Chapter 41
With unbidden tears falling down my face, I hurried towards the entrance hall. I needed to get out of the castle. I needed to go somewhere I could think clearly and plan my next moves.
I had just reached the entrance hall when I overheard two maids talking.
“The ceremony is to be held tomorrow at sunset. Can you believe it? Prince Tarben has insisted he will not wait a day longer. Meanwhile, Lady Oriane has been running Ingrid off her feet. As if there hasn’t just been another murder—”
Eyes cast downward, I kept walking until I reached the familiar oak doors.
I stepped outside and shivered, immediately regretting not going back to my bedchamber to grab my cloak.
I looked above and saw that a cover of clouds had convened.
Wrapping my arms around my body, I quickly made my way across the gardens to the hedge maze.
I moved forward cautiously as I navigated its twists and turns.
Maybe I should have gone the other way. Being in the maze only made me think of Tarben, which was the last thing I wanted to do right now. No, what I needed was to keep my mind focused on things that were inside of my control. Things like what I would do now that I was facing certain doom.
Should I summon the Crow and ask her to return me to Vantillios for one final day? Or I could just refuse to go with the Crow and spend the remainder of my life in Solvardunn, consequences be damned. It wasn’t ideal, but it would be better than spending eternity working for a witch.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I turned a corner only to find I had reached a dead end. I felt a prickle on the back of my neck, as if I was being followed. A sudden rustling caused me to freeze. There was something in the hedge in front of me.
A shadow moved and my heart stilled.
I was about to turn and bolt when I realized it was not a shadow, but a raven. The black bird cawed, then, with a flap of its wings, flew towards the castle.
Releasing a shaky breath, I felt sheepish. I had been jumpy ever since I’d been attacked by those beasts.
I retraced my steps, hoping I’d be able to steer myself to the right path. I turned a different corner and was relieved to see that the path ahead was clear. In fact, I was almost certain I knew the way from here.
Finally, I broke through the sparse bush that signaled the exit. I made my way towards the postern gate, breathing a sigh of relief.
Once I reached the steps, I offered a tight-lipped smile to the sentries who greeted me.
It began to rain lightly as I slowly descended the steps. It was high tide, and the cove had been swallowed by the ocean. I stopped at the final step, watching the murky ocean rumble beneath me. A single tear drop splashed into the water. Soon, more followed.
I had given it my all, and it hadn’t been enough. And now I was on the verge of losing everything. Vantillios may have kept me like a prisoner, but it was my home.
A blizzard of fear overwhelmed me at the thought of life with the Crow. Of never seeing my grandmother or Mae or Doran again.
I lifted my tear-streaked face to the sky, feeling the kiss of the rain.
The sea was chanting my name now. To answer its call would be such a relief.
Maybe I should? I’d failed at my task, what did it matter if I returned to the ocean now?
Swimming always helped me think. Besides, I had nothing left to lose.
In fact, going for a swim was a fantastic idea. There was nothing stopping me now.
I undressed quickly, removing my shoes and tossing my dress aside. Standing in nothing but my undergarments, cold raindrops invited goosebumps to cover my skin like a rash. They surged towards the earth now, as if the skies had been ripped open by Seru’s hands.
Preparing to dive in and let the ocean consume me, I counted down from three.
Three…
Two…
One…
“Alara!”
I heard my name again, but it wasn’t the ocean. I turned to see Filip running towards me. He made his way to where I stood, nearly slipping on a wet step.
“What are you doing?” he panted, looking at me as if I was insane.
Putting my hands on my hips, I scowled at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I caught sight of you skulking out of the castle and followed you here,” he said, looking thoroughly put out. Whether it was from my lack of clothing or because he had followed me into this downpour, I didn’t know. “Hugo’s found something, and you need to see it.”
“What is it?” Despite the horrible timing, my curiosity was roused.
“He thinks he’s found the beasts from the forest. He needs us to come take a look immediately.”
Chewing on my lower lip, I looked out at the water. I’d been an instant away from returning to the ocean. I could send Filip away and finish what I started, but… I couldn’t help but wonder what Hugo had discovered.
It shouldn’t matter what those beasts were.
My life was a wreck that rivaled The Queen Astrid.
I should be scrambling to salvage myself but I still cared.
