Chapter 22 #3
Mirella appears in front of me and gives me a sweet smile as she extends her hand. For a second, she’s the girl from the roof again, the one who wanted to not belong with me.
I keep my hand back. “Was everything all right? With Renel?”
Her posture stiffens. “He’s grumpy and he hates me, but he’s safe by the riverbank.”
I take a deep breath, aware that my words might make her hate me. “You said you didn’t like the person you were, when you taunted Renel, but you never said you cared about how he felt.”
“He hates me. Always has. What am I going to do?”
“Don’t use your air magic on him.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Not now, but I mean in the future—”
“I’m not that silly, pathetic little girl anymore.”
“Then tell him. Tell him you don’t want to hate him and don’t want him to hate you. Say you feel bad for what you did.”
“Does he feel bad?”
“That’s his problem. And as far as I’ve heard, he was reacting to you. You said you wanted to belong, didn’t you? You might need to take the first step; you might need to show them you’re no longer the same pathetic girl. You’re different now.”
She huffs. “Belonging with Renel wasn’t really what I had in mind, Ziven.”
“Right. Because all you care about is the cool fae with the powerful magic.”
“You’re talking like Renel.”
“Is he wrong?”
“He is. I’m being nice to you, and you’re human!”
I keep myself from rolling my eyes, or else I’ll dislocate them. “Right. I’m inferior. Anyway, are you still willing to take me to the riverbank?”
She looks down. “I didn’t mean to say you’re inferior.”
“We need to go. We don’t know if this place is safe.”
Mirella huffs and takes my hand, and then the world disappears for a second, and we emerge by the Queen’s River, where Renel and Tarlia are standing, holding hands. At least these two stopped acting like five-year-olds, and that’s some good news.
Renel raises his eyebrows. “Did you have any trouble?”
“No. Why?” I ask.
“You took a while,” he says. “We were getting worried.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “Your worry is appreciated.”
He frowns. “Are you being sarcastic?”
“No. And I truly appreciate what you did for Tarlia. I think even going to the Misty Court was the right call. You’re a good…” I can’t exactly call him a friend. “Fae.” I glance at him and Tarlia. “I’m happy for you.”
Tarlia smiles. “Thank you.”
For a second, I do wonder why I don’t feel even a slight bit of jealousy, why I don’t look at Tarlia and wonder what could have been between us.
Mirella crosses her arms. “Are we just going to stand here, waiting for some ghouls or bloodpuppets to come and get us?”
“I’ll write to Lidiane,” I say, and pull the transcending note.
Renel looks around. “We could try to find the island.” He points further up the river. “It must be in that direction, where it’s wider. It’s not an easy walk, though.”
“Especially at night,” Tarlia adds.
Indeed, some parts of the riverbank are covered in rocks, or taken by thick vegetation, with no clear path.
I ask, “How do I describe where we are?”
Mirella hesitates, then says, “A circle by the Queen’s River, in the part where it has no islands.”
I could have come up with that same description, but I don’t say anything. I take the note and tell them we’re here. I almost add that the Witch King attacked the Misty Court, as I figure it’s something they should know, but decide to tell them in person or write again later, if they don’t come.
I place the note back in my pocket and sigh. “Now we wait.”
Renel nods. “We need to remain alert. Anything could find us, and we don’t know if they have a way to trace us.”
Tarlia chuckles. “Cheerful thoughts.” She then grimaces. “Realistic, though.”
Indeed. Anything could find us. I pay attention to the sounds, and hear crickets chirping, the wind on leaves, and the water running. There’s nothing else around us.
At least for now.
MARLAK
My heart is going to break into a thousand pieces, and I want to smack Azur, standing before me with a smug expression.
“Where is she?” I have to make an effort not to yell.
Azur is annoyingly calm. “My bond to the Witch King—”
“Where’s Astra?” I’ll die if I have to hear him speaking nonsense.
He blinks. “In the Heart of Magic. Or nearby. At least she was there, I believe.”
My chest sinks as I realize it’s only conjecture, that he doesn’t truly know anything for sure. “Why do you think that?”
“My bond to the Witch King was cut. It was less than an hour ago that I felt it. Before, I was feeling his pull stronger than ever. So something happened. Now, I’ve felt a bond being cut before, when Astra cut most of the bonds, and it was similar.
She did it in the Heart of Magic, right?
And it’s in the Shadow Lands, so it makes sense. ”
And yet I can’t feel her. I can’t feel her, and the thought is burning through me.
“There’s a circle near the heart, but in another room,” Ferer says. “I was there with her. But it’s an exit circle.”
Azur says, “I can transcend anywhere, even to an exit circle.”
That doesn’t make sense. “Even if you don’t know where it is? If you’ve never been there?”
The blond fae looks at me. “You can see thoughts, right? And send thoughts, can’t you?”
“Yes. So?”
“Ferer can show you where the heart is, from his memory, then you show it to me, and we transcend.”
The idea sounds crazy, and then there’s another problem. “What if she’s not there?”
“We’ll keep looking,” Azur says.
The thought of trusting Azur fills me with dread, but it’s nothing compared to my worry for Astra.
Azur then glances at Lidiane. “Come with us. It’s not safe for you to be alone here.”
I frown, more than puzzled. “Not safe? What do you mean?”
“We’ll tell you after you get Astra,” Lidiane says. “It’s not urgent.” She turns to Azur. “And I can go to my house.”
