Chapter Two
Arianna
A fire crackled amidst the swirling shadows.
Something was—burning? No, that wasn’t right.
This scent didn’t conjure forth images of crumbling homes or grieving families.
This was—how could she describe it? Pleasant.
A smell that made her think of temples and prayers.
It summoned memories of the little bells that sang from the sacred towers once a week as the priestesses invited everyone to the grand cathedrals decorated in colorful stained glass.
Incense. That’s what it was. Arianna squinted through the black depths, trying to focus on the tiny wisp of smoke rising toward the ceiling. A void stretched above her, but the smoke kept going, twisting and winding as if determined to find a path to their forgotten gods.
Forgotten.
And silent.
Arianna reached her hand toward that growing abyss. It promised to swallow her whole. Not just the curling tendril of smoke, but everything she’d ever cared for. Her dreams. Her future. Her memories.
Hopeless. She was hopeless, a moth caught in a web of lies. Her heart surged, threatening to give in to despair, but a male voice tugged her focus down.
She blinked, vision blurry.
A tiny ember shone brightly, defying that all-encompassing darkness.
A red beacon that stood in stark contrast to the swirling shadows.
Arianna squinted and stumbled forward, just barely able to make out a little bronze disc.
Its surface was decorated with elaborate, sweeping swirls, the lines both large and small.
Arianna stepped again, suddenly desperate for a closer look. This disc, the ember, they held the secrets that would explain everything. She could feel the certainty buzzing beneath her skin.
The disc—no, plate—sat on a rocky floor, the surface damp from trickling water. Arianna scented the air, expecting it to be cold and unyielding, but warmth flooded through her body. It reminded her . . . reminded her . . .
Mist crawled across her skin, and beads of moisture clung to her fresh, soft clothes. The image brought peace. Hope. This tiny flame was so fragile compared to the shadows looming above, as if a single breath could steal the life from it, leaving their entire world lifeless.
Yet it was also strong, standing in defiance to the very thing that could snuff it out.
A woman’s voice floated through the darkness next. Light and ethereal. Arianna tilted her head to the side, desperately trying to make out the words, but they were swallowed up by the vortex surrounding them.
She couldn’t give up. She had to know. She needed to know. Arianna tried holding her breath, just to erase the sounds within her own body, but then her heart beat faster, drowning out the female’s voice yet again.
The world spun, then sucked her in, and suddenly Arianna wasn’t observing the tiny ember from a distance. She was kneeling above it, her knees digging into the moist rock, that little plate directly to her right-hand side. She stared at it, trying to piece together exactly how she’d gotten here.
How—droplets echoed behind and around her, falling into pools of water she couldn’t see. The moisture had already begun seeping into her pants, dampening the fabric from her knees to ankles. She wasn’t wearing shoes.
A callused thumb brushed over the top of her right hand, jerking Arianna’s attention away from the small flame.
She tried to pull her hands away, but her body wouldn’t obey.
Her arms were relaxed, resting in another’s hands as if she’d intentionally placed them there.
Maybe they’d always been there, from the moment she’d first entered the cave.
Those hands reminded her of—she furrowed her brow.
More water trickled around her, mixing with the distant echo of the woman’s high-pitched, ethereal voice. She tried to focus on it again, tried to move her head to see who was holding her hands, who stood above her, where—
Breath. A soft noise. Hers and another’s. Arianna’s heart thundered in her chest, but she didn’t sense any danger.
The sound of dripping water grew louder.
Louder. Louder. She clenched her eyes shut, tried to pull her hands free to cover her ears.
Gods, why was it so loud? The woman’s voice rose too, piercing her ears.
Arianna clenched her jaw, fighting to break free.
Her head was pounding, the sound radiating through her in searing waves.
She was trapped. In chains. Unable to break free.
No … no, no, no.
Arianna pulled harder, fighting, screaming within her own mind because her body wouldn’t respond.
The wisp of smoke turned jagged, shooting at her wrists, clamping around them like shackles.
The hands holding hers tightened, grinding the delicate bones in her fingers until Arianna was sure they’d break.
She still couldn’t scream.
Then the smoke dove down her throat, burning, burning, burning.
