Chapter 39
I track the line of red that rolls down Rian’s chin where his fangs drew blood.
“Who’s here?” I glance at the flames glowing brightly in the dark night. “Jaxon?”
But why would he set fire to Virendrell’s wall?
“The Sea Fae,” Rian snarls.
His fangs recede back into his gums.
He sets me back on my feet, grabs my hand, and then pulls me along as he stomps down the corridor.
I trip on the front of my gown, clawing at the fabric, gripping it in my fist as I stumble behind him. “I don’t understand. Isn’t that a good thing? Weren’t you all trying to find them anyway?”
His steps falter, but he is quick to pick them back up. “Who told you that?”
Um…
“Silas.”
He huffs. “Of course.”
We reach a servants’ stairwell. Rian ushers me inside and releases my hand, motioning for me to walk up in front of him.
I do as he wants. “How do you know it’s the Sea Fae attacking?”
Fae have enhanced senses, but surely his sight doesn’t extend all the way to the coast of Virendrell.
Rian nudges my back. “Jaxon and I have exchanged messages. He told me the Sea Fae found our ship.”
I let him coax me forward. “So?”
We reach the third-floor landing. Rian moves ahead and then turns too fast.
My soles slip in the slick sandals as I try to follow.
Rian spins back around as I right myself, then sweeps me up in his arms without a word.
I gasp and wrap my arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”
“We need to hurry.” He races down the corridor toward our rooms.
“Why?”
“I assume the Sea Fae figured out I’m here,” he replies, not sounding winded at all, “and they aren’t happy about it.”
My gut twists. “Why not?”
Rian stops in front of my room and kicks in the door with his booted heel. Wood splinters, and the door crashes against the wall.
“What are you—”
“Gather your things.” Rian sets me on my feet, then stomps over to my bed. “We don’t have much time.”
My lips part as he bends and pulls out the Fae tome and diary from where I hid them under the mattress.
“How did you—”
“Elara.” Rian meets my frantic gaze with a steady one of his own. “I know that beautiful head is brimming with questions, but please believe me when I say we do not have time for this.”
I snap my mouth closed so hard my teeth clack.
My stomach knots as agitated shadows ripple off Rian’s shoulders.
“Okay.” I spin in a circle and spot my satchel hanging over the back of the vanity chair.
I run over to grab it.
When I turn, Rian is there, shoving the books inside the satchel. Then he pivots and moves to the closet. I rush after him, eager to help, but he moves faster.
He retrieves a leather sack tucked in the back of the closet then brushes past me in a blur of shadow to walk to the chest of drawers near the bed.
He slides one drawer open, and shadows begin shoving clothes inside the sack.
I bite my tongue to refrain from asking one of the dozens of questions burning a hole in my mind. The Shadow Prince races around the room, shoving shoes and toiletries into the now-bulging bag.
When he finally straightens and turns to face me, black encompasses his irises. There’s no sign of silver or blue.
“Come.” He shoulders my satchel and the leather sack then holds out a hand.
Tendrils of dark wrap around his fingers.
I step forward and place my palm in his.
He squeezes my hand once. Then we’re running down the corridor the way we came.
My skirt and hair flare out behind me. My heart is in my throat. Self-preservation screams at me that if the Shadow Prince is uneasy, I should be terrified.
Sirens continue to blare. They haven’t stopped since they started, but their volume has grown louder. Or perhaps that’s just my panic .
The third floor is empty, but when we take the stairs down to the second floor, chaos erupts.
The evening’s guests run in their finery, their painted faces twisted with fear. Shouts pierce the air as they all try to figure out where to go. What to do.
Rian leads me past them, down to the ground floor.
Here, soldiers gather. Their polished pale-gray armor reflects the strings of light hung through the open courtyard.
Shadows press against me like a second layer of skin as we weave through the armed men, sidestepping their unsheathed swords, but not before I notice the grim determination in the assembled men’s expressions.
They’re prepared to fight.
