16. Chapter Fifteen #3
“I ventured out to the Lower District for the Wet Season Festival, where, during the dancing, I was bewitched by Isoria’s lovely smile and enchanting eyes. When I asked her to dance, I thought she was playing coy, but it turned out, she is just an abominable dancer.”
While Lily giggled, the sound mingling with his deep chuckle, I shot him an annoyed glare. Phoenixes are graceful.
Well, your sparring certainly wasn’t.
“Good thing her personality made up for it, then?” Lily prompted.
Running a hand through his golden hair and leaning back on his seat to gaze out the window, Archer shrugged. “At first, I thought she was a vapid beauty, nothing more.” There was the slightest twitch of his mouth, like he was struggling to hold back laughter at my expense.
Beside him, his friend snorted. “That’s harsh.”
Lily scowled. “Really, Archer, can you quit teasing? I swear, you males always have to drain the romance out of everything.”
“Very well. I quickly learned that her personality is endearing, she is the love of my life, and I’m fairly confident we were fated by the gods to be bound together.” He smirked, playing up the charm, while I rolled my eyes at him and leaned over to look out my own window.
“Fated?” Lily sighed, blinking dreamily. “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. And from you? I hardly believe it. It’s like one of my romance novels—”
“Oh, here we go with all the novels you read,” Owen cut in. “I’m not sure fated bonds like that exist.”
If only that were true, I thought ruefully. The true bond Archer and I shared was anything but wanted and romantic.
“I also read history and books about warfare, unlike you with your boorish ways.” She snorted. “Anyway, romance is integral to society. Without love and hope and butterflies fluttering in our stomachs, what is the point? Why fight for anything?”
Owen muttered something under his breath about Having butterflies in one’s stomach sounds like a symptom of a terrible illness, but Lily continued to gush.
Their attention no longer focused on me, I stared outside, watching the growing fog enshroud the night. While Archer’s friends were used to these missions and clearly attempting to lighten the mood, I could not banish the tightness in my chest.
Revenants that are devouring souls and flesh, I thought with a shudder.
Lily noticed my growing tension and sobered.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. I have scarce few female friends in this castle, with growing up among all of Father’s soldiers and guards.
Too much testosterone for my taste half the time, though thankfully, these two are tolerable, usually.
But I’m excited to spend time with you and get to know you better.
” Her smile turned sad. “I’m afraid our first outing won’t be pleasant. ”
“Thank you. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances too, but I look forward to spending more time together.” And I found it was true. Lily seemed genuine and warm and kind, someone who could be a friend. Or could have been if I wasn’t a phoenix shifter, anyway.
“We should prepare her,” Owen prompted. He shared a glance with Archer. “What is her role?”
“She’s a powerful healer.” Archer shot me a glance. “Not a fighter—we’ll be working on teaching her to defend herself going forward—so we’ll keep her out of the thick of battle. But I want to see what happens when a revenant encounters her power.”
“But no one has been able to help—”
“She’s going to try,” the prince insisted. The moonlight reflected in his eyes as he met my stare. “And she’ll be there for anyone who has been hurt, doing what she can before it’s too late.”
“Could you explain more about the revenants and what they are capable of?” I asked. “Their magic…” I shook my head, remembering the way the creature in the temple graveyard had controlled my body and trapped my movement.
Lily shifted, laying a hand over mine. “At night, many townspeople across Emberglade have to secure themselves and prepare to fight for survival. While our magic peaks, so does that of the revenants. Their magic is strange—twisted. They attack with brute strength, powerful controlling magic, and sharp teeth to kill their victims. They wield magic that can trap a victim without touching them, or lift objects around them. They manipulate both the living and the inanimate objects around them with their minds. However, they grow weaker the more time passes since they’ve risen from the dead.
The trouble is, once they claim victims, those victims rise from the dead soon afterward and join the fight.
It’s a constant struggle. We must sever their heads from their bodies or burn them in order to stop them and put them at rest for good. ”
I swallowed. “Do you expect me to fight the revenants?”
“We will do what we can to aid the townspeople and try to learn who is responsible for creating the revenants. All while you try to heal the wounded.”
Archer leaned forward, elbows on his knees, as he added: “And see if you can heal the revenants of whatever is influencing them and put their souls at rest.”