Chapter 10 Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
Verena
A fter two more days of travels, we had barely slept. But we are lucky enough to not run into more trouble.
The thick scent of sweat and dirt clung to both of us, despite our efforts to rinse off in a nearby stream the day before. My feet throb with stabbing pains as we trudge forward.
But I had a plan, a desperate plea to make to the king. I just don’t know if what I can offer him in return will be enough. The weight of this uncertainty rest heavy on my shoulders.
Hadeon attempts to lift our spirits with jokes, but they fell flat against our exhaustion. With sheer determination, we press on toward the northern border. Our fighting leathers are relatively common in this area. The small village we were coming into a popular place for hunters and assassins.
My body buzzes with an unknown tingle. It started the further we got from the castle and now it hums strong within me. The foreign feeling hadn’t hurt yet but it made me nervous.
As I push open the heavy wooden door to the local tavern, a cacophony of scents hits me all at once. The rich aroma of freshly cooked food fills my senses, making my stomach growl in response. We had run out of rations yesterday and our water supply was nearly depleted. We are also dangerously close to the border, only an hour away, so we need to keep moving. But the promise of warm food and a chance to rest our weary bodies was too enticing to pass up.
“We can’t stay here for long,” my companion whispers in my ear, his breath tickling my skin. “We’ll just eat and drink and leave once we’ve rested enough.” I nod in agreement, taking in the dimly lit interior of the tavern. Despite its rough exterior, there is a sense of coziness and warmth emanating from within. Tables are filled with boisterous patrons, their laughter mixing with the clinking of glasses and the strumming of a lute in the corner. As we make our way to an empty table, I can’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. For a moment, we can forget about the dangers that lie ahead and simply enjoy this brief respite in the comfort of good food and company.
“How long will it take to get to the castle?” I ask him, staring into his side profile as he scans the place. He pauses, almost seemingly unsure of how to answer me. Maybe he doesn’t know? He was fresh out of guard training when he met me. He hasn’t exactly had time in Khyrel— unless his hometown is here somewhere along the border.
Finally, after a brief minute, he answers, “That won’t matter right now. Let’s focus on not drawing attention to ourselves. The sooner we get over the border, the better off we are.”
The conversation seems to fizzle out, leaving a lingering sense of unease between us. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something feels off about him. We made our way to the bar, the soft glow of lanterns illuminating our path. The scent of hearty mead, freshly baked bread, and pungent cheese fill the air as we place our order. Hunger gnaws at our stomachs, reminding us that our journey was far from over. But for now, we can savor this small moment of warmth and comfort before setting off once again into the cold night.
Some people stare, but anyone who knows what’s good for them tends to keep to themselves. This town is notorious for travelers to stop and rest or get food and drink .
No one stays long except the small number of locals who run it, and everyone else either passing through on business or personal fun. But business is the usual route. Beings don’t typically pass through from Khyrel and Zorya on personal matters unless they’re moving and they rarely do that from what I know.
“I’ll be back. Talk to no one and do not move.”
I am rendered speechless as he abruptly exits the establishment, leaving me to my own devices. Taking a deep sigh, I thank the woman who has brought me my food, hoping that it will settle the nervousness in my stomach. Slowly, I begin to eat, careful not to upset my delicate digestive system.
As I gaze around the dimly-lit room, I can feel his teachings coming back to me. Every sight and sound is carefully noted and etches into my memory. The assorted ascents mixing together. My eyes scan the room, taking note of every being present and their movements, just as he had taught me to do in situations like this.
There are many different races here tonight— I assume it’s always like this— but from low fae, humans, and some sprites, to elves, vampires, and werewolves. I always enjoy seeing mixed races within the city and court. But you had some people, much like Dryston, who think high fae are the more important beings.
“Do you think she made it this far?” A voice spoke, loud enough for me to hear, on their way inside the building. I peek at them as they walk closer to me, taking the table next to mine. The one who spoke has to be a pixie, with the way her wings appear.
“Who?” Their companion ask, their skin green and their eyes bright blue, which tells me they are a selkie. I studied species in the castle. There wasn’t much else to do other than study and study some more. I know more about our history, our species of beings, our fauna and flora, and our geography than the average creature.
“The princess.” The pixie whispers. My eyes widen before trying to keep my focus on my food. “I heard she ran away after the king embarrassed her in front of everyone by preventing her coronation. Poor thing. I’ve never heard bad things about her before.”
