11. Alessia
Ifeel like I’m going to suffocate if I keep holding my breath like this.
Aurelio taught me how to saddle up a horse, and as fun as it is to ride horseback all this way, I’m still terrified of being in control of this giant thing. Feeling every bump in the road is one thing when I’m walking on my own two feet; it’s a whole other thing when I’m feeling it secondhand through an animal that I don’t quite trust not to trip and crush me in the process.
My hands keep going numb around the reins because I’m gripping them so hard. I have to hold back a shriek every time my horse, Aticus, lurches, and then I have to bite my tongue to hold back a snap at Aurelio for laughing at me. He’s laying back in his saddle, practically taking a nap on Cricket’s back while she trots along. Daelia seems equally at ease perched atop her midnight black stallion, Luca.
Me, on the other hand? My muscles are locked up so tightly, I’m sure that poor Aticus is getting squeezed to death between my knees. The horse has to be sick of my constant overreactions by now.
Still, it’s been a thankfully uneventful journey so far. We left only a couple hours ago, and the sun is still high in the sky. We plan to take a nap a few hours before sunset, then to travel through the rest of the night. We should arrive on the border of Krasta, our ally to the southwest, within a week at the rate we’re traveling.
Instead of torturing myself with anxiety, I try to pay attention to the wildlife around me. I’ve never been in the Wendigo Forest before, so this is a novel experience for me. I’ve heard so many horror stories about what happens between these trees that I’m surprised to see such a magical, beautiful place before me.
Colorful birds sing to each other from the leafy green boughs above, their songs echoing across the gentle slopes of the forest. Sunlight filters through the tree canopy in large swathes of golden light. In the early afternoon sunlight, it appears as though beams of holy light pierce the shade of the trees. I spot many shade-dwelling species of flowers near tree roots, including some I’ve only seen in the secret garden back home. Their fragrant scents drift by on the gentle breeze; when I breathe them in, some of the tension finally releases from my body, and I can forget for a moment that I’m on horseback.
“This doesn’t seem like a place where monsters dwell,” I remark.
Daelia glances over her shoulder, a slight smirk on her face. “Just wait until nightfall. You’ll understand what I’m talking about then.”
The way she says that has me shuddering. Still, looking around at butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, I listen to the melody of the forest life singing softly, and I struggle to imagine this place as a site of unholy evil. The deer don’t even flee in terror when we pass by; they simply move away, their tails flicking, as if more annoyed than scared of our interruption in their daily grazing.
How can this place be the site of so many deaths? It looks like a woodland paradise.
I wipe the sweat from my brow, feeling the heat become oppressive around the fourth hour of our journey. I’m glad I had Mina tie my hair back into a braid before we left; I’m sweating profusely just sitting here on my horse. I’m sure Aticus doesn’t appreciate the heat, either, judging by his slight pants as he trots. His body feels like fire against my skin.
“Should we stop to give them some water?” I ask.
“No, not yet. They can go for a couple more hours before they need a break,” Aurelio says.
“Don’t they overheat easily, though?”
“They sweat, just like us. Haven’t you noticed?”
In truth, I haven’t. I’ve been sweating enough for the both of us. When I look down at Aticus’ sides, though, sure enough, his coat is shiny with horse sweat. I wrinkle my nose.
“Gross.”
“It’s not gross. Everything has to offload heat somehow. If you don’t like it, you should have worn pants,” Aurelio says, snorting.
I eye my battle skirt, grimacing at the thought of sitting here in horse sweat for the next couple of hours. I didn’t bring anything other than my usual attire, though, so I’m stuck sitting in horse sweat whether or not I like it.
“It’s fine,” I grumble. “I’ll just clean us both off when we stop for the evening.”
And, true to my word, when we stop for our evening rest, I walk Aticus down to a nearby river, gather up some of the water in my hands, and splash it over both of us, soaking my clothes in the process. I can’t care less. I don’t want to smell like a barnyard the entire journey. Aurelio might stop walking next to me if that happens. Or Daelia, for that matter. As confident as I am about taking on a wendigo by myself, I’d prefer not to be alone when it happens.
Aticus has some tangles in his mane when I walk him back to our makeshift camp. Frowning, I grab a brush out of the saddlebag and set to work on his mane, carefully working through the knots the same way I’d brush Mina’s hair after a swim in the lake behind the palace.
“Don’t tell me you’re starting to like horses, Alessia,” Daelia teases.
I shoot a glare at her. “Shut up.”
“You are! Look at you, conquering fears and leaving the palace grounds. It’s like a whole new and improved version of the sister I love!”
