85. Everett
Everett
Passing through the streets of Pyraeth was bittersweet.
The buildings were awash in a deep yellow and light pink glow as the sun fell on the land, the enchantment over the kingdom finally broken.
But there was hardly anyone left to revel in it.
The roads that had been seemingly filled with people on our first trek to the palace were now empty and silent.
All the people who had once dreamed of seeing the sun again, sacrificed brutally for another’s thirst for power.
I put an arm around Vera’s shoulders and drew her into my side as we walked.
Feeling her steady beneath me kept me grounded.
Even though I’d only been in the shadow wraith’s form for a short time, the effect was…
haunting. Not being able to truly touch, to see only the gloom and darkness of everything in front of me, to feel a neverending coldness where heat had once been.
I shuddered involuntarily, and Vera wrapped her arm around my waist. “You’re freezing,” she said. The air warmed as her magic seeped into me. I relaxed, not realizing my shoulders had been drawn up so tight.
“Thank you.” I buried my lips into the top of her head, brushing my fingers up and down her spine. She hadn’t left my side since I transformed back into a human, but I wasn’t complaining. We’d spent far too much time apart as it was.
“Are you okay?” she asked, peering up at me with worried eyes. “No weird shadow monsters in your head?”
I chuckled. “I’m okay. I’m just ready to be home.”
She hummed in response, leaning her head back on my shoulder as we turned into the palace courtyard. Tessa traipsed ahead of us with Captain Starke in tow. The sight of him made my jaw clench. “What are we going to do with him?” I grunted.
Vera sighed. “I don’t know, but I couldn’t leave him to die.”
“He would’ve left you.”
“I don’t think so. I really think he was just trying to get his family back.
I want to be furious, and a part of me still is, but…
” She shrugged. “It takes so much energy to wish bad things for someone. That’s all I’ve done for years.
” Her head tilted back up to meet my gaze, and we both stopped moving. “I just want to be happy, Everett.”
I cupped her cheek. “Me too, sweetheart.” My lips brushed gently against hers, and I snaked an arm around her back, pulling her closer.
“Seriously, you two? Save it for the boat,” Tessa shouted from up ahead.
“As if we’re going to get any privacy on a boat,” I mumbled.
Vera wound her arms around my neck, nails scraping my scalp in a way that made my eyes flutter shut. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
I kissed her once more, then turned toward the palace. We hadn’t even reached the entrance when the doors burst open. Odessa sprinted from the top of the stairs, her forest green dress trailing behind her.
“Vera!” she yelled, waving at the sky. “Vera, you did it!”
Vera ran to Odessa, the women embracing with joyous smiles. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” Vera exclaimed.
I rubbed my chest with the heel of my hand, my heart aching at the look on Vera’s face.
In the months we’d been together before she left, I could count on one hand the number of times she’d truly smiled.
She hadn’t let herself make friends the way she did now.
She hadn’t let herself feel joy. But now she was brimming with it.
Kieran bounded down the steps after Odessa. I clapped him on the back, and he pulled me in for a surprising hug. “I thought we lost you, brother.”
“You almost did.” I released him. “But we pulled it off, like we always do. Thanks to Vera.” I tipped my head to her, who was inspecting Odessa’s arm, which was completely healed.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Ev,” Tessa piped up behind me, reaching to rest an elbow on my shoulder. “I’d be fish food if it weren’t for you. Well, shadow wraith you.”
Kieran glanced between the two of us. “I sense I missed a few things.”
“We’ll tell you all about it on the ride home, don’t worry,” Tessa said.
“What about the Elders?” Kieran asked.
“They’re dead. It’s over, Kieran,” I said.
He let out a breath, then patted my shoulder. “Well done, all of you.” Odessa called him over just then, and he nodded to us before walking away.
I caught Tessa by the arm before she could follow. “Listen, we haven’t had the chance to talk much, but I need to tell you something.”
She eyed me. “Did the shadow wraith leave little shadow wraith eggs inside of you?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s about the night I was taken. You know how my dreamwalking isn’t always controllable, and I accidentally entered several dreams of people around me. Including yours.”
Tessa stilled, then cleared her throat. “Oh?”
“I’m sorry, Tessa. I wasn’t trying to intrude.” My brow pinched. “But I saw something. Your—your mother.”
“You saw that, did you?” She sighed. “Yeah, well, it was just a dream.”
“What happened to her?” I asked softly.
Tessa’s eyes shifted to the others, and she swallowed.
“She’s sick. Has been for some time now.
Lost her memory and basic functioning skills five years ago, things the Alchemists say they can’t heal.
I’ve been taking care of her, when I can.
I moved her to the East Shore shelter we set up last year. ”
My eyes widened. “Why haven’t you told any of us about this?”
“It’s not your business.” She hastily shook her head. “That came out wrong. I mean, it’s not your responsibility. I don’t have any relatives. It’s just me and her. It’s my job to take care of her.”
I remembered asking her weeks ago why she wanted to come on this trip with us. “When you said sometimes you just need to get away, is this what you meant? You needed a break?”
She winced. “I know, it was selfish of me.”
