Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
My eyes snap open as I jolt up, chest heaving as I gasp for air, sucking down one greedy breath after another. My heart hammers beneath my ribcage as jitters spread throughout my body.
The thunderous crash of the waterfall is now too loud, my mind trying to reconcile the dream from reality. There is nothing in my hand, no branch at my side coated in blood. The sky is the dark blues and dusty oranges of dusk. Were we in the dream for too long?
But I’m awake. I glance over—
My hand flies up, covering my mouth when I see his skin is still gray.
I crawl over to Mikael, crushing flowers under my knees and swatting away pixies as I make my way to him. I rock back onto my shins, eyes wide, unsure of what to do.
I knew this might happen. How will I get the other parts of the riddles? Will they show up on me now?
My chest constricts, squeezing my lungs, with the realization that I’m not ready for this.
I can lead a company of soldiers and run a city, but this curse leaves me confounded.
Shuddering breaths come out from between my fingers.
I’m going to be sick. The muscles in my face contort, and I squeeze my eyes shut, no longer wanting to see him this way.
“What happened?” Mikael’s voice is a husky groan.
I startle, eyes flying open as a small squeak escapes and my mouth falls open in shock.
Mikael’s sitting up, fingers digging into the skin above his heart. Like he wasn’t just dead.
I drag my hands down my face and across my cheeks, trying to hide the tears that were slowly escaping their prison. I’ve cried more in the last few days than I have in a long time. I had shut off that emotion long ago, and he’s flipped that back on within a day.
“I feel funny.” He continues rubbing his chest with an odd expression on his face. “Are you crying?”
“You don’t remember anything?” I ignore his question. He obviously saw my tears.
“No. What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter. I think we passed whatever test that was.” If he doesn’t remember anything, then I am not going to explain. I don’t even know if I fully understand it, or why seeing him like that made me cry. Or rather, I’ll pretend like I don’t know.
Killing him is something I had thought about over and over in the last few centuries. I finally got to do the only thing I wanted after his betrayal. It didn’t feel as good as I thought it would.
“What happened?” he presses, but is interrupted by the pixie elder flying down and landing on my knee.
“The reward for your trust is a soul fragment,” she says.
“So, how does this work? Is there some glimmering orb that shoves itself back into my body?” Sarcasm laces my words. I’m ready to go back to the tavern for a drink.
“The fae is funny.” She looks between us. “Pixies do not know how curses work. Only that we were to be a part of your journey, lest we be cursed ourselves. The magic plays by its own rules.”
“But someone created the curse. So there have to be rules,” Mikael says.
“Perhaps you will feel like you need one less drink? Or your magic will restore itself?” The pixie looks me over with the finest hint of disgust.
I balk as she flies away, her laughter carried back to us on the evening breeze. My magic will restore itself? I didn’t think there was anything wrong with my magic, only that I hadn’t wanted to use it.
“Do not linger in the glen. We do not like to share what is sacred to us.” The last of her form disappears as she crests the top of the waterfall and dives into the water.
“Well, this curse is proving to be interesting,” Mikael says.
A furious itching ignites on my side. I rip off the top layers of clothing, leaving only my pants and bandeau, and run my nails over the skin where my bond tattoo is. The incessant itching won’t stop.
“Can I help you?” Mikael is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Unless you have a magic anti-itch potion, then no.” I push out through gritted teeth.
“Stop. Let me see.” Mikael puts his hand on mine and pulls it away from where I’m about to tear my skin off with my scratching. “Some of the lines covering up your bond tattoo are fading. Disappearing.”
“What?” I ask incredulously and flatten my breast to try and see my ribs.
“Maybe the curse attached itself to your tattoo because it’s linked to your soul?”
“If it’s attached to my tattoo, and therefore my soul, why aren’t you also cursed to die?” I shove his hands off and put my clothes back on, trying to ignore the sensation that lingers.
