Chapter 64
Draevyn
Draevyn stood at the mouth of the cave, the air thick with salt as the yawning black maw gaped before them. Every instinct in his body screamed to turn back. To go after Esmyra and follow her to the shores regardless of her plan.
But he promised her he would listen, and though he ached to, he had no intention of breaking it.
Beside him, Jak’s voice cut through the silence. “I never wanted to set foot here again.”
Draevyn gave a humorless grunt, his jaw tight as he studied the shadows beyond the stone. “Nor did I.”
Jak clapped him on the shoulder. “She’s going to be okay.”
The veins in his neck tightened almost painfully, only giving a curt nod in answer. He knew in any other circumstance Esmyra would be more than okay. But Syrena didn’t play fair, and time wasn’t on their side. Mainly he was just worried about her being alone.
The crew shuffled behind them, weapons clutched as their eyes darted like nervous animals.
“Listen well,” Draevyn barked, voice carrying over the waves crashing against the jagged shore. “You’ll follow close. Touch nothing. Not the walls, not the moss, not a single godsdamn rock. Do you understand?”
A murmur of uneven ayes rippled through them.
Atlas crossed his arms, glaring at the cave as though it might bite. “Never did I think I’d return here. Let alone with the lot I captured on this very shore.”
“Aye, well on that much we agree,” Jak growled, eyes narrowing.
It was clear there was still a significant amount of tension between Atlas and the crew, but Draevyn would have none of it.
“Enough!” he snapped, whirling on them. “It could take hours on foot to get through to the other side, so we have to move quickly. You all can be at each other’s throats tomorrow when this is all said and done with, and our girls are safe.”
Atlas nodded. “Apologies, Brother.” His grey eyes drifted to Jak as shadows danced around his wrist. “Old habits and all. I’m still learning the kingly ways.”
“You’re no king of mine,” Jak snarled.
Atlas cocked his head and winked.
Oh, fucking Irah.
Draevyn drew a slow breath then let it out like a curse. “Let’s just hope the wards are truly down. If they’re not, we’ll never get through.”
A hush followed his words, broken only by the howling wind.
Boots scuffed against damp stone as they stepped into the cave’s mouth, the air shifting instantly. It brought a frigid chill to his skin, carrying the stench of brine and mildew.
Draevyn lifted a hand, a spark flaring in his palm before it roared to life, chasing the darkness back. The firelight licked across the walls, painting the crew in hues of orange and gold.
Behind him, Atlas’s voice cut in. “My shadows can scout ahead and see what lies further.”
Draevyn gave him a stiff nod. “Do it.”
Atlas’s hands weaved subtle movements, and from his fingertips, darkness peeled away from the torchlight, unraveling into thin, writhing streams. They slithered forward along the cave floor and walls, darting into narrow passages.
The crew watched, their stares uneasy, as the shadows vanished into the black.
“Uhhh, Jak,” Riven muttered under his breath, pressing his hand against the wall.
“Riv, what the hells did we say about touching things?” Jak barked. But then he looked closer, golden eyes wide. “Oh gods. The markings… they’re gone.”
Others glanced to the walls, their whispers swelling. Where the runes matching Esmyra’s markings had once been etched into every inch of rock, there was nothing but bare, smooth stone. It was as if the cave itself had been scrubbed clean.
Draevyn’s jaw clenched, the fire in his palm burning hotter. “What could this possibly mean?”
Jak stepped up to his side, placing his palm on the wall. They looked at each other then. “Maybe this is a sign Esmi was right, and the wards really are down.”
“I’m lost,” Atlas drawled. “What are you looking for exactly?”
Draevyn ran a hand through his hair in frustration and turned to address them all.
“While I know most of you weren’t present for our first little adventure in this shithole, when we were here before, there were runes carved into the walls.
They were identical to the ones marking Esmyra’s skin.
