Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ELARIYA
The world tilted beneath me.
Deathless.
The name alone sent my skin crawling in a million different directions.
And, gods… I’d been so fixated with them that I didn’t notice the temperature out here had dropped by several degrees.
It was freezing. So cold I could have sworn it was a wintry night.
A gust of the icy wind swept over my shoes. I risked looking down. Every leaf on the hedge, from the ground upward, had blackened and shriveled into a brittle husk.
Merciless gods.
This was their doing.
Cautiously, I returned my gaze to the beings beyond the glass.
Everything inside me told me to flee, but I stood my ground. That was fear talking, and I wasn’t done here yet.
I’d leave when they left.
The silver-haired man lifted a pale hand and scanned the room with keen eyes.
“Bring forth the sacrifice,” he commanded, his voice carrying effortlessly through the cottage. “Let us begin the ritual.”
A chill clamored down my spine.
Sacrifice?
And ritual?
I recalled the horrific rituals I’d heard about where so many Fae were killed.
Was this going to be like that?
The men spread out, widening their circle, while Zyrra stepped forward with a mean-looking knife.
That wild smile on her twisted face became more animated when she handed it to Thayden. Then, in answer to my question, the door across from them opened and two of Thayden’s guards brought forth a naked woman, bound and gagged.
She thrashed against their grip, her muffled screams of terror curdling my blood. The guards didn’t even flinch. They dragged her across the floor as though she were livestock bound for slaughter.
They tossed her at Thayden’s feet, and she threw her head back and screamed.
Only then did I realize who she was.
Mira!
My hand flew to my mouth, terror clinging to my lungs.
Wide-eyed, I stared, frozen.
There was no way Thayden was going to do what I thought he was.
No way.
He crouched, meeting her face to face, and caught her throat in a death grip. “Sorry, Mira. This isn’t personal.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
“I told you I could never love you.” His grip tightened. “You should have listened.”
My insides twisted.
No. He was actually going to do it.
I needed to move.
Needed to do something.
Something to save her.
Anything to—
Thayden slashed her throat with the knife.
Mira's eyes flew wide even as blood spurted from her neck.
It all happened so fast.
I never even got to think.
Blood soaked the boards as Mira crumpled to the floor. And all I could do was watch.
The silver-haired Deathless watched, too, in silence. Until Thayden looked up at him and nodded.
“The offering of one who loves you is acceptable.” He dipped his silver head. “This one was true. Her blood will be potent. Bring me her heart.”
Blessed Mother.
This couldn’t be real.
But it was. It was all happening before my eyes, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Thayden sank the knife down into Mira’s chest. A sickening puncture sound filled the room. Bile rose in my throat and I had to fight to keep the little food I’d eaten today from hurling.
Terror gripped me with its claws. I couldn’t even look away as he carved out her heart. It made me sicker when I saw how easily he did it.
Like this wasn’t the first time.
And Mira was just another number.
Holding her heart in his hands, blood dripping, Thayden stood and walked up to the silver-haired man and extended the offering.
The man took Mira’s heart, but instead of holding it, it floated toward him.
Then he opened his mouth too wide for a man and consumed the heart and the blood dripping from it.
“Magnificent,” he murmured, closing his eyes briefly to savor the taste. “Now we’ll share her blood.”
Waving his hands, he gathered all the spilled blood. It answered, flowing over to him, then to the corpse-like man and Zyrra. When they’d consumed that, the blood pouring out of Mira followed, leaving her drained.
When they were done with her, she looked like a hundred-year-old corpse.
And them…
Straightaway, the translucence in their figures had filled out. Not fully, just enough to be noticeable.
“This one was true, indeed,” the corpse-like man said with a voice that sounded as though he were speaking on the edge of a strong breeze.
“Every sacrifice gets us one step closer,” the silver-haired man replied with an uncanny smile, then he turned to Prince Maelor. “Come forth and be one with us, chosen vessel. You will be king of Nelkaraad soon, as promised. Before the next twilight, your father will take his last breath.”
Maelor smiled, and I understood his motives even more.
He wanted to be king, but his father, King Varis, stood in the way.
Witnessing this now, it was obvious King Varis didn’t suddenly fall ill with the blight on his hunting trip.
He was probably poisoned.
The silver-haired man lifted his hand. At once, tendrils of light unfurled from Prince Maelor, Thayden, and his father. The strange essence left their bodies in shimmering streams, winding through the air like ribbons.
