BONE VALLEY
19
- MALAKAI -
I hardly sleep, overwhelmed with all things Alanis. Thoughts plague me about her past and the possibility of her family ties. More than that, I am haunted by the absolute pain that lives inside her.
She is so young and has suffered so much loss already. Over the years, the cruel ways of the world have chipped away at her, and I’m scared that this Kailu incident is going to push her over. How much can one person take before they lose the good things about themselves? She radiates light, love, and joy. To lose that would be a devastation.
My eyes are heavy as I pack up Atlas, my gray horse. Alanis has been riding with me for the past couple of days. Having her pressed up against me is not an easy task. The longer I’m with her, the more I want to make her mine. I enjoy my freedom, to come and go as I please and not have to worry about coming home to anyone. But with Alanis, there is this feeling of wanting more. There has always been a part of me that felt like something was missing from my life, but around her that emptiness disappears.
We travel for about a half hour before I stop and dismount, helping her down. She looks at me in confusion, eyes a bit heavy, as if she was half-dozing behind me.
I point ahead of us. “Welcome to Bone Valley.”
She shivers as we all walk forward, leading our horses on foot for safety as we take in the scenery before us. Dead birch trees line the narrow dirt path, becoming thicker on each side the further you travel through the woods. The white bark of the trees and their lifeless, dull brown branches creates a gruesome border to the valley before us. Bone Valley isn’t so much a valley as much as it is a trail. One littered with bones that crunch under every step. The dirt path is hardly visible through the array of animal bones, unknown bones of random creatures, and human bones.
“What is this place?” Alanis whispers.
“Dumping grounds for murderers, feeding grounds for creatures. It started as a burial site, a holy one. Centuries ago, it was believed your soul could only find the Eternal Vale if your body was laid upon the ground. That belief has changed over the decades, so now our bodies must be buried beneath the ground, allowing the land to reclaim our flesh and magic. Some still believe in the old ways but have now found they can’t in good conscious lay their loved ones to rest here. Vicious monsters lurk around these parts, drawn by the fresh bodies that are left behind by those who try to hide their wrongdoings.”
Her face blanches. “Why has no one put a stop to it?”
I scan the valley the entire time, looking for any signs that someone has been here. Ghouls, Fae, anything that could give me a sign that the missing soldiers came this way. I catch a few pairs of glowing yellow eyes in the darkness of the wood, but they never come closer. Most likely a nosy tree imp or two. “Dark magic lingers here. The kind created by witches who care for nothing but themselves, but utilized by many. No one dares to mess with it, as it’s sure to be from the Hell Gods’ domain. A once-holy place quickly turned into one of death and despair because of changing beliefs. Once the dark magic infiltrated this area, it became nearly impossible to control, the dangers too great. Most of our soldiers believe as I do that this valley could lead directly to Hell.”
Everyone moves cautiously, for fear of waking the Gods of Hell as we split up, looking for any evidence the missing soldiers were here, a scrap of uniform, a lingering trail or broken branch to show they put up a fight, anything. Alanis branches off toward the edge of the wood. I stay close, but give her space.
A mandible bone catches my attention, given it’s pristine and in one piece, unlike the other broken shards that make up this valley. I kneel, searching for the rest of the missing skull. A bloodcurdling scream rips me from my investigation, making me whip around towards Alanis, moving to her as fast as my Fae speed allows. My body vibrates with an intensity to reach her.
She is doubled over, retching into the bushes that sit just inside the line of trees. I pull her hair back and peer into the shadows of the nearest dead birch tree. Nothing in the Godsforsaken valley is alive.
A human corpse has been completely sliced opened and disemboweled, though the organs have clearly been picked off by scavengers. Their face is shredded by what could only be sharp claws, to the point they’re unrecognizable.
The body is at least a week old. By the looks of the scraps of ripped blue shirt and red sash, we’ve found one of our missing soldiers. Alanis stands, her eyes hollow and vacant. Each day that passes with no sign of her brother is another day closer to that light flickering out in her eyes. I will do anything in my power to stop that from happening. But the more we find, the less certain I am that we will find her brother alive.
“It’s not him,” she says at last.
I’m not sure if there’s something particular about the body that tells her so definitively, or if she’s merely reassuring herself. But I don’t refute her claim. Instead, I lead her back to Atlas and give her my skin of water.
“Stay here.”
She doesn’t argue. I have some of the men help me collect the soldier’s body in an old blanket, then order two of them to carry our fallen soldier home and help identify him for his family. I send Orion with them, knowing he and Alanis don’t get along well. Besides, I am sick and tired of hearing him moan and complain about everything. The rest of our group spreads out looking for any other bodies we may have missed.
When I return to Alanis, she’s sitting with the Elves and Hannah. Hendrix is to her right, a comforting hand placed on her back. Possessiveness surges through my veins and it takes all my strength to not rip his arm from his body. I remind myself she needs friends, that she has people who want to be her friend here after being so lonely in her childhood. Anything to get ahold of myself right the fuck now.