He shakes his head. “No. Stay close. We don’t know if they can track you.” The fear and worry is clear in his voice, which makes me even more confused.
“Who?” I ask.
Lidiane waves a hand. “The Sea Court, but it’s a long story. Let’s get Astra first. I’ll come with you.”
I can’t imagine how anyone from that court would pass through Nymph territory and get here, but it’s true that right now I’m more worried about Astra.
Ferer extends his arm, and I touch it. The first thing I get is anger.
So much anger. Anger at Azur, taking advantage of my little sister, deceiving her.
Then I’m with Astra, surrounded by her light in a forest at night.
Ghouls surround us. We walk to a strange, abandoned castle, with a stairway covered with vines.
On top we pass by a room with glass on the floor, then head to another room with a transcending circle.
I feel that circle calling me, connecting with other circles I know. A door leading to other doors.
I extend my other hand and nod to Azur, who touches it. Then I send him that image, that feeling about that circle, the sensation of being there, standing by it.
“Got it,” Azur says.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes,” he replies as he looks at Ferer, his expression troubled.
I wonder if some of Ferer’s hatred for him passed through the thought I sent him, even if I tried to avoid it.
Ferer then asks, “Can you get there without me?”
Azur closes his eyes. “I believe so.”
“Then I’ll stay with my sister.”
I sigh. “How did the Sea Court even get here?”
“Flying,” Lidiane says. “A carriage pulled by dark moths.”
That’s disturbing, as I recall what Ziven saw. “Zorwal had a carriage with dark creatures too. The Sea Court flew here?”
“The Queen and some of her guards,” Lidiane says. “I don’t think they’ll return right away.”
“You don’t know,” Azur says.
“I was alone and unaware,” Lidiane says. “But now I’ll keep an eye on the sky. And if Ferer’s here, I’ll be all right. Once everyone returns, we can think about going somewhere else. Now go and find Astra.”
I tap her shoulder. “Take care.”
She gives me a tense smile, then looks at Azur, her eyes full of yearning and worry.
He runs a finger on her face, then says, “I’ll be right back.” He looks at Ferer. “I do love your sister, you know?”
Ferer crosses his arms and shrugs. “I guess.”
Azur smirks. “You’re guessing right.” He turns to me. “Let’s transcend from the riverbank. It’s easier. I’ll meet you there.”
He walks to the edge of the island and uses air magic to push him across. I turn to the siblings, wave goodbye, then float across the water, and meet Azur at the riverbank.
Only now that I’m here, alone with him, I recall that he wanted to kill me not even three days ago, and ask, “Are you planning on betraying me?”
He narrows his eyes. “Let me make a few things clear.” He’s using his smug, annoying tone. “I don’t like you, Marlak. Don’t like your superior attitude, and despise the way you treated your brother.”
“What way?”
“If you can’t be bothered to notice it, why should I tell you?
But that’s not the point. Lidiane likes you.
And I love her. Ferer likes you. He hates me, but he’s still Lidiane’s brother.
You seem to like them both, maybe even love them, in a fraternal way, and I appreciate that.
Astra loves you. She saved my life, I saved hers, and we swore loyalty to each other.
I like her. Because of that, I’ll never, ever, even dream of harming you in any way, despite the way I feel.
Now, I trust that you like Lidiane enough not to harm me either, isn’t that so? ”
I sigh. “I was never planning on killing or hurting you to begin with.”
“Of course.” He huffs, then extends his hand. “Anyway. Let’s save Astra. I’m worried too, in case you didn’t notice.”
For some reason, I hesitate. “You can transcend without holding hands, can’t you?”
He rolls his eyes. “First, you already touched me. Second, I found the cure to the magical poisoning. You’ll get contaminated, for sure, but it will be fine.”
“Right.” I take his hand, and realize I might have been unfair. “Thank you. For this.”
“Fae don’t thank, Marlak, but if you really wish to do so, wait until Astra’s safe.”
The riverbank and the stars above us disappear, and then we’re standing on a castle with windows leading to a blue sky and a forest far away, with a circle marked with clear crystals on the floor.
My first thought is that it looked different in Ferer’s mind, but then, memories are never perfect.
Astra’s not here, but the heart is in a different room.
I head to the door, open it, and it’s all black.
It’s black not like a dark sky, but a blackness that seems to pull all the light from around it. Nothingness.
“Don’t.” Azur pulls me back.
“What’s this?”
His eyebrows crease. “I… do not know.”
Something’s very wrong. I try to reach through my bond, reach Astra, and all I get is the same darkness. Emptiness.
“She’s there,” I say.
“Right. But let’s think. Step into that void, and we might never come back.”
But if Astra’s there, that’s where I’m going.
Azur tightens his grip around me, almost as if he’s guessing my thoughts. “Marlak! Don’t be foolish. We need to get her out of there.”
“How?”
“We’ll figure it out. Let’s think. Ten minutes, Marlak. Ten minutes won’t kill her.”
“You don’t know that.” My voice is almost a grunt.
“Dying with her won’t fix anything. We need to figure out a way to go there and pull her back.”
“Can’t you transcend there?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anything like this. Can you focus on your bond? Try to find her? Feel where she is, even if it’s faint. Then send me the thought.”
I close my eyes. There’s only emptiness. So much emptiness, making me empty inside.