29. Benedetto
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
BENEDETTO
We’d had three weeks of travel without any real incidents, and I was feeling more and more nervous. The ghouls had said there would be opposition. I’d hoped it would be scattered rather than concentrated near the pass.
We’d made good time and only had a few days left of hard travel to get to the pass. Which meant these next few days were going to be very dangerous.
The flickering light of the dying campfire cast dancing shadows over Luna’s hair and face as she kept watch.
Pip had vanished into the branches above us. He’d proved a decent hunter over the past weeks, and willing enough to share his catch so we often had fresh meat for the pot.
Biter and Dawn chewed, their occasion snorts a comfortable background.
I closed my eyes, willing sleep to come, and found myself standing outside Francesco's door in the d’Alvarez manor in Legnali, a room I hadn't seen in years. My chest tightened with a sense of dread.
Francesco's muffled words drifted through the wooden door. I pushed it open and stepped inside. My brother sat on the floor, knees pulled to his chest, eyes wide and haunted. Blood stained his fingertips and streaked his arms and face where he’d clawed at himself.
"Bene," he said urgently. "You're being used."
"Francesco, it's me. What are you talking about?"
"Her." He rocked back and forth. "She only wants your ruin. She'll destroy everything, she already has."
“Who?” I tried to keep my voice soothing, though blood drummed in my ears.
His dark eyes suddenly locked onto mine with terrifying lucidity. "She'll bind you with a child. That's her plan."
A jolt of pain lanced through my chest. He was talking about Luna. But it couldn't be true, could it?
"You think she loves you. But it's all a lie. She's doing this for her own gain. For power."
I shook my head and backed away. "No, you're wrong. She was ordered to share my bed, yes, but she's been honest about that. She seems to care about me."
Harsh, mocking laughter burst from Francesco's throat. "Care for you? She'll be the end of you. Mark my words."
I jerked awake with a gasp. The ghostly echoes of Francesco's laughter still rang in my ears. Cold sweat coated my skin as the first pale light of dawn filtered through the trees.
Luna turned to the sudden movement, then away as I nodded at her to signal I was fine.
Running a hand over my face, I tried to calm my racing thoughts. It was just a dream. But it felt so real. What if it wasn't just a dream? What if it was a prophecy?
But I had none of my brother’s gifts. He was a true son of the moon, where I sourced from starlight and could only predict night following day accurately.
The sun crept higher as Luna and I sat by the campfire, the morning chill still clinging. She hummed softly while pouring steaming tea into our tin cups. But I couldn't shake the unease that had settled like a stone in my chest or the headache that drummed in my temples.
"You're quiet this morning." Luna glanced at me curiously. "Bad dreams?"
I grunted and took a sip of the scalding liquid. "Something like that."
"If you're going to sulk all morning, maybe I should take the lead today." She tried to sound as though she were teasing me, but there was an undercurrent of truth to it.
"And maybe you shouldn't assume you know what's on my mind." Why was I like this? A pang of guilt twisted in my gut. She hadn't done anything wrong.
But what if she had? She stirred the glowing embers of the fire, the sun catching on the red veil twisted in her auburn braid.
Memories of our intimate moments flashed through my mind. The softness of her touch, the vulnerability in her striking eyes. But Francesco's warning was louder, drowning them out. Was she playing me? Did she feel trapped in this arranged marriage?
Why did these thoughts come to me every morning? Was it some outside influence, like Moonshifter?
I summoned my magic, and reached out, sensing and searching for the feel of any other’s magic on myself or Luna. A few long moments later, I admitted defeat. There was no magic on us that I could sense, which meant that these thoughts were mine.
We packed up camp in tense silence and continued our journey through the dense forest covering the hills leading to the pass. The woods here weren’t harvested, were said to be haunted by the northern tribes.
The governor of the province focused on the lucrative amber mines further to the south rather than ordering lumber harvested from these woods. I’d met him.
Not a foolish man, he was well aware ordering woodsmen to cut down these trees would lead to disobedience and him looking like a fool.
The ancient trees surrounded us, some bowed by their own weight, and creaked and groaned in the wind, their leaves whispering secrets. As we rode along the dirt path, an eerie quiet descended, broken only by the occasional rustle of unseen creatures in the undergrowth.
Like the Drakewood, magical animals made their home here.
Midafternoon, the trees thinned as we skirted a small lake. Grass and bushes rolled to its edge and the water appeared to be pure and clear.
