Chapter 7
Gemma
I expected endless screams into a perpetual night. I expected a dark, shadowed keep with high walls and barbaric, bloodied, red-eyed soldiers standing at the ready, fangs glistening, marked chests bared.
I expected shackles and chains. I expected downcast gazes and sunken-in eyes. Hollow cheeks. Hunger and desperation.
Everything I’d ever heard about the Kylorr was that they were beastly, soulless, violent creatures who thrived on pain and torment.
Only…I’d never expected this .
“Come,” Azur ordered me, narrowing his gaze on mine before walking forward into the ivory courtyard from the darkened transport tunnel.
Blinking into the bright sunlight, I followed, Rivin trailing behind me. We’d landed not even a half hour ago in a private docking bay and taken an underground transport here. Judging by the flutter in my belly, the transport line had been blazing fast, and we’d arrived at our destination in mere moments.
My eyes widened as I stepped forward.
The courtyard was pristine .
Beautiful.
Smooth cobblestones pressed into the soles of my slippers as I stepped out of the tunnel’s door. Rivin closed them behind us, and I saw the heavy doors were inlaid with a metal that sparkled silver in the sun, making elaborate designs that reminded me of the crawling ivy that used to grow on our estate’s walls. Intricate metalwork that must’ve taken months to craft by a skilled hand.
The tunnel led out to a courtyard terrace. There was a curved stone staircase to our right, the steps smoothed from time. The staircase had beautiful carved banisters, black, spindly vines trailing up them, wrapping around the stone, blooming with vibrant indigo flowers. The whole courtyard was filled and spilling with lush plants, tumbling over weathered walls.
But my gaze was drawn back to the terrace and the magnificent view that it afforded beyond.
We were situated at the shores of a sea, judging by the salt in the air. The sunlight dappled over the calm waters, gleaming like a pile of jewels. The water stretched wide, as far as I could see. To the right, set deep into the land away from the cliffs, I spied tall mountains jutting into the clouds, taller than Mount Hara, even.
Without thinking, my feet guided me closer toward the edge of the courtyard so I could get a better look. I hadn’t seen such a breathtaking sight. Ever . We had lakes in the Collis, but some were so small they could only be considered ponds. If this truly was a sea…it would be the first I’d ever seen.
A familiar hand wrapped around my forearm, making me gasp as it tightened. When I looked up, Azur was glaring at me. He tugged and I was forced to turn away from the view, catching sight of Rivin’s speculative look.
My husband released me when we began to climb the stairs, turning his back on me. I watched him ascend, frozen at the base.
“This way to the keep, Kylaira ,” came Rivin’s voice, gesturing up the staircase.
Azur stilled.
His hand clenched on the banister, crushing a withered vine from the crawling plant, and he threw an unreadable look over his shoulder at Rivin.
Then he continued on his way, his wings flaring wide as he ascended the curving staircase to an upper level of the terrace. He’d replaced his gauntlets, I noticed, and they glimmered in the sunlight almost as much as the sea. Made of the same metal that was hammered into the wooden door.
My knees were shaking as I followed, unsure of what I would find at the top. Unsure of what my life would look like after this moment.
Looking over my shoulder, I caught one last look at the sea and drew in a deep breath. The higher we climbed, the clearer the view became.
The stairs were short, but the air felt thinner on Krynn. By the time I reached the top, I was gasping, my lungs tight. Then my eyes swiveled to what Rivin had called the keep .
Now I understood what he’d meant.
A towering, beautiful, glittering fortress lay before me. A house—if it could be called that—that likely spanned the entirety of our estate in the Collis. The architecture itself was eye-catching, with strong, unforgiving beams of stone meeting graceful swooping arches of windows and sunrooms. There were two towers I could see from this angle—one at either end of the keep. Watch towers? I wondered.
I was too busy gaping up at the beauty of the house and its surroundings—bracketed by the majestic mountain range to the right and the shimmering sea at its back—that I failed to notice the line of Kylorr—close to twenty individuals—that were spilling from a massive set of doors.
Rivin nudged me forward. Azur had already reached the first of the Kylorr—an older male with a streak of white running through his auburn-colored hair—and ducked his head to speak with him.
Most of the Kylorr were males, I noticed. Out of the twenty of them, only three were females.
Keepers, I thought. Keepers of the keep . They were staff, judging from the similarity of their dress.
And they were all looking at me with undisguised interest and careful expressions.
“That is Zaale,” Rivin told me gruffly, gesturing toward the older male that Azur was speaking with in low tones. “He is the head keeper of this house. You will likely see him more than your own husband.”
I turned my head sharply to regard him. He pulled me to a stop, giving the keepers time to look at me, while Azur finished his conversation.
“Why are you doing this?” I couldn’t help but ask.
The scar that ran down his left cheek pulled when he frowned. “Doing what?”
“Helping me,” I said, my voice strong and unwavering, though inside I had never been more afraid, standing on the outskirts of this beautiful house.
“Is that what I’m doing?” Rivin asked, his voice surprisingly hard and dark. He narrowed his eyes on me, his blue gaze flashing with an unreadable expression. He chuffed out a harsh, short laugh. “I suppose I just know what it’s like.”
I didn’t understand what he’d meant by that, but before I could ask, Azur’s cold voice slid between us.
“Ludayn.”
“Yes, Kyzaire ?” came one of the female keeper’s voices. An oddly small Kylorr stepped forward. Her wings were fluttering, and I couldn’t help but notice that one dragged on the ground as she walked.
The female had hair the color of the indigo blooms I’d seen below on the terrace. The color stood out against her gray skin, making the strands appear almost dirtied and dull. Her bright yellow eyes flitted with what I guessed was nerves as she waited for Azur to speak.
