Chapter 22 #2
He looks into my face again, a playful smirk on his lips.
It’s so good to see him like that, relaxed, happy, joyful.
The sight warms my heart. I notice that he’s not even wearing his hat, either glamour or real, and yet he looks so relaxed, so himself.
I guess that’s the real Azur, hidden for so long under layers and layers. This Azur is easy to love.
Easy on the eyes, too.
“What?” he asks.
“I like to see you like that.”
“This is not my best angle.” He places his head between my legs and kisses my inner thigh, then looks at me. “Isn’t this better?”
“I like all your angles.”
He touches my underpants. “I have an important question. If I remove this, will you still be wet?”
I chuckle. “A little.”
“Let’s make it a lot, then.” He pulls down my drenched underpants at once.
I close my eyes, waiting for his touch, when a sound startles me. He stops.
“Astra!” a voice comes from the hallway. It’s Marlak, and he sounds panicked.
Azur huffs. “I really hate him, you know?”
Right now, even I hate Marlak.
“One minute!” Azur says as he gets up quickly.
He dries my clothes with air magic and tosses them to me, then he puts on his shirt while I get dressed.
I open the door and see Marlak and my brother.
“Have you seen Astra?” Marlak asks, desperation coating his features and his face.
Azur raises a hand, showing the small puncture on his finger. “I gave her some of my blood because she absolutely insisted, even if I told her it wasn’t a good idea, but that was some ten hours ago.” A crease forms on his forehead. “What happened?”
“She found me,” Marlak says. “Then defeated the Witch King. Temporarily, I think.”
“Temporarily?” I choke on the word, my hope quashed at once.
“Yes, and we escaped the ghouls. But then the giants got us.” He notices Azur’s hand on my waist. “You’re touching her?”
“He found a cure,” I say. My words seem to appease Marlak a little, but my brother still stares at us in horror. I ignore him and ask the question that matters. “What happened to Astra?”
Marlak blinks, still clearly distressed. “We were in one of the giants’ cities, in a cage. Nelsin took her from our prison, and said he’d bring her here. He promised. But she’s not here. And where’s Renel?”
I sigh. “Renel went to the Crystal Castle, to rescue Tarlia.”
Marlak takes a deep breath and covers his eyes with his hand. “They were probably caught.”
“No,” I say. “They were on the way to the Misty Court, last time they wrote. I gave them my transcending note.”
“Misty Court?” He grimaces. “And I still don’t know where Astra is.”
“Marlak, reach through your bond,” Azur says, his voice grave.
“As if I hadn’t done that!” Marlak waves a hand in the air, his tone frantic. “I get nothing. Nothing, just emptiness.”
The anguish in his voice twists my heart and makes me worry for Astra.
Azur brings a hand to his chin, his expression thoughtful. “I might know where she is.”
ZIVEN
The Witch King is here, right in front of me. What a strange reality. I feel my heart beating and look around, searching for Mirella, and see her beside me. Too close to the old fae.
I wish my eyes were playing tricks on me as I try to digest this reality.
The Witch King. Here. Walking into the castle.
The air turns cold and strange and the light of the candles feel dimmed—but I can still feel some water in the air, and, more than that, I can still feel the water inside fae and people, even the Witch King, with blood and other fluids throughout his body.
My idea might be insane, but we’re screwed regardless, so it doesn’t hurt to try.
I focus—and freeze the Witch King, who falls on the floor. Can it really be that easy?
No, obviously, as the ghouls run in my direction. I pull Mirella close and create an ice layer around us, aware that it’s not going to last, surprised at my reflexes, but fearing the magic fatigue.
They hit the ice, likely desperate to avenge their master, while I feel like a powerless coward, and regret not running.
Mirella grimaces. “This is not going to work.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
She shakes her head. “No, but I don’t want to die yet.” Her tone is calm, resigned. I don’t even know how to reply, but then she adds, “Wait.”
“I’m not going anywhere, unfortunately.”
The ice behind me cracks, and as I elbow the creature pushing its arms through it, a gust of air reaches me.
“It’s back!” Mirella smiles, but then her joy fades. “But weak.”
The ice cracks, and a strong gust of wind around us keeps the ghouls away. I create ice on the floor, which makes some of them fall. More and more creatures attempt to breach the door, and then finally two guards advance, swords in hand, ready to fight them.
The Witch King’s still on the floor, frozen, his eyes open.
I create balls of ice to throw at the incoming ghouls, aware of the futility of it. Some fire here would be nice, but Renel and Tarlia are defending the other side.
