Chapter 45
Aurora
When Arc shifts into his dragon form in the garden, it takes some convincing to get Soren to climb onto his back. He assumed we’d be traveling by horseback, to which Arc had given him a devious grin and told him it would be much more efficient to fly.
Of course, when I slide onto the cursed lord’s shimmering scales, Soren has no choice but to saddle up.
I wrap my arms as far as I can around Arc’s dragon neck, which makes Soren scowl.
He presses himself snugly against my back and places one hand on my hip, and his other palm against my stomach.
Arc beats his mighty wings behind us, and we lift from the ground.
Soren shifts behind me and holds tighter to my waist.
As Arc soars us into the clouds, I learn something new about Soren—he’s not a fan of heights. I cling to Arc’s neck but steal a glance behind me to see Soren’s eyes clamped shut as he takes deep, soothing breaths.
I smile to myself, thinking about how my brave sentinel doesn’t like soaring dragon rides.
It doesn’t take long for Arc to descend, and as soon as his talons tap solid ground, Soren is off the dragon’s back as quickly as he can. He holds out his hand to help me down, and I smirk at him. “I never took you as one terrified of heights. You keep surprising me.”
He raises his eyebrows and grins at me, the color returning to his face. “Happy to please you so, My Flame.”
I snicker, causing Arc to huff smoke from his beastly nostrils as I place my hand in Soren’s and he pulls me into his arms before placing me gently on the ground.
I turn to Arc. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll be nearby. I’ll keep my mind open and you do the same.”
With that, he leaps off the cliff he deposited us on, his wings stirring my hair in their wake.
Soren steps to my side, looking out toward the sea in the distance. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the ocean.”
“Yeah, it’s nice. Why didn’t you tell me about it? You know how much I like the water.” I glance up at him.
His mouth presses into a thin line. “The ocean is full of darkness. It’s a vessel for unforgiving creatures. Not exactly the place to take a refreshing dip.”
I glance back toward the dark, churning water. “Oh. Well, in that case, I’ll stick to the rivers and lakes that I’m used to.” I grin and raise my eyebrows at him.
He squints his eyes at me, completely unaware of my pop culture reference.
“Never mind,” I mutter.
We stand on the cliff for several minutes, scanning the water for any sign of a ship. I settle onto a rock, looking out onto the valley in front of me. “So this is the spot Camryn kept seeing in her dreams, huh?” I speak into the breeze.
“So Arc says,” Soren replies.
I’m looking out over the horizon of the landscape that blends into the dense forest when something moves in the distance.
I shuffle closer to the edge to get a better look.
Squinting, it takes my mind too long to register that the figure is not only moving toward me, but it’s huge. And terrifyingly familiar.
“Soren,” I breathe as I stumble backward.
He’s by my side in a heartbeat, following my gaze to watch the dark dragon come in for a landing. A screech escapes my lungs as the dragon shifts into a womanly form.
Soren grabs the dagger from his thigh and steps in front of me.
“Well, well, well,” Isolde croons as she stands before us on the cliff’s ledge. “I was not expecting to see the lovers here.” Her violet eyes meet mine around Soren’s form. “But I’m not disappointed.” She wiggles her fingers at me.
“I thought you were dead,” I mutter.
Isolde chuckles. “The best thing Arc ever gave me was telling me I can shadow step. It took me a bit to learn, but once I did, I put my own little spin on it. I’ve always been one for the dramatic.”
“But I saw you burn. Saw you turn to ash.” I rise to my feet, pressing my body close to Soren’s back. His fingers reach back to brush my thigh.
Isolde takes a step toward us. “You saw what I wanted you to see. Your little fire only added to the illusion. I can’t say I escaped completely unscathed, though.” She pulls up the sleeve of her gown to show me the skin of her forearm. It’s scarred with red ridges up to her elbow.
“What are you doing here?” Soren demands.
Isolde’s eyes flash to him. “Oh, the handsome sentinel. How I’ve missed you.” Her lips turn into a pout as she flutters her eyelashes at him. Soren raises his blade higher in warning.
“Oh, spicy! I’m always up for a little blood play,” she says, reaching out to press her finger to the tip of the dagger. A small bead of crimson blossoms on her skin and she presses it to her lips, sucking off the fresh blood.
My stomach churns at the display. I clear my throat to steady my voice. “Why are you here, Isolde? Why are you working with the king?”
She glares at me. “It looks like someone’s been doing their homework. What a good little pet you are.”
Soren snarls at her, causing her to laugh.
She flashes her attention to him before returning her gaze to me. “So impatient. When I saw what you could do, what you were, I knew you were what the king was waiting for. What he feared.”
I narrow my eyes while swallowing my fear at her words. “What do you mean?”
“It didn’t take me long to connect the dots between King Caledor’s prophecy and you—a power that could cast out the darkness and bring about light in the realm. Restore balance.”
Soren stiffens, pushing me closer behind him.
“And five hundred years is a long time for this nonsense, don’t you think? I mean, I’ve been at it less than two centuries and I’m fucking over it.” Her violet eyes flare. “So I went to the source. To the person who could end it once and for all—the king.”
