6. Kiera
SIX
KIERA
T he palace was thankfully deserted because of the hour, but Nyx still rushed through the hallways, hoping not to be seen. A sense of urgency bled from him and I didn’t like the edge cutting through his posture, but I tried to focus on what mattered in the moment, which was the fact that we had an unknown danger held in the palace grounds and only I seemed rational enough to see that it was a disaster waiting to happen.
I was breathing hard by the time we reached the stairs to the dungeons, keeping a double pace to keep up with these two giants. I was a healer, for the Goddess’s sake. I was not cut out for this life, and this proved it.
“I must insist on going first. It’s not safe for Kiera to just be let into a room with one of these creatures.” Jaxus fumed as he kept pace with Nyx. Something was off with him. He’d been tense since Nyx admitted to what he’d brought back .
“Do you doubt my ability to keep her safe?” Nyx asked.
I interrupted before they could get into a debate over who between them was to act as my protector. “Whether I go in first or last makes no difference. The fact is, I need to see this thing now that it’s here.”
“And then what?” demanded Jaxus. “You’re not touching it or even getting close. What will you even be able to tell from a cursory visual examination?”
“Maybe nothing, maybe something. We won’t know until I do.” I shot back as we descended down time-worn stone steps into the gloom of the passages under the palace.
The air was dank and musty from lack of use, although dust and cobwebs had not collected as one may have expected. Perhaps these passages were still used for some purpose. A drip sounded somewhere in the distance. An actual drip, like this was some ancient passage out of a gothic novel and not a modern palace.
We reached the end of the hallway that led to the dungeons and Nyx stopped, taking a deep breath and turning to us.
“I must prepare you for what you will see. It’s—disturbing,” he admitted. “Are you sure you’re willing to go in?”
I scoffed. “I’m not sure that there is a choice now that you’ve done this, now that the thing is here. Let’s just get this over with so that we can dispose of it quickly.”
Nyx hesitated, looking at Jaxus with something like an apology in his eyes. Then nodded, seeming resigned.
It was like I wasn’t even here. If it weren’t for the pressing matter of an undead beast in our cells, I would bang their heads together. Jaxus was acting like I was a fragile ward he was charged with protecting, and fine, he didn’t know me. But Nyx was forgetting too easily that I could best him in a hundred different ways that did not require a sword or dragon fire.
I would remind him later if we survived the night. Perhaps I’d slip a potion into his breakfast that would have him banging on my door for a stomach aid, then remind him as I mix the cure at my leisure that there were many much deadlier things that could be slipped into food undetected. He should remember that the weapons I could wield may be subtle but they could also be deadly.
“Okay.” Nyx took a breath, pulling me from my revenge fantasies, and led us to the furthest cell, producing a bunch of keys and unlocking the heavy door.
Jaxus insisted on going in before me to check the state of the thing and make sure it hadn’t freed itself while Nyx came to get us. I stepped up behind him to peer in, but the stench hit like a wall before I even stepped into the room. There was no doubt in my mind it was dead.
And the smell wasn’t the worst part.
I was not prepared for what lay within the room.
I had only seen drawings of the undead, the Vivi Mortui, brought to the 100 Years War to fight for them, and this creature was similar, to say the least.
He was fae, no question. How long since he had been turned, it was impossible to tell. “You may enter. The thing is secure as far as I can tell.”
I tied a cloth over my face before pushing the door wider to step inside. My mind did not believe the sight before me. A poor fae was shackled to the table, looking as dead as he smelled. His sagging skin was a grayish-blue, and his eyes were a cloudy white.
The creak of the cell door alerted it to our presence and our appearance seemed to aggravate him intensely. He hissed and screeched in a very unfae way. It was disconcerting because the sound did not come from its throat but seemed to resonate from a deeper part of it.
The three of us stood silently watching as the creature thrashed against its bindings. I took in the room. He lay upon a metal table much too modern to have been down here many years. It had shackles at its corners, secured with magic and warded with fire opals to bind the locks, presumably to Nyx’s magic.
The creature glared at us between bouts of thrashing. Even though its milky eyes seemed unseeing. I shuddered. There was not a drop of soul apparently left in the body before us. Nothing recognizable as ‘alive’. Instead, there seemed to only be rot, malice, and rage.
“You must be mad. What in the Goddess’ name made you bring it back here?” Jaxus was a wall of tension beside me.
“How else will we know how to revive one without study?” Nyx fixated on the creature. Surely he couldn’t?—
My chest ached, connecting the dots. If he thought we could bring one back, he must see this as a possibility for Kol, and my heart hurt for him. It was more than clear from reports that Kol had not been turned, he’d been obliterated. Nyx was holding on to false hope.
I turned to him. “There’s no coming back from this. Surely you know that?”
Nyx’s eyes remained fixed, but he replied, “We don’t know anything. We need to see what can be done.”
Jaxus tensed even further and stepped between us, turning to Nyx himself. “This is absurd, Nyx. I respect you as a general, as a fae and as a friend, but this is unacceptable. We need to kill this thing immediately. Dragon fire is the only possible fix for this condition.”