The selkie scoffs, “There’s no way she made it this far if she did escape. I think he killed her and told everyone otherwise so he’d look like the better being. Which is complete poppycock. King Dryston is just like his father.” I hold back a snicker.
The pixie gasps, “Don’t say that. That’s enough for him to charge you for treason. I hope he didn’t kill her, she didn’t deserve it.” Where was Hadeon? He needs to eat so we can leave before-
“You!” The room falls silent as the stranger’s accusatory finger points directly at me. My heart races with fear and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for an explanation. “Why does your hair look like that?” His voice is full of disdain and my mind races to come up with a plausible excuse.
In a desperate attempt to deflect attention, I stammer out a lie. “I wanted to mimic the princess’s hair, so I used berries to dye it. But… it turned out darker than I anticipated.” The words taste bitter and false on my tongue as I struggle to maintain composure under the intensity of his gaze.
“Then you won’t mind standing before the king so he can confirm whether or not you’re the princess?” The pixie and selkie next to me audibly gasp and the man— probably a bounty hunter— smirks at me.
“Absolutely, no problem.” I slowly stand, hoping to get him outside so I can fight him. If I start inside, more than he will likely try to attack me. “But I doubt the princess had time to grab an outfit like this and weapons like mine before running away from the dreadful king.” More gasps and this time I smirk. Why did that feel so good to say?
“That’s enough out of you.” His voice was booming.
Seriously, where was Hadeon? My skin buzzes in anticipation and the foreign energy tingling through me turns harsher, more erratic.
When the man grabs the back of my neck, something triggers inside me and I snap. I grab his wrist with one hand as I spin around while throwing my weight into my other arm against his elbow, bending it in the wrong direction it’s supposed to go. A crack reverberates around the pub, as does his cry, leaving everyone else silent. “Do not touch me.”
Rage boils within me, threatening to engulf me in its fiery grip. My eyes feel like they are ablaze with the intensity of my anger .
Suddenly, Hadeon bursts through the door, his eyes darting around before locking onto me and widening in shock. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but hesitates, unsure of what to say.
“Let’s go,” he finally says, breaking the tense silence. But just as I start to move toward him, more men rise up from their seats, ready for a fight.
“I don’t care if you’re the princess or not. You’ll pay for that.” One says before they all come at me.
I draw my sword out, ready for a fight as Hadeon marches forward.
A swarm of men rush toward me, their faces contort with malice. I narrow my eyes and ready my sword, swiping it across one’s abdomen with swift precision. But my element of surprise is short-lived as two more attackers close in on me. With a quick maneuver, I retrieve the dagger from my belt and hold it tightly in my free hand, bracing myself for their blows. The chaos around us has cleared out, leaving only the sounds of clashing metal and grunts of pain as we fight for our lives against a relentless onslaught of enemies.
A blade slices across my cheek, drawing a thin line of fire and I curse before driving my dagger into the side of the man too close to me. The hilt of his blade smashes against my head, sending a shockwave of pain through my skull, but I push through it with sheer willpower. Suddenly, everything goes black as a sharp blow to the back of my head knocks me off balance. My body continues to move on instinct, thrashing around as I swing my blades wildly in all directions. But then a heavy weight crashes down on top of me, cutting off my breath and crushing me to the ground. My vision flickers back for a brief moment, just long enough for me to see Hadeon sprawled out on the ground, lifeless, while a hunter stands above him preparing for the final blow with a bloodied weapon in hand.
With every ounce of strength I have left, I thrust my knee upwards, pushing against the weight of the male pinning me down. Finally, I manage to create enough space to slip my knee up and forcefully shove him back. My feet connect with his chest, propelling him even further away from me. But as he stumbles backwards, his fist snags my mother’s necklace, tearing it from my throat in one violent motion. The alien energy surges through my veins, intensifying until my eyesight turns a deep indigo. In a burst of power, the matching hue blasts out from within me, knocking out everyone else in the vicinity with its sheer force.
* * *
Licks flicker across my face and I jump up, holding my throbbing head in my hands and looking around me. Bodies lay all over the floor, wood splintered with it from broken tables and chairs.
Glass and food and liquids from beverages follow.
I feel terrible about this happening. But, I’m not sure what even happened. What was the light from me? It couldn’t have been me, right? Who else could do that? The buzzing from my body had stopped. can it be coincidence?
