Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
What do you seek, Daughter of Darkness? The semelee swirled around me, its scaled black serpentine body an inky shadow in the Veiled Between.
I floated in its midst, a commanding presence that the semelee was intrinsically drawn to. I need you to find this female. She’s crossed to the afterlife. I pulled on Lordling Himil’s magic in the fae lands, just enough to show the semelee an image of the lordling’s daughter.
Serinity had been an adult, but still young when she’d died, not older than a hundred summers. I studied the image at the same time the semelee did. Long blond hair. A radiant expression. Dazzling light-brown eyes.
I had no idea what had befallen her or why the gods had decided to take her so young, but she was gone from our realm forever, now only a memory of those who loved her.
The semelee studied the image more as others crept from the darkness to slither around me. A shiver of pleasure wracked my ghostly form with each fleeting touch of their shadows. Sheer power vibrated from them, and I caressed each scaled back that slid and slithered by my sides.
Find her. Now , I commanded in a forceful tone.
The semelee hesitated briefly before spinning away into the darkness, and its hesitance was enough of a reminder that I didn’t control them completely. And possibly never would.
A hum vibrated along my collar, connecting me mentally to the fae lands once more. That damned connection was why I wasn’t fully in control of them, but then I reminded myself that I couldn’t blame my collar for everything. I needed to be more forceful when I spoke to them. More powerful. It was the best I could do since my collar kept me somewhat contained, even when my guardian relaxed its magic.
She’s here. The semelee reappeared abruptly, and at its side, I sensed another presence. Softer. More fragile. Frightened.
Where am I? Serinity Himil called out, her voice quiet and timid.
You’re in the Veiled Between, I replied in as soothing of a tone as I could muster. Your father has asked me to summon you. My name is Elowen, and I’m a lorafin who resides on the Silten continent. I’ve called you from the afterlife today because your father wishes to know how you fare.
My father? Her voice grew more animated.
Yes, let me speak with him briefly so I can help you two communicate . I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated on the lordling’s physical hold on me in my realm. I called upon more of his magic and asked his first question for his daughter.
Serinity? Is that you?
Da! Oh, my dear da, how I miss you!
A choked response came from him, and then he asked her things rapid-fire. It was a struggle to keep up, but he started the way most fae did. He asked her personal things. Identifying questions that only she could answer.
It was a test—a hesitance on his part to accept that I truly was a lorafin.
Minutes passed, but Serinity answered everything immediately, and my whispered replies to him in the fae lands eventually seemed to convince him that I truly was in the Veiled Between.
Once Lordling Himil realized that, their conversation became excited and joyful. It continued long enough that I eventually had to put a stop to it. I had to remember that I had two more callings today and needed to conserve my energy and not dispel all of my magic on the first.
I must let her go, I whispered to the noble.
A little longer, the lordling replied in an irritated tone when I began to release my hold on him.
I can’t. I’m sorry.
Da! Serinity cried.
Damn you, let me talk to her longer.
I’m sorry. I have to let her go. I summoned the semelee again before either could argue further. Take her away.
Serinity screamed when the semelee whisked her back to the afterlife, sucking her soul away to the realm that I could not see, the realm we all passed to when death came for us.
Another curse spewed from the noble, but I released his magic just as the effects of his calling raged through me.
A shiver wracked my ghostly form, coldness seeping into my bloodstream from the lordling’s elemental magic. Icy waves of torture crept along my limbs, making me feel like I’d been doused in the Brashier Sea with its floating icebergs and frigid waves. But a moment of relief passed through me too. It didn’t feel like I was drowning. Coldness I could live with. It was much less scary.
Next? I called in a tired voice in the fae lands. Two more. I have two more of these. Conserve your strength, Elowen , I thought to myself.
A new hand clasped mine in the fae lands. Dark, snapping magic instantly clouded around my thoughts, like jagged knives of slashing death.
