Chapter 10
Elariya
“Awakening of Ash and Lies”
The dark expanse surrounding me breathed, an erratic heartbeat that pulsed in tandem with my own. As if they were perfectly synchronized to work as one.
Pitch was the color of the place around me. So dark, so black, so thick, I didn’t know if my eyes were open or closed.
Yet I was wide awake. But not.
It was difficult to understand what was happening to me. My mind seemed to be awake, but that was all. Everything else had shut down and I had no control of my body. It felt like I was locked away in my mind.
Maybe that’s what he did to me. Trap me inside my mind.
Just like before, when I’d portaled and found myself falling into darkness, the metallic tang of fear weighed heavily in my mouth.
Though, I wasn’t falling now. I was floating. Not exactly moving. Just there in the air. Existing.
The static hum of something moved through my limbs, leaving them leaden and immobile. Paralyzed. Like when he kissed me.
Wolfe Nightblade.
His name rattled against the walls of my mind like a trapped raven.
But I knew, Gods I knew, I only had myself to blame.
I was the one who cast the spell in the woods. I was the one who summoned the wraith and through the wraith, I summoned Wolfe. And then I did the worst thing of all. I fell for temptation.
As if I hadn’t learned my lesson well enough to be careful, I foolishly left the safety of my family, and even Thayden, to venture off to find Wolfe.
Damn me, I could have even gotten Borsari to go outside with me, but I went alone.
The faces of my family flash through my mind. Mother, Grandmother, Emabelle.
They would be so worried about me. I didn’t know how much time had passed by since Wolfe put me to sleep. Or how long I’d been here.
It was so damn foolish of me to fall into this trap Wolfe laid for me.
And I’d gone willingly, like a mindless idiot.
Now I had no idea what was going to happen to me, or where in the hells I was.
All I knew was no one would be able to find me.
The only trace I'd left behind was Grandmother's necklace. My one lifeline.
That monster knew what it was. That it would protect me. That I would have called for help by using it.
He knew so much, too much. So, I was right. He’d been watching me and following me for only the Gods knew how long.
Then he lied and sought to charm me out of my dignity with a kiss. A kiss I fell for and other things. I let him touch me where no man had touched before and I would have done so much more with him without question.
How could I have fallen that low to be so easily tricked?
Was I that desperate to become a fool and not see the truth or danger?
Wolfe was the wraith’s master, and he thought I’d stolen something from him.
Little thief.
Now I truly believed it. I must have taken something from him during one of my resets. This whole situation was too coincidental to be a mistake. And Wolfe seemed powerful. I had a feeling what I’d seen was just a taste of what he could do.
What had I taken from him?
And when?
If I’d stolen something, why didn’t I record it in my journals?
Oh Gods... my journals. What was I going to do without them? If last night was indeed last night, then I now had twenty-three days until my next memory reset. What if I was still being held captive then?
I’d have the reset, lose my memories, and I wouldn’t know what happened. What if I was still here in this place of nothingness?
Maybe I’d go crazy. Or maybe Wolfe would kill me.
What did I know about the Fae? Absolutely nothing useful to me. Except that they were beautiful devils who could fuck with your mind.
I could almost laugh at myself. At how worried I’d been to marry Thayden and move to Zyvaris. I’d give anything to have that choice now. Anything.
I’d even screwed myself over with my damn journal because there was nothing about Wolfe in them. I hadn’t documented the tavern visit or anything about seeing the elusive Fae male.
My family would literally have nothing to use to look for me. My last record only had details of the spell gone wrong and the wraith.
And what about the wedding?
Blessed Mother. My family needed me to marry Thayden. What would they do if I couldn’t?
I moved against my mind without moving, cried without crying, screamed without screaming. Then I closed my eyes to more darkness.
If there was a way out of this, I had to find it. I had to believe I could. When I found that path, I’d grab anything I could use as a weapon and fight my way out of here tooth and nail. Then maybe try to portal.
I’d been thinking about portaling a lot. About how I’d managed to do it the first time. Grandmother’s grimoire stated that powers were accessed through emotion.
My terror must have opened the portal the other night. I was in far worse danger now, so maybe I could use my fear again to open another portal.
I had to try. My gods, I had to try.
Something suddenly tickled my nose, steering my mind away from my newfound plan. There it was again. It was… a scent, a touch, a feeling.
