Chapter 22
Aurora
My head snaps to Arc, who is standing in shock staring at the young girl who exposed her fae power.
“Arc!” I yell, snapping him out of his trance. “You need to take me there now!”
He looks at me, brow furrowed, before his eyes shift back to Maeve.
My heart pounds in my chest and bile rises in my throat.
Camryn steps to my side, shoving Arc’s chest. “Hey, asshole!”
His icy eyes focus on her. “Do you expect me to save the sentinel for being foolish? He knows not to cross into my territory. We have bigger issues to tend to here, it seems.”
Tears well in my eyes as panic latches onto me. I search the room for the door, desperate to get to Soren one way or another. Caelum steps into my path. “You can’t go.” Concern masks his face, but his eyes are soft.
“Get out of my way,” I command in a voice I don’t quite recognize. Darkness creeps into the corners of my vision, and I hold out my arm to steady myself. Flames spark from my fingertips, eager to torch a path to Soren.
Caelum places his hands on my shoulders.
“No, no,” I plead.
Chaos unfolds in the room, but my vision blurs and sounds become muffled, as if I’m sinking underwater.
Camryn brushes against me, stepping into Caelum’s face. “Let go of her!”
“Calm down,” he replies, holding me tightly in his grip.
In a flutter of motion, I hear the unmistakable song of a blade being unsheathed near me. I turn my foggy gaze to see Camryn standing beside me, a dagger held to her stomach.
People gasp and Arc growls. “What are you doing?!”
“You will take us to him now and save him or you’ll have another problem to deal with.” Camryn’s voice is frighteningly calm as she speaks.
“No,” I breathe, reaching out to her.
“Camryn,” Caelum breathes beside me.
I focus on my breathing, trying to settle the panic in my chest. Arc turns his icy gaze to her. “You won’t.”
Her dark eyes stay locked on his as she pushes the dagger to her stomach. The fabric of her shirt grows taut beneath the tip of the blade. She grunts and darkness soaks the material. She doesn’t push hard, just enough to draw blood and prove to Arc she’s serious.
“Camryn!” I gasp.
“You foolish woman,” Arc growls.
Caelum’s grip tightens on me, and I hold my breath as Arc and Camryn stay locked in a standoff of wills.
“I can stop you from harming yourself,” Arc says coolly.
“No, you can’t,” Maeve calmly replies.
Arc whips his head to the young girl, curiosity on his face.
“She is being shielded by magic right now. I’m sure you can feel it. You will do as she wishes or you will die at the hands of your father.”
Arc’s eyes widen before anger floods his face. He looks at Camryn, whose tunic darkens from the blood of her wound. His face hardens as seconds tick by. “Very well.”
I choke back sobs as I fall against Caelum, relieved.
Half a breath later, Arc’s icy hand wraps around my arm, and in the next moment, the world around me blurs. I’m sure I have fainted, letting my panic overtake me.
Although my vision darkens, I remain aware. Wind whistles around me and electricity crackles in my ears. My stomach flip-flops as if I’m tumbling through space. Suddenly, everything stops and when my eyes refocus, I am in the woods. And I’m not alone.
“What the fuck was that?!” Camryn exclaims, falling to her hands and knees on the forest floor.
Arc stands in front of us, adjusting his shirt sleeves. “I shadow stepped you here, just as you commanded.”
I close my eyes to stop the spinning as my mind catches up with the distance my body just traveled. I pant, trying to keep my breakfast in my stomach where it belongs.
Camryn crawls to my side, rubbing my back. “It’s okay, Rory. We’re here. We’re going to find him. He’s going to be okay.”
Sobs rumble through my body.
Camryn looks up at Arc. “A little warning would have been nice!”
He glowers down at her, a smirk on his face. “You have your methods. I have mine.” He looks at me in disgust. “Do you wish to keep going or shall I leave you here for the basilisk as well? I’m sure he can smell your blood. He only feeds every few decades, and I believe he’s hungry.”
“You’re an asshole,” Camryn spits as she helps me to my feet. My arms grip her and I scan her stomach. She lifts the hem of her shirt to find the surface wound gone. Not even a drop of dried blood remains on her tunic. She gazes down at her abdomen. “Huh.” She says at her abrupt healing.
