Chapter 18
THORNE
After so many revelations in such a short space of time, my mind is warped, like an unsettling storm, and I know I'm yet to face the worst of it, since I'm sitting right in the eye.
I thought my world had been tipped upside down the day I came face to face with Elodie across the hall, but it seems she was only the beginning of an unraveling series of events. It seems everything I knew, or thought I did at least, is nothing more than another layer to The Sanctum’s lies.
Anger runs through me, but I keep it in, tamping it down with all the restraint I can muster as I stare at Elodie’s sleeping form.
Awkwardly standing In Rion's room, I can't bring myself to leave yet. I can't begin to fathom how much time has passed since we even tried to sneak into the basement of Institute One. Seconds have morphed into minutes, which have unraveled into hours, time zone hopping, and now my mind is restless.
I know with all certainty that sleep is the one place I yearn for, but it's going to be the hardest thing to come by.
Elodie pleaded with me to take a rest with her and Rion, but agreeing would have only caused everybody discomfort. I'm restless enough as it is, and I haven’t even tried to lie down yet.
I did, however, agree to stay until she was asleep, which didn't take as much time as I anticipated. I think the exhaustion of everything she's dealt with has finally laid claim to her.
I watch with jealousy as Rion continues to stroke his fingers through her hair, soothing her in a way I can't right now.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I take a step back, and Rion's gaze quickly shifts to me. “Are you sure you don't want to join us?” he murmurs, making sure to keep his voice down so he doesn't disturb Elodie, and I shake my head.
“She's safe with you and I have things to do,” I explain, probably a little sharper than necessary as I spin on the spot and hurry for the exit before I change my mind. I don’t miss the concern etched into his facial features, though. I just choose to ignore them.
Closing the door as quietly as I can, I lean against the wood and take in the lounge area, where Ocean lies fast asleep on the pull-out sofa.
It feels too still, almost eerie without Kael here, and with tonight's unraveling secrets, I feel like we’re in more jeopardy, more danger, more uncertainty.
Sleep doesn't seem like a good idea, but for my mind, it's the only place I'm going to gain answers. Before I head to my bedroom, I turn toward the dorm room door. Placing my hand against the wood, I make sure my magic is still intact, ensuring we’re safe while we sleep.
Now that we know Professor Grimm isn't who we thought he was, and Professor Morton knows what we have access to, extra precautions are necessary.
This is as satisfied as I'm going to be.
Taking a deep breath, I head to my room, not bothering to turn the light on as I close the door behind me. With the curtains closed, the room is drenched in darkness, despite the time being late enough in the morning for the sun to be up.
The Vale can wait today.
We've got our own traumas to deal with first.
Blindly, I kick off my shoes, unzip my jeans, and tug my t-shirt over my head before slipping beneath my sheets. The cooling touch always helps when I'm ready to sleep with the intention of going to one place and one place only.
Exhaling slowly, I let my eyelids fall closed.
Their weight is heavier than I anticipate, but it only plays in my favor as the world melts away and darkness consumes me.
All too soon, my attention and mind are alert once more.
Only, it's not the dorm room I have at Institute Thirteen that I'm greeted with, but the familiar lands of home.
The Shadow Realm.
Everything looks the same; the dried out moat, the derelict castle, the empty balcony, and the lifeless town. Yet now, with the knowledge I have, everything feels different.
Brushing a hand through my hair, I take a deep breath, looking up at the sun.
It always amuses me how bright it is here, despite it being The Shadow Realm.
I guess it comes with a misconception that everything is touched with shadows, but shadows only appear when the sun shines down.
And here, it has a special kind of heat that fuels my soul.
Off to my right, in the opposite direction from the balcony I love to sit and think on, I spy the tower, the one I was trapped in as the rest of my people became nothing.
Before I can think better of it, my feet carry me toward the stone building, my heart racing with every step until I'm standing before the arched door with my heart in my throat.
Reaching out a hand, I don't go for the handle. The idea of seeing inside is too raw, but I manage the courage to splay my fingers across the door.
With my pulse ringing in my ears, I startle at a soft hum that connects me to the building, a whisper of magic as I recall the memories of that day.
Sadness bleeds through me. I was completely unaware of the heartache that would follow such events… events I thought I knew.
Were the scythes involved? Yes. But I always believed it was of their own will, never suspected their massacre was at the order of others, especially not The Sanctum, the one place my father trusted me to be safe.
What does that mean for me now?
It means I'm sure as hell not as safe as I thought I was.
Yanking my hand back, I turn away, trudging toward the castle as my mind reels with those same thoughts.
The Sanctum can't get away with this.
I can't allow it.
I've been torn up inside at the mere presence of Elodie because I thought they were gone.
I believed I was the last shadow fae. I thought with the scythes gone, justice had been paid.
So her presence left me wondering whether I was incorrect.
Tormented over the idea that I should pay honor to my heritage and finish the job.
Yet a piece of her stole a piece of me, a piece I can't live without.
Taking her life was never really an option, not when she’d already stolen my heart, but now there is somebody I can extract payment from. More than one, even. At least five, to be exact.
But what leaves me more curious is why.
Why did the Shadow Realm need to become this? Nothing but mere existence in my mind, lingering in my dreams with no place else to go. It remains empty and derelict, void of people that once filled this space with joy.
Children.
Mothers.
Fathers.
Friends.
A king.
My mother.
My father.
My sister.
I vowed their deaths wouldn’t be in vain, and as it stands right now, they certainly were, which only layers the pain with more heartache.
Shaking my head, I focus on the present and quickly realize I've come to a stop. I'm not perched on the balcony like I usually am. My mind has other ideas it seems, as I find myself staring at the double doors leading into the castle.
