Chapter 21 Briar
Briar
Numbness engulfed me, even in sleep. It clung to me like wet wool, heavy and choking, weaving itself into my bones, threading grief into every breath. I drowned in the darkness, fighting to wake up.
The harder I fought, the more the air changed. It became too thin and sharp, circling around me.
Coldness gripped my ankles, and I looked down to find mist curled around them. Darkness surrounded me above and below. I realized I was dreaming, but if it somehow led me to Vad, I didn’t give a damn.
As the cold seeped into my skin in slow, pulsing waves, the darkness transformed. The sky above became the color of ash, and the palace appeared in a valley, looming ahead, cracked and hunched like a beast nursing old wounds. I’d never seen the castle from the outside, but I recognized it anyway.
In the night sky above, a red-tailed comet crept across the horizon. Then the ground shook underneath my feet.
The palace shook too, dust rising so thick it blocked out the moon and comet.
I glanced to the left and saw a thick mass of hawthorns and oaks, but they weren't swaying, and the mountains to my right weren't shaking.
The concentration of the violent tremors centered under the palace.
It groaned, then collapsed inward, stone and shadow folding like wet paper.
My heart lurched.
What the fuck was going on?
I’d hoped this dream would show me saving Vad, but instead it showed that we were all going to fail. I had to wake up from this nightmare. I pinched myself hard, but instead of waking up, I could only watch as silver light glowed from within the destruction.
Warmth bloomed and pulled in my chest, as if the silver light were tugging at me. It brightened like the north star and pulsed like a beacon. Out of the rubble emerged a silver stag like the one from the Ceremonial Hall.
Its antlers stretched skyward, catching light from no visible source. Power shimmered in the air around it, both wrong and beautiful. Blood streamed from the broken walls and shattered stones all around it, thick and dark, dripping down columns like rain turned red.
Inside me, a tendril of fear mixed with a clawing urge to fight and overcome.
A low growl rumbled behind me. I spun, my heart pounding against my ribs, to find a shadow wolf stepping into view. Its shadowy fur rippled in the wind, and its crimson eyes burned bright.
I glanced around for a weapon, but the trees were too far away to offer any branches, and the mountains would slow me down. It could easily catch me.
But it wasn’t looking at me. Its eyes were locked on the stag.
It threw back its head and howled. Not a sound of anger or fear, but rather one of wanting to be noticed.
The stag lifted its chin and barked, followed by three coughs. Then it repeated the same pattern over and over.
The sound wrenched something deep inside me, like strings being yanked taut. A sharp ache pressed behind my eyes.
The ground trembled again, and more guardians emerged.
The brown bear I’d seen in the first trial lumbered from the trees, each pawfall heavy against fractured stone.
The crimson dragon descended from the sky, wings stretched wide, firelight gleaming along its scaled back.
The golden eagle screamed and dove, talons bared.
From the blood-soaked ruins, the sea serpent rose, coils slicing through water with rippling grace.
They charged and collided with one another, and the crack of sound seemed to shatter the air. Light burst around them in a violent, blinding explosion. The night sky erupted with new stars, twinkling bright and bold.
Grief surged through me so suddenly that it knocked the breath from my lungs. My knees struck the ground. I pressed one palm to the earth, gasping, pain sitting like a blade beneath my ribs.
A broken raw sound escaped me, and I pressed the heel of my other hand to my chest, as if I could shove the feeling back down.
But I couldn’t. The ache twisted, sharp and impossible to deny. I bent forward, curling around it.
Vad.
His absence slammed into me, and the pain was somehow even worse than when my pack had been slaughtered. Images flashed into my mind… the way he’d looked at me, protected me, the love that had made him lie to me in order to save me. He’d risked his life so that I might breathe longer.
I couldn’t go on without him. I didn’t want to. I would rather die by his side. My heart shattered into millions of pieces, the pain so intense I couldn’t breathe.
“Briar!” a familiar voice whispered in my head.
But I ignored it, curling my body into the ground. My fingers dug into the soil as if I could become one with it. I wasn’t sure what was beyond this life, but if there was a chance I could be with Vad somewhere else, I’d willingly die to be there with him.
“Dammit, Briar! Don’t make me do this,” the voice called again, a little louder.
My body shook like the ground was trembling again. I wanted it to open up and swallow me whole. Anything to get away from the crushing agony.
