64. Rae
RAE
The light changed as we crossed the barren lands between the House of Demilune and the House of the Blood Moon.
The silvery glow of the sliver of moon above Demilune was entirely different from the reddish hue of the blood moon.
It cast the land in jewel tones that had me fighting the urge to jump off Shadow and explore.
The flowers were deep maroons, purples, and magentas and clung to vines that wrapped around the trunks of trees. Even the stream I saw in the distance had that same sensual color.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“I’ve never been here before. It’s beautiful,” Kyrie said as we crossed over.
I glanced at her. “Never?”
She shook her head. “King Torrin is greatly feared among all in Lumaria. Even the demons of the Dark Lands leave him alone now.”
A chill skittered down my spine. “Is that why there are no guards at the border?”
Every other kingdom we’d gone to had defenses of some sort. But not here. The thick forest was certainly natural protection, but it wasn’t as if it were impassable.
“No one would risk it normally. Some say the King has a sixth sense that tells him when his borders are being invaded.”
“It just gets better and better,” I muttered.
Kyrie grinned at me, guiding her horse over a stream and onto a worn path. “Hey, we’ve made it this far.”
The problem was that we had no idea where we were going now. All Kyrie knew was that the castle was supposedly in the northwest quadrant of the Blood Moon Kingdom. So we’d just have to wander until we found it or found someone to ask—and try to stay alive in the process.
Bandit let out a soft snore. She’d passed out hours ago, sprawled over Shadow’s wide back in front of me. At least someone was getting some rest.
I, on the other hand, was exhausted. My whole body ached, and my face throbbed where the guard had punched me. Worse, I’d finished the last of my water a couple of miles back.
Still, we pushed on. It was two hours before we noticed the smoke. But it wasn’t until we broke through the trees that we saw the little cottage. The land around it was flat, and it looked like a small farm that grew vegetation I wasn’t familiar with.
Kyrie glanced at me. “I think we should stop. Ask for directions and some water.”
I bit the corner of my lip.
“If they attack, I’ve got my magic,” she assured me.
My cheeks heated. My magic certainly couldn’t be counted on. “All right.”
When we reached the cottage’s yard, I slipped from Shadow’s back and nearly crumpled to the ground. My legs ached something fierce.
Bandit chattered and leapt onto my shoulders. I scratched under her chin. “I hope you enjoyed your nap.”
She yawned in answer.
Before we could start up the path, a girl somewhere between Kyrie’s age and mine stepped out, a crossbow leveled at us.
We froze. Then, the girl’s eyes widened. “Luminaries?”
Bandit started chattering as if insulted by the weapons.
“Hi,” I said as calmly as possible. “We mean you no harm.”
An older man ambled out from behind the girl and scoffed. “That’s what they all say.” He had a slight almost Scottish-sounding lilt to his words.
“We really don’t,” Kyrie cut in. “We swear we won’t use any magic unless you try to harm us.”
The man scoffed again.
“Dad,” the girl chided. “They’re obviously travel-worn, and what could they want to take from us other than vegetables? Besides, they could’ve grabbed those already.”
The man eyed us skeptically.
“I swear. We’d just love some water and directions to the castle,” I said, shifting from one foot to the other, trying to get feeling back in my toes.
The girl’s jaw dropped. “The King’s castle?”
I nodded.
“You think you’ll be the one to take him out?” the man challenged.
“No, I…” I shifted again, deciding to go for the truth. “I think I’m his fated.”
This time, they both gaped at me.
Taking a deep breath, I revealed my four marks. “I’ve found three of my fated.” I touched each mark as I spoke. “King Rhys of Firelight. King Nyx of Demilune. Prince Kian of Starlight. And I, uh, for obvious reasons think that King Torrin might be my fourth.”
Silence reigned for a moment, and then the man began to laugh. Huge, racking guffaws. “I’ll be damned. The gods must be having a good laugh over this one.”
“Dad,” the girl hissed.
He shook his head but leveled me with a stare. “Girl, you do not want to go to the castle. I love my King with all my heart and loyalty, but I’ve battled alongside him. You dinnae know what you’d be gettin’ yourself into. He is not made for a mate bond.”
I jutted out my chin. “I have to try.”
He shrugged. “It’s your death warrant.”
Shadow’s hooves clopped along the cobblestone street. The houses lining the road were empty, and an eerie wind whistled through the area as I guided my horse toward the looming castle.
After Calla and her father, Malcolm, gave us water and soup, along with directions, I begged Kyrie to stay.
I had no idea how this would go, and I couldn’t be responsible for her death.
She’d fought me on it at first, but Malcolm had convinced her by saying, “It might go better if she’s alone. Less threatening that way.”
So I’d made the hour’s journey to the abandoned town surrounding the castle on my own. Calla had told us that the people had been forced to flee when their King went feral. Once a month, a group of guards delivered supplies for him, but every now and then, it went badly.
Just remembering her words had nausea sweeping through me. But there was no stopping now.
I guided Shadow over a stone bridge that led to a courtyard within the castle itself.
My heart hammered against my ribs, but I kept going, straining to hear…
anything. Even Bandit seemed to realize that we were in a precarious position.
Her tiny head moved like it was on a swivel as she looked for signs of any movement.
When we reached the courtyard, I looked around. Nothing. No signs of life.
I slid off Shadow’s back, nearly twisting my ankle in the process. Everything hurt. Yet I pushed forward, Bandit bounding after me.
The rough stone walls were adorned with something. At first, I thought it was a painting. And then I saw it was names. There had to be hundreds, in all different languages.
I grazed my finger across one. Samuel. Who was he? And why was his name here?
I frowned and moved back into the center of the square, spinning around. Where was he? Would I have to search this place, room by room? My stomach pitched.
A sound caught my ears. A flapping? And then I looked up. A massive creature flew across the blood moon. It wasn’t one from my nightmares. No, this was something else entirely.
He landed ten feet in front of me, with enough force to shake the ground.
I froze. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t run.
A buzz lit beneath my skin like tidal waves of zapping energy as I took him in. He looked wild. Auburn hair hung in tangles around his face, thick scruff adorned his jaw, and his blue-green eyes looked furious. But all of that paled in comparison to his sheer size.
The man had to be at least six foot seven. His shoulders were so broad, I thought he might win in hand-to-hand combat with a grizzly. And he was prowling toward me.
“Who. Dares. Invade. My. Castle?” He, too, had an almost Scottish bent to his words, but they were so much more forceful than Malcolm’s. So deafening, the ground shook beneath my feet.
My whole body started to tremble. Speak, I ordered myself. If I didn’t, it’d surely be a death sentence. At the last possible moment, the words tumbled out. “I think I’m your fated.”