Chapter 8
Jessiah
One night to prepare wasn’t nearly enough for a long journey, but we made it work. Rummy had no wings, and though Xavier could fly some distances, he wasn’t exactly a professional at using his magic yet, so the trip would have to be on foot.
Through the incredibly dangerous forest.
With a female who had no experience traveling like this.
The sun broke over the horizon, making the dark streets of Scarlata glitter. It was normally my favorite time of day, but Rummy ruined it with her incessant complaining.
“Goddess above, it’s early. We couldn’t have waited until full daylight to leave?”
Wolf strapped the last bag to the back of her horse and stepped back.
I assumed Rummy had never ridden before, but considering I was doing everything in my power to avoid her, I didn’t ask.
Xavier was already geared up and ready to go, sitting atop his horse and looking down on us.
“Wait!” a male voice sliced through the early morning air. “Wait, I want to come with you!”
The male refugee who’d appeared last night stormed into the grassy field just outside the tree line. Someone had released him from the holding cell. He’d freshened up with new clothes, and his shoulder-length hair was pulled back to reveal his pale face.
Huntyr was already shaking her head. “You barely made it here. It’s too soon to risk the journey back. You need time to recover.”
He gulped in air. “I came here for help. Not just for myself, but for the people of our kingdom. Please. Let me come along. I can prepare you for what you’ll find.”
The male looked strong enough, but Huntyr was right. The journey was hard enough to make once, let alone twice, regardless of his condition.
Still, the man stood tall. He pulled his shoulders back and stared Huntyr in the eye.
I knew that look well. This man was coming whether she wanted him to or not.
“Fine,” Huntyr said. “We’ll find you a horse.”
He nodded, a small smile creeping onto his features, and bowed before Huntyr scurried off to the stables.
Rummy was pretending to be interested in her own horse, but I saw her peering at him beneath her lashes. She wasn’t the only one we would have to keep an eye on during this trip.
“What’s your name, mate?” Xavier asked.
The fae’s jaw tightened. “Matthias.”
“Welcome to the crew, Matthias,” I said. “You sure you’re ready for this? We’re more than capable of heading there ourselves.”
Matthias ran a hand over his slick, black hair. “I never intended to stay here, I only wanted to deliver the warning safely. Now that your queen knows the threat, I can return and help others.”
A warning flickered deep in the back of my mind, but I quickly brushed it off. Matthias had good intentions here. He traveled all this way to warn us, to get help for his kingdom. Still, my guard was up. I wasn’t exactly trusting, and we rarely had newcomers here in Scarlata.
“We’re happy to escort you.” Xavier’s voice was cheery and sharp, making me believe he actually meant those words. “Better gear up.”
While the two of them prepared the fourth horse, Rummy and Wolf spoke in hushed tones a few feet away.
The conversation ended quickly, and then Wolf made his way over to me.
“I know this isn’t exactly the mission you thought you’d be going on,” he said.
I shrugged, checking that my saddle was secure. “None of that matters anymore,” I answered honestly. “You need eyes on the battle in the east, but we can’t leave Scarlata undefended, and I agree. I’ll get it done, brother. You can trust me on that.”
With a nod, he clasped me on the shoulder. Recent betrayal aside, Wolf and I spent our lives looking after one another. That wasn’t going to stop now. “I know I can.” Rather than backing up and moving on, he lowered his head, assessing me. “And can I give you another piece of advice?”
I glanced over to Rummy, who wasn’t paying the smallest ounce of attention. “Go right ahead.”
Wolf broke into the slow smile he was known for. “Go easy on her. This trip will be torture for her, even if it seems worse for you right now. I expect all three of you to return alive.”
Goddess above. Of course he’d take her side on this. I rolled my eyes and turned away.
Without pushing the subject further, he backed up and said his final goodbyes to the others.
“Everyone ready?” I asked the small group. “We should get moving as soon as possible.”
Xavier and Matthias made sounds of agreement. Rummy just stepped onto her horse—in an incredibly unnatural way—and got into line with the rest of us.
I took the lead. Matthias fell in line behind me, and Rummy followed him, with Xavier pulling up the back of the group.
I resisted the urge to glance behind me every few seconds, to confirm that Rummy was okay. If she needed help, she damn sure better learn to ask for it, because we really did have a long-ass trip ahead of us.
It had been years since I’d been to the eastern border, but from what I remembered, the trip was dreadful.
