Chapter 16
Scratches sting my face. My arms. My waist.
I kick and thrash, desperate to dislodge the monster’s piercing grip. The hammer slips from my grasp.
For a moment, my mind is tossed back to the day the Fae arrived in the meeting hall—to when I fought to free myself from the pull of the shadows twisting my arms. But even then, I acknowledged the Fae needed something from me. They needed me alive.
This monster? There’s no motivator—intrinsic or extrinsic—that would cause it to leave me unharmed. If it takes me into the forest, I’m doomed.
I dig my flimsy flats into the ground, but the klarv doesn’t miss a beat. It continues to shuffle along, red eyes trained on the tree line. A line of saliva dribbles from the corner of its split lips.
Crack. The forge door slams open.
“ELARA!”
Ferria’s flames rival the moon’s brightness as streaks of fire soar overhead.
The creature cringes, just slightly, but it gives my arm another tug. I cry out. Fresh blood seeps from my wound.
“Stop!” Ferria’s cry sounds strained. Another blaze flies by. “Keep fighting, Lara! Don’t stop!”
I’m trying!
Pain sticks the words in my throat.
With each twist and tug, the claws in my body shift, and stars burst in my vision. The world begins to dim.
No!
I jerk my chin. The stars blink out of sight.
I can’t faint.
Not now.
A sickly clicking sound—like a tongue popping against the roof of a dry mouth—comes from my left.
My stomach sinks when the second creature skulks out of the darkness. It roars an approving sound, showcasing rows of jagged, serrated teeth that resemble those of the sea sharks that wash up on the coastline from time to time.
Velcrin.
A different breed of monster, but equally vicious and terrifying as the one dragging me along. Like all forest beasts are.
I renew my efforts, screaming loudly as talons dig deeper into my flesh. But I don’t stop. I can’t stop.
Ferria’s shouts echo through the night. Flames continue to soar, but they’re not as bright. She’s fatigued.
I grit my teeth and reach back to grab the creature’s arm. My hand wraps around the ratty cloak covering knobby bone, my knuckles overlapping each other.
Maniacal chirping passes through the klarv’s pin-thin teeth when the second beast reaches out for me. I twist and attempt to kick it away, but the velcrin’s gnarled fist snatches my uninjured arm, and I’m dragged like a rag doll between the beasts.
The Forbidden Forest looms closer.
I shout. I scream.
Curse the Elders for demanding the forge be so far from town. With the wind carrying sound uphill, no one is around to hear me. No one but my sister.
Ferria has already displayed an incredible new ability to try and fight off the creatures. Other than running for help, there’s nothing more she can do. And even then, by the time she finds someone who might be able to help me, I’ll be long gone.
My strength begins to falter. Why can’t I be as strong as Ferria?
I’m weak. My power is useless.
Mending bone and knitting flesh together isn’t a weapon against the creatures that thrive in the Forbidden Forest.
But what if…
My heart thumps. I turn my head, trying to glimpse my shouting sister.
Her red hair gleams bright from the blue and white flames that now trail up her arms. A glance reveals her skin and clothes are not burned.
I press my lips together into a thin line of resolve.
Ferria and I are twins. We both inherited magic from our parents—parents who were forced to flee their home when their neighbors learned of their powers.
If she can cast her power from her body, so can I.
I drop to my knees, shrieking when the talons twist and I’m yanked back up.
Angry clicks lick my ear. I squeeze my eyes shut.
Please, I beg my power. Help me.
My magic, which has been flickering beneath the surface, rises. It presses against my skin with fervor, as if it can read my mind and is eager to have me wield it in this way.
All right. I take a deep breath. Do your worst.
White light explodes from my body. It arches like a pale rainbow, slicing through the cloaked creatures holding me captive.
The velcrin shrieks and releases me. The klarv’s grip loosens, but the sharp talons remain embedded in my arm. The smoky scent of burnt cloth fills my nostrils.
I drop my hips. The klarv swings its other arm to catch me, jerking me with incredible force.
Pop.
A scream tears from my throat.
“Elara!”
I shriek in agony, drowning out Ferria’s cry.
The monster tugs my dislocated shoulder. White light flares behind my eyes, but I don’t know if it's from my power or my pain.
Help me, I plead to my magic. Tears roll down my cheeks. Please.
My skin crawls as the shadows covering my arms swirl, twist, and tangle together. My power floats over the surface, unaffected by the shadows’ volatile ministrations, and then blasts from my fingertips so suddenly that by the time I acknowledge it’s happened, the power is gone.
The klarv’s anguished screech rattles my bones.
Talons rip out of my arm. I fall to my knees. Hair falls in my face as I hunch forward, gasping for breath. I press a trembling hand to the wound, trying to stem the gushing blood.
A charge zips through the atmosphere.
The hair on my arms stands at attention. My head snaps up. The cloaked monster’s red eyes burn with retribution, but then its eerie eyes fly up.
Its cracked lips part in shock and terror.
Something heavy drapes the earth—dark as death, yet laced with the shimmer of salvation. Power thrums beneath its weight, promising either ruin or redemption.
My veins flare with a surge of magic just as a blurred form emerges from the forest.
The monsters screech.
Through the darkness, I can’t make out what I’m seeing. Not until vibrant silver eyes flare.
Rian.