We step through the palace’s main entrance, squeezing through the small opening between the wall and the line of soldiers guarding the palace.
The fact that they don’t balk tells me that Rian’s shadows conceal us.
I wait until we are several strides from the entrance, heading toward an unknown destination to our left, to finally ask, “Why aren’t the Sea Fae happy that you’re here?”
A horse turns the corner ahead.
Rian pulls up short. In a blur, he grabs me and spins until my back is against the palace’s white stone.
My face burrows into Rian’s chest as the horse races by, he and his rider unaware of our presence.
With the path clear, Rian takes my hand once more and resumes leading me to Gods know where.
“Rian?” I press.
A shadow rolls down his back, in sync with his heavy sigh. “The Sea Fae despise Virendrellians. They see them as cowards.”
“So, what?” I frown. “Sea Fae don’t want you to talk to them?
We turn at the edge of the palace. Ahead, a single-story building sits, attached to the larger structure by an open walkway. There are no lights. No sign that anyone is inside.
“I need the Sea Fae as an ally,” he reveals, tugging me toward that lone building.
“You mean Marek needs them as an ally.”
“No, Elara.” Dark eyes peer over his shoulder, ensnaring mine with an intensity that makes the hair on my arms stand on end. “Me. I need the Sea Fae. We were on our way to confirm a tentative alliance when the Pelagor attacked. But if they find me here, I can kiss that alliance goodbye.”
My head spins.
He needs the alliance?
What for?
I know very little about Fae politics.
Hells, I didn’t even know more than the Shadow Fae existed until days ago.
I thought the world's problems started and ended with human grievances on Astloria.
That just goes to show how naive I am.
I hate that.
Rian turns back around, freeing me from his all-consuming stare, and raises a hand.
A shadow flies from his palm and collides with the building’s door. The wood swings inward with an eerie creak. Endless black greets us.
I try to pull back, but Rian’s grip tightens as he pulls me the rest of the distance to the unsettling building.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Somewhere safe.”
I want to believe him, but the twist in my stomach gives me doubt.
We cross the threshold. Cool air kisses my cheeks. A musty scent fills my nostrils.
I can’t see a thing, but Rian draws me closer to his side and strides forward as if he knows exactly where he’s going. The floor under our feet creaks with every step.
“What about Darius and the others?” I cough as I breathe in dusty air.
“They know what to do.”
We head deeper into the mysterious building. No furniture blocks our path. Rian walks in a straight line.
“And everyone else?” I press, swatting away what I hope is a cobweb from my naked shoulder. “Will the Sea Fae harm anyone?”
“They will do whatever it takes to confirm my presence,” he replies in a low voice.
Cold seeps into my chest.
“Stop.” I dig in my heels and tug on his arm.
He doesn’t slow.
“Rian, stop.” I try to pry his grip off. “We can’t just hide. What about everyone else?”
“I don’t care about anyone else.”
He yanks me forward, and my heart leaps into my throat when he picks me up once again.
His steps shift and dip. We’re walking down. The air grows colder and damp.
My next words are quiet. “Hali is here. Innocent children, too. You all can’t stand by and let Sea Fae hurt them.”
A growl vibrates in Rian’s chest. “They are not my priority. You are.”
I frown in the dark even as my pulse flutters.
I don’t say another word.
I know a lost cause when I hear one.
Down and down we go, turning left, then right, over and over again.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
A pipe leaks somewhere nearby. The hair on the nape of my neck begins to curl.
By my best guess, we descend the depth of four stories before flickering torchlight punctures the darkness.
Tension in Rian’s shoulders relaxes. The pressure of his shadows lessens.
“Thank The Mother,” he murmurs so quietly that I’m not sure I hear him right.
Firelight allows me to see the bottom of a staircase made of worn, warped wood. The last step groans as Rian walks over it.
My gaze sweeps the space around me as he sets me down on a dirty concrete floor.
Unfinished walls. Water stains on the ceiling. It’s a basement of some kind.
Unwanted memories of my time in Verdanthia’s dungeon assail me.
