21. Dax
Chapter twenty-one
My mind is rushing. My body too slow. When I finally register that the noise I hear is Alaric in my ear, it’s already too late. My body is being thrashed by something made of shadows and ash. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to keep my feet. I cough as it hits me in the chest, and a moment later Alaric is joining me in the heap. His eyes are as wide as saucers, and when he jumps to his feet, I feel his hands on me, pulling me along with him.
“Keep up!” He shouts past me, running for a light. I see what he is aiming for, and I push myself to move, but my feet are frozen like the roots of a tree planted where I stand. The whoosh of air leaves me as I’m hit once again. This time I land on my knees with a hiss. Growling my frustration, I feel my raven threaten to surface. Grinding my teeth, I try as hard as I can to hold back my shift, but it’s fruitless. My wings burst from my back in an umbra eruption haloed by raging hot fire. My eyes pinch closed at the overpowering sensation, and when I finally open them, I know that the shift is complete with the molten glow of my eyes.
“Alaric, don’t touch anything. This is a test!” I shout above the disarray. The shadows blast me again, making me careen forward. My chest hits the floor, and pressure builds on my back. I can’t see Alaric anymore; the darkness surrounds me. The magic both inside and out. My wings beat as hard as the muscle in my chest, trying to dissipate the darkness that never seems to end. It’s then that I remember what my mother told me so many moons ago. ‘Keep that light in your soul and if you ever find that you’ve lost your way—just look for the light.’ The reminder of her words I was given in the cave pummels me in the stomach like my hammer to the metal on an anvil.
“Nothing is going to happen to you. You are going to come back to me. To all of us. You gave me your word, Dax Fornax-Ravendene.” Raelles voice echoes on a whisper through my mind next, but the words are loud enough to heat my soul. “I love you.” And it’s those that breakthrough. My eyes snap open, twin flames glowing bright. Bringing my fire to life in my chest, I burn away the darkness and let in the light. My skin overheats—both fire and moonlight. The bright white of the moon comes from the dark grooves in my palms. I sense her inside me, her soul wrapped around my own. My jaw falls open on a silent scream, and I clutch at my chest. The pain is both excruciating and freeing.
Somewhere nearby I hear a struggle and a gasp, but I can’t think of anything but Raelle as her magic surrounds me, pulses through me, and frees me from the darkness with her glowing white light. My back arches and I fall, wings splayed wide beneath me. When the light fades back to a normal glow, I blink, finally seeing. The treasure, the chamber, everything is gone. Save one blade on a dais, carved silver gleaming bright like a lone ray of moonlight.
The gasp I heard before happens again, and I realize now that it’s me. Floundering, the stagnant air from the cave rushes into my lungs. Alaric is rooted to my side, just where he was at the beginning of whatever that was. The haunted expression tells me he must have gone through his own fight. I swallow hard before he gives a curt nod, then looks past me to what remains.
Power emanates from the sword. I’ve seen nothing like it before. I take a moment to stare, the craftsmen in me appreciating the work of art—a sword for a royal .
“How do we know this isn’t another test?” Alaric’s voice comes out dry in a grating rumble.
“We don’t.” My only reply.
I take one step forward, two, then three, and closing the distance, I lift my hand to hover over the hilt. The white glow from before stretches out over the blade, seemingly lighting it from within. My shadows come next, caressing the pommel in a swirl, feather light sweeps and wraps around the hilt, lifting it into my hand. When my skin touches the leather-wrapped grip, magic surges and light shines through the stone at the pommel and the chappe. A smile tugs my lips at the corners as I slowly curl my fingers in a perfectly fitting hold. Because I recognize this blade. Forged by my uncle. I was there for its creation and made a dagger to match. Meraki.
All of this time, fate has been at work. Like a craftsman at a forge, an artist with lives. The gods play on our every move.
Lifting the blade from the dais, I test the weight of the weapon. Spinning it in a tight twirl before arching it wide where Alaric stands at my side. He flinches when the blade stops just a hair’s breadth from his throat, and the smile that was tugging spreads wide as I drop the blade down to my side.
“We did it! We found it. I know it in my soul. This is what was hidden for Raelle.”
“Say you are right. What do we do now?” Alaric asks. Pride fills my chest as I think of my uncle. Knowing in my heart that he is the one who forged this blade for the king. Knowing that even now he has helped forge the future of the kingdom. I’ll tell Alaric all about it, but right now isn’t the time. I clap him on the shoulder.
“We get the fuck out of this cliffside.”
As though the cave breathes a sigh of relief, no longer burdened with the responsibility of keeping this blade brimming with magic safe, a warm breeze blows through the catacomb and pushes us in the direction of the exit. I squeeze the hilt in my hand just to ensure I still have it. To remind myself that all of this wasn’t some sort of nightmare just as we reach the mouth of the cave and are greeted with bright rays of daylight.
