9. Aniah
Aniah
Ryker told me to stay behind. To wait. It was his way of keeping me safe, as was his nature.
He wouldn’t have to protect me if my powers were at their fullest. With only embers remaining after the fall of the Western Realm, I was no better than a lesser Witch. I was almost ordinary.
The nocturnal lullabies soothed my frayed nerves as I fixated on the lights from the distant manor.
The crunch of leaves mingled with the woods’ music as the branches creaked and swayed.
A pair of eyes flashed as an animal darted through my line of sight.
The air was thick with the earthy scent of damp leaves and moss, mingling with the faint, sweet aroma of pine.
It was almost too dark for me to see anything; the shadows had merged into a vast, inky sea.
Fire was too risky, and we hadn’t come this far to ruin it for the sake of extra heat or light.
Shrieks echoed in the distance, and my heart leaped in my chest. Then a howl that made the hair on my arms stand on end. The sounds carried through the dense trees between me and the commotion. A chill raced across my skin, lifting goosebumps in its wake.
Then everything stopped.
The woods became eerily silent. The thick material of my cloak did little to block the chill that crept along my skin.
Sticks snapped, agitating the horses, as something large approached.
My hands trembled as I stood, pulling out the small dagger that Ryker had instructed me to keep on me at all times.
Witches didn't need weapons under normal circumstances. I never thought I’d require the knowledge.
Someone close to me long ago had offered to teach me how to use such things.
If only I had let him, then maybe the handle I squeezed hard enough to hurt wouldn’t feel foreign and terrifying in my hand.
Apprehension coiled in my stomach until a flash of silver and a head of white came into view. Every muscle in my body instantly relaxed, a ragged sigh loosening.
“How many skurs did you lure over there?” I demanded, shoving the dagger back into the small sheath at my hip. It was supposed to be a subtle distraction so he could see how many of the King’s guards we’d be dealing with. Not a full-on assault.
He shrugged. “Ten.”
“Great moon, Ryker!” I shook my head incredulously.
Ten skurs? Alone, they were challenging, but in a horde?
An absolute nightmare. This was only supposed to be recon.
To see if we were on the right track. Skurs, in any number, could draw more attention to this area, which would not be good for us.
The Shadow Stalkers would sniff us out too fast. Especially Ryker.
“Why are you covered in their filth? What happened?” My gaze quickly worked over him, checking for any bites. Blood dripped from his arm, which he’d crudely bandaged up. He looked up, as if he’d felt my scrutiny.
“It didn’t bite me. I had to get closer to see what manner of beings we’ll be up against. Don’t worry, I made sure enough of their rancid blood stained the air to cover my scent.”
He removed a dagger that had been tucked into his waistline, placing it in the saddlebag before exchanging his ripped, soiled tunic for his fighting leathers and the sheath for his double swords.
I crossed my arms, impatiently tapping my foot while he worked the buckles. “And?”
He loosed a breath, hands stilling. “I saw her, Aniah.”
“What?” My face went slack. The reality of finally finding her hit all at once. He pivoted toward me, his silver-tinted blue eyes glowing as he reached back, sheathing the swords in an ‘X’ across his back.
He smiled. The first real smile I’d seen in three years. “We found her. Her hair is the wrong color, and the scent is off, but it’s her.”
Relief seeped into my bones, shoulders easing as tension dissipated. After three long years of hiding and searching, we’d done it. The tree supported me as I leaned against it to keep me upright.
“It’s not all great news. She had ink banded around her ankles. I noticed them beneath her sweater on her wrists, too. It’s a Witch’s marking, right?”
I gritted my teeth and nodded. “Cressida. It’s a proximity curse. Nastier than a normal proximity spell. This is messier than I had hoped. They must know what she is. Who she is.” I chewed the inside of my lip as I paced in front of him. Those predatory eyes tracked my every movement.
“There’s more.”
“Oh, good moon. What else could possibly be wrong?” I asked.
“Her memories are gone.” He crossed his arms, jaw set. “She had no idea who I was.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger.
“Please tell me you didn’t approach her.” His silence made my teeth grind. “Ryker, we agreed to stay away until we had all the facts and a safe escape route.”
He scowled as he strapped more daggers around his waist.
“Besides, you’ve let your hair get ridiculously long. I barely recognize you,” I deadpanned. He rolled his eyes.