I wanted to identify those monsters, to know why Basia had been killed, to find out who was behind the murders at the castle and why.
But, most of all, I wanted to make sure Tarben would be safe once I left.
Even if he was a manipulative, mortal worm.
“What are you waiting for?” Filip said impatiently. “Put your clothes on and let’s go!”
“Alright,” I said, stepping back into my woolen dress. Once I was fully clothed, I gestured for Filip to lead the way. Turning my back on the howling ocean, I followed him up the steps.
***
We arrived at Hugo’s quarters to find him sitting at his desk, head bowed, face lined in concentration as he studied the text before him. The frown on his face deepened, but he didn’t look up as we entered, covering his expensive rug in pools of raindrops.
“It took you long enough,” he snipped.
“We would have been here sooner, but someone decided to go for a swim at the cove,” Filip said, shooting me a pointed look.
“Why am I not surprised?” Hugo grumbled, not breaking eye contact with the text.
That’s right. I had been returning from the cove the day I crossed paths with Hugo, when he all but accused me of being the murderer. I never would have predicted we’d be working together now.
“Filip said you found something?” I asked, shivering in my rain-logged clothing, and eager to hurry this meeting along.
“Look at this,” Hugo commanded, pointing to the image he’d been poring over.
We approached the grand oak desk, earning a glare for the trail of water droplets we left in our wake.
Taking seats in the chairs positioned before the desk, we pulled the book towards us and peered at the open page.
My eyes were drawn to an image of a black dog the size of a bear with a protruding skull, hollows for a nose, jagged fangs and watery red eyes.
Hugo had found the monster.
Filip swore loudly. “That’s it alright,” he said.
“The maglocunos,” I read out loud, “is an enigmatic yet lethal predator that uses its acute eyesight, superior sense of smell, and unparalleled stamina to track and capture prey. This creature is an exceptional hunter; upon marking its target, it becomes unyielding in its pursuit. For these reasons, maglocuni were deployed by the Great Deceiver during The Rebellion. As with all creatures classified as monsters, the maglocunos is not native to Orradon; however, its world of origin is unknown. Its kind is believed to inhabit the island of Tharasys.”
For a moment, the only sound was the merry crackling of the fire as we all attempted to absorb the magnitude of what Hugo had discovered.
I was the first to speak. “I suspect someone summoned them and sent them after us,” I said, thinking of the murderer.
“Who, though?” Filip asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against his chair. A casual gesture, but the tension in his shoulders and the crease in his forehead told me he was more concerned than he let on.
“Not who, but why?” said Hugo, looking deeply unsettled.
“You don’t think—” Filip started, sitting up straight.
“It’s a theory,” said Hugo, meeting Filip’s gaze with unflinching resolve.
“An extremely far-fetched theory, even for you.”
“It’s entirely possible.”
It was clear I was missing something. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
They shared a significant look. I felt a surge of annoyance at being left in the dark, but held my tongue as they continued their non-verbal communication.
“Hugo has a wild imagination,” Filip said eventually.
Hugo glared at him, then turned his focus towards me. “I can hazard a guess as to the summoner’s identity, but I genuinely hope I’m mistaken.”
My muscles tensed at the foreboding tone.
He raked a hand through his perfectly-styled hair. “According to that passage, these monsters were used by the Great Deceiver during The Rebellion, and they inhabit Tharasys. This leads me to believe that there’s a good chance they were sent by its ruler.”
My mouth went dry. He couldn’t be saying what I thought he was saying.
His voice was strained when he spoke again. “Lucan Malack.”
At his words, all the air left the room. Lucan Malack was a name I had been taught to fear my entire life, second only to the Great Deceiver’s. Lucan Malack was his son.
Shortly after the Great Deceiver fell, a body made up of the wisest and most powerful Velcarin—the Concilium—learned of his infant son.
A seer had warned them that the child’s powers would grow to match those of his father’s.
The Concilium was torn between disposing of the baby or allowing him to live, at the risk that he might continue in his father’s footsteps.
In the end, not wanting an innocent’s blood on their hands, they decided to spare his life.
They exiled him to Tharasys—an island of volcanoes and ash that was said to be riddled with the creatures they could not capture and send to the Forbidden Isles.
Creatures from a person’s worst nightmares.