Chapter 3
Iroused to the smell of smoke, and a familiar panic forced my muscles into motion—memories of buildings on fire, of screams, and blood flooding my mind. My heart hammered in my chest as I slid on my boots with shaking hands. A bell sounded. Once. Twice. Three times. Alarm. We were under attack.
Below deck was eerily quiet—not in the sense that there was no shouting, the slapping of boots against wood, but in the sense that there was no sound of metal clashing against metal, or cannons being loaded and fired.
Hitting the ship. Missing the ship and hitting the water.
Had they sounded the alarm incorrectly? Fire was two rings of the bell.
I rushed above deck to be met with a sight that had me questioning if I was awake or in a nightmare.
The ship was alight with pure blue fire.
Some of the crew were swinging their swords wildly at nothing at all, others were attempting to douse the flames with sea water to no avail.
And when I looked out at the water, there was no ship other than our own. This was an attack, but how?
Spotting Lorian at the helm shouting orders to Kaelias and Makatza, I ran to their sides.
I drew the dagger at my thigh. I’d trained with Kaelias and Lorian enough to defend myself, and as much as they hated having me down in the action, I figured our ship under supposed attack would be an exception.
“What do you need me to do?”
Lorian ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. I’d never seen him so spooked. “I don’t even understand what’s happening. Some kind of—I don’t know—creature keeps appearing out of thin air.”
As if summoned, the creature Lorian must have been referring to appeared only a few paces away from us.
It appeared humanoid, closely resembling a Faeling, with bright yellow eyes and long silver hair that almost reflected blue in the moonlight.
Slender, spindly horns protruded from its head like branches, and softly pointed fangs showed in its smile: a telltale sign it was something preternatural—beautiful in a breathtaking way, a way that didn’t belong in this world.
Its features were both feminine and masculine—perfectly blended to create something utterly captivating.
It was out of both terror and fascination that I continued to stare at the creature.
A sword came swinging down at the creature and before I could blink, it disappeared from sight, sending the man who’d attacked stumbling over his own two feet.
“It’s time to go.” The words caressed the back of my ear, evoking a gasp from my throat.
I turned in time to see those unnatural eyes peering into mine, to see its clawed hands reach to grab me, and to see Kaelias bring his sword down towards the creature in the same breath.
Thankfully, Kaelias had aimed so as not to strike me on the chance that the creature dodged out of the way in time. And it had. Easily.
It reappeared behind us, seated on a box with its legs crossed, as if bored.
“I promised my darling I would kill no one unless it was absolutely necessary.” Its smile twisted into something deranged, as laughter tore from its throat.
“She didn’t specify what qualified as necessary. Foolish of her, right?”
Lorian stepped in front of me, his arm out in front of my body.
The creature stopped laughing. “Oh, that’s adorable.”
Then it looked at Lorian, narrowing its eyes, and showed up directly in front of him.
“You are…” It ran a clawed finger down the side of his face, turning his cheek, and sniffing down the side of his neck.
Lorian could do little but flinch at the touch.
“How unfortunate. She will be upset if I kill you.”
I could hear Kaelias breathing beside me, itching to strike the creature again, waiting for an opportunity that wouldn’t put Lorian in danger.
There was nothing I could do.
Nothing.
Answer the magic that dwells within you. Stop fighting it.
It was there. It had always been there, slumbering beneath my skin like a caged beast. I’d let it seep through the cracks before, but that was only scratching the surface of what it was capable of.
It was more. It could do more, and all I had to do was open the door and set it free.
Freeing a beast was simple. Shoving it back inside of its cage was not.
The answer to my prayers in the present could very well be the beginning of my end.
I flicked the cage door open.
Darkness exploded around me, fueled by a rage and desperation I couldn’t control. I reached for the creature with hands painted as black as night and saw its mask slip for the first time. It was cautious—slipping away with less than a second to spare.
The voice I’d heard in the mirror whispered in my mind. Yes, this is power. This is what it feels like to fear nothing, to be the one who is feared. Revel in this feeling.
When the creature reappeared, I shot my hands forth in front of me, letting the shadows form into giant claws that clamped down on its body. It wreathed itself in blue flame and shattered my magic to pieces as if it were nothing.
“Very interesting,” it cooed. “Not strong enough, though. You are inexperienced.”
“I won’t let you hurt them!” The voice that came from me was an odd mixture of my own and that of my reflection. Each part of me fought for dominance, slurring and fragmenting the words.
“You should be more worried about yourself hurting them.” It spoke sternly.
I clenched my teeth and threw my arms forth once more—not quick enough. The creature blinked away with ease, appearing behind me in an instant.