A wave of horror washed over me as Lordling Messepire’s magic engulfed me. Breathing heavily in my physical body, I had to force myself not to recoil. Yet despite my terrified reaction to his monstrous magic, I could have sworn that Lordling Messepire smiled.
I lay on the enchanted carpet, zooming back to my guardian’s estate. Zale, Mushil, and the two other guards who’d accompanied us stood at each corner of the carpet, studiously watching our surroundings.
Above, the galaxy’s stars twinkled like sparks of glittering sand.
Guardian Alleron sat beside me in the center of the carpet, counting the rulibs in the velvet sack the king had given him. The coins’ heavy weight clinked together. It was the only sound besides the howling wind and wildling chatter from the Wood.
“Are you doing all right, Elowen?” my guardian finally asked after he finished his accounting.
Another shiver wracked my frame. “I’m fine, just cold. The king’s and Lordling Messepire’s magic have thankfully worn off.”
Guardian Alleron’s voice dropped in sympathy as he pocketed his coins. “Nightmare magic is quite terrifying, but it was all an illusion. Messepire’s magic couldn’t actually hurt you.”
“I know, but the images that I was seeing were horrifying, and the hallucinations?—”
“You’re fine now, are you not?” he asked, his tone a bit sharper.
I pressed my lips together. “Well, yes, but?—”
“Then there’s no need to carry on about it.”
My brow furrowed. Am I carrying on again? I contemplated that. I didn’t think I’d been, but I was tired, and time always seemed to pass at a slower rate when I was dealing with the side effects from a calling. Perhaps he was right, and I’d been complaining more than I’d realized.
Nodding, I pressed my lips together once more and also reminded myself that my guardian hadn’t once scolded me for struggling to fulfill all three callings today. I should be grateful for that even if I’d done what he demanded to the best of my ability.
After all, I’d been successful to some degree on all three callings. I’d found Lordling Himil’s daughter, I’d provided Lordling Messepire with the location of a missing heirloom, and during the king’s calling, I’d revealed answers about the future. All with the help of the semelees.
I’d done what’d been demanded of me even if it’d hurt me in the process and even if I’d grown so fatigued I’d been put in harm’s way.
A memory of the largest semelee that I’d interacted with during the king’s calling brushed against my mind like fluttering wings. The semelee had called to me, lulling me with its siren song. I’d been so tired I’d almost detached from the fae lands entirely. It was only the activation of my guardian’s device on my collar that had stunned me from the semelee’s grip.
“Elowen?” my guardian said, his tone a bit less sharp. “You’re all right, aren’t you?”
Shuddering, I shoved that fearful memory aside and locked my gaze upward as the carpet swayed and billowed beneath me. “Yes, Guardian. I’m fine.”
He hummed in satisfaction and settled back for the remainder of the ride.
Light from the three moons barely penetrated the canopy when the Wood grew dense again, but in the open areas, the shimmering array of constellations and the plethora of stars held my attention.
I concentrated on our realm’s natural beauty, anything to keep my mind off the numbing coldness that continually made my entire body shudder. But, as my guardian had pointed out, at least the king’s elemental magic and Lordling Messepire’s psychic power had finally abated. At the moment, I was only dealing with Lordling Himil’s water elemental side effect.
Shivering, I forced myself to once again gaze at the stars for a distraction. The Alonidrus constellation blazed brightly above, and it was easy to locate the three planets visible tonight in our solar system—Jeulic, Merimum, and Titun. The planets shone brighter than any star, and they pulsed in colorful waves that shimmered around them like a halo. Each planet’s magic formed a protective cloud, like an aura, and not for the first time, I wondered what color our planet emitted.
I doubted I would ever know, but at least the beauty of the skies helped numb the terror of my work today.
My teeth began to chatter when we careened over a bubbling stream, and the wind picked up on our final stretch through the Wood .
“We’re almost back, Elowen, and then I shall reward you with three full days of rest. You did well tonight even though you once again couldn’t twist fate.” Guardian Alleron’s tone cut through the wind whistling through my ears.