“If you don’t wake up, I’m going to have to do something.” This time, the voice sank in.
Ember? No! My sister couldn't be here. She’d die. After everything she’d done to protect me, the last thing I wanted was to lose her on top of Vad. I flinched away from the voice and whimpered, “Go away. Don’t come here. I need you to be safe.”
Pure terror strangled me as my heart disintegrated. This had to be Colm’s doing. Had he found a way to get into my mind again? “You bastard! Stay away. You’ve done enough!” My body shook hard, jarring my bones. “You took everything from me.”
Something hard slapped my face, jolting me awake.
“You gotta pull yourself out of this!” Ember screamed, her emerald eyes glistening with tears as she raised her hand to smack me again.
“Babe! Chill.” Ryker reached across me, catching Ember’s hand. “She’s awake.” The golden flecks in his brown eyes stood out from his alarm.
I blinked as shock filtered through me. Ember and Ryker were here. This couldn’t be happening. Maybe I hadn’t woken from the nightmare after all. “No… no… this has to be a bad dream.”
Tears trailed down Ember’s face. “You don’t want to see me?”
My head spun, but then the stone pressed against my back, cold and unforgiving, and my fingers clutched at rough wool—a heavy blue blanket tangled around my legs. The air smelled damp and stale, tinged with something earthy and old. The soft hum of conversation drifted to me.
I blinked, trying to orient myself. The dim light was coming from somewhere to my left, flickering and uncertain, and the vesting chamber came into view. Rhielle, Quen, and Myantha surrounded my head with Ember on one of my sides and Ryker on the other.
Reality crashed into me. My sister and Ryker were here, and the first thing I’d said to her since I’d been kidnapped had been cruel. “That’s not what I meant. I just… It’s dangerous here. I don’t want you two to get sucked into the chaos. You have enough to fix back on Earth.”
“Briar Sinclair! That’s exactly why we’re here.” Ember narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at me. Her darker copper hair fell over her shoulders. “Did you think I wouldn’t find a way here once I knew you were in danger? What kind of sister do you think I am?”
For a moment, I felt like the Earth version of myself, wanting to support my sister. “The best kind.” I smiled tenderly.
Somewhere across the room, Kaylen snorted. “Good to know smacking you in the face and shaking you like a doll is what you consider the best way to treat you. I’ll make a note.”
“You even think about harming her, and I will rip out your throat!” Ember jumped to her feet and bared her teeth.
“I suspect that Ember and Ryker can turn into the strange shadow beast like Briar can, so I’d be careful.” Rhielle scowled.
Hoping to calm things down, I pushed myself up into a seated position. The world tilted, and I pressed one hand against my temple and the other to my cheek, which still stung. My body felt heavy, disconnected, like I was moving through water.
I noted the rest of the group clustered near the entrance to the vesting chamber. Elara was gesturing with one hand while the other rested against her side.
Everyone was here and safe… except Vad. A sob broke through before I could tamp it down.
Briar didn’t hesitate, kneeling on the ground and pulling me into her arms. I buried my face in her shoulder, my fingers curling into her shirt. Her warmth and her scent of vanilla and home anchored me.
"Breathe." Her hand stroked my back. "I've got you. I'm here."
Another sob tore from my throat, raw and broken, and my tears soaked her shoulder. Everything I'd been holding back came flooding out at once.
"He's gone," I choked out. "Ember, he's—Colm took him, and I couldn't—I couldn't stop it. I tried, I tried so hard, but—"
"I know." Her voice was steady, gentle, her hand pressed against the back of my head. "Thalen told us everything. I’ve been talking with your friends. You’ve been through hell, and I’m so sorry.”
“We’re going to help you take care of everything.” Ryker patted my back. “Those bastards will pay for hurting you.”
I pulled back and smiled at my brother-in-law, the alpha of our pack. He stayed in control even when things were difficult.
Someone else stepped from the shadows, followed by the scent of lilacs, roses, and wet soil.
Many-Greats observed me from a few feet away, his hands folded like he wasn’t certain what to do.
His golden-brown skin seemed paler than usual, but his liquid-gold eyes glowed bright and sharp.
“I hope you’ll forgive my disappearance.
And the fact that, yet again, I have returned to an area where you are sleeping. ”
“You could have told us you were going.” I gestured him over and hugged him, and then whispered into his ear, “You’ve got to stop disappearing on me.”