I glance at Arc, who gazes down at Camryn’s healed wound, a puzzled look on his face. My fingers pulse and I look at my hands, their magical glow dissipating.
Movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I swirl my head to see my reflection staring back at me. I jump, Camryn tightening her grip on me. She follows my gaze, and her eyes widen at her own mirrored image.
Arc steps into view, arching an eyebrow. “It’s a mirrored forest. And with the basilisk lurking around, be careful where you look.”
He starts walking through the woods, and Camryn and I are quick to follow. My stomach lurches at the thought of Soren lost in this twisted forest, not knowing if what he is seeing is real or a reflection.
“I expect both of you to keep silent, which I know is hard for you, Camryn.”
She scoffs before Arc interrupts her. “I mean it! Silence. The basilisk is as old as these woods, and there is only so much I can do to keep him from harming you. Keep your eyes on the ground, only look at my heels to follow my path. Your sentinel is near. And so is the serpent king.”
I swallow hard before dropping my gaze to the forest floor. Damp leaves and decaying matter squish beneath my feet, sending up a nauseating scent. My heart beats faster, and I hope it is only loud to my ears and won’t attract the basilisk.
Arc weaves through the woods, disappearing behind reflections of trees that make it appear as though he vanished into the air. Camryn and I silently follow him, holding onto each other tightly and keeping our eyes cast to the ground.
Suddenly, Arc stops, and we abruptly halt behind him. I slowly raise my gaze, eager to find any trace of Soren. I am not, however, remotely prepared for what I see.
Twenty yards in front of Arc stands the largest serpent I have ever seen. Except it is nothing like any serpent I’ve ever seen. Its body is a murky green, like the color of rot. Scales shimmer across its body as it breathes, its ribcage puffing out before sucking in to its form.
The creature faces away from us. Spikes rise from the back of its head like a terrifying crown of thorns. Its tail lashes back and forth, and I realize it has not detected us because it is focused on something else. Someone else.
Only a few yards in front of the basilisk and just off to its right is Soren, kneeling.
He holds a sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other.
His head is turned so that he is not looking directly into the eyes of the beast. From this distance, I can see his lips moving, but can’t make out the words.
A cry escapes my throat, causing Camryn to squeeze me tighter until I struggle to gasp for air. Arc turns slowly in our direction, while he keeps one eye on the back of the beast.
My sound is enough to capture the attention of the serpent. As my gaze drops to the ground, my vision snags on a gaping mouth full of razor-sharp fangs. I whimper. “Sorry. I’m sorry.” Camryn rubs my arm, her eyes cast to the damp earth.
“Aurora?” Soren’s voice floats on the wind through the tense silence.
I lift my head to look at him, but Arc stops me. “Don’t you dare look! Your sentinel is fine, and if you both would like to remain that way, you will listen to me. Understand, sentinel? The serpent’s eyes are clouded over, so his sight isn’t what it used to be. But a single glance will kill you.”
Soren’s deep, angry grumble coasts across the forest, confirming his agreement.
My heart races. I try to focus on my breathing to keep from submitting to the panic creeping up my spine.
“Greetings, ancient one,” Arc says loudly. Leaves rustle along the ground, and I realize the basilisk is moving toward us.
“I apologize for the interruption, but unfortunately for both you and me, the sentinel is under my protection.” I peek at Arc standing a few feet in front of Camryn and me.
His face is pointed slightly off center, and I realize he is looking off into the distance, out of the direct gaze of the basilisk.
The beast makes a gut-wrenching screech unlike anything I’d expect from a serpent. But the snapping of its sharpened fangs is palpable.
“Yes, I know. It is quite unfair that we are in your woods. But I need this one alive.”
The serpent’s tail lashes violently across the ground.
“As well as the two accompanying me.”
Rustling disrupts the tension as the basilisk’s body slithers slowly toward us. Arc steps back and my panic heightens.
“As I am not an unfair male, if you let us leave your woods peacefully, I will provide you with a fresh feast. A trio of fae—a fair trade.”
A lump rises in my throat at the thought of three unsuspecting fae being the tradeoff.
Another screech rings out from the beast.
“I will deliver them immediately, but if you come any closer, I will have no option than to defend myself and the others.” Arc’s tone is firm, yet I hear a hint of regret.
I desperately want to run to Soren. To grab his hand and run as fast as we can out of this forest. But I can’t even steal a glance his way.
