Chapter Twenty-Five
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Elara’s breath was burning in her chest as she tore up the steep incline to the forest. The rough undergrowth tore at the soles of her soft shoes, her skirt snagging on branches as she passed. Ragged breaths escaped her as she continued, pushing herself into the shade. Far away from the sounds of death.
She slumped under the canopy of trees in the place where she had first trained with Enzo. The thought made her recoil.
She lay down, panting. The horror of what she had just witnessed continued to assault her—the flames, the screams, the stench of burning flesh and fire. Anger and shock mingled in a sickly waltz.
It was not Enzo’s choice to make, and yet, he had made it anyway, the hot-headed fool. The betrayal was a knife in her gut and instead of pushing the emotion down, she let it fuel her, seething until shadows flooded the clearing. There wasn’t even a slice of light, her magick swallowed it all whole.
She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, trying to wrangle her pounding heart and terrible memories under control. The darkness that surrounded her gave no indication of the time of day.
Suddenly, a crack of a twig had her on her feet. She stilled, sliding her dagger out of its sheath. Poised, she crouched low, a panther ready to strike. There was a shadow, and she pounced, knocking it to the ground. Moments later she straddled her victim, who had gone down far too easily for someone so large.
In the darkness, a familiar voice said, ‘You love to force me into compromising positions, don’t you?’
Elara pushed off Enzo, stomach lurching. ‘Get the fuck away from me,’ she hissed.
‘El, we need to talk,’ he sighed as he propped himself up.
‘Don’t you dare call me that. You’re not my friend .’
Enzo flinched at her words as though they’d struck him.
‘Elara,’ he said, and his voice was hard now. ‘I’m not leaving until we speak.’
‘Then speak,’ she snarled, whipping around to face him, arms folded like armour across her chest. Her eyes suddenly throbbed. She sank on to a flat rock and pushed the heels of her hands into them furiously.
‘El,’ he said again, and she turned to see him crouching near, his height meaning he had to sit on his heels to meet her gaze.
‘I let myself forget who you were,’ she said quietly. Then laughed dully. ‘It’s too easy when you charm—when you smile. Easy to not remember that you’re a lion in lamb’s clothing.’ She saw his jaw clench and his eyes flash. Good , she thought. ‘And then I saw him. That man, tied there. Who I’d told you about in confidence, who you knew I’d handled. And a part of my mind still wanted to believe it was a coincidence. That there was no way that my ally would have gone searching for him. No way that it would be by his hand that the guard would burn.’ She raised her eyes to the canopy above them.
‘But there you were. Like Death itself, not a flicker of emotion as you burned them all.’ She closed her eyes, shaking her head. ‘Do you have any idea what you’ve done? This is on my head, my burden to bear now. What about the men with him, too? It’s my fault that they’re all dead. Because I told you, trusted you.’
There was only silence as she took a shuddering breath. ‘Don’t you have anything to say?’
He stood then, his face a mask in the gloom.
‘Yes, I have something to say. Not one of them was innocent. They fucking touched you, Elara. I saw them—looked into their very souls, before I tied them to posts. They’d all done it before. To women who couldn’t fight back. You weren’t the first and you wouldn’t be the last.’
He paced the ground like a wild cat. ‘And this happened to you in my kingdom.’ His voice broke then, ragged. ‘Do you have any idea how that felt? That you were hurt under my protection, when you were my responsibility?’
He clamped his jaw shut. Elara opened her mouth to retort, but he silenced her.
‘You sit here, angry that I was too merciless, too cruel in my punishments.’ He circled back to her, crouching before her again. ‘You ask me what I have to say,’ he growled, his voice so low that she felt a fire ignite in the pit of her stomach. ‘I say it was my choice, my burden to bear, and don’t you dare for a second take it as your own. I have to say that I would fucking do it again and enjoy watching every last one of them suffer for what they tried to do to you.’
Then he let out a long breath. ‘But I am sorry that I upset you. That’s the last thing that I wanted to do, El. They just…they deserved it. So I won’t once regret ending their lives.’
There was such an earnest look within his gaze that her anger began to sputter.
‘You don’t just get to decide something like that, Enzo. You could have told me your plans, at least warned me.’
‘You’re right,’ he said softly. ‘I didn’t think about how it would make you feel.’
She looked at him, searching his eyes. She tracked the golden glimmers shining within them, but deeper than that, some of the chestnut warmth she had come to know.
Against her will, almost without thinking, she raised a hand, brushing a curl out of his eyes. Her hand rested then on the side of his head. Enzo closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
Emotions warred within her—anger, betrayal, pride, understanding. She exhaled deeply, deciding on which to pick. But she was so tired of battling her own mind. And here was one person in her corner, someone who had carried out his own retribution—albeit extreme and bloodthirsty—for her.
‘You owe me a secret.’ She finally decided on forgiveness, a tentative smile on her face. He opened his eyes, a startled laugh escaping him.
