Chapter 12
Anxiety grips my chest, and the suffocating emotion heightens with each step I take while trailing after Jaxon as we weave through the Forbidden Forest.
The typically chatty Fae has fallen silent, which is almost as ominous as the unnatural spectacle I witnessed back in the clearing. I duck under the naked branches of a dead tree, my thoughts spinning.
Those soldiers appeared out of thin air. I’m sure of it. Which begs the question: how?
“Shadowbound Fae don’t have elemental power. Our magic comes from our shadows.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, replaying Rian’s words, looking for any clue to explain what happened.
I’ve never heard the phrase “Shadowbound” before. Verdanthians refer to our northern overlords simply as Shadow Fae. Shadowbound makes them seem like prisoners to their magic, not masters who wield it with devastating precision.
Dry leaves crunch under my feet as we move past the gnarled tree.
Does the Fae’s swirling, dark magic somehow enable them to transport from one location to another at their command?
Or did that camp of soldiers use some other mysterious ability to appear in that clearing undetected?
Or is it possible I was simply too distracted speaking with Rian to hear them return?
No. Absolutely not.
Well…you were preoccupied checking out his golden chest…
I dismiss my inner voice with a silent hiss, but blood rushes into my cheeks nevertheless.
Finding Rian attractive is nothing to be ashamed of. His kind were designed by the Old Gods to be captivating. It would be strange if I weren’t drawn in by his strong jaw and smoldering eyes, or his intense stare and muscular torso—
“Here we are.” Jaxon’s voice cracks through the silence like lightning.
I jolt back and yelp when my heel strikes a jagged rock.
He reaches out to steady me.
“I’m fine.” I jump back before he touches me, shifting weight to my other leg, hiding my wince. “Totally fine.”
The unkempt path leading to town is a foot away.
I hobble forward. “Thanks for walking with me. I’m good on my own from here.”
“You’re welcome.” He lowers his arm, eyes following me with a frown. “Sleep well. We shall see you tomorrow.”
I wave a hand his way without meeting his gaze. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
I limp my way out of the Forbidden Forest. I make it five feet before I glance back. Jaxon’s gone, and I release a shuddering breath. I’ll need to do better at controlling my unease around the Fae.
I haven’t forgotten they’re my enemy, but the odd tension hovering between Rian and Jaxon reminds me they have secrets. They don’t trust me. Which reinforces the fact I can't trust them with the book in my possession.
I grip the strap of my satchel tighter and continue hobbling toward town, passing the southern shacks, nearing the market.
I expect silence, so I draw up short when boisterous laughter and enthusiastic cheers float through the air. My brow furrowed, I tilt my head back and look at the sky. The moon has reached its zenith, bleeding silver over the dark town, confirming the late hour.
While the Elders are continuing with the Late King’s Festival, the late-night party to honor King Korrin won’t begin for days. And last I heard, the town is still under curfew.
So who is out celebrating?
The pain in my heel has morphed into an unrelenting ache, but curiosity overrides my discomfort. I veer off the path leading to my home, weaving through the empty streets, until I come upon the source of the happy noise. Odden’s Tavern.
Under different circumstances, I’d peek through the grimy windows to see if Ferria, Anton, or Lev are inside. But after two nights of sleep deprivation, the wise choice is to go home and fall into bed.
I turn back toward the street that will lead me home, but pause when the tavern door swings open and two figures stumble down the uneven wooden steps. I recognize the messy blond hair of the broad man with his lips glued to the petite woman in front of him. Dian and his betrothed.
I step back to avoid notice right as Dian pulls away from Gayla to scan his surroundings, undoubtedly searching for a more private place to make out with his fiancée, when his glassy eyes lock on me.
“Elara!” he slurs with a wide grin. “You made it!”
“Uh. Yeah. Actually.” I hike a thumb over my shoulder. “I was just on my way home—”
“No way.” Dian strides forward and wraps an arm around my shoulder, dragging me to the door. “Come on. Lev’s been looking for you.”
I try to dig my heels into the ground, but Dian is too strong.
“Stop it, you brute.” I smack his arm.
He doesn’t even flinch.
I throw a desperate look at his betrothed. “Help?”
Gayla giggles. “Sorry, Elara. You’re on your own.”
“Traitor.” I narrow my eyes with faux outrage at the young woman.
I don’t know Gayla very well. She’s a couple of years younger than me, and any free time I have is spent with Ferria or Lev. But she seems nice. And she makes Dian happy.
Gayla answers with another laugh, then follows me and Dian back inside the tavern.
The scent of stale mead soaked into wood assails my nostrils the moment I cross the threshold. Odden’s Tavern is packed.