The creature continues to approach, despite Arc’s warning, and the scent in the air turns foul.
Camryn coughs while I hold my breath. Just when I think I can no longer contain the air in my lungs, a magic shield settles in place around us.
Arc stands outside the barrier, and I wish I could stretch it around Soren, who I suspect is still kneeling yards away.
“Now, now. Be reasonable. Your woods are still in the Northern Shadows, over which I rule. I expect you to submit to me, as all my subjects do. But you are making it very difficult for me not to end your boundless life right now.”
The serpent hisses, and it must only be a few feet from us. My body trembles as I watch the shield around us fog over with its breath.
“Aurora!” Soren’s angered voice rings out.
I can’t help it. His voice is a beacon, and I raise my head to see him running toward the basilisk’s back, blades drawn in each hand.
“No!” I scream.
“Dammit,” Arc mumbles before I see Soren’s body fly backwards through the air and smash into a tree. He falls to the ground motionless, knocked unconscious from the blow.
I start to move toward Soren, but Camryn grips my arm tighter, pulling me back. I thrash, wanting to go to him, but she doesn’t relent.
“Get a hold of yourself!” Arc seethes at me.
The basilisk returns his sights to Soren, who is now easy prey.
“Get up! Get up!” I plead as Soren lies lifeless, the basilisk quickly closing the gap between them.
“Do something!” Camryn snarls at Arc.
Just as the basilisk reaches the tip of Soren’s boot, Soren vanishes.
I gasp. His body is there one second, and the next it is gone.
The basilisk whips its head back and forth, sniffing the ground. It turns back toward Arc and screeches loud enough to force me and Camryn to cover our ears.
“I warned you, and I will give you one last chance to turn and leave now before I will have no other choice than to deliver you to your fateful end.” Arc stands in front of us again, his back straight and square.
I want to strike him for hurting Soren and sending him god knows where, but he’s the only thing standing between us and certain death.
His voice turns solemn. “Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad, meeting your end. A peaceful rest. No longer forced to spend your days hunting and draining the lives of others, only to live on in this dreadful existence.”
I stare at the back of Arc’s head, struck by the weight of his words. Is he talking to the basilisk? Or someone else?
“Yes, eternal rest. And to be among your woods. Creatures will honor you. Remember what you were. This will forever be your forest. Your resting place. What do you say? Harder times are ahead, and I can’t promise you a better future. But now, I can give you solace.”
Silence hangs in the air for several minutes. The forest itself stills as if waiting for the basilisk’s decision.
The basilisk huffs. With its single breath, I feel the weight of its lifetime. It is tired. Oh, so tired. Tears well in my eyes at witnessing the end of a creature that has lived more years than I can comprehend. Despite its awfulness, it deserves peace. We all do.
Arc’s voice drops. “Very well. Just nod when you’re ready.”
I drop my gaze from Arc’s back, peeking at the basilisk’s body through the space between his legs.
The serpent circles around on the ground, curling within itself.
As its head comes into view, I turn to avoid its gaze.
It rests its head atop the curve of its body, and takes a deep breath before nodding once to Arc.
“Sleep well,” Arc says softly.
Suddenly, a mirror appears in front of Arc, blocking my view of the basilisk. Magic crackles in the air and the sound of hardening rock fills the silence.
When the sound ceases, the mirror disappears and the shield surrounding Camryn and I dissipates. I move slowly, peering around Arc to see the basilisk’s serpentine body hardened into stone.
No longer does the creature appear fearsome. Looking upon the sleeping serpent is almost peaceful. Its eyes are cracked open just enough for it to have seen its reflection.
I place my palm atop its head, surprised at the coolness of the moss-colored stone. Equally surprising is the single tear that falls from my eye. Just minutes before, I was terrified this creature would be my death. And now, here it rests for eternity. A reminder that all of us deserve solace.
“That was shockingly kind of you,” Camryn mutters to Arc as she eyes him.
Sadness swirls in his eyes. “I’m not everything you think I am. Even monsters deserve peace.”
Camryn stares at him, and I wait for a snarky reply. Instead, her mouth curves slightly at the corners and she graces him with a faint smile.
With the danger passed, I move to Arc. “Take me to him.”
A moment later, I am pulled into swirling darkness.