Chapter 22
Iwake to the dim morning light pooling through the tightly packed trees.
Silas remains motionless except for his chest rising and falling as gently as the morning breeze. I pause for a moment, taking in his features. He’s peaceful, the world around us is silent, and for just a second, I feel peace, too.
For the first time in so long.
Through the dense forest before us, something catches my eyes, jolting my entire system and pulling me from the calmness I felt.
A subtle movement in the shadows makes me sit upright.
A familiar black cloak moves in the wind, and the creature steps into the open, clearly unaffected by the wards shielding us from our surroundings.
Even after all this time, fear still swirls in my senses.
I breathe heavily through my nose and try to keep my heart steady.
It can’t talk to me. I have the mark.
It moves closer, seeming to float above the ground, and I backpedal, my back pressed firmly against the fallen tree.
Silas remains motionless—still deep in sleep—and I pray he stays that way.
I watch the tall, thin figure approach, its hood casting a shadow where its eyes should be.
A wide mouth peeks from beneath the hood, and its skin is a lifeless gray.
My shoulder begins to throb in its presence, and I can’t help but grab at the Rigil in response.
The creature notices my movement and shifts inches from my face, faster than I can comprehend.
The breeze from its movement whips my hair in my face, causing my vision to blur.
I try to scream, but its bony hand slaps across my mouth.
Fear grabs me, and a single tear escapes my eye, landing on its decaying hand.
With the other hand, the creature slowly pulls back its hood, and for the first time, I see its face.
The gray, ancient skin continues upward, and a hollow spot exists where a nose should be.
My jaw drops, my chin connecting with its grip, when I see its eyes.
Glowing, bright green eyes with vertical slits meet mine, and I feel lost—hopeless and soulless—as its gaze burns into mine with an intensity that could set the world ablaze.
The creature slowly shifts its gaze to Silas sleeping beside me.
“Don’t touch him,” I mumble under its grip.
The creature reaches out its free hand toward Silas, and I thrash against his grip. A single black claw gently brushes along Silas’s head. He watches Silas sleep beside me, and a wave of nausea washes over me.
“Silas,” the creature whispers into my mind. “So much potential.”
My eyes widen in horror.
“I said, don’t fucking touch him.”
The creature slowly pans its haunting gaze toward mine, and I fight the urge to break my stare from the soulless green eyes.
“I can,” the creature whispers again. “And I will.”
“Why?” I snap. “Leave him alone.”
The creature smiles, and rows of decaying teeth lie scattered in its mouth.
“You’ll see,” the creature breathes, and my entire system shivers as the words slither out like a promise and threat.
How can it communicate with me when I have the Rigil tattooed on my body?
“You need the book,” the creature hisses into my mind. “Crimson will catch your eye.”
The creature gradually withdraws its hand from my mouth, and I stay silent. I wipe my lips, fighting the urge to gag at the creature’s hot touch. Even though the creature seems hollow, a dust coats my lips, and my stomach churns.
“Where?” I ask in a whisper. “The Archives?”
The creature looks back at Silas, and I freeze. He stirs but remains asleep. Thank Gods this man sleeps like a rock.
The creature nods.
“What is in the book?” I hesitate to ask.
“Answers,” the creature says, before it steps back.
“But, what answers?” I pry.
The creature begins to create distance between us, and I resist the urge to follow it into the dense forest surrounding us.
“To everything,” the haunting voice says, snaking into my mind.
I lean forward, desperate for the creature to stay. “Wait,” my voice yells, louder than intended. “Just tell me. Please.”
The creature slowly fades into the shadows and nods its putrefying face. “They are coming.”
The creature vanishes, shadows swirling into the darkness, and the air lightens. I remain still for a moment, my chest rising and falling rapidly. Its face was so disturbing, but its eyes—they were so green. I’ve never seen eyes that green, and the image is burned into my mind.
Silas stirs beside me and groans. He cracks open his sleepy eyes, and green eyes once more stare into mine. The good thing about being frequently haunted is that it doesn’t take me long to calm myself, but annoyance lingers.
The words play over in my mind: you need the book.
I shake the fear from my mind and lean down, kissing his soft lips.
“Good morning to you, my love,” he says, with a smile as he stretches.