“Do you want to refresh the water bags?” I asked.
Luna nodded, and we turned and rode closer to the lake. The open sky above us and the warmth of the sun felt welcome on my face after the gloom of the forest.
The lake reflected the ski like a mirror, shining blue.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling wail cut the quiet like a razor, raw and unearthly. It slashed at my ears, a sound of grief, of betrayal, the cry of a swan whose mate abandoned it in death, the scream of a widow bereaved.
Biter stopped in his tracks and reared.
A figure stepped from the thick green reeds by the water’s edge, trailing mist that hadn’t been there a moment ago.
She was very young, and beautiful in an eerie way that made my chest clench—long, dripping black hair clinging to her pale face, her thin peasant dress floating around her like it had a life of its own. As if it were underwater.
Those eyes…
Her eyes were blank and blue, empty as the lake behind her.
A Rusalka. A woman abandoned, or a maid who died by drowning, or maybe a spirit. No one knew exactly what they were, only that they were deadly.
I tried to move, spur Biter away but my body wouldn’t listen. Instead, I dismounted and walked forward.
Her voice wrapped around me, a whisper of sorrow and promises, a chain soft as silk and unyielding as iron. The chill of it seeped into my bones, pulling me forward, step by step, toward the dark water lapping hungrily at the shore.
Somewhere behind me, Pip shrieked. Distantly, I heard Luna’s voice, but it was like listening through thick ice. Nothing mattered except the woman calling me home.
The water swirled at my ankles.
Then her hands were on my wrists. Cold. Bony. Her fingers curled tightened, her nails like splintered glass digging into my skin. I barely felt the pain. I barely felt anything except the need for the weight of the water, the need to sink, to let go?—
A sharp pain burned through my chest. My breath hitched. My vision flickered.
Deep in my mind, Luna’s name burned.
Something slammed into me, knocking me sideways, breaking the Rusalka’s hold. I hit the grassy shore hard, my breath rushing back in a painful gasp.
The Rusalka let out a shriek of fury, the water surging toward us. Luna didn’t hesitate—she lunged, her dagger shrouded in black ribbons of her magic. The blade sank deep into the Rusalka’s shoulder, eroding the substance that gave her life.
The creature didn’t fall. She turned on Luna with impossible speed, her wide eyes unblinking.
“Mine,” the creature hissed. The words were thick and hard to understand, as if spoken underwater.
She raked her nails across Luna’s arm, tearing her shirt. Frost bloomed instantly, ice crackling along her skin and the fabric, then vanishing as Luna’s magic reacted. Luna gritted her teeth, twisting away, but the Rusalka lunged again, relentless as a spring flood.
Pip coughed, spitting a tiny flame at the woman.
I forced myself up, legs still sluggish, head still reeling. “Luna!”
The Rusalka’s face twisted, her pretty face warping into something monstrous. She grabbed Luna by the throat and dragged her back toward the water, her grip tightening.
Wisps of those fingers drifted off and the creature screamed but didn’t loosen her grip.
Luna gagged, struggling, her dagger slipping from her fingers, clawing at the hands, trying to loosen them.
Panic surged through me, cutting through the last of the fog. My hand found my sword, but I knew—steel wouldn’t stop this thing.
Fire. I needed fire. Pip coughed again, a larger flame this time, and the rusalka flinched from the heat.
I reached deep, deeper than before, past the cold that still clung to my veins. Heat sparked in my palm. Starlight could call fire, but I’d never bothered; the darkness suited me better.
Desperation added itself and flame flickered, then roared to life along the blade. I didn’t think. I moved.
I slashed at the Rusalka’s back. The fire met wet, rotting silk and stagnant lake water.
She screamed, the sound spiraling to the sky. Steam rose where the flames touched her, eating through the mist that had clung to her form.
She let go of Luna, turning on me with an expression of pure hatred. Her nails lashed out.
I dodged, the nail making frost bloom on my armor. My sword slashed her arm, cutting deep. She howled, but still, she didn’t fall.
Luna coughed, stumbling back—but then she found her fallen dagger. With a growl, she drove it straight into the Rusalka’s back.
The creature froze. Her blue eyes widened in something almost like shock. Then, with a final, wretched sob, she crumbled—turning to water, then mist, which rolled away from us, vanishing in the sunlight.
