Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
WOLFE
Soft sunlight spilled over Elariya’s shoulders, bathing her pale skin in a radiant glow.
Her hair sprawled around her shoulders, vibrant against the dark silk bed sheets of our bed.
Our bed.
Our room.
Back in Vyrenth Hollow. Not a cave in the Interstice with Skinwearers or any other evil thing hunting us.
We were safe. At least for today.
And I was whole again.
Myself again.
Not the Deathwalker.
The darkness and legion of voices still stirred within me, calling me home. But I was back at the helm now. Back in control. A gift from those true to me.
The Seer’s magic, along with a hundred years each from my Bloodsworn and Kaem, my father’s most trusted friend—and mine—had restored me.
Maybe a little more. Their gift had given me extra vitality I didn’t possess before.
I rested against the wall and gazed down at my hands. I held them out before me and summoned my innate shadows. They responded, just like they always had. Unlike the ones that formed from my Deathwalker abilities, these were from Nightblade magic and as much a part of me as my vital organs.
I was back and ready to jump into what might be the fight of my life.
Last night, after spending time with everyone, I’d been happy to go to bed with my wife. But I’d woken early, unable to sleep fully for different reasons.
There was too much on my mind, along with the lingering shadow of fear.
Fear was not an emotion I was used to. It was a state of being I truly loathed. But it had become something I could no longer avoid.
The events that were happening around me had changed the tide beyond my reach.
Fate had marked me.
Now my path was tied to everything else, and the only thing I could do was live. Stay alive, stay whole, and try to face everything that was thrown at me, unscathed.
Being a wanted prisoner didn’t exactly help. It just made life a little more challenging than it already was. But that was a separate matter I’d need to resolve while doing everything else. In the meantime, I hoped no one from the Citadel came here looking for me.
Kaem had filled me in on the plan to make it look like I got out myself. It was an excellent strategy. And so far, it was working. That didn’t stop the officials from coming here, though.
They couldn’t enter the house because of the blood wards, but they could still step on the grounds. And if they did, they’d be able to sense me.
A warm tingle vibrated in my chest — the Seer’s call. She was summoning me.
She’d stayed here last night and told me we’d catch up in the morning before she departed. That would be now.
I glanced at my wife still asleep. I’d catch up with her later when I met with everyone else. There was much to discuss.
I’d allowed them some respite yesterday.
I phased to the Hollow Room. There, I found the Seer standing by the painting my mother had hung up of the countryside in the Southern Isles. She was admiring the artwork.
I walked up to her and stood a few paces away. She knew I was there but kept her focus on the painting.
“Your mother had such a marvelous eye for art,” she said, the fondness in her voice unmistakable. “Of all her collection, this is my favorite. It’s not often I get to visit the Southern Isles.”
“I’m glad you like it, my Lady. I find it the most comforting. And fitting for this room. A touch of familiarity in a secret space.”
“Agreed.”
Finally, she faced me, a warm look on her face. Her eyes, though… they always remained the same—welcoming but closed off to those like me who were curious to figure her out.
“How about we take a walk, young Nightblade?”
“I’d like that, My Lady.” I bowed.
She smiled, and before my eyes, the room shifted to a garden. Somewhere I hadn’t been before. It was no doubt a place I’d never find on my own.
“Where are we?” I’d never usually ask. I’d been going on walks like these with the Seer since I was a boy. My parents called them walks of wisdom. I just didn’t want to be too far away from Elariya.
“You are safe. And not far from her. It is best I do not speak my whereabouts. I will only tell you that it is within your sphere.”
So, she wouldn’t be too far away or unreachable if I needed her.
“I will stay here until after the war.”
My stomach hardened. If she had seen war in the future, it was inevitable. Last time we spoke, I almost thought I’d be able to stop it. Now she sounded sure. “I guess I have more to thank you for.”
“Don’t thank me yet. This is the first time that I’ve actually felt useless.”
I shook my head. “I’m standing in front of you, whole enough to fight in this ensuing war. If not for you, I wouldn’t be here.”
The light dimmed in her eyes. “What happened to you should never have been allowed. But I did not see. For a long time, I believed the dark forces had merely clouded my sight. I realize now they did far worse.” Her tone was sad and uncertain, but there was still strength beneath her words. I took comfort in that.
“What have you found out?” She'd mentioned consulting with other guardians like her.
“Nothing you don't already know. I'm afraid all you have of me now is my active magic, not my sight. It has become unreliable.” She paused.
“They have blocked every pathway to the future.
That is why I did not foresee what happened.
If not for Kaem's efforts, I wouldn't have been able to reach you.”
That sounded worrying. “What happened?”
“An infiltration. Sadly, I faced a situation of similar betrayal. The entity masking Zyrra got to one of my closest companions. I had not realized she’d died months ago. It was wearing her face, too.”
Gods be good. This thing…
If not even the Seer had been able to detect her, what the fuck chance did we have at finding and stopping her?
I saw for myself; she took Dreynthor’s form and shared that she could only take the form of the dead.