Because of this, her presence acted like a key, unlocking hidden gateways and passages that moved us further into the cave and eventually into Maerinys. ”
They all glanced around, staring at the rocks.
“And well, as you can see, they’re no longer here.” He turned back toward the direction they were headed. “We press on. We’re losing moonlight.”
The words spread ripples of dread through the crew as they followed him deeper into the dark.
The tunnel widened, the sound of their footsteps echoing. Draevyn lifted his flame higher as they stepped into the clearing—the same place where he and Esmyra had once fallen through.
He remembered the feel of stone giving way beneath him as he tackled her out of the way from the falling boulders. Then came the plunge into blackness, and the icy lake that met them at the bottom.
But now… the cliff was gone.
The space yawned open in front of them, but the sheer drop didn’t exist. The jagged maw that had swallowed them was now filled in, smoothed over as if the earth itself had risen alongside Maerinys to mend its wound.
Draevyn froze, a cold knot tightening in his gut. His flame sputtered for half a second as confusion gnawed at him.
“What the hells?” Jak whispered from beside him, and when he looked down, he watched as the owl shifter’s stare whirled in all directions. “Did we take a wrong turn?”
“No,” he whispered, taking a step forward. “But at least it seems the wards are gone.”
Atlas stepped forward and lifted his hand, shadows coiling and spilling from his fingertips like smoke once more. They slid across the stone, creeping ahead into the darkness, fanning out along walls, across the new stretch of solid ground where the cliff had once gaped open.
The crew held their breath, watching the tendrils vanish into the farthest recesses of the cavern.
“The passage continues on for a few miles,” Atlas said. “I sense no signs of life yet.”
Draevyn’s jaw tightened. He knew better than any of them that no life didn’t necessarily mean no danger. Still, time was strangling them. With the blood moon burning overhead, they didn’t have the luxury of crawling through the dark.
“Good,” he said, though the word tasted bitter. “Then we move.”
He didn’t wait for anyone to debate and broke into a run as they all followed suit. The cave swallowed them again, one twisting passage after another for several miles as they sprinted through.
The path sloped lower with every stride, the air thickening with the cave’s humidity.
Draevyn’s flame stretched long against the walls, and then he noticed the rough stone of the cavern giving way to something unnatural.
The cave was narrowing once more, but these walls appeared to have been hollowed out, smoothed and polished.
His gut tightened as the memory of this place came rushing back.
And then came the proof of a charred husk slumped against the wall, limbs curled in upon themselves. It was one of the hundreds of twisted corpses he and Esmyra had left behind.
“What in all hells is that?” Jak bellowed.
“Krechuums.” Draevyn slowed, his steps crunching over old bones before they all finally came to a halt, out of breath.
He could still remember the smell of their burning, rotting flesh, and the sound of Esmyra’s voice screaming for him as they’d fought to survive.
“Those monsters are real?!” Ren shouted out from behind them.
“When Esmyra and I were down here, these things dropped down from the ceiling by the hundreds. Maybe even thousands.” Draevyn’s eyes drifted upward as he lifted his flame higher, and everyone’s wary eyes followed. “We had to burn our way through them, and even then, we nearly didn’t make it out.”
The crew muttered under their breath, their wide eyes darting to the carcasses as the stench of ash and rot clung in the air.
Draevyn’s gaze swept over them. “We’re close,” he admitted. “So be on alert and keep your blades ready.”
“How much farther?” Jak muttered.
“Maybe another half mile. Perhaps less.” Draevyn let out a breath. “If nothing else has changed, this will lead to an old temple. And from there we can make our way to the castle.”
Several nods and whispered ayes were the only answer he received before turning on his heel to head back through.
Eventually, the air shifted, feeling less damp against his skin. Ahead, the faint glow of merlights illuminated the far end of the passage.
The temple.
He turned to them and pressed a finger to his lips, giving them a knowing look.
As they crept forward, he realized it was no longer as it had once been.
Where ruin and collapse had once reigned was now stone rebuilt.
