Chapter thirty-four
against all odds, I will stay alive
Elwyn
I t pained me to leave Darragh lying on the ground, unprotected and with that girl. Power coursed through me; it would have been easy to kill her…but I needed every ounce of energy for what was to come.
The Queen walked ahead.
My fingertips crackled with energy that had nowhere else to go. A voice inside me whispered, let it out . My determined footsteps alerted the Queen. She rounded and eighteen years of rage exploded from my palms. Fire and shadows and hatred, I hurled everything I had at her. Unprepared, the Queen did nothing to stop the assault and it hit her straight on. With a sickening crunch, she struck the stone. In a wisp of shadows, she vanished before she hit the ground.
“It’ll take more than that to kill a queen,” she whispered over my shoulder. I whirled but found nothing. “Ha, ha, ha!” The Queen’s haunting cackles echoed down the hall.
Unable to control the fire that spewed from my palms, I cast it wildly, illuminating the darkness. “Show yourself, you coward!”
My fire extinguished and shadows poured from my palms like puss. “If you insist.” A decrepit arm erupted from the murk in my hands. A second followed; like a demon, the Queen pulled herself forth. “Here I am,” she teased, pulling herself close.
A force struck the Queen from behind.
A guardian stood at the end of the hall, the one I’d left watching Darragh and the girl. The same guardian who stood outside my bedroom for as long as I could remember. She’d cast a spell and struck the Queen. Without turning, the Queen melted into shadows and pooled on the floor. They slithered across the rock like a massive snake. The shadows reared before the guardian, then a fang lined mouth devoured her head. With a scream and a spattering of blood, the guardian fell to her knees. The shadowy snake spit out her head and transformed back into the Queen. The guardian’s blood flowed down the rock, breaking against my feet.
I didn’t even know her name.
The Queen rounded on me.
I ran.
Where can I go?! Where can I hide?!
The Queen appeared from the air before me. Stalking forward, she giggled and said, “There’s nowhere to go.” A force gripped my throat and cast me into the wall. I smashed against it and tumbled to the floor. I tried to move, but the Queen held me on the ground. Excruciating pain radiated from my side. Just below my left breast, blood and bone tented my dress. The room spun and I saw double; two Queen’s prowled forward.
“All I wanted was a powerful heir.” The Queen pressed one boot on my broken ribs and pushed.
Crack!
Shards of broken bone dug into my lungs. The air left my body and I wheezed. Sharp pain exploded in my side, and I curled around it.
“But the problem with a powerful heir is they’re practically impossible to control.” The Queen knelt beside me. “Sure, I contained your magic as a child, but I couldn’t contain it forever, could I? Not unless…I controlled you with necromancy.”
“If you can control death, you don’t need me!” I tasted copper and fought the urge to vomit. “Live forever and let me go!”
The Queen shook her head. “No, no. The people would never go for that. Who would trust a queen who lives forever? It must be you.” One wrinkled palm caressed my cheek. “If I killed you now, I’m sure Ophyr would lend a hand. Puppet you long enough until I figure out how to take his gift and control you myself.”
The Queen fell backward, as if torn away by an invisible force. “AGH!” The Queen cradled her head. She fell, and when she looked at me, her face was changed. No longer old and withered, she looked like the mother I’d known long ago.
“I won’t let you hurt her anymore!” my mother shrieked. Her body jerked back and forth, as if two forces fought to control her. She collapsed, writhing on the stone. Arching her back, she screamed, “Kill me!”
Shock paralyzed me.
“Please!” my mother begged. “Do it before the creature comes back!”
I climbed to my knees and a broken rib poked my flesh. “Hhh!” With what little power I had left, I called to the shadows. They snaked their way along the floor, wrapping around the Queen’s limbs. I crawled over and sat on her chest. My hands surrounded her throat, and a line of blood dribbled from the gnarled stump of my finger.
My mother whispered, “Hurry, please!” Tears lined her terrified eyes. Her gaze focused over my shoulder. She mouthed, “ Stay with her ,” to someone behind me. I glanced back; the hall was empty.
My mother choked and a chilling laugh seeped from her lips. Hatred pooled in her eyes like dark, murky ink. The Queen’s mouth grew wider and wider as the creature clawed its way back, fighting to control her. I tightened my grip around her throat. As the monster inside her screamed, I fulfilled my promise.