ARIANNA BOLTED upright in bed, hand flying to her scorching throat as she gasped for air and fought against the invisible threat. Ice raced down her arms, breaking free to surround her body in its protective embrace.
She could feel the creature in her gut stirring, panic surging through her blood and bones.
Her breath came out in wisps of cold instead of smoke. Her eyes scanned the room quickly, searching for those hands that had been squeezing her own, trying to break the joints.
Nothing.
She was in a bed, not a cave. She was draped in a dry blanket, not clothing soaked in moisture, aside from the sweat now trickling down her back.
Arianna shivered and dropped her head into one hand, using the other to support herself as she struggled to remain upright.
This wasn’t the first time she’d woken like this. The pain radiating down her spine was a reminder of all the other times. Had she experienced the nightmare before? It felt familiar and terrifying all at once.
Gods, her head was pounding. Emotions swelled through her, coming from a fractured section of her soul.
She couldn’t make sense of it. The fear and madness.
The euphoria and despair. It all wound together, twisting through her heart, blending and pulling until she felt as if she might split in half.
Arianna placed her hand over her chest, feeling the steady beat. Real, she reminded herself. This was real. This moment. This room. The breath moving through her lungs.
Crippling grief assaulted her, and Arianna gripped her tunic in a fist. It was always the first thing to greet her upon waking. A longing for home.
A home she’d never return to.
Levea was … gone. Destroyed. Everything she’d ever known. The place where her mother had raised her and Ellie. The training rings where she’d first held a blade and hoped to impress her father. The little tea shop around the corner. The waterfall where the Fairy Folk had first appeared to her.
The library.
Her mother’s belongings.
Trinkets to remind her of her childhood.
It was all gone.
Vairik had destroyed everything. The Dark Fae—her shoulders shook.
The couple who’d kindly allowed them to use their home had fetched reports from a nearby town, making certain to avoid the false Ashling, or at least what was left of it.
The pair had traveled unseen, with Raevina tailing in her falcon form. Not for the couple’s protection, but to ensure the two didn’t try to turn them over. Raevina wasn’t taking any chances where Arianna’s safety was concerned.
Thanks to the Dark Fae, there were apparently refugees everywhere. The pair hadn’t returned with promising news. Levea was indeed gone, and no one had any idea whether the citizens had made it out alive.
Arianna clenched her jaw. She’d been in this bed for two days, but Levea had been destroyed long before that. There was absolutely nothing she could have done to prevent it.
She remembered how the Dark Fae had swarmed the village she’d resided in after Ruadhán’s destruction. She could still hear the Fae screaming as those dark creatures tore them apart. The scent of their rancid blood haunted her.
Images flashed through her mind’s eye. Mangled bodies, sharp teeth, fire, ice, shadows. Arianna covered her ears, hoping to drown out all the noise. Gods, why was everything so loud?
Is that how it had been in Levea? Had the guards been able to sound the alarm? Had her father fought on the front line? Had he given his life to ensure the citizens could escape, or had they been caught unawares? Were they all just … gone?
Arianna let her hands fall and stared at her palms. She wasn’t innocent anymore. She had blood on her hands, too. Is that what all this was about? Were the gods punishing their chosen one because she’d done the one thing she wasn’t supposed to do?
Zylah had been there when she’d first woken, but Arianna couldn’t pinpoint the time or day.
Had it been only a few hours ago? Yesterday?
The day before? She was mostly healed thanks to her friend.
They were friends, right? Even that fact felt …
muddled. Locked behind thick frosted glass that prevented her from seeing clearly.
Still, even with the runes, deep bruising remained throughout her body, leaving every muscle fiber stiff and aching.
Arianna fell back onto the pillows and stared at the ceiling. They’d escaped Vairik’s grasp for now. She remembered that much. She also knew they’d been hoping the vile male and Niall had perished in the blast.
Neither had.
It was another piece of information Raevina had gathered while scouting with the two that had taken them in. Their only consolation was knowing Vairik hadn’t found them yet, which likely meant the male didn’t know whether they were still alive.
He’d issued a warrant for their arrest and had sent out scouts, but their efforts felt half-hearted at best. Maybe Vairik’s warriors weren’t as loyal as they’d all previously assumed.
A small fortune in a sea of unfortunate events.