Chapter 45
HEMMING
T he stars were fading from the sky when I awoke.
Ariel still slept, tucked in close to my side, her pale skin nearly glowing in the dim firelight of the lone candle near the bed. She was the image of perfection, and I wanted to relish every moment with her—smell the sweet scent of her restored hair, watch the slight flutter of her eyes as she dreamed, hold her so close that nothing could ever separate us again. As much as I had spent years dreaming about being with her, I wasn’t prepared for the comfort I felt in the aftermath.
I could have surrendered to it for a lifetime, which made the reality of our impending situation so much worse. Come dawn, I might never get to look upon her again. The sobering knowledge that potential death awaited us drove me from the warmth of her body and bed and the solace of her room.
If death wanted to try to claim us, I planned to put up a fight.
The collar with which Vesstan had harnessed the beast did not bind me to the castle, so I planned to escape its stony confines in favor of the outdoors. Somewhere I could think. Plot. Scheme.
I would find a way to beat Vesstan, or die trying. It was that simple.
To my surprise, he’d posted no guards in the hall, so I slipped out of her room and headed down the vast corridor toward the nearest exit. As I made my way, I heard a door open behind me, and I wheeled around to find Eldrien standing there in only his trousers, vibrant blue wings framing his pale torso. His brows pinched together as he looked at me.
“How is she?”
“Sleeping for now, but recovered.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “And you?”
“Angry. Worried.”
He nodded in agreement. “Shayfer is the same, though he finally managed to fall asleep. I don’t think it will last. He seems agitated by the loss of his ability. It’s made his sleep fitful?—”
“Because, until now, he has relied on his magic and his cunning to navigate every situation. Realization that the latter will not save him from whatever may await us today has set in. That is a sobering truth to face.”
His features hardened at my harsh analysis. “And what about you? Without your beast—or your wings—can you survive what awaits us at dawn?”
“I guess we’ll find out after sunrise.”
His lips pressed to a grim line of understanding. “Hemming…I need to say something to you.” Instead of replying, I just stared at him expectantly. “What you did before…back in the cell…” His gaze fell to the floor as shame, embarrassment, or something else I didn’t comprehend overcame him. “You provoked Vesstan in order to spare me—to spare my wings— and now I know why,” he said as he straightened his shoulders and forced himself to look at me. “I’m not sure my gratitude will ever be enough, but you have it all the same.”
“Whatever I think of you, Eldrien, no winged creature deserves that fate.” Without another word, I turned around and headed back down the hallway.
“Where are you going?” he called after me.
“To figure out how to survive this mess,” I replied without breaking stride. “I’ll be back before dawn. Keep watch over Ariel until I return—she’ll worry if she awakens and I’m gone.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t go.”
His words stopped me short. “I need the cold bite of the sea winds on my face to help me think,” I said, my voice sounding a bit distant even to my own ears. I looked over my shoulder to find him standing outside Ariel’s door. “It’s the closest I can come to the clarity I feel when I’m flying.”
Sadness swam in Eldrien’s blue eyes as his expression fell. “And it seems neither of us is capable of that anymore.” His gaze fell to the handle of Ariel’s door. “I hope you find answers out there…for all our sakes.”
I watched as he silently slipped inside and closed the door behind him, then continued on my path to the outdoors. No guards appeared as I stepped through the grand doors, and the disappointment I felt was immediate. I was itching for an outlet for my emotions, and they would have filled that position well.
My hands flexed as I walked through the gardens, the cloying scent of the flowers clouding my senses. With determined strides, I made my way clear of the outdoor adornments and gardens, heading toward the edge of the property where the grassy edge met stone. Where land met sea.
It was the highest point on the island, the sheer cliff towering so far above the water below that, even with the moon shining bright above, it was little more than a deadly black abyss, roaring its warning. The violent waves crashed against an unforgiving wall of rock, driven by the harsh east winds, and I tipped my head back, inhaling the salty air as the scars on my back twitched with the desire to launch myself over the edge and dive into the darkness; to skim the dangerous waters lurking within. My eyes snapped open as my body leaned forward reflexively, and I stumbled a step to catch my balance, sending pebbles over the edge.
“I don’t recommend that,” a familiar voice called from behind me. I turned quickly to find Kier approaching, his black wings tucked in tight behind him. “Seems a terrible way to go.”
