Chapter 16
Zadriel
Zadriel stilled, breath catching in his throat.
How had he not noticed someone following them?
The shadow sprite’s cloak tickled his skin, shielding him from eyes that churned like an ocean storm, but Aedlin and Darius were unprotected.
The queen clutched her son tightly and inched closer to the stream’s edge.
The newcomer cocked her head to the side, long, blonde hair spilling over her shoulder.
“I thought there was a man with you? Or”—she looked around—“Fae, if I can believe my ears. Please tell me I heard wrong.” When she inched closer, her steps over the frozen earth were graceful.
Quiet. Nearly as unnoticeable as Zadriel’s, as if the air refused to carry the sound of her footfalls. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”
After a quick glance in Zadriel’s direction, or as close as she could manage without seeing him, Aedlin cleared her throat. “I don’t believe so.” Darius fussed in her arms, suckling on his fingers.
“Are you...” The young woman hugged herself, her thick, brown coat wrinkling. It was too large, nearly swallowing her waifish frame. “Are you running too?” she whispered, soft voice so full of hope.
A crack skittered through Aedlin’s stony mask, sparks burning in her amber eyes. “What are you running from?”
Zadriel scrubbed a hand down his face, bristling at the accusation in her tone.
Of course the queen assumed only criminals ran, even as she escaped the hands of death herself, fleeing her castle and all she knew.
Halflings ran too. From every corner of Berwick, with nowhere to go unless Eden found them.
Slowly, he crept closer, carefully slipping his bag off his shoulder and reaching inside.
Hoping his paring knife was enough if he needed to defend them.
The woods grew quiet, almost like they held their breath.
“I thought you were going to Eden?” the woman said, her gaze flitting around the space in search of Zadriel. It grazed over the naked branches of deciduous trees, not realizing they reached for him, their spindly ends trailing over the edges of the sprite’s shadows.
Aedlin’s voice dipped low. “Where I’m going is none of your business.”
The air shifted, coiling around tree trunks and crashing through trembling boughs. “Was this a trap?” the stranger snapped, fists shaking at her sides. “You discovered Eden, and now you’re using it to lure more of us out?”
“Watch your tongue, girl,” Aedlin spat, tipping her chin up and standing taller.
“I think it’s best you learn to watch yours.” She raised her hands and a gust slipped past Zadriel, washing over him like water pulling away from the shore.
Shit.
“Aedlin!” Zadriel shouted, shoving his blade in his pocket and running as fast as he could through the snow. He nearly lost his knapsack, the damned thing hanging off his elbow, but he managed to right it.
A violent wave of wind crashed down, snapping branches off trees.
Glittering bits of ice and pine needles fell like rain, peppering the snow and dusting Zadriel’s shoulders.
He nearly toppled, stumbling over the slick earth until he crashed into Aedlin, a startled cry rushing from Darius’s lungs.
Zadriel wrapped them in his arms, tendrils of shadows coiling around them until they too were hidden from sight.
“What in the name of the gods?” Their attacker’s bottom lip trembled, forehead wrinkling. Her focus remained where they were, but her knees bent and she spread her hands further apart, the gusty torrent expanding.
It hardly mattered that she couldn’t see them, not when the babe wailed—even if Zadriel attempted to sneak them away, the air Elementalist would know where they were.
“Can you quiet him?” he hissed, breath wheezing from his lungs as his back took the brunt of the attack. His skin pebbled, icy pinpricks skittering over the surface under the constant press of winter’s breath.
Aedlin threw him an incredulous look, light brown hair spilling from her bun and whipping around her head. “Do you have no knowledge of babies?”
Zadriel’s jaw tensed. “We can’t escape her if she can hear us.
” Darius pressed his face into Zadriel’s cloak, tears soaking the dark material.
It barely muffled his howls. “It’s okay, little one,” he cooed, running a hand through the babe’s hair.
He glanced back at Aedlin, his expression growing wary. “We need to get you both out of here.”
“And how, exactly, do you propose doing that?”
With his free hand, he reached into his cloak pocket, caressing the final glass orb.
Cillian insisted he carry sprites, unconcerned with Zadriel’s misgivings.
He hated that his brother was right and he’d needed them.
Hated himself more for giving in—they were trapped, enthralled until Cillian’s spell wore off; how was Zadriel any better than Brennan when he used them?
At least they’d all be free very soon.
“Is this Fae magic?” the Elementalist asked, her voice all around them. “Have you Indentured one somehow?”
