Chapter 12 #2
“That’s one way to put it.” But deep down, I know he wouldn’t hurt her, unless he was protecting me.
And right now, Odeyssa is the furthest thing from a threat.
She’s an ally, and we need all those we can get right now.
“We need a game plan. I can’t stay here much longer,” I say, trying to push out the urgency.
Like I said earlier, I have an idea. But I don’t think you’re going to like it.
Well, speak now or forever hold your peace.
Before he can tell me, Odeyssa interrupts the conversation she didn’t know we were having. “I know you have your reservations, but I think the best option is to go to Nefarium. My dad can help. We can figure it out—”
“No. Out of all the options, that’s not one of them. I need somewhere they’ll never think to look, or at the very least, let it be the last place they look.”
Forest of the Forgotten, Voraxis blurts out.
“Forest of the Forgotten?” I repeat so Odeyssa is on the same page, and clearly it means something to her. Her entire body goes rigid, stiffening like a statue.
“Is that where he suggests we go?” There’s a hint of attitude in her question, with underlying…fear? Suspicion? I don’t know. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I nod my head cautiously, seeing there is more to the absolute outrage she’s feeling.
“Yeah, sure. That’s a great idea. Especially if we want to die!” she exclaims. Voraxis lets out a growl in warning, obviously not appreciating the bite in her tone. Surprised, she immediately pulls her hand off him, eyeing him warily.
“He doesn’t like your attitude.” And frankly, neither do I.
She huffs out a breath. “Look, all I’m saying is we wouldn’t survive there.”
“I won’t survive in Nefarium either,” I murmur.
“I’m sure my dad—”
“No!” I interrupt. The comforting rage I’ve gotten so used to starts to breach the surface, and I don’t think I have it in me to let it simmer back down. “Why are you pushing this so hard?”
Odeyssa contemplates her next words. “Have you ever heard of the forest? In all your time in Siderium, has anyone mentioned it?”
I answer with a curt shake of my head.
“That’s for a reason. The forest sits on the farthest edge of the realm. It’s believed to house all the fae who are sentenced to live the rest of their days alone. Forgotten.” Her expression softens, morphing into something more somber, like she knows all too well what happens there.
“Why not just send them to Mortis Regnum?” That’s the prison realm, which seems like the easier option in my opinion.
“Some crimes are too great for just the simplicity of death.”
“So what you’re saying is, if we go there, we die?”
Not necessarily, Voraxis chimes in, and I whip my head toward him, needing him to explain further.
It’s a risk, Firebird. But I don’t see another way.
Odeyssa seems like she’s getting increasingly more agitated the more we bicker on the subject.
“What I’m saying is, we don’t know what’s going to happen.
Everyone who enters is marked with a brand.
So, by the small, minuscule chance they ever escape, they won’t be accepted anywhere. Permanently shunned.”
What a shit show this all is. Did I escape one prison only to trap myself in another?
“But I don’t understand. What’s the point? It seems like a bigger hassle than it’s worth.”
“Maybe it is. Think of it like a purgatory. The fae who are banished stay until they die—which for someone like us is a very, very long time—and even after death, their punishment continues. All spirits who wear the mark are sentenced to an eternal afterlife of misery in Mortis Regnum. And before you ask, there’s an enchantment placed upon the land, essentially ensuring they can’t kill themselves to ease their suffering. ”
How morbid.
The silence stretches between the three of us, only the distant sounds of drills and hammers breaking through.
In an instant, my hands cover my ears, I drop to my knees, and clamp my teeth together as I’m hit with a rippling pain.
It’s like a damn war drum is sounding off in my head.
And it fucking hurts. My face gets buried into the snow as I curl in the fetal position, willing the unrelenting pounding to end.
What is happening? With the next beat, an otherworldly scream explodes out of me, the snow doing nothing to muffle my agony.
Hands land on my shoulders, and it’s like a lightning strike to my system, transporting me back to the electric shock I used to endure back in the cage, and I flip over onto my back.
Voices surround me, murmuring questions that nobody has answers to. Not even me.