I hear a loud crack, like something snapping.
The advancing ghouls stop, and I realize there’s wind on them, not from Mirella, but from the guards.
Then a powerful blast of wind reaches them and they fall back.
Mirella’s magic returned, I realize. She runs to the door, unafraid, and pushes the creatures, then runs to the other side and the window Renel defended, and pushes them all away too.
She creates a circle of wind surrounding the hill, dropping down any advancing ghouls.
The queen, who was hiding behind the fallen table, steps out of it, still wearing a skirt but no shirt.
I point down. “The Witch King…” Her eyes widen, and I add, “By the door. Frozen.”
We rush down the stairs, and she kneels by the old fae.
“Is he dead?” I ask.
“Was he even alive before?” the queen asks.
I shrug. “His body had blood and fluids, but… I don’t know.”
Renel and Tarlia come down as well, and the queen says, “I’ll put him in a safe cell, made to deter any magic, and call a water wielder to keep him frozen. Once you find and kill the anchors, come back for him.”
“You knew that?” Renel frowns.
The queen narrows her eyes and tilts her head. “Why wouldn’t I? You think I never read the books I own?”
He blinks. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
She places her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t you ask?”
I’m wondering if I should point out that she still hasn’t put on a blouse, or if I should keep pretending I haven’t noticed it.
“My apologies.” Renel bows and sounds actually apologetic. “Is there anything else we need to know? About how to defeat the anchors?”
She presses her lips together. “Fire magic, I suppose, but that’s as far as I know. Now, I truly appreciate your help, but I can keep the ghouls away for now. They will be gone when the morning comes. I’ll ask my guards to take you to a circle. Can you transcend?”
“I can.” Mirella raises her hand. “And can take the three of them with me.”
The queen stares at her up and down. “Hmm. A powerful transcender. Great.” She snaps her fingers, and a guard approaches. “Take them to the circle outside.”
My legs tremble when thinking of leaving the apparent safety of the castle, but I don’t complain. I glance back at the body of the Witch King, shivers running through my spine, but then follow the guard outside.
We climb some steps, then come to a small circle, where I take Tarlia’s and Mirella’s hands.
“Are you sure?” Renel asks his stepsister.
She nods, then the hill, the sky, and the castle disappear, and we’re among trees that are taller but more sparse than in the forests we were before. Moonlight rises above us, illuminating some mountains not far from us. The air is crisp and cool, with a fresh herbal scent.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“Southern Hills.” Renel points at the mountains. “Those are the Endless Mountains.”
“I was afraid they could follow us,” Mirella says. “And I can only go to circles where I’ve been before.”
“Now what?” Tarlia looks around. “Aren’t we supposed to go to the middle of these mountains?”
I pull the transcending note from my pocket. “I can write to them and tell them where we are. Then we wait.”
Mirella thinks. “No. I’ve been to the Queen’s River once, and we can go there. It won’t be by the island, but at least it will be closer. The only issue is that the circle is weaker, so I’ll need to do it slowly.”
Renel rolls his eyes. “Let me guess. You want me to go last.”
“I’ll go last.” I raise my hand. I don’t think she’ll leave me behind, or at least I hope not.
“Tarlia can go first.” Mirella reaches out to her.
“No.” Renel places a hand between them. “I don’t want her alone by the river. Can you take me first? And promise you won’t play any tricks?”
His anxiety, even fear, is palpable.
“No tricks, Renel.” Mirella rolls her eyes. “All I want is to get back to my brother.”
I find her tone flippant, cold, and not really the tone of someone who wants to find belonging again. For some reason, I feel disappointed, as if our moment on the roof had given me a glimmer of a different person, and I’m realizing that’s not who she is.
She takes his hand, and they disappear.
Tarlia stares at the empty space where they were, her expression mildly troubled. “Do you think they’ll be all right?”
“I suppose so. She promised no tricks, didn’t she?” I don’t know why I don’t mention that I noticed the tension between the step-siblings.
Maybe I don’t want to worry Tarlia. Maybe I’m still holding on to the hope that Mirella is not the monster Renel thinks she is. Maybe it’s because I know she doesn’t want to be that monster.
Tarlia sighs when she sees Mirella reappear a few seconds later. The two hold hands and then disappear.
For a second, I do fear being left behind, alone in a land I don’t know well, where so many enemies roam. Not that they’d target me—I hope.
I think back to when I froze Zorwal and the Witch King. I guess they could target me, and I touch the opus stone on my neck, the feel comforting, reminding me of my magic.