creature. On how it has been trapped here for who knows how long, and how Leon told me some souls were sent into slavery until they decayed into forsaken. This was just a person. They had a life, and now they’re stuck in a perpetual loop of suffering.
There’s so much wrong with this afterlife.
The forsaken doesn’t stay calm like the others did but instead grows more agitated as the silver light starts to extend from me. It chitters in alarm, letting out more high-pitched shrieks as the silver light circles around it.
I ignore the fact that the creature is letting all the other forsaken know precisely where we are as I stay fully engrossed in freeing the soul .
The light fully encloses it until finally dissipating. The spirit of a woman in metal armor remains.
I sag but don’t have a chance to appreciate my victory because the sounds of the outside world are quick to return. Branches are breaking, and multiple shrieks are approaching from different directions now.
This is bad.
I am beyond screwed.
I look to the spirit. “Will you help?” I ask pleadingly.
The spirit nods, her own eyes widening as she looks around the forest, picking up on the sounds.
“Go,” she mouths, pointing down the path.
I don’t need to be told twice.
The silvery light of the spirit follows behind me as we hustle down the path. The time for stealth is over. The forsaken know exactly where I am, and they’re coming for me.
Running now, hardly a breath passes before I see two shadows crawling impossibly fast through the branches above us.
More forsaken. The freed spirit draws her sword and heads for the one on the left. I focus all my energy on the forsaken to my right, trying to free it without slowing down.
The sounds of crashing branches grow closer, and it’s hard to ignore the immediate threat.
Still, the silvery light comes, wrapping around the forsaken. In response, it leaps from the branches and lands on the path just ahead of me. It bares its teeth as my silver light fully engulfs it.
I don’t slow as I run past it, or bother looking back .
More branches and shrieks.
I push myself to run faster. But it doesn’t make a difference.
More shadows ahead now, at least five. Still, I run, refusing to feel fear and pushing all my thoughts into feeling sorrow for these creatures.
Sorrow that they became so fully broken that they had to be forced into this dark place. Sorrow that they are now forced to follow the whims of an immortal. Sorrow that they’ll never know peace.
More light extends from me now, reaching the five forsaken. One manages to shake free of the silvery threads, shaking its head in confusion before launching at me.
We connect, and I go down. The creature has me pinned on my back, its teeth snapping directly above my face.
A stab of fear hits me just as the forsaken is wrenched off me by the spirit of another warrior, a man now.
I don’t waste a moment before I’m up and running again, still trying to free any spirit that comes too close. Some are freed, but others manage to evade my energy, and I’m left dodging around trees as they try to jump down at me.
More freed spirits have joined the fray now, trying to take down the forsaken that I miss. But it isn’t enough.
I round a bend on the path, and my stomach sinks.
Ahead, the forsaken form a solid wall along the forest floor, and the trees above them are infested with even more. They’re all running towards me, impossibly fast. I screech to a halt.
There’s no way I’m getting through that.
Spinning on my heel, I’m met with a familiar sight. There are just as many forsaken behind me. About a dozen freed spirits try to fight them off, but we’re outnumbered, a thousand to one.
I have time to take a single breath, and then, the swarm descends on us.
The screeching is almost deafening, and I try to focus my power on freeing as many as I can. But within another second, they’re on me.
All I can see is a writhing ball of leathery black skin before I’m thrown to the ground. Claws dig into my back, and others rip across my arm, opening my very fresh arrow wound.
The pain is instant, and I fight with all my might to try and get up, to escape.
But there are just too many.
More pain as another clawed hand rakes across the top of my thigh, shredding my fighting leathers. I curl up into a tight ball and try to let my mind go to a different place.
Morgana said they wouldn’t outright kill me. Does she know humans can die of blood loss?
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to focus on something else.
The sadness hits first.
If I die, then this is just going to keep happening.
More souls will be sold into slavery, only to be discarded by the immortals in power whenever the soul has outlived its usefulness .
More realms will suffer the actions of the Council whenever they feel threatened. And this forest will only grow more crowded with broken spirits.
The cycle of suffering will never stop.
In that moment, every trace of fear left in me disintegrates. Instead, I’m left feeling raw and disappointed.
It needs to stop.
I want to fix this, to help in any way I can.
I don’t want to hide anymore.
As that final thought enters my brain, the silvery light starts to hum within me, growing louder and louder, until finally, light explodes from me.
It feels as though my entire existence shatters with it.