Patrons ranging in age from late teens to mid-fifties spread throughout the sparsely decorated space. Most are so deep in their drinks they don’t notice my arrival. Those who do are quick to look away, but not before I see their suspicious, almost fearful expressions.
Drinks slosh as patrons sway side to side to the music playing from the guitarist in the far back corner, closest to the liquid-stained slab of wood that serves as the bar top. Everyone is laughing and chatting, enjoying a night of no responsibilities.
I wish I could do the same. Even now, responsibility weighs heavily on my exhausted shoulders. I tighten my grip on my satchel.
Dian tugs me to the center of the room, where a head of wild red curls catches my eye.
Ferria sits at a table with Anton, Lev, and two of his fellow soldiers and childhood friends, Blyne and Welm. My twin sister sees me, lifts an acknowledging brow, but doesn’t speak. The rest of the table’s attention, as well as the one next to them, remains focused on Lev.
When Dian and I reach them, I realize why. My escort's arms fall away as we listen.
“... and then I drove my sword into the beast’s eye just before it could chomp Giles’s flank,” Lev says, holding his audience captive as he regales the listening crowd with the tale.
Blyne whistles low.
Welm shakes his head. “That was a close call, brother. Too close.”
“Please.” Ferria snorts, drawing the men’s attention. “There’s no way that happened.”
Lev’s back muscles ripple as he rests his elbows on the table, leaning toward my sister. “I wouldn’t lie about something like this, Ferria.”
“I believe you fought off something,” she allows. “But there’s no way it was an Onyx Wraith.”
Terror floods my veins as my mind is tossed back to that horrible night my sister and I foolishly stepped into the Forbidden Forest. The night her power over flames revealed itself.
“It was,” Lev says. “I know what I saw.”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t even in the forest?” Blyne asks.
“That’s right.” Lev straightens, shaking his head slowly. “The bastard was crouching in the tree line, right at the edge of the forest. Thank the Gods I had a dagger strapped to my thigh.”
Blyne and Welm mutter their agreement.
I clear my throat. “Onyx Wraiths don’t have eyes.”
Chairs scratch against the floor as those within earshot turn. Wariness rises thickly around me.
“Elara!” Lev jumps to his feet, grabbing my hand and pulling me close.
Dust from his patrol of the mines smudges his cheeks, but his handsome smile brightens his face before his lips press against mine.
The wheaty smell of beer tickles my nostrils as he kisses me soundly, amping up his efforts when our friends cheer and whistle.
Seconds pass before I break our kiss and mutter, “I know what you’re doing.”
The atmosphere around us has already lightened, and most of the distrusting stares lobbed my way have abated.
Lev winks then drags me to sit next to him, pulling the chair so he can keep an arm around my shoulder. Dian sits in the chair at the end of the table, tugging Gayla into his lap, peppering her neck with quick kisses.
“Where have you been?” Lev asks. “I went to your house when my shift ended, and you weren’t there.”
I press my lips together. “Working.”
“Oh.” His gaze dims for a moment, then he blinks, and his broad smile returns. “What were you saying about Onyx Wraiths? That they don’t have eyes?”
“They don’t,” I confirm, fidgeting when several pairs of eyes land on me once more. At least they aren’t hostile this time. “Wraiths are skeletal, no flesh or organs. So…no eyes.”
“How do you know?” Blyne asks without judgment, just curiosity.
“Because she saved me from one when we were kids,” Ferria clips out, then tosses back her cup and slams it down on the table.
A haunted shadow flickers in her eyes.
“What?” Blyne chokes out.
“I’m sorry,” Anton adds, staring at my sister with such concern that my heart squeezes.
“Let’s not talk about this,” I say, knowing Ferria well enough to know she’s close to stomping out of here.
And I don’t want her to leave yet. We haven’t spoken since the town meeting, and I need to talk to her.
“Yeah.” Lev squeezes my shoulder. “New subject. I don’t want to think about how I likely killed an ordinary wolf and not a nightmarish creature of evil.”
His self-deprecating jibe earns a few laughs, and the men around us mutter their agreement.
When the conversation around us picks up again, I reach out and squeeze Lev’s thigh. He meets my gaze.
I mouth, “Thank you.”
He grins and kisses me again. When he pulls away, I turn my attention to Blyne and Anton. They’re debating which town’s soldiers will win this year’s weaponry feat.
“I’m telling you, Nalderall won’t stand a chance,” Anton says, pointing to the dagger sheathed at Blyne’s hip. “Not without blades forged by Ferria. No smithy in the region can compete.”
Ferria spins her cup in her hands, but the faintest flush creeps into her cheeks.