My feet slow as I hear voices. This isn’t the same cave we came in through, and there is no telling how far we had traveled through the earth. Anyone could be on the other side, but as Trent steps into view, warmth that I have not felt in too long spreads through my body.
“Cano, just stay away from her and don’t make eye contact. I don’t know how many times I’m going to be able to save your ass from Kait’s wrath,” I hear Trent grumble as he catches a darkened fist to the arm laughing. Laughing? He rubs where the punch landed, backing up to reveal Cano standing in front of him. Cano runs a hand that looks dipped in ink down his face before looking over his shoulder at the woman behind him.
“She has every right to want to kill me.” Cano says bleakly.
“She does, but she hasn’t because she, just like us, can sense the change in you. There might be a small heart in that chest after all.” Ambriel teases. My brows drop, and I realize my feet have stopped just beyond where the sunlight touches, and I wait in the shadows. Alaric steps to my side and places a hand on my shoulder. Likely sensing my apprehension.
“A lot has changed since you left.”
“I can see that.” I grind out, watching as Trent shakes his head, wrapping his arms around Ambriel from behind, and kissing along the column of her neck. I sense Alaric tense as he does, and I look over at him. “You adjusting to all the new changes too?”
“So it seems.” He growls, and I can’t help the twitch at the corner of my mouth. “You ready?” The silence stretches between us, but he doesn’t take a step forward, revealing us to the group, and for that I’m thankful. I need a moment to figure out how I am going to approach this. The sword in my grip vibrates, and as I look down at it, it serves as a reminder of what is to come. Of what is the most important thing in this moment. Ripping Cano to pieces might make me feel better for a moment, but it won’t serve to right the situation right now. It won’t bring Raelle back.
I take a step forward. The sun is immediately more blinding having been underground so long. The sunlight catches the blade and glints a ray toward the group. Their gaze snaps our way. Cano’s eyes go wide as they land on me. Trent and Ambriel’s smiles even wider, but my best friend… Kait launches herself from the boulder she sits on. Her arms flinging around my neck and her face burying into my neck, causing me to stumble back. Alaric catches us and rights me before we fall.
Her muffled cries are incomprehensible, but it brings a relieved smile to my face to be holding her close. To hear her cries at all or feel the warm tears stain my skin. I push her back so I can look at her. “It’s good to see you too.” I smile.
“I’ve been so fucking worried.” She whispers, then her eyes flick to Alaric. “About both of you.” Alaric’s lips tighten into a brief smile before he reaches out and squeezes Kait’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re ok and came around to shifting back into your Fae form,” Alaric says. Something passes between them. She smiles lightly before Trent comes barreling up and wraps me and Kait in his wide arms, squeezing the breath out of us. I wheeze out a laugh.
“For fucks sake,” I laugh, tipping my head back and wheezing for air.
“I hate to say it, but I didn’t think you were coming out of there. I—I was…” He lets us out of his embrace and steps back so I can get a look at his face. Unshed tears swim in my not so little brother’s eyes and something inside of me pinches.
“I know, but I’m here now.”
“You are fucking here now!” He barks a laugh, his tears spilling over, and he wipes them away quickly with the back of his hand. Kait backs away from us, and Trent steps forward, wrapping me in an unrelenting hug. My eyes fall over his shoulder and lock with Canos. When Trent releases me, he keeps an arm slung over my shoulder and pats my chest, then points at the man my eyes are trained on. “We all have a lot to talk about.”
My lip threatens to curl back into a snarl. “We don’t have time. I assume you have a good reason for him being here…I don’t care to argue right now. We need to get Raelle.”
“Dax…” Cano says my name and a growl builds in my chest just hearing my name on his tongue.
“I said we don’t have fucking time.” I growl, my irritation popping within me like coals in a fire.
“I mean, I’m sure—” Trent starts, but I cut him off.
“No!” I snarl the word, ducking from under his arm and stalking up to Cano. Pushing him in the chest, he staggers back but doesn’t fight. Merely looks sternly back at me. The first wise choice he’s made in his whole life. “There is no room for negotiation. You. Have. Done. Enough.” I growl each word through bared teeth.
Turning on my heel, I face the group of Fae. “We need to head back to Ravendene. I have a kingdom to claim.” When I turn again, I slam my shoulder against Cano. Knocking him out of my way as I make my way through the woods, toward the sea and the open air. My wings snap free from my back, and I splay them wide. The fresh breeze feels amazing as it runs through my feathers. One thing is for certain, I will not waste any time arguing or making excuses for any bullshit. I am the King of Aldramani, and my queen needs me. As I told her before, I will bring the realm to its knees for her if I must, and I plan to do just fucking that.