“Are you kidding me?” I stared at her, dumbfounded. “Tessa, what you’re doing for her isn’t selfish. You deserve a break. Would she want you to be tethered to her side instead of living?”
She gave me a half-smile. “She’d probably tell me I was being ridiculous. Like you do.”
“You better let us help you from now on,” I said, then snorted. “Wait till Nox hears about this. He’ll be pissed you hid it from him for so long.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
I smirked, but then my attention snagged on the palace doors Kieran and Odessa had come from, where a handful of other people in dirty rags warily watched us. Some held pitchforks, others torches, and others dinner knives and forks.
I raised an eyebrow. “Uh, Kieran?” I called, joining him, Odessa, and Vera.
He looked back at them. “Ah, yes. Come, come, it’s alright.
You’re safe here,” he called up, motioning for them to join us.
The strangers were hesitant at first, and when they stepped into the sun, I saw what a ragged group it was.
Their skin was pale, with purple rings beneath their eyes and bones practically sticking out of their knees and elbows.
“Prisoners?” I asked Kieran quietly.
He gave a solemn nod. “Once Tessa and Vera left to find you, I made sure Odessa was safe and scoured the palace for any sign of the High Elders and their plans. I found a dungeon hidden beneath the kitchens. I don’t know how long many of them have been down there.”
“He fought a slew of guards to rescue them,” Odessa said, a blush darkening her cheeks. “He was incredibly brave.”
Kieran rubbed his chin sheepishly. “You were still asleep, Odessa. You didn’t even see me.”
“Well, they told me so.” She smiled at him. “And I know you.”
“That’s our Kieran,” Tessa said, patting his cheek. “Just a big, heroic softie.” Her words were teasing, but she bore a proud grin.
“I couldn’t leave them,” Kieran said.
Tessa nodded. “We’ll take care of them.” She turned toward the group still lingering at the entrance, stepping into the role we were used to from our days with the Ashen Order.
As Tessa gently introduced herself, a man and woman emerged from the back, with two younger boys pressed between them. Something about the man’s blond hair and woman’s blue eyes looked familiar.
A choked noise came from the side. “Mother?” Captain Starke pushed forward, nearly stumbling up the stairs to reach them. “Tommy, Roderick, is that you?”
His mother’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, Alexander!” she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. His father came up beside them and wrapped both of them in an embrace. He buried his head in the woman’s hair, arms trembling. The two teenage boys joined the huddle with their lanky limbs.
The sight was almost enough to dismiss my hostility toward Starke.
Vera came over and rested her head on my shoulder as we watched them. “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t kill him,” she said begrudgingly.
“There’s still time,” I offered.
She nudged my ribs. “But now we have to figure out how to get them home, too. And I still haven’t got a clue how to get off this island.”
“I think we can help with that.” We both spun in search of the new voice to find Dom and a dozen or so rebels marching up to the palace courtyard.
Kieran blinked. “And who is this?”
“Another long story,” I said. “They’re allies, though.”
Vera rushed forward and shook Dom’s outstretched hand. “I’m so glad you’re all okay,” she said.
“When our watchman told us the sky was changing colors, we couldn’t believe it,” Dom replied. “We sent scouts up just to be sure. What happened? What of the High Elders?”
Vera grinned. “They’re gone. For good.”
Dom closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging with relief. “There’s nothing we could ever do to repay you for this.”
“I’m just sorry you had to lose so many people to get to this point.” Vera shook her head. “Sloane should’ve been here. She should’ve seen this.”
“I choose to believe she did. That they all did.” He paused for a moment, then added, “But all of that is over now, yes?”
Vera nodded. “You’re free to do whatever you want.” She held an arm out to the kingdom. “Rebuild Pyraeth, or start somewhere fresh, or…anything,” she said with a small laugh. “Nothing can cage you anymore.”
She met my gaze at those words, and emotion shimmered in her eyes. She wasn’t just speaking to the Pyreathis.
“Gather your things, and we’ll take you to the docks,” Dom said. “We can prepare a vessel for your journey home.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You have ships here? But you can’t travel anywhere.”
“Every century, when the portal opens, scouts are sent out on a ship. We still have the one from the last expedition. It’s a…bit old, I’ll admit,” Dom said, wincing, “but it can still get on the water, if you have a captain who can sail it, of course.”
I peered down at Vera with a scowl, and she sighed. “I told you it was a good thing I didn’t kill him.”
I exhaled, and the sound faded into a growl. “Whatever it takes to get us home.”
She tapped my nose. “That’s the spirit.”
“But what about you?” I asked Dom. “If this is your only ship, how will you get off the island?”
“Yes, we can’t just leave you here,” Vera agreed.
“You’ve already done plenty simply by giving us the choice,” Dom said. “And I’m not sure we all want to leave.” He looked around at the other rebels. “Pyraeth is still home. Perhaps we can make it ours again. Rebuild it into what it should’ve been.”
Vera grinned. “I think that’s a great idea.”
My hand fell to Vera’s waist. “Do you want to go tell the others to get ready?”
She nodded, her eyes flashing with excitement. “Come on, Swift.” She laced our fingers together. “Let’s go home.”