Silence fell, broken only by the ragged sound of our breathing.
Luna wiped a shaking hand across her mouth, wincing. “That,” she gasped, “wasn’t easy.”
I sat heavily on the damp ground, rubbing at the bruises already forming on my wrists. The phantom touch of the rusalka still clung to me, like I’d never be warm again. I looked at Luna, at the raw, red mark on her throat where the creature had grabbed her.
My gut twisted.
“Are you hurt?” My voice came out too sharp. Too uncertain.
She pressed a hand to her arm where the ice had touched her. “Yeah… Just give me a second.”
Pip leaned against her, crooning. I wanted to join it, hold her.
I watched her, my mind racing. She’d been off this entire fight. And I wasn’t sure if it was the Rusalka’s magic, pregnancy, or something far more dangerous.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer.
Luna gazed over and sighed. “For all Biter is a pain, at least he doesn’t run off like Dawn.”
Once again, her horse had bolted once she no longer held the reins. On the other hand, it was a sensible reaction, really.
Even considering the hour to catch him, we didn’t make good distance for the rest of the day and camped early. I didn’t like how strained Luna looked.
The sun hung low on the horizon as we finished eating, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. I tended to the fire, trying to ignore the persistent ache in my muscles from the day's journey and especially from our encounter with the Rusalka.
Movement in the underbrush set me on edge. I reached for my sword, not relaxing when a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows. Giordano de Manfredi, last seen when we dined with the emperor.
No point in attacking him; I could see the plans through him. Someone had paid a lot of money for a gate for him to pass through to be partially here.
If they’d actually sent him through completely, I would have skewered him without compunction.
His presence proved we’d been monitored at a distance magically. He would only have a short time to talk before the gate whisked him back to his original location.
"Good to see you, d'Alvarez," he said with a placid smile that made my skin crawl.
"What do you want?" I asked warily.
He rubbed a small silver disk between his fingers like a worry bead as he spoke, glancing in Luna’s direction. "Just a word of warning. Your wife, Luna. You do realize her father is part of Vivaldo's faction, yes? And she's been approached to kill you."
I scoffed, shaking my head. "And yet I'm still standing. She's had plenty of chances at my naked back already."
Giordano chuckled, a sound devoid of mirth. "Maybe. But you should be careful. It would be a shame if your trust in her was misplaced."
The silver disc in his hand had gained a copper sheen. He’d been stalling.
“What is that?” I snapped.
He laughed, and faded as the gate retrieved him, frustrating my grab for his hand. It had been some kind of detection device, but I had no idea what he’d been looking for. He was trying to manipulate me, I knew that much. But to what actions? And what if he was right?
The doubts that had been festering since my dream rolled over me like a tide.
This was a hell of a lot of money paid just to mess with me. With so much riding on who inherited, how far was my mother willing to go?
“Well, that was interesting,” Luna said drily, surprising a snort from me.
“Yes. What do you make of it?”
“Your mother hates to lose, or even have it look like something she planned didn’t work. Or she likes to manipulate people just for the entertainment value. And she has a lot of money at her disposal. So, no idea.”
There were days I wished my mother would just vanish like morning mist. What was she up to?
Was she plotting to saddle me with a new wife for me if I ended up on the throne? The thought made my stomach turn.
“I’ll take first watch.” I wasn’t going to sleep quickly anyway.
Luna nodded and rolled up in her bed roll, her breathing evening quickly.
Just in case, I set up a basic ward around the camp, using the starlight energy to avert the eyes of any who might approach. It tired me, but the extra security would keep us both safer.
After moonrise, a low growl rumbled through the trees, deep and guttural, like the forest itself was breathing. It yanked me from my spiraling thoughts, my heart slamming against my ribs.
The underbrush exploded. A massive shape hurtled toward me—black fur, gleaming fangs, and eyes that burned like embers in the night. A hellhound.
Void rot me, of all beasts, why was there one that ate magic in our camp?
It radiated heat like a fire, scorching the ground. Hotter now, since it had consumed my ward.
Crashing and screaming from the horses created cacophony as Biter and Dawn tried to get loose.
I barely had time to react as it hit my chest. Claws scraped against my chest as the beast lunged, knocking me off balance. I twisted, just managing to dodge its snapping jaws, but pain flared sharp and hot as its fangs raked my leg.
"Ben!" Luna’s voice cut through the chaos. I barely heard her over the beast’s snarling.