‘I do,’ he said, pulling her down on the soft moss. She propped herself up by her elbows. He stared at the dense canopy above them, arms behind his head. She roamed her eyes over his broad chest and arms.
Without looking at her, he said, ‘I created the fountain.’
Her eyes flew to his face. ‘What?!’
He smiled at her disbelief, still staring up. ‘I’m not just beauty and brawn, princess.’ He laughed. ‘It’s my gift,’ he explained as shimmering white ribbons cascaded from his fingers, glowing faintly. They reached out to the trunk of a nearby tree, and Elara watched in awe as his magick carved a letter into the bark.
‘E?’ she said. ‘For Enzo, or Elara?’
Enzo only winked in reply, before he cast the light up towards the canopy, and Elara gasped, lying on her back beside him as they watched together. He dispersed the light so it looked like a thousand stars across the covering of leaves, dancing in slow patterns.
More splendid than stars , she thought to herself, smiling.
‘Creating art calms me.’
Elara let his words sink in, still mesmerized by the gentle flashes playing above them.
‘You take this big ugly lump of stone, and you chip and chip at it with the Light until this beautiful thing is revealed underneath.’ He shrugged.
Elara’s thoughts flew back to their conversation and what he had said about the art as they’d sat in the maze.
‘So, if I’m to remember correctly,’ she asked, eyes still glued to the dancing glimmers above, ‘you’ve never been in love?’
His lip quirked. ‘Ah, a secret for a secret.’
They sat in silence as he created rainbows and patterns with his powers, the colours vibrant, reflecting on their faces in the darkness. How had she ever been terrified of this light? How had she seen it as anything other than beautiful?
‘ I’ve never been in love,’ she said, scrutinizing the canopy with a gulp. She felt a very small shift in his body next to her, and dared not look.
‘Oh really?’ Enzo’s voice was teasing. ‘Not even your darling lover that left you wanting in the bedroom?’
She could hear the smirk in his voice and struck out to hit his arm from where she was lying. She felt him catch her hand, stopping her, and he brought it to rest between them. She became acutely aware of the fact that he hadn’t moved the hand that now covered hers.
She peeked at him from the corner of her eye and saw him still staring at the shelter of leaves above them, his head still propped on one arm.
‘Not even him,’ she said, hiding her own smile in her voice. ‘Lukas and I were betrothed—our marriage was arranged when we were children.’
Enzo’s skin sparked against her own. ‘Is he your soulmate then?’ His voice dripped with derision.
Elara shook her head. ‘I’ve never felt passion for him. Or desire—true desire. That all-consuming need I’ve read about. I’ve never felt…’ She paused, trying to find the word.
‘Fire,’ Enzo murmured, a soft laugh on his breath. Her stomach thrilled.
‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘Fire.’
Elara could feel the heat pouring from him. She dared not look for fear of what she might feel if she saw that same spark in his eyes.
She felt warmth skitter up her arm, licking the inside of her wrist as invisible flames flowed from Enzo’s hand on to hers. The sensation sent rivulets of excitement running through her body, caressing her neck, warming her to her core. She felt such a visceral longing from the touch that her mouth went dry, the thrill in her stomach sinking lower as she attempted to change the subject.
‘I loved Lukas, but I’ve realized since that I was never in love with him. He was sweet and kind. But…’ She shook her head. ‘He changed. A darkness began to grow in him. We were warned of it, you know, as shadowmancers. That if we don’t control our shadows, then there’s a risk of drowning in them. Lukas became unpredictable. Would fly into terrible tempers. But I’d always see glimpses of the boy I knew, and that made me stay—made me continue our betrothal. We had known each other since we were children. And—’ she swallowed, forcing her voice not to tremble. ‘And then he betrayed me. The boy I trusted with my life.’
‘What did he do?’ Enzo’s voice scraped across her skin, and she risked a glance at him. His gaze was burning into the canopy, his shoulders locked.
‘He summoned Ariete.’
And there it was. She’d never spoken the words aloud before.
‘It was my birthday. Right before your men kidnapped me. Sofia snuck me out to the travelling fair in town, and convinced me to go to the seer’s tent for a reading—a love reading .’ Elara rolled her eyes. ‘She never liked Lukas. I suppose she wanted me to see that there was another future for me. The oracle was one of Lias’s priestesses. And…well, she told me a prophecy.’
Enzo nodded. ‘I know that a prophecy was spoken about you. My father told me. But he didn’t tell me exactly what was foreseen.’ He paused, before asking solemnly, ‘What did she tell you?’
Her hand trembled, but Enzo’s hold over it grounded her, gave her the courage to utter the next sentence.
‘She told me that I would fall in love with the King of Stars. And that it would kill us both.’
Enzo said nothing.
‘I ran back to the palace in tears with Sofia, and told Lukas, before I confronted my parents. My parents wept—they told me that the same prophecy had been spoken at my naming ceremony. That they had done everything to stop it coming to fruition, to hide me. There was a small party that night at the palace to celebrate my birthday. Only for those closest to me and my family. It was late, Lukas and I were dancing and I saw something fall to the ground. A bloodied Ram card from the Stella deck. Ariete’s card.’
