43. Rae
RAE
I looked around the landscape in wonder as my breath created puffs I could see in front of me. Kian had insisted on bringing me a coat, and I was glad I had it because, apparently, the Demilune Kingdom was one of ice.
Stunning, magical ice that held a cruel edge, even in its beauty—like the man who rode ahead of me. His horse was snow-white with a shimmering coat.
My gaze kept coming back to him, curiosity getting the better of me. But my interest in Nyx warred with my interest in the land around me. I couldn’t get enough.
Everything was cast in the silvery glow of a crescent moon, which only intensified the beauty of the ice and snow everywhere. The trees made it seem like there wasn’t anything below the ice—no bark or leaves, as if the structures themselves were pure, frozen liquid.
We passed a creek with water the same ice-blue as Nyx’s eyes with patches of ice floating atop it, all of it surrounded by snowy banks. I bit back a sound of delight when I saw what looked like frozen wildflowers nearby. Some looked similar to cone flowers, but others were completely foreign.
I couldn’t resist reaching up and plucking a leaf from one of the trees as I passed beneath it. I cupped it in my hands as Shadow plodded along.
“Class is back in session?” Kian asked playfully as he rode next to me, Rhys and Pax behind us.
My mouth curved. “I’ve never seen anything like this. The whole system is…ice.”
“We are in the Demilune Kingdom,” he explained.
“But I want to know how it’s possible. How the plant system runs. I want to know…everything.” For the first time since my arrival, I thought about what my life could be here. An entirely new species to study. A whole new world to explore.
Nyx slowed his horse, letting us catch up to him. “You like plants?”
It was the first question he’d asked me, other than his demand to know what I was. His expression was still completely blank, but his words, his waiting for me, said he was interested.
I nodded, not sure how to give voice to just how much. But Pax was willing to do it for me. “More like she’s obsessed with them.”
“They’re different here than in your home?” Nyx asked, studying me intently.
I nodded again, but this time, I got my voice to work. “There’s nothing made of ice there. Sometimes, the trees and plants can get coated with it, but that’s it.”
Nyx made a deep humming noise in the back of his throat but didn’t say anything else on the matter. Instead, his focus shifted to the wide road ahead of us. “We’re getting close.”
He let out a loud whistle, sending the sound through the trees. Nothing happened at first, though I wasn’t sure what I expected. The trees to come alive? Warriors to appear?
A few minutes later, I caught movement up ahead. It almost seemed like a mirage at first, white moving against white. Then it started to come into focus. A dog? No, a wolf.
“Uh, Nyx? Is that a friend of yours, or are we about to be attacked by a pack of rabid wolves?” I asked.
Rhys let out a derisive snort. “Wolves and Nocturnae don’t especially get along.”
“Says the guy who befriended a pack of them,” Pax cut in.
“Ender and the Arcane are different,” Rhys argued.
“He is my familiar,” Nyx said. “He guards the castle in my stead.”
The wolf-dog let out what sounded like a happy bark and charged forward, jumping and leaping around Nyx and his horse. Nyx slid a hand into one of his pockets and tossed the pup a treat.
“He’s cute,” I said quietly.
Nyx’s head jerked in my direction. “Cute?”
“Was that the wrong thing to say?” I muttered.
Kian let out a soft snicker. “A familiar is a soul-tie. Somehow, I doubt Nyx wants his soul to be thought of as cute.”
I winced. “Noted.”
The wolf-dog sniffed the air and let out a low growl that somehow managed to be warm. He circled, then made a beeline for Shadow and me. My horse eyed him cautiously but didn’t shy away.
The pup let out a bark as he balanced on his hind legs, trying to get closer to me. I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped free. I reached out, trying to scratch between his ears. “Hi, buddy. You are cute. I don’t care what they say.”
“Odin,” Nyx clipped. “His name is Odin.”
I gave the wolf-dog another rub. “Hi, Odin.”
It was nice to have a warm reception from at least one creature.
I opened my mouth to ask more about familiars, but a gasp came out instead.
Almost out of nowhere, a massive ice castle appeared between the trees.
It had turrets and towers carved with intricate designs, all of them a gleaming silver.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
It was then that I saw people emerging from the castle walls. At first, I expected them to welcome their King home. Maybe try to get a look at who was with him. But I saw then that they were almost…running.
At the very least, they seemed to be scampering out of his path. Not a single one met our gazes, and they certainly weren’t looking at Nyx. He gestured toward a large stable. “The horses can stay there.”
As we headed that way, all the people seemed to be moving in the opposite direction. I stared at my third fated. “They’re terrified of you.”
Nyx met my gaze, his ice-blue eyes hardening even further. “If they weren’t, they’d be willing to betray me. Care is weakness.”
Another day, another castle. Apparently, that was my new life motto as I pulled the sweater closer around me and studied the room I’d been given. I’d begged for a little alone time to get cleaned up, but Rhys had insisted that I could only have it if Pax were stationed outside my door.
I studied the half-eaten tray of fruit and cheese—including the brownie, which I knew had to be courtesy of Rhys, given he knew my favorite food weaknesses. The room was absolutely breathtaking.
Now that I was up close, I saw that the walls were made of white stone—not ice after all. But they still had that feel. They were carved into gothic designs that mirrored those of the Firelight Kingdom yet were completely different.
Giant windows overlooked snowy mountains and ice trees. The bed was huge and covered in white furs and metallic pillows. The headboard had some sort of detailed battle scene carved into it.
Yet even as I took it all in, discovering more and more new details, it was Nyx’s voice that played over and over in my head. “If they weren’t, they’d be willing to betray me. Care is weakness.”
What a horrible way to live. Needing to make everyone fear you because you thought they’d betray you if you didn’t.
I remembered Rhys and Kian talking about the Cruel King and how he’d been taken by demons—the ones who had given him those scars.
Had someone betrayed Nyx and his family? Was that why he’d been captured?
My heart ached for him. Yet, at the same time, I couldn’t imagine binding my life to someone so cold and determined to keep everyone at far greater than arm’s length.
A faint buzz lit in my fingertips. Likely anxiety. I focused on keeping my breaths deep, even, and slow. But the buzzing only grew.
It was different than the sensation I experienced when one of the guys touched me. More intense. Nearly painful.
Panic grabbed hold as the sensation slid up my arms and into my shoulders. As it hit my chest, I let out a strangled sound. It wasn’t merely painful now. It was agonizing.
I stumbled forward, letting a scream free as I braced myself against the bed. My whole body vibrated in waves of buzzing pain, almost as if tiny electric shocks covered me.
The door to my room burst open, and three men with raised weapons charged in. When Kian saw nothing but me, his sword instantly disappeared, and he rushed over. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I…don’t…know,” I croaked. “Hurts. Feels like I’m going to explode.”
Rhys was by us in an instant. “What do you mean, explode?” he demanded, anger lacing every word.
“I don’t know. I just… I’m buzzing, but everything kills. I—” A fresh wave hit me, and I crumpled, Kian catching me.
His head jerked up as he caught me. “She’s burning up.”
An icy hand slid over my forehead. “It’s her magic.” Nyx swore. “She’s coming into her powers. If she doesn’t expel it, she’ll overload and die.”