“Why would you do that? Why betray Arc and the others?” I try to step around Soren, but he grips my hip, anchoring me in place.
“Who says I’m betraying them? Did it ever occur to you that I am bringing an end to this to set them all free?” She glares at me.
My brow furrows.
Soren grows restless. “You ran to the king to have him bring about a battle that you’re betting him to lose? That doesn’t make sense. Why not just kill him and be done with it?”
She tilts her head toward him. “I understand how someone of your limited mindset can’t see past the obvious answer, so let me explain it to you.
” She takes a deep breath. “I am fucking tired of being chained to a curse that I never asked to be a part of and a male that I loathe. Arc is the holder of my freedom and the only way out is through death or defeat. I would take the former, but I much prefer the latter. And why wait fifty more years when it could end now?”
She pauses and blinks at me. “And as far as me killing the king myself, it’s not quite so simple.
To begin with, the curse he has on Arc is bound to Silverveil.
He has to return to the land to lift the curse.
If I killed him elsewhere, Arc would forever stay bound.
The king is also quite mistrusting. After I found him and pledged to him my alliance, he bound me with a blood oath that refrains me from killing him in the physical realm. ”
I narrow my eyes on her. “The physical realm?”
Isolde’s mouth curls into a smirk. “Yes. I cannot kill the king in the state in which we are in right now.” Her eyebrows arch and she stares at me as if waiting for me to piece together the puzzle.
“The dream world,” I mumble. My gaze widens at her. “Why can’t you kill him in the dream world, then?”
“Because I don’t have dream magic. If I kill him in the dream world, I have no way of escaping without another dreamer who can pull me back into the physical realm.” She shrugs. “It’s more fun this way, anyway.”
I shake my head, trying to process all the information. “So wait, whose side are you on?”
Isolde throws back her head and laughs, her black waves glistening in the light.
“Oh, child. Life isn’t black and white. It’s grey, and the only side I’m on is mine.
Of course, the king thinks I have aligned with him.
That I’m angry enough at Arc that I would betray him and help his father bring upon the darkness he has planned for this realm.
While it doesn’t sound like paradise, all I know is that for me to gain my true freedom, one of them has to die. ”
Soren speaks up, scanning our surroundings. “Why did you come here today? Does the king know where you are?”
She grins at him. “The king believes I am scouting behind enemy lines, learning how to get his hands on the Dreamer.”
I perk my head up, clearing my face as if I have no idea what she’s talking about. “What’s a Dreamer? Why does the king want them?”
She turns to me with a sly grin. “As if you don’t know.”
I stare blankly at her.
She exhales. “A Dreamer is a powerful fae, and one we were not expecting to find, but it has made the king even more eager to return. Dreamers were thought to be extinct. Only the king is the last other remaining pure Dreamer. She can be not only a weapon, but help in building a new world. The perfect match for such a powerful king.”
Bile rises in the throat at the thought of Camryn in the arms of the king. “Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Isolde winks at me. “Of course.” She turns to look at the valley below.
“And I came to warn you. The creatures he has brought back with him from the island are the most vicious beings you could ever imagine. They will bring destruction upon these lands. All because of a promise of free rein in Caledor’s new kingdom.
They will make port near Hollowbrook in two days, looking to decimate southern Silverveil before marching north to the palace.
But it’s a distraction. While the fae will battle and bleed in the south, the king will make a push for the palace.
He’s after the one thing you need to create a new realm. ”
My breath hitches. “The Dreamer?”
Isolde laughs. “The Dreamer is merely the artist. The king needs a canvas. And that is Arc’s most closely guarded secret.”
Soren and I exchange glances.
Isolde rolls her eyes. “There’s a pool of magic beneath the palace that was gifted from the Cauldron to create Silverveil as we know it.
The pool will allow a new world to be cast in whatever creation the creator imagines.
But the king has grown old and his imagination and capabilities as a Dreamer have diminished.
That’s why he needs a new Dreamer. And when she appeared in his dreams, he knew he had to act fast.”
Soren straightens. “And we are supposed to believe you? That you tell us of the king’s plan to help us?”
“You can believe whatever you’d like, handsome.” Her eyes flicker with something that almost resembles empathy for a fleeting moment. “But there are people within these lands that I care about. Or at least I did at one time.”
“Draven,” I mumble.
Isolde glares at me, but remains silent for several moments.
“I’ve certainly given you a lot to think about.
And I know Arc is nearby, hoping to ensnare me in some pathetic trap.
Don’t bother. I have given you all my information and must return to the king to keep up my charade.
Do give the cursed lord my regards, though. ”
She knows! She knows you’re near! My voice screams inside my head for Arc.
The next few moments pass in a flurry. There’s a spark of blue light as Arc shadow steps to the cliff in his fae lord form. He raises his arms to fire his magic at Isolde before she grins and wiggles her fingers at him before disappearing into a dark cloud.
“Dammit,” Arc roars as the shadow weaver slips from our grasp.
Soren eases, finally sheathing his dagger and wrapping his arms around me. “That was…”
“Intense,” I reply. “Like talking to a vengeful ghost.”
Arc rolls his shoulder. “I’m assuming we have a lot to talk about?”
I exhale. “Do we ever.”