I saw the moment the life left the creature’s eyes.
It wasn’t relief that filled me as I stood and looked over the corpse, just a strange, shocked, numb feeling. I should grieve, but it had been such a long time since I’d loved her…
“Elwyn,” a voice whispered. I looked around and saw no one. “Elwyn!” It came from the Queen… A leather strap lay on the rocky ground, spilling from her pocket. I stooped and yanked the strap out.
The necklace.
The necklace she’d fought so hard to retrieve. A trembling, excited energy radiated through my fingers. I ignored it and tossed the necklace back on the Queen’s body.
I wanted nothing from her.
Leaving the Queen’s remains on the ground, I turned and left. The haunting, desperate voice called my name again, but I had one thing on my mind.
Darragh.
As I walked, I held my side, pushing the bone back in. A cooling sensation lessened the pain. The doors to the great hall greeted me. I shuffled through, wincing with each step.
Darragh and the girl were gone.
Fury heated my cheeks and tunneled my vision. A trail of blood led up the stairs and out of the hall. My heart pounded as I knelt and touched the blood, a memory swept through me.
The girl was broken, her face swollen and ugly. Barely alive, she dragged an unconscious Darragh up the stairs and through the doors.
Anger ripped me from the memory.
The girl could have left, could have saved herself. Instead, she chose to bring Darragh with her. Even if it slowed her down, even if it jeopardized her own life, she’d refused to abandon him.
The implications of that action infuriated me more than anything else she’d ever done.
The moment I found that girl, she was dead.
***
Nell
“Far be it from me to body shame—I mean, I enjoy a good carb myself…” I dragged Darragh’s unconscious body a foot farther. “But if you weighed just a little less, we might be out by now.” Digging in my heels, I heaved Darragh another foot.
I collapsed against the rocky wall and sucked in air.
This is taking forever.
There was a door beside me; I took my chances and peered inside. Empty bedroom. If I hid Darragh, I could go find the orb and come back for him. I grabbed Darragh’s wrists and dragged him inside.
“I’ll be right back.”
Closing the door behind me, I wandered down the hallway. Where would they have put my bag? It probably wouldn’t be far from the room they’d thrown me and Bowyn in. I’d been in a daze when they’d led me there. I did my best to make sense of the paths, but they all looked the same. Panic set in the longer I crept around; I needed to get back to Darragh. I rounded a corner.
“Oh! ”
Fear rooted me to the spot as I locked eyes with the Truth. Smoke swept up from the floor and cocooned her. The smoke was only half vanished when she shouted, “Thank goodness for that!” The smoke fell away, and I’m not sure who looked more relieved to see the other—me or Brana.
Brana sobbed. “I went back to look for you and there was blood everywhere. I thought I was too late.” She embraced me in a crushing hug. “Oh!” Brana tensed like she’d received a shock. Letting go, she glanced at the merlot leather outfit Marlowe had put me in. “That outfit has quite the protection on it.” I furrowed my brows over two purple, swollen eyes. It hadn’t helped me so far. “Against magic,” Brana clarified.
“Ah, right.”
Figures.
Brana withdrew a vial from her robes. “Drink this, it’ll help.” I did, and slowly, the throbbing in my head ebbed.
A far-off shriek pierced the stones around us.
“It’s time for you to go home.” Brana waved and Darragh’s satchel appeared beside her. She gave it to me, and I found the orb tucked inside. Brana saw one of Darragh’s sweaters, yanked it out, and forced it over my head. “It’s freezing in this place.”
Wriggling away, I pointed down the hall. “I left Darragh this way.” As we walked, I whispered, “How’d you do it? How’d you become the Truth?”
“I’ve always been able to transform into whatever—or whomever— I wanted. The Cage is just one form.” Brana prodded my swollen cheekbone and I winced. “After I was captured, the Truth lurked in my mind, doing her thing . Well, I noticed she left her own mind open for the world to see. I snuck in while she wasn’t looking, and I transformed her body into mine.” Brana smiled sweetly. “A body is just another cage, isn’t it?” Brana nudged my chin, examining my neck. “From there, it was simple. I transformed into the Truth.”
“It was the Truth nailed to the wall?”