That must have been their lifeforce. Their human essence.
The three men looked visibly weakened as it left them, their shoulders sagging beneath the weight.
Then the grotesque bald being who reminded me of the demon stepped forward and extended his twisted hands. With a sharp gesture, he seized the floating strands and drew them together.
The cloaked beings without eyes or lips joined in, twisting the essence into a glowing sphere that hovered in the air. Then they thrust it toward Zyrra, the silver-haired man, and the corpse-like one.
The moment the energy touched them, they all brightened.
“It is complete,” the silver-haired man declared, sounding more vibrant.
Prince Maelor looked worse than before, but within seconds, his complexion returned. So did Thayden’s and his father’s.
“That should sustain us until the eclipse,” he continued, his gaze settling on Thayden. “Bring me the mage after the wedding. By then, we will have gathered enough strength to use her magic to retrieve the ring." A smile touched his lips. "When the eclipse arrives, we shall be ready."
“We will not fail you.” Prince Maelor bowed deeply.
“Better not,” Zyrra intoned. “Don’t let her slip through your fingers again.”
She smiled, and Prince Maelor looked visibly scared.
“Come along, brothers. Mustn’t tarry here too long,” she said in a sing-song voice. “The wards are weakening.”
She went back through the portal, disappearing in the waves. The others followed slowly, like a funeral procession.
Soon, only Thayden, Prince Maelor, Mattieu, and the guards remained.
“We will reconvene in a few days,” Maelor announced, his voice breaking through the awful silence. “I’ll send a raven.”
Thayden bowed. Maelor turned away and walked through the door.
Mattieu focused on Thayden. “Keep that girl in line. See that everything runs smoothly.”
“Don’t worry. I have her under control.”
“Good. Because I want her father’s land. All of it. We will work on that next and get it out of the hands of the Fae.”
Merciless gods. Everyone was showing their true faces tonight.
“Rest assured. We will achieve everything we desire, Father.” It sickened me how confident Thayden sounded.
“I shall see you tomorrow night.” Mattieu dipped his head and left.
Thayden lingered, his gaze ahead on nothing in particular, then he looked at what remained of Mira and said to his guards, “Clean up that mess.”
I was sickened further. What an evil bastard.
The guards nodded and did as commanded, taking her lifeless, almost mummified body away.
Poor Mira. She didn’t deserve that. No one did.
Thayden blew out a ragged breath then walked out the door. Moments later, he exited the house.
I gazed ahead at him, watching his retreating form. He walked with ease, as though nothing had happened. As if he didn’t just take a woman’s life by slashing her throat then feeding her heart to a strange magical being.
Something wet trickled onto my arm.
I glanced down and realized it was a teardrop. One more dripped from my cheek. I’d been crying and I didn’t even know.
I needed to get to Wolfe, but already I could feel my control slipping.
I’d been here too long and seen too much, things no one should ever see. My system couldn’t take it.
I wouldn’t be able to stay in the Obscura for much longer. The river was on the other side. Too far. There were too many guards around. Someone would definitely see me.
Going back to the manor was quicker. Safer.
I chose that, although I would have preferred to run far, far away from here.
Sleep never came. I stayed up until morning, my mind replaying the horrors from the night before.
The only thing on my mind now was getting my message to Wolfe as quickly as possible. I would head to the river as soon as I could. But I needed to deal with Thayden first, if only to check his plans for the day.
One thing was certain: I couldn’t stay here any longer.
We all knew the dark forces wanted me, and as far as they were concerned, they had me. I wasn’t even certain any advantage we had over them meant anything.
Everything seemed powerless.
I’d never seen nor read about beings like the Deathless before. And I didn’t want to stick around to find more information.
The problem was, I was stuck. I didn’t know how to get back to Galaythia without jeopardizing things here and… gods, putting my family at risk.
I slowed my breathing as it picked up and willed the panic tearing me apart to calm.
One step at a time, Elariya. One step at a time.
I’d go downstairs in a little while for breakfast, then play my next moves by ear.
Luckily, Thayden was an early riser. Like clockwork, he had breakfast at the same time every day, even if he’d been out and about till late the night before.
I prayed he was heading out today. I’d take my chances the moment he left.
It was just a shame I had to sit with him and eat breakfast until then.
The man was truly a monster, a vicious, evil, manipulative monster. I was ashamed to know him. And his father wasn’t any better.