Chapter 22 Scarlett
CHAPTER 22
SCARLETT
“Y ou are a wicked thing, aren’t you?” Sorin chuckled under his breath as he led her down the stairs of the Pier to the beach.
On their way out of the party, Scarlett had again found Mikale scowling in their direction. She’d sidled up a little closer to Sorin and thrown a wink at Mikale…who ran right into someone and spilled his drink all over her.
“He’s a bastard who can’t take a hint,” Scarlett muttered. She stumbled slightly in the sand, but strong hands caught and steadied her.
“Maybe we should take a break from the wine?” he suggested, trying to reach for the bottle.
Scarlett jumped out of his reach, taking another drink. “You do realize the only reason I’m even out here with you is because of the wine, don’t you?”
Sorin considered for a moment then said, “Fair enough.”
They walked in silence along the shore, the Pier getting smaller and smaller in the distance behind them. The only sounds were the waves gently crashing onto the sand. Scarlett relished the feel of the coolness on her feet as the waves rolled in and out. The party had been stifling and outside wasn’t much better. The end of summer mugginess had lingered this year.
The moon was full and bright, and its reflection off the sea lit up their path. Scarlett had slipped her light slippers off as soon as they’d reached the sand, and they now dangled from her fingers. Her dress clung to her figure even more so, if such a thing was possible, from the sweat of dancing. Several curls had slipped free of their pins and hung loosely down her back.
“Scarlett, I—” Sorin began, but Scarlett cut him off.
“Not here. Not yet,” she said, continuing along the beach.
They walked for another few minutes in silence before Sorin said, “You are not leading me somewhere to kill me, are you Death’s Maiden?”
“Hmm, as tempting as that is,” Scarlett said contemplatively, “I don’t want to tarnish my favorite spot in Windonelle with your blood, and Nuri would be so disappointed if she didn’t get to be involved in such an activity.”
“You and Nuri have an interesting relationship,” Sorin said too casually.
“Nuri and I are two sides of the same coin,” Scarlett replied. “We clash a lot but unify when needed.”
“She manipulates you.” She could hear a hardness in his voice.
Scarlett sighed. “No. It may appear that way, but we feed off of each other. Push each other when required. What she asked of me was cruel, yes, but things just as wicked have been asked of her.”
“She plays on your emotions,” he said flatly.
“She is not the only one who uses such techniques to get things accomplished,” Scarlett answered darkly. Then she added quietly, “There used to be someone who balanced us out, but there isn’t any more.”
There was another beat of silence before Sorin asked, “And how does Cassius fit in this mix?”
“Cassius has always been the calm to my storm,” Scarlett answered simply.
They walked another hundred feet when Scarlett stopped near large rocky cliffs that now towered behind them along the shore, one curving out into the sea, blocking their path. Scarlett continued towards it.
“You cannot possibly climb that right now,” Sorin said, gazing up at the towering, sharp, rocky side of the cliff.
“And why not?” she huffed, continuing to the cliff wall.
“One because you are drunk,” Sorin said. She started to protest, but he cut her off. “Two, I do not think that dress would lend itself well to climbing.”
Scarlett looked over her shoulder and again found Sorin drinking his fill of her with his eyes. “You do seem to have an obsession with this dress,” she said thoughtfully, turning to hand the half empty bottle of wine to him. As his hand clasped around the bottle, his fingers brushed hers, and she mused, “You’re almost as obsessed with it as you are with my ring.”
Sorin started a little, and the slightly glazed look left his eyes. Scarlett laughed under her breath, turning back to the cliff before her. “I may be drunk, Sorin, but I still remember you are keeping so much from me.” Vines clung to the side of the cliff wall, thick and snaking up from the water. She stepped into the small pool of an inlet, the water coming to her ankles.
“Scarlett, I—”
“No. Not yet,” Scarlett whispered, stopping him again. She reached up with a hand and pushed aside a curtain of vines to reveal a small opening into the side of the cliff. Without a glance over her shoulder to see if he would follow, she slipped inside.
S ORIN
The inside of the opening was a narrow cavern. The ceiling reached nearly as high as the cliff itself. There was a stream of water that had to flow in from the same opening they’d come through, Sorin realized as he watched Scarlett walk along the water inside. Her long dress floated atop the water, and his eyes dipped low along her back at the skin the dress revealed, remembering the feel of that bare skin on his fingers while they had danced. He followed, barely making a ripple in the water with his silent Fae feet. Twice he’d tried to explain. Twice she had silenced him.