I glance back at the distant trees, and the shadows remain still. No motion—no movement at all—other than the subtle dawn breeze.
“What’s wrong?” Silas notices my state.
“I’m going to be late meeting Larkin,” I say. “But for once, I’m glad for your insane ability to sleep through anything.”
Silas wipes the sleep from his eyes, and before I can react, he playfully pulls me down. The sudden tug causes me to land on top of his strong body.
“Larkin can wait,” he grumbles and tries to pull me even closer to him. “I want you all to myself.”
“No, he can’t. He already hates me for some reason, and this won’t help my case.”
Silas groans against my neck.
“Briar,” he grumbles.
“Get up, Nastronde.” I tug at his shirt. “Shift me home.”
He smiles, leaning in to kiss me. His hands brush through my hair, and a soft exhale leaves his chest as we tangle together for a moment, completely lost in one another. My body calms, but my racing heart doesn’t ease up.
“Your heart is pounding,” Silas says. “Did you have a nightmare?”
“Something like that,” I smile, pressing my lips to his again. “We need to go.”
Silas pulls away with a grin. “You know, I should be mad that I’m taking you home so that you can spend the whole day with another man.”
“I don’t have time for your ridiculous jealousy.”
Silas grabs me again, making me yelp as he flips us, landing on top of me this time. Both of his hands land next to my head, and he presses his hips against mine. An excited thrill rushes through me, and the urge to stay here churns inside me.
“I’m not jealous.” He kisses my neck.
“Oh, yes, you are.”
He continues to kiss me, moving up to my jaw.
“Me, running off with a handsome man. You should feel envious.”
He hums.
“What if Larkin captures my heart and I leave you for good, Mr. Nastronde?"
His eyes narrow. "You’re pushing it, Briar," Silas teases. “Don’t make me kill Larkin this early in the morning; that would really put a damper on my day.”
I press my lips against his. Silas’s hands quickly become tangled in my hair, like he’s making sure to mark me before my day begins.
“Let’s go. I have a hot date,” I joke.
“That’s it.” Silas tickles my waist, and a laugh leaves my throat. “I’m killing him.”
Silas moves off me and extends his hand to help me stand.
“You can come with us if you’d like,” I offer an invitation.
He messes with his hair. “I’m going to stay back and talk to my mother about the Archives. We need to cover as much ground as we can these next few days.”
“Please don’t say anything about Yara,” I plead.
“I won’t.” He huffs a laugh. “Trust me, that’s not a conversation I want to have with my mother. I’ll make plans for Maines and Oak today, too. It’s going to take all of us to get ready for what’s coming.”
“Can you ask your mother about the red book?”
Silas angles his head. “Red book?”
“Just trust me,” I casually respond, praying he doesn’t pry.
“Hmm,” he groans. “Once again, always up to something and keeping fun little secrets. What am I going to do with you?”
I shrug. “Get used to it, I guess.”
Silas laughs. “I’ll see what I can find out for you.”
I stand on my toes to gently kiss him. “Thank you.”
“Of course, my love,” Silas says, smiling gently. “Please be careful today. Larkin will keep you safe, but keep an eye out for him as well, will you? You both need to have your wits about you.”
I nod and say, “I’ll be alright.”
“I have no doubt about that.”
“We will meet in your bedroom tonight when Larkin and I return. We’ll wait for Yara there before we search for the Archives,” I instruct.
Silas agrees.
He grabs my hand and shifts. We become mist together, traveling through the dim morning shadows that tuck behind each tree. With each second, the morning sun becomes brighter, and I can only hope that Larkin doesn’t hate me even more for being late.
We land in a small pocket of trees just outside the house grounds.
Silas pauses for a moment, catching his breath, and I step forward, gazing through the trees toward the house.
A tall figure rests on the porch, long legs spread out across the wood.
Two horses dip their heads to the ground, sniffing and chewing.
Nerves crash into my stomach, and we step out of the shadows.
As we approach the house, Larkin sits up and crosses his arms over his propped leg. I am delighted to realize that Myah is one of the horses. Her bright white coat shines in the morning light, and a smile spreads across my face. I rush up to her, placing both hands on the bridge of her strong nose.
Myah huffs, and I chuckle. “Hello, sweet girl.”
I glance back at Larkin and notice a few shining weapons in the morning sun.
