CHAPTER TWENTY #2
Something in me had been trying to push Noctis away, and now I knew why. He kept holding the truth back, always just beyond my grasp.
Besides, I wanted no responsibility other than saving the people targeted by the Terraguard and Oceanwrought realms. A realm to lead was not what my heart desired. I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted beyond fighting for safety.
“Thank you, Delaynna. Please tell your uncle I will visit him again soon.”
The healer nodded and walked out of the room.
“We will talk about this later,” I seethed, shoving my uninjured arm into his chest.
Noctis grinned. “I look forward to it.”
I was on my feet in an instant, moving through the door of the small clinic with Noctis at my back.
“Where exactly are we supposed to find the Writherbought?” I asked, scanning the foggy land before us.
He exhaled. “I have to lure it to us. It’s how we captured it last time when it—” He paused.
“When it what?” I pushed.
His tone went somber. “When it lured six of my kingdom rulers from their homes and drained the life from their bodies decades ago.”
I drew in a sudden breath, stunned into silence. The loss Noctis endured… the power the creature that killed six royals must possess. Their deaths meant something to him by his reaction.
“Did you know them?” I whispered, caught between my need for answers and my respect for his pain.
“I know every one of my people.” His eyes averted to the ground. “Their names, their occupations, families, what they love, what they hate. I know them all.”
“How did it… kill them?”
“It’s ancient magic, but the Writherbought drains power from beings, usually siphoning them dry, leaving nothing but brittle, hollow remnants. They’re difficult to catch, their mind control warps perception until nothing feels real anymore.”
“Great,” I murmured, rolling my eyes. As I should have expected, the task wasn’t going to be easy.
Noctis led the way around the building, and my face lit up in surprise.
We made it to the heartland of Aetherkin Bound. As the sun lowered beneath the cloudy realm, rainbows cast across the homes and shops—all made of the reflective glazed glass. The temples at the gate towered over the other buildings, a mosaic of hues across the entire realm.
The chatter between vendors and shoppers rooted in my heart, the whooshing of flying creatures in the air, and the cheery giggles of children playing in the streets.
A grand shadow flew over our heads, casting us in sudden shade. I ducked by reflex, but Noctis laughed.
“Meet Azrakel,” he yelled over the thunderous noise of massive wingbeats.
The ground rumbled, and face-to-face with me stood a staggering, silken light blue dragon. Then, it leaped back into the air and disappeared above the clouds.
“Let’s get moving before you change your mind and never want to leave my home,” Noctis joked, but I understood why he said it. The Aetherkin Bound was one I could see myself staying in.
The god started to make his way toward the markets and houses, leaving me to catch up.
“Where are we going?” I huffed when I met him.
Noctis’s fixed eyes reflected the different colors blanketing his homeland. His upturned lips seemed stuck in place as he strolled through the Aetherkin Bound, and when he slowly turned to meet my gaze, a quiet warmth bloomed in my chest.
Just as quickly as it had sprouted, the joy within me redirected towards envy. Would I ever find a place I called home, or would I wander the realms forever in search of anything that made me feel?
“Somewhere no one can find us. Except for the Writherbought.”
By the time we made it beyond the main streets, I was overwhelmed by the townsfolk. Their devotion to Noctis was overwhelming, his banished status forgotten in their eyes. Prayers, gifts, and tears followed us through every step of the street.
And Noctis stopped at each one.
When the god and I finally cleared the streets and entered the white-coated forest, the people of Aetherkin rose from their knees.
Towering ivory tree trunks grew whimsically from the ground, swirling and twisting in every direction. Their canopies grew leaves that looked as if they were frosted in the winter. However, the weather did not justify ice.
A narrow path carved from the ground led us further into the trees, Noctis leading me until we were far enough away from the city. It was silent, and the sun had fully set to dimming the vibrant villages in nighttime festivities.
The forest was lit by the lantern Noctis had bought from a passing vendor, its glow cutting through the trees.
Cracks along his jawline and down his face helped illuminate the path, an eerie reminder that the god buckled little by little due to the curse.
They shone pearlescent by the lantern’s glow, splitting his features like the lightning from the trial.
“Now we just wait?” I asked, hesitant to know the answer.
Noctis nodded.
“With, of course, something to invite it to us.”
Noctis gestured for me to stay and stepped meters away.
“Close your eyes, and do not open them for anything,” he ordered, stern yet concerned.
At the flick of his hand, I rose from the ground in a slow, unnatural ascent.
Panic spiked as my feet lost contact with the earth, my legs thrashing wildly as I kicked at empty air, trying desperately to find purchase where there was none.
He slowly lowered me onto a tree branch that mostly hid me from view.
“And do not leave this tree,” he instructed.
Bossy.
I gripped the branch until my knuckles turned white. My heart pounded, my hands getting clammy with each second that passed as he stood in a clearing so far away from me.
Noctis raised his palms, and the realm obeyed his command.
The trees bent in his direction, creaking under the stress.
Swirls of black and white power spun around him in feathery threads, caressing his body.
One shot toward me and rubbed gently across my face, reminding me of his order.
He used his power to draw the creature toward us from beyond sight, forcing it to come whether it willed it or not.
Vulnerability washed over me, but I forced my eyes shut and tilted my ear toward the god.
Leaves startled me as they flew across my skin, and I swatted them away, making sure not to peek even the slightest. My hair floated off my back, but I centered myself and focused on my breathing.
Then, the power showcase stopped.
“Oh, Noctis,” a wicked, grueling voice cut through the shuffling nature. “I’ve been waiting to find you for decades.”