Enzo let out something like a hiss of anger.
Elara nodded. ‘Lukas called upon his favour. I don’t know what it cost him, and I still can’t fathom why. Maybe he was angry—I mean, when I first told him he was furious before I managed to calm him down—I was his betrothed after all. Or maybe he thought he could try and kill the Star. I know,’ she said, when Enzo snorted, ‘it’s not that easy. But he’d been growing more untethered the last few months. Whatever it was, Ariete appeared in a streak of light, and well…the rest you know.’
Enzo was quiet for a long time, and all Elara could hear was her heart pounding.
‘You’re destined for Ariete?’ Enzo asked roughly.
She nodded. ‘I just can’t believe that my fate could be tied to someone so cruel. How can he be the other half to my soul? But according to the prophecy, he is.’
‘You deserve to feel true love, El,’ Enzo said finally as his thumb began to trace the inside of her palm. Her breathing shallowed, trying to focus on the light show. ‘You deserve to be adored.’ His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist. ‘To feel pleasure.’ It came to rest back on her palm. He paused. ‘To be the one they look for first in every room.’
Elara turned to him then, and Enzo turned to face her. They stayed, looking at each other as his light refracted above them, kissing them with patterns and shadow.
‘I don’t just want love. I want reverence.’ She looked away. ‘Is that too much to ask?’
She felt a hand under her chin and trembled slightly as he forced her to look at him. He held her gaze for a long time as sparkles traced their eyes. Finally, a breath parted his lips.
‘No.’
His eyes flickered to her lips, gazing intently. His lips parted, and she felt it, a palpable tension in the air, something that would consume her if she breathed it in.
‘I think you would be very easy to worship,’ he murmured, his voice so soft she almost melted into it.
‘Well, I doubt a god will be doing much worshipping,’ she said quietly, and pulled away.
Enzo opened his mouth to speak, his hand reaching for her hair, as a low growl pierced the air.
Enzo was up in seconds, as silent as a wraith, his hand on his short sword. He moved in front of Elara as she stood slowly, unsheathing her dagger.
There was another growl, softer but closer this time, and Elara looked around wildly. Enzo cursed, bringing light to his hands to illuminate the penetrating darkness.
She gasped. Not two metres away from her was a wolf. As black as her shadows, its eyes flint grey. She might have mistaken it for a nightwolf, but the animal before her had no tail of smoke, no stars within its eyes. The wolf edged closer, and Enzo moved subtly, still shielding her.
Her eyes brimmed with tears as she squeezed his arm, brushing past him and moving closer to the wolf.
‘Elara, I already think you’re insane, but this may be the worst time to prove me right,’ Enzo whispered.
‘It’s okay, Enzo,’ she breathed, taking another small step, her hand outstretched. The wolf prowled closer, its wicked fangs gleaming. And then, with a whimper, it licked Elara’s hand. She shuddered out a laugh as she tentatively stroked the wolf’s head. It let out a low rumble, sinking down on its hind legs as it pushed its head against Elara’s hand.
‘What the fuck?’ Enzo breathed behind her, taking a step closer.
The wolf whipped around, snarling, and Elara bit back a laugh, dropping the dagger to the ground.
‘Enzo, meet Astra.’
‘Can you please explain what in the Stars’ names is going on?’
‘The dragun was my family’s sigil. Sofia made the wolf hers.’ Tears were beginning to brim in Elara’s eyes as she knelt and wrapped her hands around Astra’s neck, breathing in the scent of her—of home. ‘Wolves are Piscea’s domain. And well, Sof had always been a little fanatical about the Star of Asteria. Sofia isn’t Verdan so it’s not like she could talk to animals, but she seemed to understand the wolves. And they her. She’d tame any stray we came across—and the wolves in the Shadow Woods would stop baying when she was near. We found Astra one day deep in the palace forest. She’d been wounded. Our groundskeeper made to shoot her, but Sofia threw herself in the arrow’s path to stop him. We nursed Astra back to health, and ever since, she stayed close. To Sof especially.’
Astra whined, and Elara scratched her ears. ‘She’s found me for a reason,’ she whispered. ‘What is it, girl? Why are you here?’
The wolf whined again, nudging at the dagger in the grass. Elara picked it up. ‘This?’
Enzo was still standing, completely dumbfounded.
The wolf whined again, nudging her wet nose against the stones. Elara frowned. ‘What, Astra?’
The wolf prodded harder at the glittering obsidian jewels. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said.
Astra growled, her hackles rising as she looked at Enzo. The shadows seemed to darken in the forest, and Elara shivered. And then, with a whine, and a last doleful look to Elara, she ran.
‘Astra!’ Elara shouted, stumbling to her feet. But the wolf had disappeared into the darkness.