I returned my gaze to the table and watched the creature work itself into a frenzy, wailing and yanking against the bonds. My stomach turned. I didn’t see how anyone could come back from a condition such as this. But the healer in me did want to assess the situation. There was a fae there once, underneath somewhere. Whether he was still there or long gone, only the Goddess knew at this point. But if I conducted some tests, I may be able to tell .
I took a step further into the room, but Jaxus put an arm up.
“Excuse me?” I asked indignantly.
“Do you think it’s wise to get closer to it?” Jaxus asked.
“Do you think it’s wise to get in my way?”
Nyx stifled a laugh, and I shot a glare at him.
“If you want to get closer with me, you may, but don’t think for a second you get to stop me.”
Jaxus relented and approached the thing with me. Every pace forward had the stench intensifying.
I sighed, resigned, turning to head back to the healer’s wing. “I need to get some books and some equipment. I need to cover my work for the day and let my father know.”
Nyx stepped to block my path. “No one can know we have one here.”
“My father is not the rest of the palace population. He is the Healer on High of the Twelve Kingdoms and is a trusted member of the King’s council. He will be appraised of the situation at his morning briefing anyway.”
“He won’t be informed in any briefing.” His jaw flexed. “No one knows, and no one can know.”
“What do you mean nobody knows? How did you get it back here?” My breath caught.
“After we dealt with the ambush, I spotted this one running into woodland. My first thought was to catch it so it couldn’t warn others or report back to whoever controls it. So I sent the rest of the flight to check on the various security points before returning to the palace and told them I was going to scout for any sign of others from the air before I returned.” Something flickered in his eyes. Shame? No. It was more complicated than that. He didn’t regret it, but he knew he did wrong. “I tracked him through the woods, hoping he might lead to more of them or whoever is controlling them. But he was just running aimlessly. He had no idea of direction, then he ran into a hunter’s net and was trapped. I flew in to destroy him, but—” Nyx rubbed his forehead, clearly doubting his decision with due cause. “He was suspended in a tree, all wrapped up. I knew we might never get another chance to examine one, so I took the opportunity, and I swept him up. I flew in from the west, bypassed the city, and used a tunnel entrance. Managed to get him down here without being seen. With Octavian gone, I’m not sure anybody even knows of these cells. We won’t be disturbed.”
“And Zaria? Where was she in all of this?” I demanded.
Nyx pinched the bridge of his nose and drew in a deep breath. “We rode in together, of course. But none of this is on her. I didn’t consult her. She tried to stop me. But once we had him here, she was more concerned about anyone seeing what I’d done, so she helped me secure him. And now she is not speaking to me.”
Jaxus let out an indignant laugh. “At least she has some sense.”
“Nyx,” I groaned. “What were you thinking? Surely, if Zaria tried to talk you out of it, you must have known it was idiocy.”
“Oh, trust me, Zaria has made that point abundantly clear.”
“And where is she now?”
“Probably warding our rooms against my entry, I imagine.”
“Oh, Nyx, go fix that. We’ll—” I looked between the creature and Jaxus, realizing I had no idea what we’d do.
Nyx shook his head. “I’ll stay here and guard. She needs a bit of space right now. I don’t want to die today.”
“We’ll take shifts,” Jaxus said with an authority I hadn’t heard from him before. “We can’t let it escape.”
Nyx simply agreed.
“Okay,” I said, scanning my mind for ideas. “Well, I don’t have a clue where to start, but I will have to tell my father. He can be trusted,” I continued before Nyx could interrupt. “You know he can. We have the healer’s oath. He trusts me to work for the good of the kingdoms in whatever capacity that is. But I’ll have to tell him what I’m doing so he can cover for me, and the Goddess willing, he might even have some insight that could help.”
“I would feel better if Kiera had some assistance, Nyx, I don’t want her working on this alone. And she’s not to be left unattended with this creature under any circumstances. Do you understand me?” Jaxus wouldn’t let it go, and Nyx must have understood.
I turned to Jaxus and had to fight the urge to bite my lip. He was even more striking when he was riled. Smacking my libido back down into her cage, I focused on the fact that he thought to dictate to me.
“I’m not to be left alone?” I challenged. “Who are you to make such demands?”
His eyes went steely with determination, and he all but growled. “I am your—” He paused, seeming to bite back his own anger. He took a measured breath before continuing. “You are my ryder. I must protect you. You will understand that once you accept me as your flyer, you’ll feel the same way about me. I promise you.”
I barely bit back an indignant scoff. “This is not the time to have that discussion. We need to deal with this.” I gestured to our snarling, spitting friend.
“I agree, this matter is the priority, but make no mistake, we will be having that discussion, and it will be very soon. You can’t fight the Goddess’ will.”
We held each other’s stare in an intense standoff for a moment before Jaxus looked away, addressing Nyx, who had stood by awkwardly during our stare-down. “I’ll take first watch. Go take care of your domestic situation.”
Nyx looked genuinely afraid at the idea and Jaxus barked a laugh.
“Oh, come on. Surely you must know a way back into your mate’s good graces? Go and fix things, get some rest, and make some excuse as to why I’m not at the morning briefing. Then, once it’s done, come and take over.”
Nyx’s shoulders slumped. “If she decides to end me, it’s been an honor.”
Jaxus patted his shoulder in mock sympathy. “I hope your family jewels remain intact.”
I rolled my eyes.
Males.