“They are unconscious. Look at what you’ve done.”
I looked to my feet and saw them. Lorian.
Kaelias. Makatza. Collapsed and wrapped in ribbons of shadow.
My magic was seeping into their skin, staining them with that agonizing darkness.
I clenched my arms to my sides, digging into my skin until I felt my nails draw blood. I had done this. Not the creature. Me.
It clicked its tongue. “Don’t fret, Nairu. If you ask nicely, I’ll save them. Maybe I’ll even stop the flames from turning this ship to ash.”
Shame be damned. I dropped to my knees. “Please. Please help them.”
“That’s much better.” It grinned.
It snapped its fingers, and I watched as all the flames and darkness disappeared.
The crew who had been above deck were unconscious—or I hoped only unconscious.
With such little effort, it had undone everything.
As if this were all a game. But it had been fear I’d seen, right?
I’d done something to help them, right? This had to mean something.
The creature then sat on its heels, dropping down to my level.
It tapped its finger on my nose. “You’ve really irritated me now.
” It pulled its hand away and clicked its nails together, contemplating, before its voice twisted with fury.
“Love is a miserable thing. You dared challenge me! Me! I’d normally take immense pleasure in your death, but I cannot, or she will anger. Miserable, it is.”
The magic I’d accessed was retreating back into my body, draining any last bit of energy I had. My world was spinning and spots of white were darting across my eyes. “Spare them. Please.” The words came out as a mumbled whisper.
The creature laughed. “Do you have something to bargain?”
“I—what do you want?”
“Oh, how pitiful you’ve become.”
The last thing I felt was the tug of magic surrounding me until it felt as though I was floating atop the water.
In the darkness, I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel.
There was an arm coiled around my waist, pulling me close against a body and into a warmth that was unlike anything I’d ever felt.
Fingers swirled patterns along my bare skin, running down my arm, along my waist, over the curve of my hip.
Each delicate touch left a trail of goosebumps in their wake.
I could stay forever entwined in these arms. I needed nothing else.
“I’m still waiting,” a voice whispered.
It was familiar… and not. Something inside of me knew that tone—that cadence—like the back of my hand.
Something muffled and faded the voice, as if it came from a distant place, far, far away.
If I could only focus a bit more, I knew I could figure it out.
I closed my eyes tight and listened closely, but the voice did not speak again.
“I don’t want to leave,” I whispered back.
It was comfortable here in the dark. Outside of whatever this was, was the reality of my mistakes—my failures.
I’d hurt the people I cared about with my own hands.
Despite knowing the risks of accessing a power I didn’t understand, I’d pressed forward.
I’d opened the door for the thing in the mirror to roam free.
I’d felt it there, snickering as the shadows surrounded me, satisfied that it’d broken me. Nearly two years of failed attempts, and I’d ruined everything in a matter of moments. For nothing. I still hadn’t been strong enough.
The voice returned, a gentle caress. “We made a promise.”
“What’s wrong with staying here?”
Maybe this was death providing me solace in my final moments.
“We made a promise,” the voice repeated.
Flashes of blurry images flickered in my mind.
A grand tree in the middle of a pool. A stunning blue flower.
White robes. A dagger. Blood. So much blood.
And then there was the sensation of it—being stabbed.
Horrible, piercing agony. I gasped, gritting my teeth as the pain continued to spread through my body like a corruption.
“You can’t stay here.”
I clutched my side, expecting to feel blood—but nothing. “What is this?”
“A dream. Open your eyes, my love.”
I woke with a gasp, eyes burning from the sudden infiltration of light. My fingers were gripping soft cotton sheets as I shot up from the bed I’d been lying in. I was in a bedroom—somewhere. I was alive—somehow.
I looked down at my hands. My skin had returned to its normal color, with no traces of the shadowy tendrils of my magic, nor the raw tenderness associated with them. I closed my eyes and focused, but my mind was quiet, too. As if nothing had happened. Had I dreamt the entire thing?
The door burst open, and I jumped back. My heart dropped when I saw who—or what—had entered: the creature from the ship.
“Good morning.” It grinned, fangs on full display. “I’ll be escorting you to our meeting room.”
I stepped back until I no longer could, the back of my shins hitting the bed frame. “Where am I? Where are my friends?”
Its voice twisted with irritation. “I’m not in the mood to answer your questions.
My darling asked me to bring you back here, so I am bringing you.
Now, come along nicely.” As if sensing my hesitation, it added, “or I’ll happily bring you in pieces.
They didn’t specify that part. So, so foolish.
I’ve told them a thousand times to be very detailed with their requests. ”
I had no doubt it was telling the truth.
I did as it asked.