18. Raelle
Chapter eighteen
Rolling to my side, I pull the blanket up over my head and let out an exasperated groan. Even through the blanket, the room gets brighter as I hear the curtains being ripped back and sunlight shines freely into my prison. The sun that shines down immediately overheats me. After being forced into dark shadow magic by Soren and Thames, I was thrust into a fitful sleep.
My magic demands that I rest and heal. Treating the putrid magic as a sickness, it leaked all of my energy, and I have a hard time staying in the present. I don’t know how many times I have opened my eyes since, but this time the rude awakening has me praying to the gods to take me back into sleep's embrace, wishing for anything else when I open my eyes again.
“It’s time for you to get out of bed. It smells like you are starting to rot, my dear. Respectfully.” A woman comes into view through my bleary eyes; the last part of her sentence is just a whisper. I silently mock her under the blanket with a sneer on my face. No one in this castle shows me respect . I am a prisoner. A caged bird. Nothing more.
“The only rot is the man you serve,” I say under my breath as I pull the blanket down with a huff and scoot up to sit.
My sleep was restless, and the pounding in my head is worse with the sun beating down on me. The darkness poured into my soul, causing a deep-rooted storm inside of me that I couldn’t escape. Even now, I feel my magic and the putrid darkness at war with each other, but when my dreams, or the magic took me to Dax—it all calmed. Believing that he could be on the edge of getting what is in the cave. Of finding whatever my family died for. What my biological parents left for me…
The door to my room slams against the wall as it’s pushed open forcefully, and I narrow my eyes on the men who rush into the room, but more so on the man at their center. Soren Croix steps through the massive guards bracketing the door. His dark aura causing even the sun to shy away. I give him no emotion. It would only serve to anger him, and if I am going to get answers about anything, I need to play into his game.
“I’m glad to see that you are awake. How are you feeling, little bird?” The nickname on his tongue instantly makes bile rise in my throat. I can’t seem to get over this bullshit pet name he is adamant on calling me. When I say nothing, he continues into the room, all eyes training on the man that demands attention.
“She is only just waking up, my lord.” The woman who seems to be a healer says as she pours water into a glass and offers it to me. I take the liquid and sip on it slowly. Remembering how the last time I woke parched like this, I choked on every drink with how fast I drank it.
I hold onto the glass like it is my lifeline to the real world. Both hands cupping around it when I note a glint at the center of Soren’s deep brown leather armor. Without realizing how tightly I’m squeezing, the glass cracks. Soren has my blade, Merkai , strapped to his chest, right over his heart. The display clearly aimed to toy with me. It’s at that moment that I make a promise to myself—a silent promise to the gods too.
I will kill Soren Croix, and I will use Meraki to do it.
“I want you dressed and ready to train within the next hour.” He steps closer to my bedside, and my eyes drop to see water beginning to leak from the cracked glass still in my grip. The pounding in my ears drowns him out as my blood continues to boil watching the trickle run down my fingers. “You have had three days of rest, and I am growing impatient. If you are not as strong as I believe you to be, then you will be of no use to me.” He folds his hands behind his back as he looks down his nose at me. “What a shame that would be.”
My blank face of indifference cracks as his words bring my resolve to crumble. My glare is so sharp it could be considered lethal. His eyes drop to my lap where the water has begun to drip and the corner of his lips twitch up. “Chop chop, little bird.” He says with two claps of his hands, then he strides from the room. I watch him with uninhibited disdain as he goes.
The clothing they supply me with is new, brown leather, and lacks the comfort and flexibility of the black training gear I’m accustomed to. Taking in the sight of myself, I stand in front of the floor-length mirror in the corner of the room. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the salty air coming from the one open window, and let it out with a long sigh. I wish I could hop from the window and take to the sky, back to Dax on that wretched cliffside. I wish that I could go back to the moment we sat together talking. It feels like another lifetime, even though it’s only been a few short weeks.
The door creaks when it opens, and I raise my eyes to glance at the intruder with barely any interest through the reflection over my shoulder. My eyes land on the blue ones of yet again, the dragon prince.
“Are you again, my ever-so-chivalrous escort to torture today, Prince Osiris?” I muse with every ounce of sarcasm I can muster into my tone. He rests both hands on the butt of his sword hanging at his hip.
“Moon Raven, perhaps you can spend that energy on something else today?” He says stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. I narrow my eyes as I turn to face him. His cold, emotionless exterior is back in place as he reaches into the leathers at his chest and pulls out something wrapped in cream canvas. “I brought you something.”
My suspicion rises, but even as it does, my feet move me forward. My curiosity driving my advance. Even though I do not trust the Prince of Dragons, I do trust that he will not physically harm me, as some of the other guards have tried. Beyond being brash, rough with direction, and nearly as grumpy as Dax, Osiris has yet to cause me any real harm.