Brana nodded. “I was there when the Queen tortured her.” Brana grinned, uncharacteristically sinister. “Her screams of innocence were…quite convincing.”
“And Bowyn?”
“Up here.” Brana tapped her temple. “Once I’m out, I can release him. Along with the others.”
“This is it.” I pointed to the door and slipped inside.
My heart stopped.
Wisps of smoke floated over my shoulders as they cocooned Brana. It was the Truth that pushed me into the room. Although, the Truth seemed like a silly thing to call her at this point. She was, after all, a lie.
Elwyn knelt, cradling Darragh. She looked up at us, cream hair hanging in tangles over her wild eyes. Elwyn flicked her wrist and the door slammed shut behind us.
“The Queen is dead,” Elwyn muttered.
A glimmer of hope rose within me.
Darragh was free of the Queen!
Elwyn returned her blood-soaked hand to Darragh’s eviscerated midsection. Elwyn whispered, “Come back to me.” Darragh’s eyes lulled and he woke. Elwyn eased him into a sitting position. When he caught sight of me, Darragh’s eyes grew wide, and he struggled against Elwyn. She held him back, but he kept struggling. Elwyn’s fierce gaze settled on me.
“Shall I remove her?” the Lie said.
Elwyn wrapped her arms around Darragh and glared at me. Her lip curled like a spoiled child clutching a toy they didn’t want to share. Elwyn’s eyes travelled back to Darragh, and she said, “Are you ready to say goodbye to your friend?” My stomach knotted. This didn’t seem like a goodbye between friends. Elwyn’s tone suggested this was more of a goodbye to life .
While Elwyn was focused on Darragh, Brana briefly let go of her disguise. She mouthed, ‘ Help me,’ to Darragh.
Darragh swallowed. His stomach convulsed, and he coughed. Struggling to raise his arm, Darragh held Elwyn’s chin. “Elwyn, you—you don’t have to kill her. You don’t have to be like the Queen. Let her go and, and we can be together.” Darragh smiled. Elwyn’s shoulders relaxed, and her gaze fell to Darragh’s lips. Fighting the urge to tear Darragh out of Elwyn’s arms, I clenched my fists and looked away.
“Please,” Darragh urged.
Agonizing seconds ticked by.
“Take her and leave,” Elwyn spat. She kissed Darragh’s forehead and stroked his hair. “Relax. You need rest.” Darragh’s eyes closed. Elwyn waved a hand over Darragh’s eyes, making sure he was unconscious.
“Put her in a cell to rot,” Elwyn commanded.
“What?” the Lie sputtered, earning a curious look from Elwyn. The Lie composed herself. “Yes, of course.”
Elwyn’s eyes set on me, and she smiled. “He asked me not to kill you. He did not ask that I free you.” I’d never noticed the resemblance between Elwyn and the Queen, but I saw it now, in that smile. “You will never see the sun, or Darragh again. You will die in this mountain, while he lives on with me.” Elwyn rubbed a finger against Darragh’s cheek. “And he’ll never know.”
The Lie snapped her fingers and hooks tugged my skin.
“Pretend to resist me,” the Lie whispered. As she dragged me away from Darragh, I didn’t have to pretend.
***
Safely away from Elwyn, Brana transformed back into herself. “That’s it, young lady.” She shuffled around in my satchel, looking for the orb. “You’re getting out of here right now!”
“Brana, no!” I swatted her hand and backed away. “I’m not leaving without Darragh!”
Brana inhaled, reigning in her temper. “Nell, sweetie…” She gritted her teeth and said, “That’s suicide.”
“Do you remember when I asked you if you thought I was stupid to risk my life for him? You told me just because he knew who his melaethien was, didn’t mean I knew mine? Well, I know. It’s him. I’ve chosen.” I took a deep breath. “The Queen is dead; Darragh is free of her. All I have to do is get him out, and we can be together.”
We can live a happy life, together .
“The Queen may be dead, but Elwyn is just as dangerous. Maybe even more so… She’s convinced she loves that boy.” Brana rubbed my arms, and her eyes pled with mine. “She will kill you if she catches you.”
“I better not get caught then.”
“Nell…” Brana’s eyes darted to my determined shoulders and crossed arms. She sighed and said, “It’s your decision. I just wish it were different.” Brana’s mouth tightened into a line and the corners turned down. “I can’t go with you.”