He would indeed need to return to the Fae lands soon, and if he could not figure out what she was before he left, he intended to ask her to come with him. Whether or not she would agree, he didn’t know, but after dancing with her tonight, tasting her lips on his again, he knew he could not leave her behind in this realm.
Scarlett neared the end of the narrow passageway, and he followed her through a similar opening at the other end. He blinked as he stepped out onto a sandy beach. Before him, the vast sea spread out, reflecting the bright moon. The sky was clear and hundreds of stars twinkled above them. He couldn’t hear the noise of the Pier. He couldn’t see the city. It was just a beach with cliffs behind them and a sea spearing out to the horizon. Scarlett walked a few more feet, and she dropped down, pulling her knees to her chest and inhaling deep. Her hair shimmered in the moonlight. He studied her as the waves rolled on and off the shore around her. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to settle into herself.
“Come sit, Sorin,” she said, opening her eyes and staring out at the sea. “Tell me about this ring and bring that wine.”
S CARLETT
Scarlett didn’t turn to look at him as Sorin sat down in the sand beside her. She saw him take a drink of the wine before passing her the bottle. Scarlett took her own drink, then set it in the sand between them. She stared straight ahead, waiting for him to begin speaking.
“Scarlett, I have spent three years keeping where I am from a secret,” Sorin said. She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. “When you ask me about your ring, you are asking me to reveal knowledge that I would give my life to keep from people in this land.”
Still, Scarlett said nothing. She was done playing games when he held answers about what was happening to her, so she just waited for him to continue.
“Have you continued to have your nightmares?” he asked her quietly.
“You do not get to ask me questions tonight, Sorin,” Scarlett responded, her voice just as soft.
They were both silent, the lapping of the waves the only sound for miles.
“Are you in any state of mind to process answers tonight?” Sorin finally asked. “If you are, I believe I owe you four questions, but if you are not, I will answer five tomorrow.”
Scarlett turned to him at that. Her head was buzzing from the wine. The mist from the sea spraying gently on her was cooling her sweaty body. She reached up and pulled the pins from her hair, one by one, releasing the few remaining curls from their holdings. If she were honest, Sorin had a point. She hadn’t consumed this much wine in ages. Would she even remember his answers? Now that she wasn’t dancing and the adrenaline of the music was wearing off, she realized how tired she was. What time was it? It had to be after midnight, which meant she’d need to take the stronger tonic soon.
“Fine,” she finally conceded. She leaned her head against Sorin’s shoulder, closing her eyes, silence settling over them once more. “Is there a Mrs—” She paused. “What is your family name? I’m assuming it isn’t Renwell.”
“No, it is not,” he replied. “Aditya. My family name is Aditya.”
“Is there a Mrs. Aditya waiting for you at home?”
“What?” Sorin asked, surprise in his voice.
“Are you married? Do Fae even get married?” she asked, the drunkenness dragging her down a little more.
“If I had someone at home, do you think I would have kissed you in the archery grounds or a little bit ago inside?”
“I don’t know what Fae customs are,” Scarlett retorted. “Besides, you’re a long way from home. Maybe you thought she’d never find out.” Then added thoughtfully, “Unless it’s not a she?”
“I prefer females,” Sorin answered, “but no, there is no one waiting for me back home. Not someone of that nature, anyway.”
“Why not?”
“Fae customs are…different,” Sorin admitted. “When we are young and coming of age, we bed anything we can, as I have seen the men here do. I have taken lovers, but no one worth clinging to.”
“No one you’ve ever loved?” Scarlett inquired, her head still on his shoulder.
“Not in a way that mattered.”
“You’re older than dirt and have never loved anyone?”
Sorin huffed a laugh and reached over to flick her nose. “I am not older than dirt, but no. I have never found anyone I have loved enough to marry or to believe I had found my twin flame.”
Scarlett sat up, looking at him with confusion. “Your what?”
Sorin was looking out across the sea now. “Fae believe in the Fates and the gods and believe that there is one soul that they are destined to be with, have been joined with since the beginning of time. It is believed their souls recognize each other, if they are lucky enough to find each other in this vast world and during their own lifetime.”
“What happens if they find each other?” Scarlett asked, laying her head back on his shoulder as if listening to a bedtime story.