I slowly stand, walking over to Hadeon and slapping his face to try and wake him. He groans in pain, letting me know he’s alive. I release a breath of relief before assessing the damage. I need to fix him up enough to move him across the border, then we’ll rest and heal. My side feels sticky and I glance down, seeing blood slip from a wound. I take off my small pack of medicine, grab the healing tonic for me, and pour some over any bad wounds. It’ll stop any bleeding while it heals. I use the rest on Hadeon’s wounds before wrapping cloth around the more superficial ones on both of us. I re-braid my hair back since it had fallen out during the fight. Exhaustion pumps through me and the moon is still high which is perfect for our travels but it doesn’t look like it’ll be out much longer. I dump some coins on the counter, enough to fix this place up. I feel guilty for destroying it.
I take deep breaths, trying to keep myself awake. I push Hadeon’s feet together, setting them up with his knees bent. Then, I grab his hands and face my back to him and with the force of pulling him toward me, I throw myself back too, getting him to rest on me and walking out of the building with him on my back.
He groans at first, “I am getting us across that border, Hade.” I mumble enough for him to hear if he can. But, I need to talk as little as possible since I’m out of breath from carrying this muscular 250-pound man. “If we stay here, we have a higher chance of dying.” I readjust him as he groans in response and from then on, I’m silent. We have a couple of hours of walking and I refuse to slow down.
I try to focus on the trees, naming each plant in my head to distract me from everything else.
He better not die on me or I will kill him.
A black oaken tree, on my left, is one of our holy landmarks. It’s said to be the tree of Nyxie; the goddess of night and death. There are a couple of them close to the border, it’s how you know you’re getting close. It’s said to have a few white oaken trees just on the other side, letting Khyrel know when they’re getting close to our border. Those trees are from Sorin, the god of day and life.
Nyxie and Sorin were lovers in their time; both so vastly different but alike in some ways. The trees were a gift for one another. I never thought I’d see them in my lifetime but I don’t have time to stop and gaze upon them. I had to keep Hadeon alive— keep myself alive.
As I trudge forward, my feet heavy with exhaustion, I sense that I am roughly halfway to the border. Suddenly, a warm sensation trickles down my back, making me stop in my tracks. My initial thought is sweat, but as it continues to flow down, I realize it is something else entirely. It is thick and sticky, leaving a trail of moistness along my skin. I shudder as it drips separately down my side and leg, the unfamiliar feeling causing a sense of unease to bloom within me. What can this be? An injury? Something from the forest? “Fuck!” I wanna yell but my throat is hoarse now, without any water, so it’s barely a whisper.
I try to let Hadeon down gently, but after walking with him on my back for half an hour, he more so drops to the ground and I groan from the release of weight before apologizing mentally to him. His lack of groans makes me nervous but I don’t have time to think about it right now.
I look over Hadeon first, checking for a pulse and finding it weak. I curse again, ripping the bottom of his shirt and using it to wrap around his bleeding side before laying my head down on his chest. Tears slip down, mixing with the dirt and blood on my face.
I want to cry. I want to stop and lay down and cry.
Why am I even doing this? Why did I leave the comfortability of the castle?
His shallow breathing moves my head.
“I can’t do this…” I cry, my voice is raw. “I can’t do this Hadeon.” Tears continue to flow. What was I thinking? There is no way I can possibly do this.
A ravens cry comes from above and I jerk my head up, searching around us for something making the noise. Nothing.
I quickly dry my tears, trying to calm my heart.
Another chime happens and this time it is not a bird. Now in view, a glowing dark blue light spirals around the wind before coming to a sudden halt next to me.
It flickers at me, almost as if it is trying to communicate.
“What are you?” I ask in a whisper, trying to think back on all the books I’ve read. I know of many, if not all, the lores from both kingdoms, and I search my brain for one.
It hops around me before meeting my gaze and turning its head North, where the Court of Dusk reigns. It hops three times North and I can only assume it’s trying to keep me going. I stand, trying to keep my breathing even.
Then, more blue lights appear, trailing North, one after the other.
I freeze.
The Will O’ The Wisps.
I’ve only ever read the stories about them. The ghostly blue orbs are said to be the work of elemental spirits, and were thought to lure travelers astray down dangerous paths, where many don’t come back from.
I can’t stop my brain from yelling at me, telling me not to follow them. But, there’s something familiar and I want to trust them. They’re going in the very direction I was already going. It can’t be that bad. I don’t have a better fate if I stay.