I never had the strength to step through the doors on the balcony into my parents’ room, never mind these doors that lead to so many more memories that feel like haunting nightmares now.
For so long, I have visited here alone and remained outside, but I'm reminded that the moment Elodie took one glimpse inside my parents’ room, an answer revealed itself.
It was a truth that we would never have known without the bravery to venture inside.
After looking at the tower, I feel like the small child left in there, trembling with fear, but I take a deep breath, encouraging him with the strength I now have, and reach for the handle.
The door opens with ease.
The familiar scents of rosemary and thyme dancing in the air makes my next breath lodge in my throat. Nostalgia takes over. Before I can talk myself out of it and give way to logic, I step inside.
My heart races as a familiar mosaic floor comes into view and a fleeting memory flutters through my mind.
It’s easy to recall my mother's glee at the floor, the memory of us piecing it together one little square at a time.
It took so long, and there were so many times I wanted to give up, while my father insisted that they could have paid someone in the village to do this.
Yet my mother wanted that connection, that memory of us, and now here it sits, a memory; just as she wished.
Warmth floods my chest as I take another deep breath, a soft smile turning the corner of my mouth failing to hide the grief that washes over me. The pain in my chest is almost unbearable, but I breathe it in.
I remember all that she was, all that my father was, all that my sister was in something just as simple as this floor. It may not be the connection to them that I wish for, or them standing right in front of me, but it's something more than I had.
Letting the door creep closed behind me, I step farther into the room, spying the old wooden sideboard that used to be littered with photos. Each has fallen, the glass shattered into shards scattering the surface and floor, but the mess remains untouched.
Despite the pain and sadness that continues to radiate through me, I inch closer until I can glance down and see the broken images.
The first one that captures my attention is one of me and my sister, our arms wrapped around each other, faces smushed together like always as we beamed with a sense of childlike joy that feels impossible to replicate.
The glass is cracked right down the center and I hate it. I hate the fracture it represents, and I refuse to accept it. Quickly moving to separate them, my hand touches the frame, but before I can fix the issue, my head jolts back and my eyes close as I stand in a tense, tight trance.
A vision consumes my mind, drenched in screams and shouts that echo through the halls, pain thick in the air as a man whimpers on the floor beside me.
Not just any man; it's Odie.
He’s sobbing over my father's lifeless body.
The emotions clog my throat, my heart aching at the sight. His sobs echo those ricocheting in my chest as a creak from the door catches his attention. Odie’s gaze snaps toward the sound, his sobs pausing as his eyes narrow and anger transforms him.
Black smoke pours from every fiber of his being, ready to take action against the man in the hallway.
“Rickard,” he snarls, and my eyes widen in disbelief. “You did this?” he roars, and Rickard shakes his head, slowly lifting his hands in surrender.
“Listen to me, Odie. Listen to me very carefully.” The man gulps, his eyebrows furrowing as he takes in the sight of my lifeless father.
“This was not me,” he says, tensely. “I swear it on all that I am,” he promises, swiftly dropping to one knee with his head bowed, a defenseless stance if I've ever seen one.
“Then who?” Odie growls, and Rikard tilts his head up. Their gazes clash. “This is the work of The Sanctum. You are The Sanctum,” he bites, and Rikard nods.
“I understand that, but their actions are not mine. I am there in hopes of bringing justice to this world so I can save the Forresters.”
“The Forresters are lost to their own son?” Odie interjects, his magic thickening in the air as rage threatens to consume him. “What is this then?”
“This is power hunger, and I need to offer up something right now before they go for the boy.”
“What?”
“We don't have time. I'm trying to tell you, something must happen at this moment. They are on their way to the tower. Someone has told them where the boy goes to hide. If they have him, they have everything. We must protect him.”
“How?” Odie’s face pales as he blinks in disbelief at the man before him.
“I don't know.”
“I hoped to come here and speak to the king, but I see I'm too late. The Sanctum is shattered and broken before it's even begun. All of it is connected to Jude Forrester, someone I bear no will to protect, but I believe it is under some form of his command that the boy be taken. The events of today… this wasn't him, but the boy… this will be his future if we don’t stop it.” He hangs his head in defeat. “We must protect the boy,” he repeats, and my heart aches, knowing they’re talking about me.
“I tried to protect the younger Forrester boy, but it's out of my control. I will die here, right now, at your hands, even though I am not the enemy, but you must do whatever it takes to protect him.” His desperation grows more urgent.
“Why do you care?” Odie asks, uncertainty flitting through his eyes as a single tear trickles down Rikard's face, a strangled sob in his throat.
“Meredith.”
Understanding washes over Odie's face at the mention of my mother's sister.
“She's gone too?” Odie confirms, and Rikard nods. “It seems I'm not the only shadow fae with love for another not of our kind,” he states, and Rikard nods again.
“I’m sure a time will come and we can discuss this further, but right now, we must protect the boy.”
“We must offer them something instead,” Odie says, glancing down at my father as he brushes at his damp cheeks. He presses a kiss to his fingertips before placing them on my father's head and rising to his feet.
“What do we offer them?” Rikard asks, and somehow, Odie stands taller as his magic disappears.
“We offer them me.”
I gasp as the vision flutters away, disappearing just as quickly as it arrived, leaving my heart pounding in my chest as my hands tremble and realization washes over me.
I fall to my knees, the blunt force unnoticeable with the pain that takes hold of me.
My father died in this very spot, Odie gave himself up in this very spot for me, and now I feel my world ending in the same place.
Defeat and despair is all consuming until I hear it… a whisper in the wind, and my heart aches in an entirely different way.
“Thorne? Thorne, are you inside?”
My home, my savior, my Echo has arrived.