“It is said that if they are truly each other’s, their souls are connected. It is a much deeper connection than marriage, far more powerful. Their magic can intermingle, making them incredibly valuable to their Courts. They become second only to blood royalty. There is a bond that cannot be broken, a bridge between souls. I cannot explain it adequately, but they must accept the bond by proving it.”
“How do they prove it?” Scarlett asked, tracing patterns in the sand with her finger.
“The two are Marked to see if the connection settles into place and to initiate the Trials. There are five parts to it, and each piece must be fulfilled in a test of sorts. Each pair is different and so each trial is specific to them. The Marking is a powerful enchantment that calls from soul to soul. It is a literal offering of a piece of themselves to one another. If they have truly found each other, the Mark brands itself permanently to their skin, and the bond becomes unbreakable.”
“A twin flame,” Scarlett mused, staring at the moonlight rippling in the water. “What if they are not each other’s twin flame? What happens then?”
“The Mark fades after time, but the piece of the soul offered fades with it. To have offered something so sacred to the wrong person… It is rare to find your twin flame if you mistake it once. It is why those who choose to take part in the Trials must be absolutely certain. Many believe they have found their twin flame but are too afraid to test it against the Marking, so they are content to simply marry as you do here.”
They were silent again for a long moment before Scarlett said quietly, “I hope you find her someday, Sorin.” When he didn’t reply, she added, “Until you do, we can be alone together.”
“Are you alone, though? What of Prince Callan?”
Scarlett stiffened. She scooped up a handful of sand, letting the grains sift through her fingers. “Callan and I… We’re…” She didn’t know how to explain Callan, didn’t know if she even could. “Callan and I were never meant to become anything. It is a long story, and one for another time, but I think I may have loved him once upon a time. Maybe I still do. Or I love the idea of him, anyway. Someone who loves me for who I am, who expects nothing of me but love in return. But he… Callan cannot have that. He is the crown prince. Whomever he spends his life with shall be his queen.”
“You do not wish to be queen? Most women here dream of such things,” Sorin questioned quietly.
“Being queen is just another cage. I would step from one into another.”
Another beat of silence, then Sorin said, “He loves you.” Not a question.
Scarlett swallowed hard. “He thinks he does. I am an escape from his own cage.”
“Nuri said… She said it was rumored you were his lover for nearly a year,” Sorin said. Scarlett turned to look at him as the tone of his voice hardened. He was not looking at her, but his hands were fisted in the sand.
“I was,” she admitted. “We were an escape for each other.”
“And three weeks ago?”
Scarlett clenched her jaw. “Three weeks ago I was a piece of garbage who used him and played on his feelings to get information about happenings in the Black Syndicate.” Sorin turned and blinked at her. “I told you that I can be very persuasive when needed.”
This time the silence hung thick between them, and she wondered what Sorin was thinking of her now. Now that he had seen some of her darkest attributes and most atrocious qualities.
Finally Sorin said, his tone neutral, “And this last year that you did not seek him out? He did not move on?”
“No,” she said grimly.
“You do not think it could work?”
She sighed. “Callan thinks that whatever obstacles are before us, we can conquer them, but nothing will negate the fact that he is to be king. I would rather be alone than be bound to a throne, so no, I do not think it could ever work. But that does not make walking away from him any easier.”
Sorin turned and kissed her forehead gently, and she found an odd sort of comfort in that gesture. “I have already told you, you are not alone anymore, Scarlett.”
She sighed again. “For now, but you’ve said yourself you’ll need to return home soon.” She let herself trail off and swallowed hard. Damn this wine for the loss of control over her emotions.
She lifted her hand again, letting sand sift through her fingers, and watched it cascade down to the beach. The moonlight shone on her skin.
“How did your arm heal so quickly a few weeks ago?”
“What?” Scarlett asked, turning to see Sorin studying her forearm. The same arm she had sliced open on that rock when she had seen him speaking with the woman.
“I saw the wound, Scarlett. I know how deep it was. I expected it to scar, but there is not even a mark to be seen.” He gently reached for her arm, studying it.
Scarlett swallowed at the contact. “I don’t know. I think it was healed in the dream.”
“What?”
“In my dream that night. There was someone in my dream that healed it.”
“Who? How?” Sorin asked, his eyes widened slightly as they met hers. There was a glimmer of panic or fear in them. She couldn’t tell in the darkness. But before Scarlett could explain, she jerked upright as a wave of nausea passed over her.
