Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
FINLEY
The Mystic crested the waves of the The Cedyra Sea, overshadowed by the Paravian Mountains on the shore.
When Finley had departed that beach only a few days before, she’d planned to either have Amelia dead and to bring the ship back here with a plan to awake Ai, or to bring Amelia here to her doom and a plan to awake Ai.
Amelia was arriving to the mountains with Finley, that had succeeded.
But now Finley wondered if Amelia should have been arriving there at all.
She might have been bringing the doom of them all to their shores.
Amelia stood next to the helm with one of the crew members directing the ship. She stood as a dark and cold queen ordering people about and preparing for battle. Her voice had lost a bit of the edge to it from when she first killed Dusan but still didn’t sound human.
Meanwhile, Finley was still in her bone prison.
Each time she tried to pry herself out pain ran through her body, and she had the scrapes and burns on her hands to prove it.
When that didn’t work, she tried to touch the ship’s deck and summon what dregs of magic she had left, but that did nothing other than send a slight hum through her limbs.
While it was significantly better than the pain from the bones, it wasn’t useful.
Amelia allowed her out only to relieve herself and even then, she was escorted by the zombies without chance of escape.
The zombies brought her food too. Amelia was smart and knew not to let any of her crew members close by to try to help her escape.
They’d look at her with pleading and sorrowful eyes and it burned everything in Finley to know that she couldn’t get out and help.
To know that she was the one who put them in this situation in the first place. All for that stupid cure.
Bastian, the dwarf at the helm, peered over his shoulder at Finley.
Worry strained between his brows. She nodded, hoping it expressed to him that she understood and that the moment she could, she would be at their side leading once again.
Once they were on shore she could get out of the grip of the army, and they could side with Eira’s soldiers.
Soon they docked, and Amelia approached the bone cell. “Let’s go greet your friends. I can’t wait to give my wishes to the happy couple.”
Finley didn’t want to know what sort of wishes she wanted to give Eira and Cadeyrn. There had to be a way to warn them about what Amelia had become. They needed to get into the castle and avoid the fake wedding ceremony first, so Finley could get away.
Finley lifted her chin and kept her shoulders straight. She wasn’t a prisoner, and this was still her ship. “And what of Ai? We had an agreement.”
“Get me in the castle, and if she’s spared, we’ll get to her.”
Finley’s lip curled; she wanted to lunge through the cell and rip Amelia apart with her bare hands. “That’s not what we discussed.”
Amelia lifted and lowered a single shoulder. “I don’t recall agreeing to anything.” She tapped on the bones and they turned to dust, any remnants of Dusan gone forever and never to be seen again.
Before Finley could attempt to escape, zombies flanked her on either side. They grabbed each arm and stripped her of the Shadow Slayers then handed them to Amelia. Upsetting but not surprising.
The Mystic docked just as the sun dipped behind the Paravian peaks, casting jagged shadows over the beach.
In the distance, where Luana’s mountain stood, lanterns bobbed in the breeze like low stars, and the sound of distant music floated down to the shore.
They must have already started the festivities.
Finley stood on the beach, shackled now, her wrists raw beneath cold iron.
Wedding banners fluttered in the golden light, violet and silver against the cool sand.
She didn’t want to look at them.
Eira and Cadeyrn. Whatever love they’d managed to forge, whatever plans they’d created to bring Amelia’s reign to an end were all about to be ruined.
Finley’s pulse pounded in her throat. If she could just get a word to them.
A shout. A sign. Anything. But without magic or someone to help, there wasn’t a way.
Amelia stood beside her, calm as a winter lake, dressed in deep black with veins of shining blue winding through her cloak like rivers. At her hip, the Shadow Slayers sword gleamed with a dull pulse, like something half-awake and dreaming of blood.
Finley’s jaw clenched. “You don’t have to do this.”
Amelia smiled faintly. “Don’t I?” She turned toward the mountain, her eyes catching the dying sun.