“Were you hurt?”
“Only my pride. I dealt with the matter and placed the other allies in protective care across the realm.”
“Are they actually safe?”
“For now, yes.” She pulled in a breath. “Kaem and Alaric have brought me up to speed. Wolfe, the situation is dire. Worse now that you’re wanted for your uncle’s murder.”
“I know. But I can’t set foot in the Citadel.” I thought of all the worst-case scenarios should I venture there. “I can’t even attempt to clear my name.”
“No. You must not go there. They will lock you away with a different sort of magic where no one will be able to reach you. Do not forget there are others who would like to see the Nightblade rulership overthrown.”
My first thought was Artemyss. For all his attempts at fairness, he was one of those people always voicing that it was time for a change. And that it might be better for the Citadel to be in control of the kingdom.
Over my dead body would that happen. And even then, I’d be sure to come back and haunt his ass so he’d never get the chance to rule.
“A human killed your uncle. Someone he knew,” she said thoughtfully. “Yes, the plan was orchestrated by Zyrra, but she did not kill him. That trap was carefully laid for you.”
“Who the hells could it be?” This was a tough one since Dreynthor loathed humans and any dealings with them.
“Someone they hid well, and sure enough, I found traces of the no-signature magic at the palace.”
I sighed. “The answer keeps going back to finding the ring.”
“It does. With it, I feel you’d be able to end this nightmare.”
“I believe that, too. It appears that the combination of my Deathwalker magic and my dragon bond poses a threat. Zyrra was afraid of me.”
The Seer looked me up and down with narrowed eyes. “Possibly. Your power is unique. It always is with Deathwalkers because the magic mixes. But you… your bond with the dragons has always been unusual.”
People have said that my whole life. Some believed I moved like them and the spirit of one of the elders lived in me. Maybe it did.
“What’s going to happen to me? I mean… can I even use those death powers again?”
She nodded. “Yes. You will be as you were before you got trapped in Morg?ven. Possibly even better. The soul sacrifice ritual imbues the vessel with qualities, and sometimes magical abilities, from the people it came from. Your best warriors gave you a piece of them.”
“I know.” I dipped my head reverently.
“There is one thing you must know, though. I cannot guarantee that you will ever be rid of the Deathwalker curse. Even when you retrieve the ring.”
It was as I feared.
“It’s been too long,” she added.
“I thought so.” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice. “Will it eventually kill me?”
She surprised me with a faint smile. “That is not always how curses work, Lord of the Shadows. Everything in this world is about balance. Right now, you are simply imbalanced.”
“I see.” There was nothing more to do than accept. Accept and decide what came next. I’d already been given a second chance.
“Let us speak again soon.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
She inclined her head. “Until then I will leave you with a gift.”
Last time, she gave me a Septimus stone that stopped Thayden’s sword from ending me. “What do you have for me?”
“A masking spell, woven from the threads of reality itself. It will conceal you in plain sight during this time. When others look upon you, they will not see who you truly are. Reality will decide what face they see instead.”
I smiled at that. “Thank you. That’s going to be very useful to me.”
She unfolded her hand; at the center of her palm lay a rune stone. This one was pale blue with an unusual rune mark in the center. I didn’t recognize the mark. That said a lot given my extensive knowledge of runes.
She held it out to me to take. When I took it, like the Septimus rune, it disappeared beneath my palm. I didn’t feel a thing.
“It will naturally mask you so you cannot be detected by even the strongest magic. But in the presence of someone you wish to hide from, all you need do is summon the rune, and it will answer.” She nodded. “As will I. Call for me when you need me most, and I shall come.”
“Thank you.”
She placed a hand on my arm. “It is imperative that your mage bonds with her dragon and retrieves the ring as soon as possible. Do what you must to make that happen. She is strong, and close, but she is not ready yet. The Archmage must help her. Do what you must to see it done.”
I nodded. “I hear you.”
“Go now. Your house is waking.”
“A mundair, my Lady.” I gave her the customary bow, pressing my fingers to my heart.
She did the same. “A mundair.”
She gave me one last smile before she faded away into the light. Or rather I did.
I was back in the Hollow Room.
I stood there for a moment, giving myself a few minutes to process. There was a lot to take in. This was where I needed to be the leader I was born to be, and be strong in the face of adversity.
With that thought, I left the room and ventured to the living room, where I sensed Alaric and Bastian. They seemed deep in discussion about something serious. By the time I reached them, I was sure the matter they were discussing with something I would not like.
Bastian noticed me first. His shoulders slumped and he regarded me with cautious eyes—another dead giveaway.
“What’s going on, guys?”
“We just got word from the Citadel,” Alaric explained. “Sent by a raven carrying a Veil seal.”
Fuck. That was not good. That meant Veil law had been invoked. “What did it say?”
“They’re requesting that Elariya be sent back to the mortal realm and your marriage annulled. They want to hand her back over to Thayden and honor the contract she previously had with his family.”