I blink, realizing the truth in her words. I did start relaxing in that last hour of travel, and I didn’t even think twice before standing close to Aticus to brush him. In fact, I’m practically leaning on him while I brush his mane. This is a total one-eighty from the way I acted with Cricket the other day. And I’m not freaking out while standing in the middle of the terrifying Wendigo Forest after spending four years cooped up in the palace.
All things considered, I’m doing pretty awesome in my first week as Queen of Celestia.
“Well, it’s not like I feared horses,” I scoff. “I just never spent any time around them until now. It’s natural to be wary of new things.”
“True. But you’re falling in love with the thing already, aren’t you?”
I look into Aticus’s eyes, seeing their doleful black depths stare back at me with the utmost attention. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he looks like he’s listening carefully to what I have to say. I struggle to suppress a giddy smile.
“Maybe I am. What’s it to you?”
“Oh, I’m just giving you shit. It’s my job. Someone has to keep you honest, and it sure as hells won’t be that guy.”
She nods at Aurelio, who’s relaxing by the campfire, lackadaisically poking the sticks to keep the flame burning as our meat rations roast overtop of it. I shake my head.
“No, I’ve already got him under control.”
“You’re such a control freak, you know that?” Daelia says, elbowing me in the ribs. “Relax a little. Let life happen as it happens.”
“You realize you’re speaking to the literal matriarch of our nation, right? The definition of my job is to meddle in everything that goes on in my country. I’m supposed to control it.”
“You control the country. Not its people.” Daelia shoots me a brilliant smile. “Not everything that happens is on your shoulders. Learn to take a step back once in a while. Try something new. Get out of your comfort zone and learn about the world outside royal responsibilities. You might be surprised how fun it can be.”
I roll my eyes. “Says the Hero of Celestia, whose job is to also meddle in almost everything critical to the future of our nation.”
“You’re right. But maybe there’s a way to have fun, even when the weight of the world is always on your shoulders.”
I suck in a breath, watching her eyes sparkle knowingly. It’s like she’s reading my mind. I know she’s my twin, but still, it’s kind of creepy to have someone look at me and read my thoughts like they’re words on a page. Turning away from her, I reach into Aticus’ saddlebag and grab a bottle of water.
“Stop trying to give me unsolicited advice. I’m just fine the way I am.”
“You are. So, stop hiding the real you. I’ll take your secrets to the grave. Plus, I think Aurelio’s into overpowered dorks with attitudes.”
I’m glad I paused before drinking that water, because I’d be spitting it out right now if I didn’t. Choking on my own air, I look to Daelia, preparing an instant retort, but she’s already walking away, her eyes on a dead tree ahead. I watch as she summons her magic, imbues it into her sword, and cuts down the tree with one strike. Her sword glows bright purple as she swiftly chops the tree trunk into much smaller pieces for firewood. Her necklace flies as she twists and pivots in quick succession.
She’s still a force of nature, as always.
Now that she’s not staring at me, I don’t have to hide my sheepish smile anymore. She’s absolutely right; I know she’ll die before she tells anyone what I’m like behind closed doors, and I’m well aware that Aurelio is into Alessia Moonbreaker, not the Queen of Celestia. The way he looked at me on that hilltop date was proof enough. I can still recall the feeling of that kiss as I think back to that moment. My face heats as I brush my finger across my lips.
I don’t need to put in extra effort when we’re already married. But…it is a nice change of pace, finding someone else I can be myself with. Aurelio is a living, breathing challenge to the way I see myself, and I don’t intend to lose that challenge. I’ll learn to balance what I have to do with what I want to do in time.
But right now, all I can do is focus on setting the precedent for my political career. These are the most critical months of my reign over Celestia. I must not only impress my people, but our neighboring nations as well. Now is a time to prepare my introductions and clear up my intentions, not a time to flit around like a teenage girl trying to catch her crush’s attention.
Like I said, we’re already married. I have his full attention. That sort of thing becomes automatic when you share a bedroom. And he certainly has my attention, with that sly smile, spontaneous nature, and unshakable attitude of his. I can’t help but stare at him now from across the fire, watching the way the flames dance in his eyes. With his long sleeve outdoor shirt open in the center, I can see all the definition in his upper body, even as he’s completely relaxed against the bark of a tree. He’s not tensing up at all, and yet, in the soft orange glow of the fire, I can count all six abs, determine the contour of his pecs, and make out the edges of his lats. It’s not fair; somehow, Aurelio is even hotter by fireside than he is haloed in the last light of day. My knees go weak at the sight.
“Seriously, girl, get a hold of yourself,” I grumble to myself.
Shaking my head to clear it, I go to tie Aticus to a nearby tree, only for him to completely panic. He rears up on his hind legs and whinnies in terror. I fall to the ground, my heart seizing in my chest.