A tremor racks my body.
I squeeze my eyes shut and breathe through my nostrils.
You’re not locked away, I remind myself. You’re safe.
Hinges moan.
I snap my eyes open.
On the far wall, beside the lone torch that breaks up the endless dark we traveled through, is a thick metal door that looks like it belongs in an armory, not tucked underground in an unfinished basement. And Rian is opening it.
I take a step back. My sandal catches on the back of my gown. I bend down and pull the fabric free without taking my eyes off Rian.
“What is that?”
“Our way out.”
My racing heart picks up its pace. “Where does it go?”
“To the coast. Past the wall. One of my contacts will have a boat waiting for us. We will meet the others and sail to reunite with Jaxon.”
Contacts?
Sail to Jaxon?
I take another step back. “We can’t just leave.”
“We can, and we will.” Smoke swirls in his gaze. “I already told you, you are my priority.”
“Are you truly so heartless?” I shake my head. “You have access to your shadows, and yet you would leave innocents to face a danger that only exists because you stepped onto their shores.”
A menacing scowl distorts his features. “The Sea Fae are here because they despise Virendrell. My presence is just their convenient excuse to attack.”
“But it’s still their excuse!” I throw my arm in the direction we came. “Hali is out there.”
“Hali can take care of herself.”
“Not if she’s worried about taking care of others.”
“You mean like you are?”
I press my lips together.
“Fine,” I concede. “You’re right. I’ll go.”
Rian sighs quietly, then reaches for me.
I lean away. “But only if you go back and help.”
A wisp of shadow coils and snaps a foot away. It takes everything I have not to flinch.
“You can’t be serious,” he scoffs.
“But I am.” I lift my chin and hold his stare, silently praying to the Gods that I’m pulling on the right heartstrings. “If your reaction to their arrival is any indication of how dangerous the Sea Fae are, you cannot leave Jaxon’s sister behind.”
Darkness deepens all around him. “Hali will not leave without her band of discontent citizens.”
“Then bring them with us.”
One dark brow arches. “Forgive me. Did I give you the impression I am prone to taking on charity cases? Because I assure you, there is nothing further from the truth.”
I let the harsh words roll over me.
“No, but you care about Jaxon,” I counter. “And while I may not know much about you all, you once said the cadre were your brothers in all the ways that matter. And a brother wouldn’t leave someone their brother loves behind.”
Silence descends.
I bite the inside of my cheek and grip my skirt’s fabric tightly, bracing myself for—
“You exhaust me,” Rian finally sighs.
A quick exhale passes my lips. “The feeling is mutual.”
His lips curl into a sneer, but malice is notably absent.
I swallow and take a step toward him.
“Please, Rian... I already left behind so many innocent people in Verdanthia. I can’t stomach the thought of doing it again.”
His eyes narrow. “That wasn’t your doing.”
“That doesn’t make it any less difficult.”
Rian says nothing. His dark, intense eyes stay on me. The weight of them tug at my heart.
I take a deep breath. I expect him to protest.
I prepare another argument.
“Very well.”
I stiffen and blink. “What?”
“I will return to the surface and find Hali.” Sheer shadows writhe around his back, as if they disagree with the decision. “I will offer her, and any of her friends, safe passage aboard our boat.”
Warmth floods my chest. “Thank you.”
He waves a dismissive hand, expression hardening. “But you have to uphold your end of the bargain.”
“I will.” I bob my head. “Just tell me where to go, and I’ll find your contact.”
Rian opens his mouth to respond, but his jaw closes a second later. His head tilts to the side, lifting a tapered ear.
The muscle in his cheek twitches before he says, “That won’t be necessary.”
I frown. “Why not?”
His dark eyes slide to the door’s threshold.
“Because he’s already here.” A tinge of annoyance laces his words.
My head snaps to the opening right as movement disrupts the dark, and my gaze lands on the tall, lean figure that shifts into view.
And everything I thought I knew about the people of Virendrell is rocked to its core. Again.
“You?”