“But...twisting fate is illegal, Guardian. Even though King Paevin would like me to, I don’t think it’s wise to try.”
He shrugged. “Is it truly illegal if a king demands it?”
Frowning, I clamped my mouth shut. Twisting fate was the ultimate power of a lorafin, yet I wasn’t even close to having enough control over my magic to do so. And despite what my guardian claimed, it was against the law. I could be brought before the supernatural courts for twisting fate, even if a king demanded it. So while King Paevin may not be reprimanded, I certainly would be.
My guardian carried on, oblivious to my discomfort. “The king was still pleased, however. Thanks to what the semelees revealed, he now knows how many spectators will show for the Matches. He shall have the staff prepare. Yet, he also told me that he wants you to keep trying to master your magic completely. One day, if the semelees are agreeable, he would like you to twist fate for him.”
I squirmed, not liking where the king’s interest was going at all. “I’m sorry, Guardian. I still can’t access that part of my magic...”
“I know, which is why you won’t be punished. However, the king has requested your presence again in two weeks’ time with only him in attendance. Of course, for that much rare continued access to you, I shall have to raise the price. Even a king has to pay if he wants to use my lorafin.”
My lorafin .
It was often what Guardian Alleron called me. Sometimes hearing that warmed my heart and made me feel special and loved, but tonight...
My brow furrowed as confusing, conflicting responses rose up in me as they sometimes did following a calling. Tonight, I felt tired, unbearably cold, and hearing him calling me his lorafin... It didn’t make me feel loved. It made me feel owned.
Although technically, I was my guardian’s lorafin, but if not for my unique and powerful magic, I wouldn’t be his prized trinket. Slavery was outlawed in the four kingdoms, yet due to the inherent nature of those like me, which could be destructive beyond imagination if I commanded the semelees fully, a treaty had been signed centuries ago.
Any lorafin could now be kept caged and owned if her guardian proved she was a danger to others. And the Goddess knew when I’d been five summers old, I’d proven just that.
Yet Guardian Alleron had also worked with me on controlling my magic with the help of the collar. I was older now, more mature, and if the gods and goddesses deemed me worthy, perhaps they would bless me and help me stay innocent of any wrongdoings. Then once I turned thirty and my guardian removed my collar, I could go to the supernatural courts, plead my case, and with any luck, be granted my freedom. Then I wouldn’t be owned by my guardian anymore. I would simply be his daughter and nothing more.
“Isn’t Emerson Estate the most magnificent home we’ve ever lived in, Elowen?” my guardian asked, drawing my attention back to him.
Another shiver hit me, but I nodded. “It certainly is. It’s quite grand.”
“And you have your own suite now. Not to mention, you have Lillivel at your side to help with anything you may need. You’re a very lucky female, I must say.”
A moment of guilt hit me. I had so much, and I shouldn’t complain. “You’re right, Guardian. I’m very grateful for that.”
“It’s lovely, isn’t it, that after seasons of traveling throughout the kingdoms, we’ve finally settled down.”
I hmmed in response, too tired to comment further. But, again, he was right. It was nice to finally have a place to call home. My entire life, my guardian had used my magic to amass his rulibs from the wealthiest lordlings in each city we traveled through, and he’d finally collected a large enough fortune to build the estate in his home kingdom he’d coveted since childhood.
Guardian Alleron now lived like a king—the irony that the king was our neighbor wasn’t lost on me—and he was hoping to eventually be made a noble and be appointed as one of the ten Houses of Faewood. Of course, for that to happen, one of the noble families would need to be removed, but that didn’t faze Guardian Alleron. Ambition had never been lacking in him .
Ahead, lights from Guardian Alleron’s estate filtered faintly through the Wood. Anticipation of a hot bath and a soft bed infused energy into me, and I was about to force myself into a sitting position when something pricked my attention.
Absolute silence had descended. The wildlings of the Wood had grown entirely quiet, and the ever-present chirps and hums from the insects and beetles had stopped.