Pip’s face flashed through my mind. “I know.”
Brana’s lip trembled, and her eyes shone as she hugged me. The bones in my spine popped as she curled around me. “Be careful.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. When Brana released me, I inhaled. “Well, I’m off to die,” I joked half-heartedly. “Just like old times, eh?”
Brana didn’t laugh. “You stay alive, you hear me?”
“I will. ”
We broke our embrace, and I started down the darkened hallway. When I reached the end, I turned and waved. Brana waved with one hand, the other covering her mouth. Thankfully, I couldn’t see her crying from where I stood. I continued on alone. Repeating my mantra as I did.
I will stay alive.
***
Elwyn
Once I moved Darragh to a more comfortable room, I left to clean myself up. When I returned, he still lay peacefully in bed.
Ophyr loomed over him.
Fear knotted my gut, but a tingle of power flooded my veins. The dread ebbed, and a strange, twisted glee took its place. “Get away from him,” I commanded. Ophyr grazed Darragh’s cheek and made an, or what? face. I approached the bed. “Have you heard the rumours spreading through the mountain? They’ve found the Queen in the east wing…” I savored the next word as it rolled from my tongue. “Dead.”
Ophyr straightened. “If that’s true, then the throne is ripe for the taking.” He rounded the bed and dragged his fingers along my arm. Behind my back, I palmed Darragh’s knife.
“The Queen is dead…” I grinned. “Because I killed her.”
I slashed Ophyr’s face.
Blood oozed from the line across Ophyr’s eye and he stumbled. He dabbed the cut and stared at his bloody fingers. Face contorted in rage, he advanced on me. “I’ll kill you—”
I ripped the shadows from the floor, as I’d so often seen the Queen do. Darkness circled the room, furious and alive.
Ophyr froze.
“Come, what’s the matter?” I stalked forward. “You won’t touch me now?” Ophyr scanned the room. There were two ways out. The window behind him, or the door behind me.
Both led to death.
Ophyr scrabbled at the rock around the window. A tentacle of shadow snatched him. More and more shadows ensnared Ophyr, immobilizing him in a cocoon of darkness. I twirled my hand, turning Ophyr to face me. He kept his eye shut as blood poured over it.
“Look at me!” I wrenched his eye open. “Are you afraid?” Ophyr needn’t respond, his wild eyes darted around the room. I leaned against his chest. Euphoric goosebumps prickled my skin as his terrified heart pounded my eardrums. “I’ve waited a long time for this—”
The door swung open behind us, and a guardian peeked in. “Is everything okay in here?”
My concentration faltered and I rounded on the guardian. “Out!”
The knife slid from my hand.
The shadows tightened around Ophyr, but it was too late. The blade struck the guardian in the forehead. Momentum snapped her head back and she slammed against the door before her body crumpled to the floor.
“Agh!” I threw all of my power at Ophyr. The shadows slammed him into the rock. He laughed, and blood filled the cracks between his teeth.
A low growl rose behind me.
Slowly, I peered over my shoulder. The guardian’s bones click-clacked as it reanimated. Spit stretched across its mouth as it hissed at my back.
It lunged.
I yanked half the shadows from Ophyr and flung them at the corpse. The shadows stopped it, but barely. Teeth gnashed inches from my throat. Behind me, Ophyr struggled to wriggle free. He climbed closer to the window, and I yanked him back. The corpse pushed the shadows, inching closer. Ophyr tried again to get out the window, and again, I yanked him down.
“The bed!” Ophyr commanded his monster. The corpse’s weight lifted. It vaulted over the end of the bed and climbed toward Darragh.
“No!” I sent every shadow in the room flying at the corpse. The shadows dragged it off the end of the bed. The corpse held onto the wood frame, and I pulled with all my might. Sinew and skin stretched as I tore the corpse’s arms from its body. Darragh’s knife was still imbedded in the thing’s skull. I ripped it free, and shadows swarmed the corpse, holding it to the floor. I screamed as I plunged the knife down, again and again.
The corpse’s head fell away.
On shaking legs, I stood and turned to the window. Bloody handprints smeared the shutters. I leaned out, searching for Ophyr.
The fall would have been lethal.
Perhaps not to one who controlled death so easily.