“Do you know how this came to be? The centuries of mistreatment we sorceresses have faced? How the king took me from my home and wanted me to leave my child behind? Then, for him to only favor his own children over me? For years the royal family destroyed my life. No. But I will show you and show the world.”
Finley shifted in her spot. She couldn’t deny the mistreatment of sorcerers and sorceresses, and she doubted anyone had an inkling that Amelia’s marriage to King Brennan was unwanted and how she’d hidden her daughter for eleven years.
If someone had done that to Finley, she would have slit their throat.
Even so, there was a time when she wouldn’t have cared.
Finley would have let people take their revenge.
Maybe even defended the actions. Now, Amelia’s words and actions left a put in Finley’s stomach.
Behind them, the first zombie stepped onto the shore. Then another. And another. Silent. Slow. But moving with purpose. Finley’s breath caught in her throat. She had failed. And now they all would pay the price.
One of the zombies guarding Finley gave her a push, shoving her forward to lead them toward the mountains, and they made their ascent.
As they walked, her mind swirled with what to do.
As much as she wanted to divert and bring them away, they needed to get to Eira and the others. It was the only way.
When they approached the mountain, the music only became louder as the army Cadeyrn had built in the village was already inside to celebrate the fake wedding.
The realization made Finley’s chest swell.
Maybe Amelia would be outnumbered. Maybe there was a shred of hope. Although she had no idea how to get in.
True love was what opened the crack in the mountain to lead people into the courtyard and castle inside.
There was no sign of love — or even mild acceptance — in this group.
Finley placed her hand on the crack in the mountain wall…
and nothing. Of course it wouldn’t work for her without Ai at her side.
Next to Finley, Amelia cleared her throat. “Having trouble?”
“Of course not,” Finley lied and placed her hand on the crack in the mountain wall.
To her astonishment, the stone warmed and glowed.
Of course. They opened the gates so Amelia and everyone else could come in.
She smiled at Amelia as though she’d known this would happen the whole time and took the first step inside.
The walls of the mountain were their usual soft moonstone that shimmered and moved to make space as they walked through in a single line.
There was something more to it now, though.
Images shone in the starlight depicting Eira and Cadeyrn and their love story and the way they loved their kingdom.
It was their love that opened the mountain door.
The moment the opportunity arose, Amelia pushed her way in front of Finley as they entered the enchanted courtyard.
There was no moment of awe or surprise at the way a whole castle and land could fit inside a mountain and make it appear as though you were still outside.
Amelia pushed forward with her mission the way a ship sailed across the sea.
Her army followed, the dutiful undead soldiers they were and dragged Finley along with them.
Amelia outstretched her arms, and waves erupted from her hands to push open the castle doors then she continued inside, the water parting enough for them to walk through without flooding the building.
With another rush of waves, the doors of the grand hall burst open to reveal the wedding party gathered at the front
Eira stood at the altar they’d build beneath a canopy of sparkling silver boughs.
Her tiara and gown glinted in the starlit lantern that floated above, and beside her, Cadeyrn held her hands as the steadfast groom.
The priestess stood before them, a circlet of stars over her shaved head, and she lifted her gaze from her sacred book to see who had entered.
No one appeared surprised as each head in the crowd turned to look at the new arrivals. The only reaction was a slight tensing in Eira’s face when she saw Finley. It seemed as though for a moment time paused. Like nothing was going to happen.
“Oh, you’ve started without me,” Amelia cooed. “Don’t you know it’s rude to begin celebrations without your guest of honor?”
Eira only smiled. “I thought you’d never arrive.”
Then, the world vanished into darkness and a roar rumbled through the castle, shaking everything and everyone in sight.
The loud flapping of wings echoed across the walls and sent a cold wind through the hall and the faint shadows of Aytigin flying toward the windows from outside came into view.
With another roar, a pillar of ice soared into the castle toward Amelia.
The sorceress threw up a hand and melted the ice, and an explosion sounded punching through the castle, making people shout. The rustle and scuffling of people ducking for cover and grabbing weapons echoed through the room as they all prepared to fight.
Then came the dead.