Yet the Wood never grew quiet. Ever.
Frowning, I peered around. “Mushil? Do you?—”
An arrow whizzed through the air, and its sickening, slick punch penetrated my guardian right in his shoulder.
My guardian groaned, his hand going to the arrow.
I shrieked. “Guardian!” I tried to cross the distance between us, but a smattering of hooves pounded along the ground, and one of the guards shoved me down.
“Hold!” Zale shouted, and all four guards raised their crossbows. “Formations now!”
The four guards formed a protective wall around us.
Before I could take another breath, the enchanted carpet careened around a tree, its magic propelling it onward to our destination despite the fact that my guardian was now doubled over, clutching his shoulder as his four guards all shot their weapons from their protective stances.
My heart lurched, yet more attacking arrows flew. They came at us from all angles, sailing silently through the night like deadly shadows.
A whizzing sound rushed by my ear, and four arrows simultaneously struck true, each hitting a guard dead center in his chest.
I screamed just as all four guards tumbled off the carpet. When Zale’s body landed with a fleshy thump, his lifeless eyes gazed skyward, and a brief moment of clarity hit me.
He’ll never hit me or order me around again. But just as quickly, my heart lurched when I beheld Mushil’s unmoving form.
“No!” I wailed. “Mushil!”
But my guard didn’t respond. He’d likely already passed to the afterlife.
Agony ripped through me, and I whipped around, searching for our attackers, but I saw no one.
Yet galloping hooves on the Wood’s floor grew closer, even though everything else in the Wood remained silent. Even the wind seemed diminished in the presence of whatever was approaching.
“Elowen, get down . . . please !” Wheezing, Guardian Alleron reached for me.
A survival instinct kicked in, and I shoved my face to the carpet, the fibers scratching my cheeks as I lay as flat as possible. Wheezing from my guardian grew, and a moment of hysteria made me want to sob. If my guardian died, my freedom would come early, but then the only father I’d ever known would be gone. I would be entirely alone in the realm without Guardian Alleron. Abandoned again.
My fingers crept along the carpet in search of my guardian’s hand. The power inside me sang, rising and careening through my limbs until my collar activated. I cried out when magic shot like lightning along my limbs, igniting coldness and slashing pain with it. The momentary reprieve I’d had from Lordling Himil’s magic faded, and shocking agony reverberated through me anew as a fresh flow of ice slid along my limbs.
I bit my lip to keep from screaming, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
Wind continued flowing against my back, but I stayed plastered to the carpet. My guardian’s estate grew closer. Closer. Closer .
If we could just reach it, his protective wards would enclose us and stop whomever pursued us.
“Elowen!” Guardian Alleron bellowed.
Before I could process his fearful call, hoofbeats were suddenly right beside us. Just as fast, an arm wrapped around my waist and whipped me off the carpet so quickly that my head spun, and blackness coated my vision.
Someone tilted me upright, settling my rump against something hard that moved in a rocking motion. The moment I was righted, my vision returned, but the world around me had turned into an impossibly dark blur, and the wind whipping against my face was so fierce that I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
My heart thundered, nearly jumping out of my chest. Whoever carried me cradled me to them in a tight embrace. It was as though a phantom had snatched me from the enchanted carpet and was carrying me to the netherworld. But phantoms didn’t carry a scent. They didn’t smell of fresh pine and a hint of spice. And they certainly didn’t have solid bodies and arms like steel.
Yet phantoms did move like the wind, and whoever had just taken me flew so fast through the Wood that everything around me blended together.
Wits finally returning, I punched at whomever held me and tried to wiggle out of his solid hold. But his arm tightened, making my breaths shallow. Still, I fought, but the three callings had rendered me so weak, just a shell of the female I had the potential to be, and when a momentous zap from my collar activated, I seized, my mind going numb.
Everything inside me shut down...down, down , until nothing was left but the solid arm around me, the harsh feel of the wind across my cheeks, and then...nothing.