“Alessia!”
Just before Aticus’ front legs can stomp my lights out, Aurelio bowls into my side, throwing me across the small clearing. I land at the foot of a huge oak tree, where I stumble to my feet, my vision fuzzy from the tumble. I can just make out Aurelio’s form across the clearing, where he soothes Aticus to no avail. Aticus neighs—which sounds more like a scream—and takes off running.
“Aticus!” Aurelio shouts.
The horse doesn’t address him. He continues to run, and only a few seconds after him, Cricket and Luca follow suit. My lightheadedness fades away as I run back toward Aurelio, Daelia already by his side. Her eyes crackle like lightning storms as she assesses the terrain around us.
“There’s a monster nearby,” she announces.
“I gathered that when the horses ran for their lives,” I say.
“No, it’s not that. Do you feel the chill in the air?” Daelia instinctively reaches for the hilt of her sword. “It’s a powerful one.”
“I feel it,” Aurelio says.
A chill runs down my spine as a sudden chilly breeze rips through the clearing. “Yeah, I feel it now, too. But I thought they only attack during the night?”
“Look at the sun’s position in the sky,” Daelia says, pointing at the horizon.
I follow her outstretched hand, and my stomach flips to see that the sun is low enough in the sky to hide behind the treeline. The shadows are thicker than the patches of light now. It’s prime-time for monsters to wake up and begin feasting. I draw my sword just as Aurelio pulls a pair of daggers out of his utility belt.
“What do you think it is?” I ask.
“Only a few monsters can affect an immediate vicinity with their presence, and they’re all pretty terrifying for the average adventurer to encounter,” Daelia explains. “It could be a demon, an elf, or a wendigo. There aren’t any will-o”-the-wisps or oni in this area, but you can keep them on your radar, just in case we’re in for a surprise.”
“I highly doubt it. We’d have to be in a marsh or near a cave system for those two,” Aurelio says. “I’d bet my life on a wendigo.”
“I assumed as much, too,” Daelia agrees. Her grip tightens on her sword. “Prepare for the worst, and you’ll either be ready, or pleasantly surprised.”
I can’t argue with that logic. I lower my center of gravity, narrowing my eyes at the lengthening shadows. The chill seeps into my bones until I’m shivering. My teeth threaten to chatter. Even the faint light appears to dim, like the monster has an ability to blot out the sun. The singing of the birds ceases; the butterflies are nowhere to be seen; even the swaying of the trees comes to a halt. It’s deathly quiet, and it’s eerily still. To say it’s unnatural is an understatement.
“Get ready,” Daelia whispers. “This is the quiet before it pounces.”
My heart hammers in my chest. Aurelio, Daelia, and I back up until our backs are touching. I have an ancient magic technique at the ready if I need it. Our weak points are covered, and our weapons are drawn. Now, we just need the thing to expose itself.
“Aurelio, watch my—” Daelia starts.
She doesn’t even finish her sentence before a blood-curdling shriek rents the air. It’s a cross between a dragon’s roar and an old man crying out in pain. Time itself freezes as the creature suddenly appears, only inches away from Daelia, whose sword won’t strike fast enough to defend herself.
“Daelia!” I shriek.
But just when I think the creature will pounce on her, Daelia moves faster than I can comprehend, her body as blurry as the creature’s as she strikes at its outstretched claws, cleaving its hand right off. The creature roars, and before I can get a good look at it, it retreats to the edge of the clearing, a blur of darkness that could easily be mistaken for a specter of death, with no real shape to the chilling monstrosity.
“Stay back!” Daelia orders.
She leaps at the creature with a battle cry that strikes fear into even my heart. It rings in my ears even after she’s struck at the creature, her slashes, pivots, parries, and overhead strikes blurring together the longer I watch. She moves inhumanely fast, even faster than I can manage, her sword a bright blur of blue, purple, and orange as she lashes out at her opponent, spell after spell, beating back the demonic creature.
“I can barely see what’s going on,” Aurelio says. “Is she winning?”
“She must be, if she hasn’t cried out in pain,” I suggest.
Just then, another chill nearly roots me to the ground. I glance to my left just in time to see another blur barreling in my direction.
“Another one!” I gasp.
I summon a protective barrier just in time for the creature to crash into it head-first. It screams as it hits my magic, falling to the ground, where it lays there for a moment, stunned still. I can finally get a good look at our attackers.
I instantly wish I hadn’t.