“Because I’m the one that stole it.” He rises to his feet and holds out a hand. “Let’s go.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.” I stand without his help and dust off my pants.
“Are you going to tell me what happened while I was unconscious?” He walks back toward the path we took to get down here, and I redress and join him.
“No. But this isn’t the same.” I press.
“It is. So, unless you want to tell me what happened, then my answer will remain that it’s because I’m the one that stole the necklace,” Mikael responds, not stopping to engage further, making it clear he isn’t willing to budge.
I curl my fingers into fists because I can’t argue. I won’t tell him what happened, and he’s not telling me the whole truth of this curse.
An awkward silence falls between us, making our ascent quicker than the way down.
Watching him climb, I can’t help but think of what just happened. I can no longer deny it—I never stopped loving him. But even so, there’s no way to repair what damage was done. It’s a deep hole in my heart, at the core of my soul, that has festered for too long.
Night takes over as we make it to the top, where the horses are still grazing on what grass they can find. I click my tongue, and they turn their heads in my direction. Not seeing any signs of stress, we make quick work of untying them.
I run a hand along my mare’s neck before placing my foot in the stirrup, stepping up and swinging my other leg around. Relaxing my shoulders, I settle into the saddle, ready to leave this place and return to Varithen.
The light of the moon, almost at its fullest, gives us enough light to travel by.
Once we exit the outcropping, the same blank canvas greets us: a flat landscape with nothing but blades of grass gently waving when a current of air passes over them.
The melody of the night accompanies us, trilling insects and hooting owls.
More than I want the silence, I want to know what to do next.
“How do we activate the next riddle?” I ask.
It’s something I’ve been wondering since we left the pixie glen. The first riddle disappeared, taking some of the ink covering my bond with it. The edges of the double infinity are now visible.
I have a bad feeling that in breaking the curse, it’s going to continue to remove what I did to our bond. I will live, but I will have to feel his presence again. I’m going to have to track down the mage who did the coverup again, and it wasn’t easy to find him the first time.
Mikael rides closer to me, pulling me from my thoughts, his knee almost touching mine.
“Is it safe for me to try touching you again? Unless you have other ideas?” he asks softly.
“You would enjoy that. Me, not so much.” I swat his chest with the back of my hand. His laugh echoes around us, loud against the quiet of the night. I continue, ignoring him.
“Let’s figure it out when we get back to the Cracked Fang.”
“Is that a good idea? Will your father make another surprise visit?” Mikael asks.
“I doubt it. He hates the city. I always think it’s me he can’t stand, even though he says otherwise.” My lips press together as my brows crease.
My father has never stood up for me. His loyalty has always been to the crown and our king. I understand why, but it would have been nice if I could have leaned on him in those dark days. Now our relationship has been splintered by duty.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Mikael says, so softly the night almost claims his words before they reach me.
“I know, but it doesn’t make the shame I carry any less.
I was almost banished after what happened.
The king, because of my father’s influence, stationed me at this small, rotting city to keep it under control.
They didn’t expect me to make it flourish.
I’ve made up for my part in the battle as best as I can. ”
“You don’t owe anyone anything. You should not carry the shame of that battle. Our kings started that fight. Not us.” A hint of anger laces his words, then it softens as he continues. “We got caught in the middle. I hate that you’ve carried this for so long.”
“I don’t want your pity. We knew what we were getting into when we stayed together. Bonded our souls.”
Mikael raises his hands in concession. “We did.”
“What happened to you after the battle?” I’ve wanted to know since it happened. Drove myself crazy, thinking about every possible reason why he betrayed me and the fae, and what he got out of it.
“I continued to loathe my king and his twisted idea of loyalty. He’s a cruel ruler that didn’t deserve the throne.” Mikael’s voice hardens, anger lacing his words. His knuckles turn white on the reins. “Patience is something I…”
Mikael’s response trails off, and he sits up straighter. His nostrils flare, and he turns his head, looking around. “I think we should continue on in silence.”