“Are you all right?”
She looks up at me with bloodshot eyes, and a sharpness shoots through my chest. I lead her to my horse, the signal for everyone to get the hell out of this damned place.
“Wait,” she says, and I glance at her to find she’s chewing her bottom lip. “Is there a way to summon a Banshee? Or know if any of the bones have the curse of a Banshee on them?”
My eyes widen. “Why in the world would you want to summon a Banshee ?”
She fiddles with her fingers like she always does when she’s nervous, but eventually seems to come to a decision and explains her run-in with the Banshee. This time, she includes the finer details that she left out before.
“The Banshee that attacked us…When this is all over with and we find my brother, I would like to set her free.”
I’m left speechless. This world does not deserve someone this pure. And then my mind skips back to something she said. “Repeat to me what she said again? The part about where the answers you seek are?”
“She said to find the throne. That it would have what I need. I thought, at first, she meant the king and queen’s thrones in Percius, but that seems too simple. Besides, if they had the answer to all this, we wouldn’t be here .”
“True.” I have a niggling thought in the back of my mind, but I just can’t seem to make sense of it. “I think we need to go back to Percius. We need the castle’s records.”
She blinks at me. “That’s at least a week-long ride. We can’t take that much time. Elion needs us. The soldiers need us. And anyway, the king and queen aren’t just going to let us into the castle.”
I can feel her fear pulsating around us, a bitter taste that lingers in the air. She tries to put on a brave front, but her forced, watery smile and trembling hands show me it’s just a front. I place my hands on her shoulders and breathe deep, having her mimic me to ease her panic.
“I can get us in,” I say when she seems calmer. “I understand your worry, but the castle records will tell us where another throne would be. I have a feeling that, if we can find the throne, it may lead us to more than just your brother.”
The Elves walk over and Sarya rests her hand on Alanis’s shoulder. “We are going to head home. If there is anything you ever need, please send word to us, all right?”
Alanis gives a slight smile, throwing her arms around the Elf’s neck. “Thank you for everything,” she whispers.
It seems that anyone who comes across Alanis becomes enamored.
She looks to me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t lose him, Mal.”
Her casual use of my nickname makes warmth course through my body, stopping in my chest, making that beating organ feel alive again, “You won’t. I promise.”
Every step I take back toward home, I hope I didn’t just make a promise I can’t keep.
- ELION -
The throbbing in my leg wakes me, and when I open my eyes and look down, I find the knife still protruding from my thigh. I’m still tied to this Gods-awful chair. I grit my teeth, thanking the Gods that he didn’t do worse than a few punches to the gut, a knife wound, and a hit to the back of the head to render me unconscious.
Yes, it could have been much worse.
I look around my surroundings, hoping to glean some sort of insight to where the hell I am. There are no windows, and from the number of stairs we went down, I would say I’m in a cellar. Or maybe a dungeon would be a more apt description. The air is cold, and I can hear a trickle of water from somewhere above me.
A glimmer in the corner catches my attention. It takes only a moment for me to realize something is slowly taking form out of nothing.
I don’t have long to wait before the Banshee appears. My heartbeat picks up as the temperature drops in the room. She takes a step toward me on bare feet caked in mud and Gods know what else. Her arms hang loosely by her sides, drawing my attention to her six-inch-long nails.
I swallow hard. Maybe this is it; maybe she will end me quickly. I already know the horror that is her face, with teeth so long and sharp her mouth doesn’t fully close, always etched in a too-large smile.
When she stops in front of me, all I can think is, Alanis, please forgive me for giving up .
Between one blink and the next, she transforms from horrifying to absolutely stunning. Long black hair frame a soft, heart-shaped face and drapes down to her waist. There’s no sign of the massive teeth I was expecting.
She lifts her hand.
I flinch away from what is sure to be a touch of death and doom. Face expressionless, she slowly lowers it, instead clasping both hands in front of her and fiddles with them, as if nervous. The habit reminds me so much of Alanis that I can’t help but smile.
Taking a breath, she comes forward and sinks to her knees in front of me. My eyes might actually be bulging out of my skull. What in the hell is she doing?
She slowly traces a delicate finger down my thigh and around the knife. Her touch sends chills throughout my body. An odd and slightly alarming response, but I choose to ignore it for now.
She continues the gentle motion until a sharp pinch has me biting my lip with a grunt. When I look to my leg, the knife is gone. The wound slowly starts to heal.
“Why?” I ask her.
“It is not your time to die,” she says in a surprisingly soft voice. “Besides, I have a fondness for your sister.”
“Is she…” I trail off, scared to ask.
After a moment of apparent consideration, she raises her head to meet my gaze. “She is safe…for now. She is doing all she can to get to you. I am cursed to obey his orders, but I will do everything in my power to help you. Your sister is the kindest person I think I have ever met; the world needs more like her.”
Before I can react or even thank her, she disappears.