“I need to go back,” she said, the world spinning slightly around her. She didn’t know if it was from the wine or needing to take her tonic, but she didn’t want to wait to find out.
“Are you all right?” Sorin asked, scanning and assessing her quickly, ever the warrior.
“It is well into the early morning. I need to take my tonic,” Scarlett answered, trying to stand.
Sorin helped her up, steadying her. “Do you not have one with you?” he questioned, eyeing her tight fitting dress.
“Yes, but it’s back at the Pier. In my cloak,” Scarlett replied, stumbling towards the secret cavern. It was one she’d found by accident this spring. It was also a cavern only accessible at night when the tide was out. Otherwise, you’d need to either swim through the cavern or scale the cliff to access the other side. The only other person she’d ever brought here was Cassius, but to be fair, he’d been with her when they’d found it.
She felt Sorin slip an arm around her waist, helping her through the cliff opening and through the small stream. The water was already nearly halfway up her calves. It must be later than she thought.
She had to stop halfway through the cavern and vomit. As she stood panting, making sure she wasn’t going to vomit again, she could have sworn the temperature in the cavern plummeted.
“Shit,” she muttered.
“It is nothing I haven’t seen before on all those runs,” Sorin teased. “Maybe you did need a keeper tonight after all.”
Scarlett looked up at him incredulously to find a small smile on his lips. She reached up to give him a shove, and hopefully knock him into the pool itself, but her hands were coated in frost. She tried to curl them into fists before he saw them, but Sorin grabbed her wrists. He ran his hands over her palms. She jerked her hands from him, her vision swimming again, and stumbled to the other end of the cavern. Sorin followed, reaching to pull the vines aside for her. Before he did though, he asked, “Have you ever thought of not taking the tonic? To see what truly happens?”
She stared at him as if he’d just sprouted wings. “Are you out of your mind? Do you see me right now?” Scarlett held up her hands, where frost now coated her fingers too, her nail beds turning blue. She had to be hallucinating because while there appeared to be frost on her hands, she felt like her insides were burning and smoke seemed to be hovering above her fingertips.
“Can I try something?” Sorin asked, running his fingers along her palms again.
“I need to get back,” Scarlett answered, another wave of nausea washing over her. Her head pounded, and she was trembling, whether from the sudden fever or the cold in the cavern, she didn’t know.
“Can you trust me? For just a second?” Sorin insisted, grabbing her right hand. He gently slipped her mother’s ring from her finger, sliding it onto his own. She could have sworn his eyes glowed brighter, and he inhaled deep. “Hold out your hands.”
She did as he commanded, and he gently laid his atop hers. Warmth flooded through her palms, but she also felt herself cool, all at once. She turned to the side, dropping to her knees and vomiting again.
She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. Sorin crouched before her, gently lifting her chin to make her look at him. He searched her eyes and Scarlett whispered, “You know what this is, don’t you?”
“No. Not yet, but I have a few ideas,” he answered. “Can you stand?” She nodded her head, and he helped her up. Shadows danced across her vision as he pulled aside the vines, letting her pass, and Scarlett cried out in relief. For before her, running down the beach, came Cassius with her cloak. He skidded to a stop in front of her, sand splaying everywhere, and Scarlett fell into his arms. He tossed the cloak to Sorin to catch her.
“Are you stupid?” he soothed, running his hand along her cheek, through her hair. Scarlett’s entire body was trembling, and Cassius gently lowered her to the sand. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.” Scarlett could see the panic in his eyes.
“I’m fine, Cass,” she said, bringing her hand to his cheek.
“You’re not,” he snapped. “We need to get you out of here so you can take this tonic. Dammit!” The curse came when Scarlett lurched out of his arms, vomiting onto the ground once more. She was shaking now, impossibly cold. “Give me her cloak.”
She felt the fabric wrap around her, but it did nothing to warm her. Her vision was so blurred now she knew she was going to pass out at any moment. Cassius pulled her back to him, searching her face. “You took him there.”
“I don’t know why,” she whispered.
“I think you do,” he said, leaning forward and pressing a light kiss to her hair.
“You’re still my favorite,” she said, stroking his cheek with her thumb. “Always.”
A faint smile played on his lips. “Maybe not always.”
Unconsciousness dragged her under.