Despite the frigid cold beneath me, my body heats with a blistering fever. “Make it stop!” I wail. It’s unyielding, only getting louder, and I feel like the deepest corners of my mind are being scrambled together.
“Fuck, she’s burning up,” a male voice says. I feel the scaley ridges of Voraxis’s nose brush against the side of my cheek. But I can’t. I can’t move—can’t think.
Vibrations move like sound waves behind my eyes, and the wall I’ve worked tirelessly to keep locked up and barbed wired is slowly caving in with each bang to my skull. Stifled words attempt to break through, but I push against it, willing the last embers of my strength to keep it intact.
But something slips through the cracks. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” the voice mocks, teasing and so fucking sinister it makes my skin crawl.
Rage encompasses me, taking over all my senses until the edges of my vision turn red.
“Where are you hiding? Open those pretty emeralds, and give me a peek. I’m close.
You can sense me. I know you—” I cut off his words, rebuilding the wall and shutting him out for good.
The pain ceases, and I can finally breathe. Waiting to make sure he’s really gone, nobody around me speaks. Slowly, my eyes open, and I roll onto my side, sinking into the soft, plush snow.
My cheeks are wet from the tears I unknowingly shed, and I swiftly wipe them away, not wanting anyone to see them as I stand.
Are you alright? Voraxis’s concern is imminent.
Fine, I snap and sever his connection. I can’t deal with all the pestering thoughts right now.
Thunder crackles above, right before the first raindrop takes purchase on my flesh and races the tears down my cheek.
Trust has never been something I’ve given out freely.
It’s always earned, and even then, it takes a damn long time to obtain it.
Standing in an unknown realm, with the weight of my fate resting on the shoulders of people I barely know, a swirling vortex of anxiety is created and takes root in the pit of my stomach.
There has never been a doubt in my mind regarding Voraxis’s loyalty.
But as for the others? I hardly know them.
Right now, I have to put blind faith into the unknown… and that terrifies me.
“Whatever we’re doing, we have to do it now,” I instruct. Odeyssa and Atticus stare at me in bewilderment. But we’re out of time.
A beat passes, then another. Just as I’m about to make the call, Atticus chimes in. “I can’t let you go there. Not when…”—he lets out a long sigh of hesitation—“not when there’s another option.”
“What do you mean?” Odeyssa questions, curiosity twitching her brow.
Atticus’s fingers wring together while his body fights to keep the suggestion under lock and key. “We can go to Vaiterra,” he finally says, words coated with apprehension.
“Vaiterra?” Odeyssa mutters, her face pinching together as the wheels in her head work overtime. “Why would you possibly suggest we go there?”
“Anything has to be safer than the forest,” Atticus barks. Voraxis shuffles behind me, and it’s then I remember I shut him out.
Have you ever been to this other place? Like I said, trusting Voraxis is as easy as breathing.
Yes. It’s another kingdom, but I haven’t returned since new leadership has been appointed.
Is it actually safer than the forest?
It isn’t a matter of safety. It’s you deciding which monsters you wish to face. I absorb his words, all while Atticus and Odeyssa continue bickering in the background.
“Quiet!” I bellow, unable to concentrate with the incessant arguing. There are too many variables to consider, and none of them are within my control. “What are your ties to the kingdom?” I point my question at Atticus.
“It’s complicated.”
“I don’t care. Pull your ego out of your ass and spill. Why else would you’ve said anything?” I’m so tired of the lies, the secrets, exhausted from the continuous mind games.
“If you go, they will grant you sanctuary. But I can’t go,” he finally says. Odeyssa throws her arms up in frustration, and I’m right there with her.
“Oh no,” Odeyssa clips. “You’re coming.” She leaves no room for negotiation. Atticus runs his hand down his face, clearly wishing he had just kept his mouth shut.
I swing my gaze over my shoulder to look at Voraxis, who gives me a subtle nod. “It’s settled,” I say, trying to keep all the conviction present in my tone, but in reality, I’m scared. For all I know, we’re walking right back into the lion’s den I escaped from. “We’re going to Viaterra.”