The moonlight catches the gleam of his blade, which pulses with blue and white light. The weapon illuminates Rian’s face, highlighting the promise of violence etched across his handsome features.
A second figure emerges from the dark. Jaxon. He approaches Rian with an outstretched arm. Without a word, Rian hands him the glowing sword. Then Jaxon grins. And leaps.
The monsters keen and wail, skittering back. But it’s too late.
The Fae spins and slices. The beasts separate, concerned with only their own survival. The blade whistles through the air. An arm hits the ground. Dark, sizzling liquid pours out of the beast’s wound.
A quick downward strike cuts off the velcrin’s ear-splitting cry. The beast’s slacked jaw showcases all of its jagged teeth as it rolls on the dirt and stops less than two feet from me.
Bile claws up my throat. I jump back when the decapitated head glows blue then explodes into a cloud of dust and shadow. I suck in a breath and gag when the gritty particles scratch the back of my throat.
Ugh. What in the Gods—
“Elara!” Ferria crashes into my side.
I cry out when her momentum jostles my dislocated arm.
“Sorry,” she pants, frantic hands hovering over me. Wild curls fall over her face. She shoves them back. “Tell me what to do.”
“Grab my wrist. Pull my arm straight out—slow at first.”
She does, lips pressed tight, eyes wide.
Sweat beads on my temples. “Good. Now—rotate the arm outward. Keep pulling. Just…whatever you do…don’t stop.”
“Elara—”
“Do it.”
Ferria breathes in and yanks. Pain crashes through me, jagged and bright, like lightning cracking stone.
My scream rips through the still air, and then—
Pop.
I collapse forward, soaked in sweat, gasping like I’ve surfaced from drowning.
“Gods. Elara…” Ferria grips my hips to keep me from face-planting on the dirt. “Are you okay?”
I nod once and huff a shaky laugh.
“Congratulations,” I croak. “You didn’t break my arm.”
She chokes on her own laugh.
Our amusement fades when a shrill cry shoots into the air.
We look toward the sound and both flinch when Jaxon spears the cloaked creature in the chest. A gust of wind weaves through the air. The creature disintegrates, and what’s left of it drifts off into the night.
Adrenaline flows out of my body. I straighten, then immediately lean against Ferria as every ache and pain begins to thrum in time with my pulse. The arm damaged by talons continues to seep blood, sapping my strength with every heartbeat.
“What is your problem, silver eyes?” Ferria hisses by my ear.
My forehead furrows as I follow her glare, and I suck in a breath when I take in the swirling mass of shadows, punctuated by two orbs of bright silver eyes, narrowed in fury.
“What are you two doing out at this hour?” Rian snarls back.
“Walking,” she snaps. “It’s a nice night.”
The shadows pulse. “Didn’t your leader demand you return home?”
Jaxon wipes his blade on his pant leg before twisting his wrist. The blade disappears into thin air. “Rian, maybe you should—”
“Steelvice is not our leader,” Ferria hisses.
Her body vibrates with anger.
I want to tell her to calm down—to remind her that the Fae saved us. That they aren’t the childhood bullies she used to confront on my behalf. But I can’t open my mouth.
Dizziness hits me, and my muscles give out. I slump against my sister.
“Elara!”
Delirium dances at the edge of my thoughts. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ferria say my name so many times in such a short period.
My lips twitch, too tired to smile properly, too delusional not to try.
“Move out of my way.” Rian growls.
Shadows fall over the world. I blink, then silver eyes puncture the darkness, locked on my blurry gaze before running over my body and landing on my shoulder.
“What happened?”
“She was stabbed,” Ferria says with an obvious tone.
“By what?” Jaxon kneels next to my injured arm.
“C-claws,” I mutter, eyes fluttering.
I need to stay awake. My odds of recovery dwindle significantly if I pass out.
Jaxon growls under his breath. “Those demons shouldn’t be here.”
Demons?
“They usually stay in the forest,” Ferria tells Jaxon, sounding far less obstinate than she did when speaking to Rian. “They’ve never attacked anyone outside the forest. Except…”
“Except?” Jaxon prompts.
My head falls back.
Ferria glances down at me, then back to the Fae. “Lev…our friend. He said he fought something from the forest. An Onyx Wraith.”
The power that hovers in the air billows.
Rian growls, “You need to learn to fight.”
I blink against my dimming vision and struggle to focus on the formidable Fae whose shadows bristle with agitation.
He reaches forward as if to pick me up.
Ferria slaps his hand away. “Back off, asshole!”
Rian looks between his hand, my sister, then back at his hand, as if he can’t believe what just happened.
Jaxon barks a laugh.
Another delusional chuckle slips past my lips.
I need water. And sleep.
No!
Sleep is bad, Elara. Very bad!
Jaxon’s laugh dies off with Rian’s silver-dagger stare. He rises and holds out a hand to Ferria. “Let me help you carry her home.”
“No,” Rian growls. “We will take her to our camp.”
No!
I don’t want to go back there. Not like this. Not after the strangeness I witnessed earlier tonight.
“N-no,” I croak. “Home.”
Rian scowls. I try to hold his stare, but another wave of dizziness hits me.
“Shit,” I slur as my eyes roll back in my head.
As darkness swallows me whole, surrounded by my sister and creatures who despise my kind, I realize something: I’m not as scared of the Fae as I should be.
And that almost worries me as much as the monsters who just tried to kill me.
Almost.