The closer they drew, the clearer it became.
The columns were repaired, barnacles and moss scrubbed from the walls as their pearlescent sheen shone brightly in the teal light.
Draevyn tucked them against the shadows at the mouth of the passage, his flame doused in his palm as Atlas's shadows stretched out like living smoke, concealing them.
They crouched low, watching.
Several guards ringed the temple’s outer steps, the tips of their spears gleaming. There was a dozen at least on this side alone. Maybe more.
Draevyn glanced sideways to find his brother’s eyes were already on him. They shared a smirk, already knowing what the other was thinking.
“No need to tire out the crew,” Atlas murmured, his voice laced with cold amusement.
Draevyn nodded once, his jaw setting. “Couldn’t agree more.”
He turned to Jak. “Keep the crew hidden until I say otherwise.”
“That’s bullshit,” Jak shot back.
Draevyn’s eye twitched.
Jak must’ve sensed the shift in him, because without another word he was giving a curt nod. “Aye.”
And then the brothers moved.
Together, they stepped out from the passage, beyond the cloak of darkness. Draevyn brought two fingers to his lips and loosed a sharp, piercing whistle that split the air, the sound echoing across the temple.
Every guard’s head snapped toward them, stiffening at the sight of flame and shadow.
The whistle lingered, and for a breath, there was silence. Then came the shouting, followed by the thunderous clang of steel striking stone as several of them drove the pommels of their spears against the floor.
“Intruders!” one of them bellowed. “Tell Azarian!”
Absolutely fucking not.
The guards raced forward, weapons raised, but Draevyn’s stare held on the male running toward the exit.
The fire in his chest surged like a second heartbeat, and his chin tilted slightly toward the fleeing man.
The guard didn’t make it three steps before flames burst along his back. A high-pitched scream erupted from him only a second before the fire consumed him completely. His body twisted, blackened, and collapsed into a cloud of ash.
“No one’s warning anyone.” Draevyn’s eyes cut toward Atlas, whose grin only widened.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you, Brother,” Atlas said with a laugh.
Fire flared to life in Draevyn’s palms, hurling it in a sweeping arc. A wall of flame roared across the temple steps, splitting the guard line and forcing them back. Their cries tore through the air as the fire licked at shields and scorched armor.
From the corner of his eye, Atlas was already moving. His brother’s shadows spilled like black ink across the ground, reaching for ankles and throats. A man screamed as he was yanked off his feet, shadows twisting tight until he suffocated beneath their crushing weight.
Draevyn pressed forward as a guard lunged, spearpoint glinting in the firelight before melting beneath its heat.
The man’s shock consumed him, his jaw falling open as he watched his weapon turn into nothing but a heap of liquid silver at his feet.
With a snarl, Draevyn shoved his fist into the man’s chest, flame bursting outward with an eruption that left the guard convulsing before crumpling into a heap of smoke.
Atlas’s laugh echoed in the chaos as he slipped through the room like a phantom, his shadows dragging men into the dark, where their screams were cut short. The two of them moved like they had trained for this exact moment their entire lives. Separate, yet perfectly in sync.
A man gurgled and fell at Draevyn’s boots as a knife of darkness cut straight through his throat. He caught his brother’s smirk from across the steps and couldn’t help but grin back.
Fucking Irah, if it were any other circumstance, this would be a bit fun.
One guard after another fell, flames devouring as shadows swallowed.
The scent of scorched flesh mingled with the iron tang of blood.
And by the time the last man dropped, the brothers stood side-by-side on the steps that led to the statues of Kaelypso and Naerysa.
Their chests heaved as firelight and darkness curled together around them.
“Not much of a warm welcome,” Draevyn huffed.
Atlas flashed his teeth. “Then let’s knock a little louder, shall we?”
Together, they turned their eyes to the cavern they came from, where the crew all stood together, eyes wide in disbelief.
“Aye,” Draevyn breathed. “Let’s go get our girls.”