He unfolds the fabric, and my confusion must be evident because he chuffs out a breath before pushing the rough white stone toward me on his palm. My eyes flick from his hand to his eyes, then back again. “A rock?” I ask him, quirking an eyebrow at the mountainous man.
“Gods,” he says, rolling his eyes, then he reaches out, grabs my wrist, and places the rock into the center of my palm. My eyes widen as I feel the buzzing begin first where the stone touches my skin, then through my whole body, as though my magic just became frenzied.
“Wha—why is it…” I fumble for words and stare awestruck at the meek rock in my palm.
“It’s a raw moonstone from the moon mountains in Valeska. Guarded by dragons, this stone holds special properties. You feel the magic, don’t you?” He asks, stepping closer to me. My lips part as my jaw falls slack, trying to think of the word to describe the feeling I had as soon as my skin touched this rock, but as the door behind him creaks, he snatches the stone and shoves it quickly wrapped in the canvas back into his leathers. He steps back and grabs the door, wrenching it further open.
“Sire,” A guard steps forward with a small bow of his head; dark curls fall forward across his forehead before he rights himself and clears his throat. “Lord Soren requests,” his eyes flick to me, then back to the prince as he speaks. “Her presence in the dining hall.” I grind my teeth, wanting so badly to bark out at him. Speak to me! I am standing right here! But I stand silently, still thinking about what Osiris said and the feeling of the magic that is just now fading from my skin, but the dark magic I still feel pulsing through me… like oil on water.
I watch Osiris closely as he dismisses the guard. The movement of his throat as he swallows before he looks down at me. His mouth is a thin line, but as our eyes meet, he nods, placing his arm out in an offering. A gesture no one has given me since I’ve been a… kept queen . I look down at his arm leery, but still curious. My magic seems to yawn as I stand before him, considering his offer. A buzz builds in my chest, and closing my eyes in a slow blink, I rest my hand in the crook of his elbow, trusting the feeling I sense trying to build behind the dark magic they have put inside me. A feeling I’ve become all too familiar with in the recent months.
“This will please him.” My eyes open to meet his again. “Your trust in me will not be misplaced, Moon Raven.” He says this in a low tone, bending to speak into my ear.
“This,” I tip my chin up and eye his arm. “Does not mean that I trust you ,” I say sternly, emphasizing my point, before I look away. If he senses the lie, he does not say, but I cannot ignore the fact that regardless of what I say to him… I cannot shake the feeling that my magic is giving me. I can’t help but think that in some way, somehow, Osiris, Prince of Valeska and the ruler of dragons, was meant to cross my path and is not here just to cause me strife, but is my ally against the evil that is trying to overcome the realm. Perhaps he understands what I am beginning to realize. Soren Croix may say he wants to rule Aldarmani, but only a fool would believe his conquest will stop there.
“Of course, Moon Raven,” he says, and as I look at him from the corner of my eye, I swear I see a smile twitch at the corner of his mouth for only a second, then it is gone.
The training was the same as before, though really they should be calling it testing… They are not training me for anything. They want to know what I can do. Running me ragged with the dragon, Bracarva, controlled by Osiris; however, they seem more than just beast and master. Almost as though they have a connection beyond that.
Finally bathed, a chambermaid knocks lightly on the door before stepping in.
“I brought your dinner, miss.” She says hurriedly without making eye contact. They aren’t usually the ones who bring my food. Osiris is. I watch her without saying anything from the window I look out of.
The night is young, the sun just dipping beyond the trees, painting the sky in deep oranges and pinks. I’m fond of watching the sun disappear. It reminds me of the moment Dax and I shared on the lakeside after seeing Seriah. When we discovered what my true identity was.
The door clicks shut, and I sigh, walking over to the tray left on the table. Soren dismissed me before my time was up when he saw that the shadows they gave me would not surface. His face blotted out as red as the tomato on my plate. Plopping the wedge into my mouth with a chunk of cheese I eat and drink it all. My body craves the sustenance it needs from being so strenuously pushed.
I’m exhausted from the day, but I can’t help but think about everything that Osiris has said to me. While I eat, I work through every interaction with the prince, dissecting every detail. I need to learn more about my lineage and the realm. Pushing away from the table, I wrap myself in a throw from the bed and open the door to my room.
“Oh…” The guard sputters, not expecting my sudden appearance.
“I want to be taken to the library,” I say, staring directly into his eyes. He nervously shifts on his feet before looking to the other guard.
“I mean… We weren’t given orders to keep her here… She has been allowed to the library before.” The man with dirty blonde hair and a rough beard says. The nervous one nods, licking his lips.
“Ok then, this way.” They agree, leading me to the library I’ve been dying to explore and with the two guards I have with me, I might just be able to get some answers…