I have to continue .
I look at Hadeon and take a deep breath before making sure he’s breathing still, even if it is shallow, and place his body just as before, back on top of mine.
Another half hour and I should be over the border.
Please, Gods, help me through this.
The lights float through the air as I trail after them, trying to focus on the ground in front of me and not the duration of time I have left.
I should work on what I’m going to say to the king and get my mind off of the pain.
‘Hello, Your Grace, please allow me (an enemy to your country), and my guard who is half dead (also an enemy to your country) to reside in your dark and gloomy castle where bones rest as lamps and the bedding is made of thorns.’
Absolutely not.
I do not know for certain what their castle is like at all, but it’s from rumors I have heard.
‘Please help me get revenge on your enemy by allowing me the courtesy of using your army for war.’
I cannot insult him. The predicament I have, though, is the fact that I do not know him. I do not know if he is truly evil or maybe misunderstood. He could have started all the crazy rumors himself, truly, if he wanted to. But I don’t see what good it will do unless it’s to keep everyone away— which sounds dark and gloomy, right?
Hadeon had not told me much, and while he had made it seem as if he did not know much, I know him. And I know he’s keeping something from me. I’ll get it out of him whether he likes it or not. If we even live through this.
The wisps eventually fade out and stop leading the way, so it’s safe to assume I’m either about to die or get very lucky and find what I am looking.
I look down, seeing the blood ever-so-slowly seep from my wound when I note the dark tint.
Why must this happen to me? Have I not been a great person? Humble? Kind? Generous?
I spent over two decades becoming the perfect woman— the perfect wife. The perfect Queen. And it all ends with this? Poisoned by a blade from the meaty hands of a mediocre bounty hunter?
I keep trudging along the path, trying to keep from dropping Hadeon again but the big meaty brute is getting heavier with each minute that passes and I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on.
My feet start getting heavy next, my arms after that. I’m staring at the ground, keeping track of my movements.
I can’t do this much longer. My head rises to look up again so I don’t hit a tree.
I-
My words flee my mind.
In front of me are trees— multicolored trees in a straight line going further than what I can see in opposite directions from East to West.
The Border.
My body cries in relief. I know logically I have longer to go. But, there is a certain danger on this side of the continent. It’s a guessing game for the North side and I am taking my chances.
I stumble forward, walking the last few steps to the entry tree, the only orange one from what I can tell within my eyesight. No one else is around, thankfully.
Each tree is a different color, signifying the Gods and Goddesses, before starting over when it hits the last one.
Purple trees for the Goddess Althea of healing; blue for the Goddess Terra of earth, water, and sky; black trees for Nyxie, the goddess of night and death; white for the God Sorin of day and life; red for the Goddess Gyda of war, wisdom, and fire; the God Kallias has a pink color for love and beauty; Conan, the God of animals is green; and finally in the lineup is yellow for Lumi, the Goddess of storms— before starting with white once more. I see an orange tree where I am but in the books, they state there is only one orange every so often but not many. Maybe 5 in existence. Orange is not for a God or Goddess but for the keeper of the trees.
I thank them, every single god and goddess in existence.
This. This is what I have suffered the last few days for.
“We made it,” I whisper to Hadeon as I reach the edge of the trees .
A glimpse through, the narrow opening within the orange tree tells me I made it.
I slowly step through, careful not to trip or drop him.
“We made it, Hade,” I repeat, knowing he likely isn’t awake. After passing through the threshold, I smile. I smile truly for the first time in a long time. I gently set him down once more, taking a breath.
But, now, my vision gets spotty. “Oh no.” My voice trembles out, barely audible. I quickly look around, assessing my surroundings when I spot the large group of beings in front of us. I stop, placing my hands on my knees to lean forward for a fuller breath. Then, a man steps forward— no. Not a man. A fae, a King rightfully. His build is similar to, if not slightly larger than, Hadeon’s. He’s close enough for me to see his familiar eyes.
Dark eyes that look onyx stare back at me. His face showing nothing as his eyes trail over every inch of Hadeon and myself— while I, barely stable, take a step in front of him protectively.
When his eyes twitch and narrow, I know it. I’m going to die and the King Eryx of Khyrel is going to be the one to do it.
But, I cannot fight them.
Thankfully, my vision goes black and I fall to the soft mossy forest floor, unconscious.