“I came out here to think, not to kill myself,” I replied. “A Nychteride warrior would never take a coward’s way out. You, more than any, should know that—or have you forgotten our ways in your time here?”
He stopped beside me, his shoulder nearly brushing against mine. “I deserved that,” he replied. “That’s why I came looking for you.”
“To stop me from jumping?”
His body stiffened at my cutting response. “To apologize for earlier. I was angry and worried for Ariel, and I lashed out at you because of it.”
“You and Kade are alike in that regard, then, as that would have been his exact reaction.”
I dared a sideward glance to find a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I’m sure.” Silence fell between us, filled only by the whistling winds and the angry waves breaking against the rocks below. It would have been companionable had our circumstances been different.
“Where did you disappear to after you left?” I asked.
I turned to find anger twisting his features. “I cannot be in Vesstan’s presence, so I could not return.”
“I see.”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Ariel is all right.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry for doubting your judgment regarding her situation, Hemming.”
“She’s your daughter—the daughter you never thought you’d see again. I’d think less of you if you hadn’t reacted as you did.”
Kier shifted slightly so he could better take me in. “I must admit, that isn’t the response I expected.”
“Because you don’t know me—and that is the point. You don’t know my honor. I did not serve under you as I did your brother.”
“ Did or do ?” he asked in a curious tone.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On many things, not the least of which is what happens at dawn. I can’t very well serve General Kade if I’m dead.”
A tiny laugh escaped him. “True, though I imagine he’d try to find a way. But humor me. Assuming you find a way to defeat Vesstan, will you return to the Nychterides?”
“I will go where Ariel goes. Her home is my home. Her plans are mine.”
“And if she goes to her death?” he asked, voice low and solemn.
I turned my head slowly until I stared him square in the eyes. “Then I will already be in the Afterworld waiting for her.”
“You really do love her, don’t you?” The note of awe in his voice was impossible to miss. “She truly is your world…”
“From the moment she set foot in Daglaar, she has owned my heart in one way or another. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe.” He faltered back a pace, exhaling hard, as though my response had assuaged any lingering concerns he had. I turned my attention back to the sea and the sliver of golden glow threatening to crest the horizon soon.
“That is all I needed to hear,” he said softly, his boots scuffing against the stone as he turned to leave.
I wondered for a moment if I should stop him, or at least acknowledge his departure, given his effort to make amends—his attempt to understand my love for his daughter. I opened my mouth to call his name as I turned, but something stopped me short.
Something sharp and piercing.
Something black as night jutting out from my chest.
“Do you know the story of how obsidian blades came into existence?” he asked as he buried the blade deeper. “It was stone that was melted by dragons, then forged into weapons. Funny how the one you love is descended from the very creatures that have facilitated your demise.” A sharp twist of the obsidian had me gasping for breath as the reality of the situation assailed me. “Now, I know what you’re thinking: what will happen to Ariel when I’m gone? But have no fears about that. I will take care of her…” As quickly as he’d plunged it through me, he ripped the blade from my body, then drove it home a second time. “Don’t worry, Hemming,” he said in mocking, “it’ll be over soon.” When he withdrew the blade again, I collapsed to my knees, the power of the blade already weakening my body—but not my resolve.
As I tried to push up to my feet, Kier grabbed me by my hair and hauled me up like a doll. Blood gushed from my wounds as he forced me closer to the cliff’s edge. My toes dragged along the stone, unable to get traction, until my legs dangled freely in the air. The scars on my back twitched yet again, to no avail. Kier, having no doubt witnessed the sad display, merely laughed, then whispered in my ear. “I’ll bet you wish your wings could save you now…but nothing can.”
I heard the familiar snap of wings unfurling behind me.
I closed my eyes and pictured Ariel’s face as she slept in my arms.
“Like I said before,” he said as I kicked backward in a futile attempt to regain my footing, “it seems a nasty way to go.”
A rush of wind struck me from behind and sent me soaring through the air high above the sea. For a brief moment, it felt as if I were flying—as if my wings had returned—but that moment was fleeting. Flying soon turned to falling, and the cruel reality of my fate crashed into me like the tides on the rock wall below.
I would soon be just like those waves.
I would disappear into that black abyss forever.