The forest that separated the lands was thick and unforgiving, with more than enough obstacles to keep the average traveler away.
Unpredictable weather, dangerous terrains, and the mystical Whispering Caves separated us.
And those were just the threats we knew of.
New threats could appear at any moment, could harm us at any turn.
Our survival depended on us staying sharp. Staying ready.
As we made our way off Scarlata’s lands, the tickle in the back of my mind slowly disappeared.
Scarlata’s lands had been blessed by the goddess, allowing fae and vampyres to practice magic freely.
But not all lands offered the same uses of magic, and not all fae and vampyres were affected equally.
Natural magic and blood magic were both used in Scarlata often.
In fact, I saw traces of nearly all types of magic used by someone or another in the kingdom.
All magic besides chaos, anyway, but chaos magic hadn’t been seen for many, many years. Even in The Golden City.
Personally, I kept my magic locked away tightly. I often forgot I even possessed magic, often forgot I wasn’t bound to the same restrictions as the fae and vampyre because of my angel lineage. Magic in these lands was considered a gift. But not to me.
I shoved my magic further and further away until I forgot it was even there.
Angels were once the most powerful magic users. We were the strongest, the closest to the goddesses that ruled these lands.
Not like that meant much these days. The goddesses rarely interfered with our business, and the angels that used to dominate kingdoms were nearly extinct.
I blended in with the fae and vampyres in Scarlata. Aside from my wings.
Fae and vampyres could both summon wings if they were powerful enough. But my wings were a part of my being. It barely took effort for me to fly through the night sky, but the others? They would be physically exerted and magically depleted after a long trip.
This journey was dangerous enough. And on horseback? Where we were practically defenseless?
I shook the thoughts from my mind. Ruminating on how horrible the next week would be wouldn’t help us.
“Did you run into any trouble on the way here?” I asked Matthias.
He laughed under his breath. “Other than rogues in the middle of the woods, nightmares from the Whispering Caves, nearly starving when I lost my food source, and having my horse stolen while I slept?”
I cringed. “Yeah. Other than that.”
“Nope,” he replied, sitting straighter in the saddle. “Just peachy.”
Scarlata disappeared behind us as we guided the horses through the terrain. These horses were accustomed to traveling through the thick forest, but we would need to take frequent breaks so we wouldn’t exhaust them.
They weren’t the only ones who’d be worn out by the journey.
I let a few minutes pass before glancing over my shoulder. “Everyone okay back there?”
“So far so good,” Xavier answered.
Only silence from Rummy. Great.
The next few hours came and went without issues. My body easily adjusted to riding on horseback as we fell into a steady rhythm. Plus, I found the forest calming.
For so long, this forest had been creeping with the hungry ones—vampyres who fell ill due to the curse on these lands. They became savages, killing for even a single drop of blood.
But the hungry ones were long gone. We had Huntyr to thank for that.
A strange peace fell over the greenery.
“You said you encountered rogues? Were they fae?” I asked Matthias after a while.
He brought his horse close so we could speak. “I didn’t get a close enough look. They could have been fae or human. I don’t know. They were smart and sneaky, though, I can tell you that much.”
“And you couldn't stop them? Do you wield magic?”
Matthias straightened in his saddle, his posture tense.
“Not anymore. That’s a large part of the problem in Pericius right now.
Magic used to be wielded by so many in the lands, but not anymore.
It’s not safe. Not with the king searching town after town for power that can be useful to him.
He’ll kill anyone who he deems a threat. ”
“Hmm.” It wasn’t the first I’d heard of leaders threatening or even banning magic use. Fae were natural magic wielders, but without practice, the skill deteriorated. Especially when the lands weren’t blessed by the goddesses.
“Why?” Matthias asked. “Do you all practice magic?”
Rummy laughed quietly behind us. I figured she’d be listening.
But I ignored her. “Some do, yes. But not us.” Not that they know.
I had some gifts, yes. Angels had advanced hearing, speed, and strength. Many of us all possessed special skills, like Wolf and his healing magic. But I choked down the truth, sticking to the story that I had no special magic.
It was safer for everyone that way.
“You aren’t a fae, are you? You’re the angel of Scarlata?”
I choked back a groan. The angel of Scarlata? Goddess above, that was a horrible title. “My father was an archangel, so, yes, but I don’t practice.”