Chapter Eleven #2
She gawked at me, her eyes darting around the room.
“I need those vials. And, Rue, some of these people are dying. We have to do something.” The bodies littered around the room exhibited the effects of overused magic.
Yet this was not a voluntary draining of their affinity.
If Glint siphoned most of their magic, then they would soon stop breathing.
I glared down at Thorn, making sure my affinity securely confined him. “Five minutes. I’ll help you get the Glint. There’s nothing we can do for these people, though. There is no antidote.” I hated that truth.
Delah searched the room for any leftover vials.
She found one that was half full, its contents swirling inside.
I ran to the back area where our original informant ran off to.
The acrid stench of Glint overwhelmed me—a mixture of sugared syrup with the acidic sharpness of vinegar and shattered glass.
A sharp headache pierced my skull. I reached for the wall, stabilizing myself.
More had to be here somewhere. A glow from under a nearby door caught my attention.
I hastily lunged toward it, pushing the door open without regard for what lay beyond.
Several wealthy-looking men hopped to their feet.
Tags of Glint tinkled to the floor. I wielded my water into a cyclone.
They backed up immediately, giving me an opportunity to grab wayward vials.
I stuffed four into the satchel at my waist, bolting back out the door before the cyclone collapsed.
Thorn lay motionless on the floor where I left him. Delah kept cautious watch over him. “I have the vials. We leave. Now.” I reached for Thorn.
“Rue!” Delah gasped. “What are you doing? You can’t bring him.”
“I’ll keep him in the stables, and he’s thoroughly disarmed.” I gave her a wolfish smile as she cast furtive glances around the room.
“Let’s get on, then.”
We melted into the night, my water affinity pulling the meandering fog into a condensed wave that shoved Thorn forward despite his attempts to disobey.
Under the cover of darkness, we returned to our cabin. I secured Thorn within our stable much like I had with Dag. My adrenaline waned as I walked the short path to my front door. I needed at least a few hours of sleep before tomorrow, when my hunt for the Crimson Wolf begins.
Leather, blades, and armor adorned me. I slung my pack over my shoulder. It was dark. Silent. I knew Delah would want to say good-bye. But quiet escapes were sometimes easier than facing unknown futures under the weight of emotional good-byes.
I stuffed a small bag with cherry candies, and a few in my pocket, before leaving my room.
Delah had left me a neatly folded note in the kitchen next to a teacup and some leaves.
I gently sniffed, noting the strong scent of spearmint amidst dried black tea.
I flicked my wrist and the water boiled.
I poured it over the leaves, letting them steep.
Of course, Delah knew I’d be gone before she arose.
We always looked out for each other in our own small ways.
My mind wandered briefly to the fear of not being invited to become a dreki. The pit in my stomach that formed every time I thought of it dissipated as I recounted my plan. I would offer Thorn as a symbol of my allegiance to Haluma. It was my ticket out. The Crimson Wolf, my ticket back in.
After straining the leaves, I snatched Delah’s note and stuffed it in my pocket. The door clicked shut behind me.
At the stables, early dust motes floated among the hay. Thorn was right where I’d left him—manacled and surrounded by a bubble of water. I walked over to my horse, pressing my forehead into her neck. I needed her calm to become my own. This had to work.
I nudged Thorn with my boot, and secured a tether from his cuffs to the horse. A sharp whistle had Kaida emerging from the wood. Her bared teeth would keep his legs moving. Taking one last fortifying breath, I shifted my focus forward and swung into the saddle.
Wes was already waiting with Maelic when I arrived at the Keep. They spoke in low tones while servants scurried around affixing packs of food and supplies to Wes’s horse. I dismounted my own and walked over.
Maelic turned to me, cocking his head to the side in his reptilian way.
I pulled in a breath, gesturing toward my captive.
“My loyalty is only for King Nolan and Haluma, and I intend to prove it.” I yanked Thorn’s tether, bringing him to his knees.
“Starting with a parting gift for you.” My voice did not waver, but the silence that followed had my insides trembling.
Maelic assessed me. His vertical pupils narrowed on Thorn. A vicious smirk cracked across his face. He motioned with his hand and servants immediately moved to my horse to prepare her for travel. I released a held breath, willing myself to remain stoic.
“You each know your task here.” Maelic addressed me and Wes but fixed his gaze solely on me.
“As soon as the Crimson Wolf is found, preferably alive, return immediately. And if you come across the General, then by all means, remedy that problem by whatever way you deem necessary.” Wes hissed a laugh.
Maelic slithered nearer to me, his power knocking against my own.