I look around and don’t see anything, but we are still in Varnox territory and I trust his hearing. The dark mass of the forest to the northwest grows as we get closer, the tops of the trees now illuminated by the light of the moon. We continue on, with only the night as our companion.
My mind replays Mikael’s response. I wasn’t expecting the anger that came with it. I want to know more—need to know—now that we’re reunited. It drove me mad not knowing what was worth breaking our vows and forsaking our bond.
Based on the moon’s descent, we’ve been riding for an hour since Mikael’s warning. I can barely keep my eyes open. “Let’s stop. The beasts don’t normally roam this far north. I can hear the river just ahead where we can rest.”
I wanted to ride through the night to get back to Varithen, but the exhaustion settling into my bones makes it clear that isn’t going to happen.
The mental effort of the trial drained me just as much as any physical trial would have—maybe even more.
I take a deep breath, and my exhale turns into a yawn.
My desire to bathe and sleep is stronger than wanting to continue.
“As you wish.” Mikael pivots his horse and heads in the direction I point out.
The gentle rush of water gets louder as we approach the narrow river that cuts through the land, guiding water from the mountain out to sea.
The sparsely populated area makes it harder to spot Varnox, but I doubt we’ll have an encounter.
I guide my horse to the water’s edge to drink before I dismount.
When my legs touch solid ground, I almost collapse from exhaustion.
“I’m going to bathe,” I announce, more to myself than him.
Mikael dismounts and stretches, pulling off his leather jacket and tunic, and nods. “I’ll go after you.”
When he walks away, I remove my layers of clothing and stuff them into my saddlebag. I pull out clean clothes, including a blanket to dry off with, and drape them over the saddle.
“You know, you don’t have to hide behind your horse,” Mikael says.
I look over the horse’s hindquarters to see Mikael squatting a few feet away, digging out some of the earth before piling sticks and leaves together.
“I’m being considerate. So you don’t get aroused for nothing,” I call out.
“Ah. So considerate. Many thanks.” He looks at me before returning his attention to the fire he’s trying to start. I could try my magic again, but I enjoy watching him struggle.
“My pleasure.” I wrap my hair into a bun atop my head, then ask him, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’ll be small, so I can heat some water over it for tea. We both need some, and I always carry the dried mixture with me. Don’t you remember?”
“Yes.” I hide my smile, recalling the many times he made us some, referring to it as his “magic” tea.
A blend he learned from his mother, who was a healer before becoming a vampire.
He was a teenager when it happened, but she never told him until he was old enough to understand what it meant to choose eternity. Then she offered him immortality.
I don’t know if I’d want to live forever, given the option. But, if he hadn’t turned, I never would have found what an epic love was like—even if it ended in heartbreak.
Cold water rushes over my toes as I step into the stream. The source comes from the snowcapped mountains to the west. The river is shallow at this part of its path, more like a stream during the dry season.
When I reach the middle, the water only reaches my shins, a perfect depth for taking a bath. I slowly lower myself, easing into the cool temperature, before resting my back on the rocky bottom and close my eyes.
Water flows over my bare skin, coming just under my breasts. My hair, loosened from its bun, floats around me as I breathe deeply and close my eyes.
I won’t stay here for long, but being one with nature in this way centers me, connecting me to the source of magic in our world. It flows through every living thing, thousands of tiny invisible threads pulsing with energy.
I still deeply respect the magic of our land, which is another reason why what happened devastated me. The guilt crushed me. I don’t deserve to use my magic.
But lying here naked, surrounded by the flowing water and the magic contained within it comforts and calms me. It takes some of the pain away.
Muffled sounds break through my thoughts. I lift my head to hear better, opening my eyes.
I jolt up and wrap my arms around my exposed breasts.
Mikael’s heels are at the edge of the bank with his two swords drawn. He’s facing four vampires, dressed in all black leathers that have taut bows raised, arrows pointed at me.