Chapter 53
Chapter
Fifty-Three
Wraith gaped.
Umbra released Gerard. He cried out, clutching at his bleeding arm.
Meanwhile, the corridor filled with more of the fog. It obscured visibility. The guards shouted and swung at a now giant Umbra with their swords. But none of their blades could strike her.
However, apparently, Umbra could definitely hurt them. She sank her teeth into Karl’s leg. Karl screamed. Lina stabbed Umbra with her sword. But it went straight through Umbra’s body. Lina stumbled forward and fell through Umbra.
They can’t touch her. But she can touch them.
“Run, Wraith! Run! I am saving you!” Umbra called out. “Run now!”
Wraith sprinted towards the Bone Door. As he passed the doorway to Konrad’s room, he saw Konrad approaching the door, no doubt having heard the commotion.
But Wraith didn’t pause. He rushed past his husband, through the Bone Door, and into the beyond. Shadows immediately engulfed him. The door slammed shut.
Unsure what else to do, Wraith kept running. But the ground softened beneath his feet. With each step, he sank downwards. He stopped and looked back. The Bone Door was gone.
Had Umbra summoned it? Wraith hadn’t known Umbra could do that! But there seemed to be lots that Wraith had not known about Umbra, like that she could attack and physically harm people.
Wraith looked around. He’d never considered hiding in here before. Luckily, Umbra had.
He took a breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself so he could think clearly. But all he could see was Konrad’s cold green eyes.
What happened? Why had Konrad turned on him? He had a million questions. But there was one that kept pushing to the front of his mind.
What do I do now? Wraith crouched and wrapped his arms around himself. He rested his head on his knees.
Konrad doesn’t want me. Konrad is angry with me. Konrad hates me. Again.
A sob clawed at his throat.
What do I do now?
“I saved you! I saved you!” Umbra appeared in front of him, her normal size once more.
“Umbra!” Wraith wrapped his arms around her and buried his face against her body. “At least I still have you.”
“Always! You always have me! We are together forever. In the mortal realm and into the beyond.” Umbra licked his cheeks.
“But what happened back there?” Wraith asked. “I didn’t know you could attack people.” Although, ghosts could physically manifest with enough intention and if they were strong enough. Perhaps that was the same for Umbra.
“Yes. I bite! They bleed! But none can hurt me!” Umbra barked. “The pretty one threw lightning. But he couldn’t hurt me either.”
Lightning. Pretty one. That was Elias.
Wraith supposed it shouldn’t hurt that Elias had attacked Umbra. After all, Umbra had attacked Gerard. Still, Elias had been his first ever friend.
“I suppose he and I aren’t friends anymore.” Wraith let out a shaky breath. “What do I do now?”
“We will keep going,” Umbra said. “We will get away from all those who hurt you. We will run far, far away and be safe and happy together.”
But unfortunately Wraith knew they couldn’t actually do that. He and Konrad could not be apart. Not for long. They were married, and part of the contract they’d signed stated they must be together. Otherwise, they risked madness, illness, and even death.
Perhaps even being here, on the other side of the Bone Door, was putting them both at risk of voiding that contract. Still, part of him wondered if he could just stay here, hiding away from everyone in this place forever.
Of course, he couldn’t really stay here. This was not a place for the living. Even just staying here longer would make it harder for him to return.
“If I go back, they will take me captive,” Wraith said.
“I’ll open the door outside. Far away. Somewhere where no one can find you,” Umbra said.
“You can do that?”
“I can! I can open the door anywhere!”
Wraith had not been aware you could select where the door opened. He’d never had any control of it. Not that he knew. He just summoned it, and it appeared. It seemed Umbra was far more on top of all this than he was.
But Wraith shook his head. “That won’t do. I can’t be far from Konrad. Not for long.” He stroked Umbra. He had to think.
The only way he could see himself getting out of his predicament was to clear his name, find out who had spoken against him, and prove it wasn’t true.
Maybe then Konrad will care for me again.
But did Wraith even want that? Konrad had been so cruel. Could Wraith forget what had occurred? Even if Konrad found out the truth and believed Wraith had not betrayed him, could Wraith ever trust him again?
“He promised to protect me,” Wraith whispered. “And instead—” He cut himself off.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have run. If I’d let them question me, maybe they would realise I am not a threat or a traitor and just let me go.
But Konrad had clearly already decided Wraith was guilty. So he doubted they would treat him fairly. He’d have probably ended up a prisoner for life.
“Maybe I should go back to my family,” Wraith said.
Umbra growled. “No! They are mean! They make you sad!”
Wraith sighed. “I know. But they wouldn’t hand me over to Konrad knowing he’d put me in chains.
” They would not tolerate a member of the Necros royal family being a captive of a dragon.
“If I go to my family, I’ll at least not be a prisoner.
And that will give me a chance to work out what is going on, so I can clear my name and prove my innocence. ”
His family may hate him, but they’d never locked him up before.
Umbra’s ears lay flat against her head. She growled.
“I don’t like the idea either,” he said. “But I don’t know what else to do or where I can go. I don’t have any good options right now.”
Umbra bared her fangs, clearly unhappy with the plan.
“Umbra, can you please open the door in my family’s quarters?”
The Bone Door appeared and swung open. On the other side, he could see the room for the Necros royal family. Wraith stood.
“Thank you, Umbra.” He took a deep breath and stepped through the door.