I painted a bored expression on my face, my body unnaturally still.
“I expect you will receive an invitation for the trade when you return, Rue. Perhaps Nolan will make an exception if you fail in this charade you concocted. In which case, you can make the trade or be dismissed.” He bared his teeth as if anticipating my refusal.
I nodded, not breaking my stance. He eyed me a moment longer, never blinking, then his gaze darted beyond me.
If he was trying to scare me, it was working. Nausea braided with fear. The urge to spin my dagger or pop a cherry candy overwhelmed me, anything to regulate my overwhelming dread. I felt like I was one step away from triggering a trap I couldn’t see. I drummed my fingers against my leg.
Cold shadows heralded King Nolan. He arrived in a fitted black shirt that stretched tightly across his chest, his hair slightly windswept from the breeze of his shadows. He wore a velvet cloak with the king’s crest embroidered in silver thread. We all knelt in deference.
Nolan’s powerful magic pulsed as he beckoned us to stand.
A soft smile graced his face. He took a step toward me, his hand extended in a gentle gesture.
He traced a line down my jaw with his finger.
Taken aback, I couldn’t break my gaze nor could I understand this public display.
Nolan had never physically engaged with me before.
My heart rate ticked up as he slowly drew a trail back upward, his fingers skimming below my ear, leaving a chill in their wake.
I flinched at a sharp piercing sensation.
Swallowing a gasp, my hand flew up, cupping the side of my neck as I jolted back a step.
“Ah! I apologize. It seems my shadows got away from me.” The king dropped his arm and his shadows retreated.
He kept his dark gaze trained on me as I sought to recover from the startling zap.
“I simply came to bid you all farewell. Good luck in Lyrae. I have no doubt you will find the Crimson Wolf, much like you unearthed the elusive Thorn. I look forward to your return, Ruin.” I nodded, feeling dazed and determined.
He flashed his charming smile, then faced Thorn.
Thorn glared up at the king. “I’ve done what you asked—” Nolan silenced him with a flick of his hand.
Shadows flew toward Thorn, encircling his face and body.
Thorn’s eyes and mouth widened. Shadows swallowed the sound of his scream.
They rushed into Thorn’s gaping mouth, choking him. Agony left him writhing on the ground.
Horror arrested me as I stifled my own scream.
Veins, previously invisible beneath Thorn’s skin, became raised and black like poisoned tributaries.
Boils erupted as he kicked against an invisible force.
And then he stilled. The stark contrast of silence descended with an oppressive weight.
A powdery black substance dusted the shell of what Thorn once was.
Nolan’s eyes were almost wholly black when he fixed his gaze on me. He slowly licked his lips. The urge to gag overwhelmed me. “Haluma fails when loyalty goes unchecked. Do not disappoint me.” I kept my face carefully blank. Fear ripped through me, stealing my response.
Maelic sniffed. “Ahh there he is!” He gestured behind me, breaking through the intensity of the moment.
Nolan and I turned toward Belham as he guided his gelding toward us.
My brow furrowed, and the small hairs on my neck stood on end.
His smile held the deranged slant of a feral wolf.
Vertical pupils kept me in their sights.
My mind reeled. I had never seen that side of Nolan before. Judd’s words burrowed into me. “Illusionists pretending to be leaders know how to create immaculate distractions.” The thought ate at me. I shifted on my feet.
I turned back to Belham. I held out hope that I could confirm my loyalties, and perhaps if there was any hesitation, I could sway King Nolan by succeeding in this mission. If my gamble failed, I wouldn’t be able to return. They would drain me. My confidence wavered after what I’d just witnessed.
“Is this everything?” I deflected. I shoved my hands in the pocket of my cloak, hiding their tremor.
I had my instructions to find the Crimson Wolf.
No need to waste any more time. Maelic reminded me of the ornate map of the Yaritian realm he’d previously given me.
I had thoroughly studied it, focusing on its capital city, Lyrae, my final destination.
“Everything appears in order.” He gestured to Belham, whose presence was both an act of intimidation for me as much as Wes and my ticket out of the realm. He tilted his head in concentration before creating a portal.
I pulled myself onto my saddle, taking a last look at King Nolan.
His dark eyes bored into me as his shadows melded with the hem of his dark cloak.
Wes mounted his tawny horse and sauntered forward.
My last thought was of Delah and my relief at her appointment as a Vestal Anchor as I stepped through the portal.
The familiar portal breeze caressed my skin. Darkness enveloped me. In the next blink, my mare’s muscles flexed, a wave of nausea hitting me as we propelled into the realm of Yarit.