A sword the length of my entire torso lies next to him.
The beautifully decorated hilt is adorned with orange gemstones, and I gawk at its beauty.
Next to the sword, I see my axes. The stunning gold shimmers like the sun’s rays.
“I can’t say I’m surprised you two are late,” Larkin snarks.
“It’s literally all his fault,” I say, wasting no time playfully ratting Silas out.
“Oh, quit your bitching, Spiridon,” Silas barks back. “We are barely late.”
The horse next to Myah is as dark as the fresh night sky. Black hair is brushed perfectly alongside the horse’s velvety neck, and a few braided strands decorate its mane. I reach gently toward the beast, and it huffs in response before turning its large head away from my touch.
“Wow, Larkin.” I cross my arms. “Your horse hates me, too.”
Silas laughs. “That’s Atlas, and I believe he’s grumpier than Larkin most days.”
“Impossible,” I reply, extending my hand toward the horse’s nose.
“Watch him,” Silas says, still smiling. “He bites.”
“Larkin or the horse?” I respond, causing Silas to boom another laugh.
“Alright, for fucks sake,” Larkin barks. “That’s enough. We need to get going. I don’t want to be anywhere near this place come late afternoon.”
The morning sun begins to warm us, and Silas helps me mount Myah, handing me both axes so I can secure them tightly on my back. Larkin leaps, easily throwing a leg over Atlas with his sword strapped to the side.
Silas hands me the reins and pets Myah for a moment. I can see sadness swell in his eyes, and I know he’s thinking about Xena.
“We will get her back,” I whisper.
He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. “Be careful. Leaving the kingdom’s limits isn’t safe, and where you are headed is worse. Stay alert every single second, and if your senses flare, listen to them. Don’t do anything stupid.”
I smile. “I would never.”
He chuckles, slapping my ass. “Go, before I change my mind.”
I nod.
“Larkin, if you let anything happen to her, I’ll kill you.”
“You got it, boss,” he responds.
Larkin gently taps Atlas’s ribs, prompting him forward, and I follow behind. We head toward the dense forest, deeper into the island. I glance over my shoulder to see Silas watching us from the front yard. I wave, and he returns the gesture.
I blink, then he vanishes, shifting into the shadows to talk to his mother.
Anxiety fills me as I turn back to Larkin, who is riding ahead of me. I gently kick Myah to speed up so I can ride beside him and Atlas. Larkin doesn’t meet my gaze; he continues to look forward at the small opening into the forest.
“We will ride the horses for as long as we can, but we will reach a place they can’t enter,” Larkin says.
“Will they be okay alone out here?” I ask.
“Yes, they are protected like we are. Plus, I will ensure an additional ward is around them. They will be fine.”
I nod, and we fall back into silence. The horses’ steps are the only thing that fills the air around us. We head deeper into the forest, and the morning sun dims through the forest canopy. Each shadow causes me to flinch, and I remind myself that it’s my paranoia.
“Thank you for doing this,” I awkwardly say. “I can only imagine this will help us in the future.”
“Welcome,” he replies, tersely.
This man is impossible.
I lean forward and run my fingers through Myah’s mane.
She gently tosses her head in response, and I can’t help but chuckle.
During the ship's journey here, my days were filled with time spent with Myah.
For some reason, she could calm my racing thoughts, and I believe I helped ease her anxiety on the rocking boat.
We bonded during that time, and I feel grateful to have her with me again.
“There are things in this forest that are invisible. Silas was right to tell you to keep your senses sharp. If something feels off, I need you to do as I say.”
“Alright,” I say. “No issue.”
He huffs.
“What?” I snap.
“I’ve heard you have a problem with following orders, so please don’t take this lightly.”
“Who told you that?” I protest, and can’t help the slight smirk that crosses my lips.
“Literally everyone.”
I gasp. “You’ve talked to people about me?”
“Yes.”
“All good, I hope?”
“Fucking Gods. You are insufferable,” Larkin snaps, rolling his head on his shoulders.
“Fine,” I huff. “Where are we headed, anyway?”
A cool wind picks up around us, and the trees sway in the chaotic breeze—like hands reaching down to grab us as we pass by.
“Death’s opening.” He hesitates before continuing, “Just about the closest we can get to the darkest realm.”