Zadriel ignored her, mind racing. Would Aedlin take this opportunity to flee? He had no interest in bleeding out on the frozen earth until he clawed his way back to her, but how could he prevent her from running while he defended them?
Pulling the sprite from his pocket, he held it between them, watching the murky shadows sway, tiny hands pressing against the glass, the poor creature ensorcelled by Brennan’s cruel enchantment.
An idea formed in his mind—Zadriel tried his best to ignore that it stemmed from Brennan’s influence, inspired by his curse, but that didn’t stop the sour feeling roiling in his gut.
“When I say run, I want you to take Darius and go,” he said, leaning closer so he could whisper, knowing the Elementalist could lure sounds through the wind to her ears. “Find somewhere to hide. I will come for you once I’ve handled her.”
Aedlin’s cheeks paled. “How will you know where to find me?” she asked quietly.
A frown pulled on Zadriel’s lips. “I’ll know.”
She fixed him with a wide-eyed stare. “I don’t understand?”
“And I don’t have time to explain.” He nodded toward the sprite, ignoring the pang of guilt festering in his gut. “This will keep you hidden, but before I give it to you, I need one thing in return.”
“Truly?” Aedlin scoffed, shifting her hold on her son so he no longer pressed his face into Zadriel’s chest. “You’re interested in a bargain now?”
“I need you to vow you won’t stray far from me,” he pleaded.
Aedlin’s head cocked to the side, those near-golden eyes roving over Zadriel’s face. Whatever she found there was enough. “If you promise to answer my questions, I’ll agree.”
She reached for the sprite, but Zadriel pulled it away. “Vow it.” The Elementalist pushed harder against her magic and Zadriel’s knees shook, the muscles in his legs screaming. He gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. “We don’t have time to argue.”
Aedlin’s upper lip curled, fury in her amber gaze until she looked over his shoulder and could hardly keep her eyes open against the burning breeze. “Fine,” she seethed, seeking the shelter Zadriel offered once more. “I vow not to stray far from you. Are you satisfied?”
Warmth trailed up Zadriel’s spine and pulsed in his heart. The vow sang to the sap swimming in his veins, curling around his bones. Aedlin may not have been a child of Arcadia, but she felt it too, a gasp spilling from her lips as the Mother’s influence held her to her word.
She looked so much like Mora when she glared up at him. “What trickery is this?”
The skin on Zadriel’s side tingled, echoes of Mora’s flames bubbling to the surface.
“You made a vow. It’s binding.” She opened her mouth to speak, but Zadriel shushed her.
“I’ll explain later,” he insisted, offering Aedlin the sprite.
Frowning, he ran his thumb over the glass in a silent apology before pulling away—releasing it to Aedlin felt wrong, but what choice did Zadriel have? “Smash this on the ground and run.”
She clutched it in a gentle grip, watching the shadows inside. Light bled through the darkness surrounding them, glinting off the glass sphere and bouncing into Zadriel’s eyes. He hissed, raising his hand against the intrusion. Their cloak was fading. Aedlin needed to move quickly.
The whoosh of the winds grew louder, a foreboding sound crowding them until it was all they knew. Darius stared up at Zadriel, hiccupping before he screamed anew, those watery blue and amber eyes filling with fresh tears. Face stained red, saliva dripping from his chin.
Aedlin worried her lip. “What if—”
Zadriel shook his head. “We don’t have time. Go! Now!”
Glass broke, fluttering shadows enveloping the queen and her son, as if they’d stepped into another realm, disappearing into the ether. Zadriel pulled away, the last dregs of his own cloak clutching him tightly, the hold of Cillian’s enchantment waning.
“I might not be able to see you, but the Fae was right, I can hear you,” their attacker said, her voice billowing toward the queen.
Zadriel moved toward the Elementalist, the edge of her windstorm crashing against his legs. It was an effort to move ahead, the ache in his calves building. But he pressed on.
“What do you want, Halfling?” he shouted over the growing cyclone.
Her head snapped, the air around them sputtering as she searched for him.
“Safety. A life. Don’t you want the same?
” she asked, arms shaking as she pushed her power as hard as she could.
When Zadriel didn’t answer, her throat bobbed, a disheartened chuckle on her lips.
“I wouldn’t mind tearing Castle Berwick apart stone by stone too, if you’re offering. ”
“I can offer you two of those things.” His deep, rumbling voice was nearly swept away, but he knew she’d heard. Zadriel slipped his hand in his pocket and curled his fingers around the smooth, leather-wrapped handle of his paring knife.