It’s a wendigo, alright, but it’s more monstrous and terrifying than even the eyewitness paintings suggest. Paintings don’t do them justice. It stands on two legs as a human would, but they have the hip bones and extra-long arms of a deer. It’s covered in matted, thin fur that’s turned black with rot. I can count every one of its human-like ribs, and its bony hands and feet are covered with only a papery-thin layer of skin. Its back is hunched, and its face is not that of a human, but the skull of a buck, with its horns scarred and gnarled like tree roots. The skin I can see between the patches of fur is a sickly gray, like that of a corrupted corpse.
To say that it is the thing of nightmares is the understatement of a lifetime. A scream tears from my throat before I can even stop myself, and I backpedal as fast as I can, screaming again when I run into Aurelio.
“Alessia, what are you doing?” he shouts.
“Get off me!”
I turn tail and take off at a sprint into the forest, feeling the shadows press in on all sides as I run. The darkness grows until it becomes suffocating. I can hear Aurelio’s shouts behind me, as well as the pounding footsteps of an unnatural gate, like an injured deer. I scream again as the shriek of the wendigo sounds close behind me.
It”s chasing me! What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?!
I push myself to run even faster, enhancing myself with the magic techniques I’ve practiced all my life. Still, the creature grunts and shrieks as it chases me, gaining on me with every second I try to run away. I can’t make myself turn around. My vision is going white, and my mind is going blank. I don’t know how to think. I forget how to fight. I don’t even remember how to use magic at this point. All I see is a future of death if I turn around now.
“ALESSIA, DUCK!”
I nearly trip over my own feet. Aurelio’s voice pierces my ears and my thick skull just in time for me to blindly dive into the forest floor, covering my head. Right as I hit the ground, I hear the shk! of something heavy striking flesh, and then there’s a huge THUD as a body hits the ground. I feel the vibration in the soil as it hits.
Summoning an ounce of courage, I dare to finally turn around, and the sight that greets me is…well, as gruesome as I expected.
The wendigo’s been pierced through the chest by Aurelio’s dagger. Its eye sockets remain empty as ever as it stares up at the stars, blood trickling from its wound. Aurelio still holds his second dagger in hand as he approaches the monster, his attention never wavering from its form.
“Alessia, can you use appraisal magic?” he asks.
“Ye—Yes,” I stammer.
I raise my arms, casting an appraisal charm in a ten-foot radius around the body. The magic radiates from my body in waves, then shimmers as it returns to me. The information comes rushing back in quick succession with each wave of returning magic.
“It’s dead. You’re safe to approach,” I say, panting.
I sit back against a nearby tree, clutching my aching chest. My stomach feels queasy enough to be sick. It doesn’t help that Aurelio is already cutting into the body to retrieve the magic crystals.
Scratch that. I’m going to be sick.
I throw up beside the tree, my whole body shaking so violently, I can barely hold myself up. I fall back against the tree trunk, pulling out my water pouch to rinse my mouth out.
“Alessia, are you alright?”
I look up just as Aurelio leaves the wendigo’s body. A messy trio of magic crystals sits in his now scarlet-stained hands. I feel like I’m going to be sick all over again.
“Aurelio…please get those out of my sight,” I whimper.
He frowns for a moment, then his face lights up as understanding dawns on him. He looks down at the magic crystals, looks back up at me, and points to my water pouch.
“Can I borrow that?”
I toss it to him, and he pours it all over the crystals, then rinses off his hands to drain the rest of the pouch. He presents the magic crystals to me, which now shine brightly.
“A reward for your performance,” he says.
“Don’t patronize me,” I snap.
He smiles at me, which, in my sorry state, really tempts me to punch him straight in the face.
“I’m not patronizing you. Truly, you did a remarkable job. You stopped the initial attack from hitting. Well done.”
I no longer want to punch him in the face. Now, I’m just confused.
“But…I ran away. I put myself in danger, and you had to rescue me, all because I panicked.”
“You running away actually provided me with the perfect opportunity to kill the thing,” Aurelio says, kneeling by my side. He brushes a piece of hair out of my face with shining eyes. “Thank you. You saved my life and set me up for a perfect shot.”
My eyes dart to his lips. “Aurelio…I didn’t do any of that on purpose. I got lucky.”
“Then maybe you’re my lucky charm.”
He leans down and kisses me, sending a shiver down my spine—this time, one that warms me up from head to toe. When he pulls back to look at me again, the smile on his face could warm polar ice caps.
“You did amazing for your first real piece of action. You have the reaction time of a stellar adventurer. And I have to say,” he adds, winking, “you’re even hotter facing off against monsters than you are training with me.”
That’s it. My brain breaks. I don’t have any more words, so I grab his collar and yank him closer for another kiss. Just so he knows how much I hate his stupid face. Not because he has me swooning or anything.