The hellhound reared back, preparing to strike again, but Luna was already moving. She swung her fan in a silver arc and boiling blood flew, hissing as it hit the dirt.
Pip attacked with claws and teeth from the other side, harrying it. It jumped backward and she planted herself between me and the beast.
"Get back!" she shouted.
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself up despite the fire spreading through my veins. Hellhound venom. This wasn’t good.
The hound feinted left before lunging at her, jaws snapping inches from her throat. She spun away just in time, her fan scoring a long wound down its side. It howled in rage but didn’t retreat.
Pip bit one of its ears and the hound swiped at it, leaving Pip leaking blood from a long scratch.
The hound was toying with us. Waiting for an opening.
I readied two daggers. I wouldn't go down without a fight. I reached for the starlight and used it to guide my aim and then waited my moment.
She dodged out of the way, and I threw the blades. They flew true, one into each eye making it yelp and recoil, shaking its head as those flaming eyes dimmed. It ran off into the trees, hopefully not to return this night.
"Let me see," Luna demanded, suddenly at my side. She yanked up my pant leg, sucking in a sharp breath. Her face was pale, eyes dark with worry.
I watched her work, my mind a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. She was helping me, there was no denying that. But why? Because she cared, or because she needed me alive for her own purposes?
Those damned thoughts!
The pain in my leg intensified, and I gritted my teeth against a wave of nausea. I had to focus on survival, on getting through this. But even as Luna tended to my injury, paranoia whispered to me.
The hound must have been sent by Moonshifter. It should be blinded permanently, so I doubted it could seek us out again, even if compelled.
Luna's fingers traced dark ribbons around my leg, her brow furrowed in concentration. "There's magic in hellhound venom. I need to disrupt it before it spreads."
I watched as she worked, the pain in my leg slowly ebbing. But the doubts in my mind only grew louder. Giordano's words echoed in my thoughts, taunting me with the possibility that Luna's loyalty was nothing more than a carefully crafted lie.
The venom was clouding my thoughts, but I couldn’t stop them.
She stood abruptly, her hands shaking slightly as she moved to the makeshift fire pit. "I'll brew some willow tea. It'll help with the pain."
I wanted to believe in her, to trust that the connection we'd forged was real. Heat ran through my veins.
As she busied herself with the tea, I studied her movements, searching for any sign of deceit. But all I saw was a woman who seemed genuinely frightened, her hands trembling as she measured out the powdered bark. Who gently dabbed at the scratch on the drake’s flank.
She was scared. The thought hit me like a physical blow. She did care, didn't she?
But even as the thought formed, the doubts crept back in, insidious and unrelenting. I'd been betrayed too many times, seen too much deceit to trust blindly. And yet, the idea of Luna as my enemy felt wrong on a fundamental level.
She returned to my side, pressing a steaming cup into my hands. "Drink this."
I took a sip, the relief spreading through my body. But it did little to ease the heat blurring my thoughts. I was caught between two impossible choices. To trust Luna and risk everything, or to push her away and lose the one person who'd made me feel truly alive.
As I looked into her eyes, I knew I had to decide. But for the first time in my life, I had no idea which path to choose.
The night settled around us, the crackling fire casting dancing shadows across Luna's face. My leg still throbbed, but the pain had dulled to a manageable ache.
I reached out, my hand covering hers. Her skin was soft, warm against my calloused palm. "Thank you."
Luna looked up, her eyes soft.
"Of course," she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
I'd been betrayed so many times before. The memories of past hurt threatened to overwhelm me. Was trusting her the biggest mistake of my life?
"Bene," Luna said. "What's on your mind? You’re upset."
I hesitated, the words caught in my throat. How could I tell her of the doubts that plagued me, the fear that she might be just another betrayal waiting to happen?
"I'm just tired, and in a small bit of pain." I looked at the flickering flames. "It's been a long day."
Luna squeezed my hand, her touch gentle yet firm. "You don't have to carry this burden alone, you know. I'm here for you, no matter what."
I looked at her then, really looked at her. In the dancing firelight, her auburn hair seemed to glow, a halo of warmth around her face. Her eyes held a depth of understanding, a promise of unwavering support.
I had to make a choice - to let Luna in, or to push her away. As I sat there, her hand in mine, I realized that while I wanted to choose her.
Even though wariness of those I loved had preserved my life so many times.