“I was about to leave, but then a stray skur was headed straight for her. I had to intervene.”
“What?!” I dragged a hand over my face and exhaled. “Okay, no—” I snapped my fingers. “This isn’t all bad. We can work with this!” Optimism coated my words, despite the concern lurking in my gut.
He raised a dark brow, not bothering to hide his doubt. It stung a little, if I were being honest. We wouldn’t be in any of this mess with my magic.
“She’s seen you. So, if we can somehow… get her away from the King’s guards without them knowing, we could earn her trust by breaking the curse that keeps her shackled. Then I can work on putting together the concoction and spell to unweave the memory lock Cressida put on her.”
“That’s a lot of ’ifs’, Aniah. She’s right there…” Pain flashed across his face briefly as his sharp eyes cut back to the manor. It was quickly replaced with his usual stern look as he focused back on me.
“Can you do that? The spell? Even with…”
He was always delicate about the current state of my magic. I swallowed thickly before answering.
“It’s the one curse I created. I can undo it.”
The part I left off was that I'd need help. But the moon was on our side. I placed a hand over my forearm where the melting rose lay beneath my sleeve.
“I don’t see why we can’t just grab her once the shackles are broken.” He pulled off the blood-soaked bandage around his arm, tearing a fresh strip of cloth.
“Because we’d only be kidnapping her from her captors.
We’d lose her trust before we ever gained it.
If she were to cause a scene—try to run from us—it would ruin everything,” I breathed.
“Not to mention they’d hunt us down. The King won’t let his prize get away.
And we don’t have the resources to outrun him at this point. ”
After several failed attempts to bandage himself, I stalked over and snatched the fabric, wrapping it around the gouges from the skur. My mouth pressed into a thin line—my magic could have fixed this, too.
He nodded tightly. Reluctantly.
“Did you get a look at the males escorting her? Any idea what we’re dealing with?” I tied off the cloth and looked up at him.
He kicked at the dirt.
“Ryker?”
He sighed. “I saw a Werewolf, which we knew we’d be up against—Fae and…”
“And?”
“Gargoyle.” He dragged his glowing eyes to me, a tick in his jaw. “The scent was faint, diluted somehow, but it was there.”
That got my attention.
“Who was it?” My heart pounded in my chest.
“Aniah—”
“Who was it?” My voice rose.
“Malachai.”
A vice constricted around my heart. Everything around me faded away as his name rang through my mind and images flashed. I hadn’t seen him since the fall of the Gargoyle kingdom.
I thought he was dead.
“And fucking Aiden,” he growled.
“What? It can’t be—and Malachai? He’s working for… for the Fae king? How could he do this?” Tears welled in my eyes.
A sob tore free before I could stop it. Strong arms enveloped me in a hug I desperately needed, and I buried my face in his chest, taking comfort in the cedar-and-mountain scent that was Ryker. That was home.
“It explains how the Fae king knows about her. And I don’t think Malachai is himself. You know he'd protect her. He would’ve gotten her far away from this place. Far from Aiden. There has to be a spell on him, too.”
“How is it we’ve been here three years, searching, and never knew they were here?” I sniffled and pulled away, wiping my cheeks.
“I don’t know. But it’ll be okay. We’re finally getting somewhere.” The smile he offered me didn’t reach his eyes. “One step at a time, right?”
I nodded absently, as my mind drifted to the past.
“I’d like to be alone. I’m going to look for the things I need to do this spell.” I dabbed my face with my sleeve. “There’s someone we need to visit, though—I can’t do this spell on my own.”
“This doesn’t need to be done now—”
“Ryker.” I shut my eyes, inhaling slowly. “I need to process this. Alone. I might as well be productive while I do.”
He gave a short nod before reluctantly turning back to the horses.
As I walked to the area I’d seen some of the ingredients I’d need, I rubbed my arms, gaze locked on the manor.
Everything we'd sacrificed and worked toward over the past three years was just beyond those trees. We hadn’t deviated from our path once.
I hadn’t let myself wonder who else from the Western Realm could be trapped here in the Fae lands.
But hearing Malachai’s name cracked the walls of focus I’d built.
How could I ignore that he’s with them? With Aiden and working for the Fae?
He is—was—my one true love.