I’m not the only one he frightens, then, I couldn’t help but think.
“From this day forward, you will be the Kylaira ’s keeper,” my new husband informed her coolly. I couldn’t help but notice the looks of disbelief that were being tossed around by the males in line or the pressing of the remaining two females’ lips. “Serve her well.”
“Y-Yes, Kyzaire ,” Ludayn gasped out, her eyes going wide. “I will not fail you.”
“Take her up to her rooms,” Azur ordered.
This whole exchange happened without him turning to look at me once. And yet he captured my attention so thoroughly. I could still feel the scape of his teeth against my throat. I shivered in dread.
Take me up my rooms, Ludayn, and keep me there, I couldn’t help but plead with the small female in my mind. As my keeper, keep me away from him.
Ludayn’s gaze strayed to me, and I felt Rivin nudge me again.
“Go,” he murmured. “She will take care of you.”
Behind him, I could still see the shining waters. The sun was already setting, and I hadn’t realized it. Space was disorienting. All I knew was that I felt like I could sleep for days.
It felt like I was outside of my body as I moved forward. But Azur was already speaking with Zaale again. As I passed him, I heard, “I’m going to meet with the patrol on the northern borders. We will meet once I return tonight.”
Northern borders?
“Yes, Kyzaire ,” Zaale said. “Will you need to feed once you return? I can schedule to have a giver come—”
“No,” Azur cut in. I froze when those fiery red eyes turned to me, and he could barely conceal the cold malice in his voice. “I have a wife now, after all. It is her blood that will sate me. Rivin, let’s go.”
My throat tightened. I might’ve gasped in dismay, my heart giving a thunderous boom.
With one mighty gust, his wings unfurled and propelled him into cleanly into the air, swirling dust and warm air all around me. Even though the dust stung my eyes, I couldn’t help but watch, lips parted, craning my neck back, as he launched himself into the sky and then soared like a bird high above us, dipping and weaving. His speed was unfathomable, the span of his wings even more massive that I’d original believed.
I was in a daze as I watched, unable to take my eyes off him. I’d never seen anyone fly before. Very few alien species that I knew of could .
Before I could blink, Rivin joined him, another burst of energy rippling across the ground, sending stray pebbles rolling.
“ Kylaira ,” came a gentle voice. I felt a grip on my wrist, but it was soft and warm. “I will show you to your rooms.”
I said nothing, allowing Ludayn to pull me forward. When we reached the set of doors into the keep, they were both just a speck in the distance, dark spots against the setting sun.
“Your rooms are on the upper floor,” Ludayn informed me as we entered what I assumed was the private entrance of the keep.
Inside, I was met by soaring ceilings made of the same white stone as in the courtyard below and a grand, wide, curving staircase in front of me. The inside of the keep was hollowed out, though I could see the individual floors stacked neatly above, winding around in a circle before branching off into wide hallways, into rooms beyond. There were decorative and intricate stone railings protecting anyone from the falling down to where I stood.
Though on second thought, a Kylorr wouldn’t fall. They would fly . Which was why I saw openings in the railings at various intervals.
“Ludayn, there you are! Is Azur back yet?” came another female’s voice from three levels above, echoing in this atrium of a place. A core. The center. When I craned my neck back, I saw another Kylorr was stepping up to one such opening…before she jumped. My heart was lodged in my throat. She was hurtling too fast to the ground. She was going to hit—
Her wings flared wide at the last possible moment, making her hover above the ground where we stood before she landed gently and neatly. The female was smiling at Ludayn as she tucked her wings back. She was beautiful, I couldn’t help but notice. With gleaming black hair and bright red eyes.
When the female saw me, however, it was difficult to explain the expression that came over her features. She hadn’t seen me, I realized. I’d been hidden behind Ludayn and the archway above me. But when this female locked eyes with me, something dark and cold shuttered her gentle smile.
“Oh,” she said simply, looking down the stretch of me. A familiar look. One Piper had often given me when she hadn’t liked a dress I had chosen that day. Then she ignored me completely, turning to regard Ludayn, her tone strange and tight as she asked, “Where’s Azur?”
“He went to meet with the patrol at the northern borders,” Ludayn said. She added, “With Rivin.”
“Where are you taking her?” the female asked stiffly, discomforted, barely glancing at me again.
“I’m Gemma,” I cut in before I could think better of it. But my hackles rose, and I didn’t like to be spoken over as if I wasn’t even there. If I allowed that, it would make me feel smaller than I already was. “Gemma Hara. Pleased to meet you.”
The female stiffened. Oddly, when she looked at me, I saw her eyes fill with unexpected tears.
“Kalia,” Ludayn gasped, reaching forward to take her arm, “are you all right? Do you need—”
“You belong to House Kaalium now,” the female, Kalia, spit out. “Do not forget it, Gemma Hara .”
I was too shocked to speak, watching a sudden tear trail over her cheek. It was silver. Her tears were silver, like mercury.
Kalia sniffed, wiping angrily at her cheeks, and then she pushed passed us.
“What in Raazos’s name is wrong?” came Zaale’s voice as Kalia nearly bowled him over in her attempt to get outside. “Kalia.”
Only, the female never said anything, and Zaale pinned me with a long, unreadable look. My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth.
Then a weathered huff burst from Zaale. “Take the Kylaira up to her rooms, Ludayn. Just as the Kyzaire asked of you. And keep her there until his return.”
“Yes, of course,” Ludayn murmured, limping forward, tugging me farther into the atrium and toward the wide staircase that rose high into the keep.
My new prison, I couldn’t help but think as we ascended.
Because for all its beauty…that was exactly what it was.