I opened my eyes just as I was being lowered from the air. Moments later, my feet touched the ground and my heartbeat sped up.
Something was happening, changing.
The darkness began to drift around me like mist, but it was distinguishable now, unlike before. And I could feel my body.
I looked around and about me, watching the surroundings brighten lighter and lighter.
Sunshine floated over me, trees came into my view, birds began to sing. It took me a moment to realize I was in the woods. But not just any woods.
Gryffyn Forest.
Just across from me was the clearing where I’d performed the spell. And where my father had disappeared.
Why was I here?
And was I actually here? Or was this just some figment of my imagination?
No, Elariya. Stop asking that.
Over the last few days, everything I'd thought was pulled from my imagination had been real. I’d imagined nothing. Especially the Fae male who took me captive and dragged me to the Underworld like some beastly hell god.
So… in my world, when things didn’t make sense, the answer was magic.
This was magic. But it wasn’t coming from me.
This magic had to be Wolfe’s again.
What did it mean? What was he planning for me?
I looked around at the trees, took in the clear sky above me and the fresh air that seeped into my lungs.
“Why am I here?” I asked the silence.
Not a second passed before pink petals fluttered past me like whispers, soft as breath. They were spring blossoms from the elder trees.
A flurry of them rose into the sky, up and up and up, then they parted and through them stood a white-haired young woman.
I was so stunned to see her my brain slowed as it tried to process that I wasn’t alone. I gazed at her standing in the clearing. She was exceedingly beautiful with her platinum hair flowing around her like a cape made of air and her midnight V-neck gown that made her look like she was floating.
Her face softened to a gentle smile as she stared back at me with bright, bright blue eyes.
She wasn’t Fae. She didn’t have the pointed ears.
She wasn’t human either. I sensed it. Just like Wolfe had counseled. I hated to think of him now, but as I watched this girl I understood what he meant.
Different beings could sense each other. Even if I couldn’t, I could see this girl was too perfect to be human. She had a flawlessness about her.
I thought she could be about the same age as me, but it was difficult to guess with magical beings.
Who was she?
More importantly, was she an enemy?
She stepped forward and walked slowly toward me, looking me over as if she was assessing me for danger.
She stopped in front of me, placed a dainty hand to her heart, and bowed her head with such grace and reverence it warmed my insides.
“Na már iyah,” she spoke, her voice as gentle as the breeze.
My breath caught as I recognized what she said. In the common tongue it meant: I wish you well.
Na már iyah was a customary greeting in Ivaliyahce, the language of the mages. That was one of the first things both Grandmother and Mother had taught me.
The girl had to be a mage.
“Ye vár iyah,” I responded in kind, which translated to: And I you. My heart sped with hope that she could help me.
“My name is Arielle Bloodrose. I’m a mage from the Aethermist Realm. You are of Ravenwood descent?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Yes. I…am. I’m Elariya Grayson.
” I was about to explain that I was only half mage and didn’t know anything much, but I held my tongue, realizing she didn’t need the explanation.
There were more pressing matters to talk about than my lineage.
“Please help me. I’m in danger. A man, a Fae male, has trapped me here. ”
I stepped closer. Her smile receded.
“I’m aware of your situation, Elariya.”
I stared back at her, not quite knowing what to make of her comment.
Did she know Wolfe? If she did, then… was she working with him to keep me captive?
“Why are you here?” The words tumbled out of my mouth on the edge of a shaky breath. “Do you know Wolfe?”
“I do know him.”
I stepped back, away from her.
“Please wait. I mean you no harm.” She held up both her hands as if the gesture was supposed to make her seem more credible.
“He took me. I have to get back to my family. He thinks I stole something, and I… I didn’t.” My mind tripped over those last words because I couldn’t say with certainty that I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I’m here to find out what happened.”
“What do you mean?” I pressed a hand to my heart. “What does he think I took?”
“A ring.”
“A ring?” I gave her a narrowed look. Wolfe thought I stole a ring. “I don’t know anything about a ring.”
“If you saw this ring, you’d know it. It’s silver, etched with runes and dragons around the band. An oval gemstone of deep crimson sits in the center that gleams fire in the sun.”
“I haven’t seen anything like that.” Not this month. But what about every other month for the last five years?