Chapter 38
T he town of Belwarie was unlike the villages they visited before. No bustling locals or rowdy taverns were painting the night in debauchery; the lack of noise—lack of life—was unsettling. Each breath drew in the stale air and coated the back of their throats with an acrid taste. Belwarie was more than just the Isle Basalt of myths. It was a town of nightmares.
Not even the sun wanted to linger longer than it had to, and darkness settled quickly, leaving only a sliver of moon to guide their way, and despite Calder’s best efforts, they were unable to reach the clearing before the sunlight began to draw back from the land. If there was one thing that could make the town less appealing, it was facing it at night. Unwilling to enter the town blind, Calder separated from the group briefly to collect materials for a torch, which Keane lit with ease.
Those who had settled the town after the great fire had done so out of greed, knowing others in need of safe passage would be desperate enough to pay whatever toll the inhabitants wished to press upon them. They had sown the foundation of their town with corruption, unaware of the dark things that would be drawn to it. Now, rather than a symbol of prosperity, it was a beacon of broken dreams and neglect.
The homes they passed were dark monoliths, with no light filtering through the shutters or under doors to indicate the presence of inhabitants and there was a stillness of growing discontent rather than peace.
Calder had pulled ahead slightly, his knuckles white around the torch he used to light their way and Danu's reins. Keane took to walking alongside Emer. When facing a threat, it was them against the realm, and with the Bleeding Trees bordering either side of the town, there was no shortage of threats.
The ghost of a giggle carried through the night air and had all but Keane turning to the shadowy space between the trees on their left. Keane’s jaw worked as he continued to look ahead.
“Where is everyone?” Emer was the first to speak, her words a whisper easily heard in the eerie silence. It was not late enough for the entire village to be asleep, and even if it were, one would expect to see the occasional drunkard.
“The lore of those who pass through this town is that a great beast is dead and buried here,” Calder explained as he scanned the vicinity.
A shiver rocked Emer as her attention turned to the woods in the distance and the bloodthirsty inhabitants lurking unseen.
“The lore is wrong. It is alive and well,” Keane said without a thimble of humor.
“How do you know?” Emer’s voice shook.
“Do you hear the animals? Even they know better than to draw its attention. The bastard demolished the dairy production of this town a few centuries ago, and I had to drink sans cheese when passing through this pit,” he scoffed.
Emer wished the lack of snacks was the only thing she feared for them during this venture, but the cold licking up the back of her neck told her better.
“Do you make it a habit to insult creatures that have entire towns in hiding?” Calder whispered as he continued to scan their surroundings.
“Do you make it a habit to be dreadfully dull?” Keane scoffed back.
“I am not dull. I am just trying not to get killed in this shithole,” Calder spat back.
“Everybody needs to stop insulting the town!” Emer hissed.
“Relax. I have not actually heard of him attacking anyone… the creature feeds off fear, and this town is lousy with it, thanks to the Women of the Woods,” Keane explained as he reached up and began to soothe Alabaster, still perched on his shoulder.
“Why would anyone choose to live in such a… here? Why live here?” The words came out hushed, even though she was not sure what it was that she might offend.
“The monster you know is less terrifying than the one you don’t,” Calder answered.
As if sensing the presence of a challenging predator, Keane and Calder’s attention turned at the exact moment fog began to pour from the tree line. Thick, milky mist rolled across the clearing until it pooled across the path. The atmosphere shifted, causing Aven and Danu to grow restive. The moment the fog reached them, the horses reared to their hind legs and cried out in protest.
Unprepared for their outburst, Emer was thrown free, grasping at the air as she fell. A hard squeak escaped her as she braced for the impact against the stone road, but it never came. Keane’s arms wrapped around her and pulled her tightly against him. She felt his chest sink with a sigh, but the sound was drowned out by what was either Alabaster cheering or objecting to the rescue, digging his talons into Keane’s shoulder.
While Aven had already fled, Calder continued to fight to gain control of Danu. A battle he was quickly losing as the fog rose and the horse grew more agitated.
“My coin is on the horse… you?” Keane wagered .
“Why are your bets always surrounded by grave injury?” she growled as he set her down.
“I am not understanding the question. Do your bets not surround someone getting gravely injured?” he asked, genuinely confused.
She shook her head and he looked utterly offended.
“How very mortal.” His musing was more curious than dismissive, but Calder soon interrupted it by hitting the ground in front of them. They both flinched at the fleshy sound of Calder’s impact as he disappeared under the thick fog that had now reached their knees.
“Fuck’n shit!” he cursed from beneath the clouded sea.
The crack of hooves against the path grew quiet, signaling that their transportation and supplies were long gone.
“Well, that was unfortunate…” Keane sighed. “Aye, right, you good?” he called into the fog at their feet as he leaned closer and peered down his nose.
A low groan sounded from the fog shortly before Calder re-emerged, its tendrils dancing around him. “Thanks for the help,” he sneered as he slowly hauled himself to his feet.
His expression stiffened as he rolled his shoulder and hissed through his teeth.
“Excuse me, did you ask for assistance?” Keane scoffed, placing both his hands delicately against his chest as if he were shocked by Calder’s annoyance.
“I didn’t hear Em yelling for you, and you still caught her!” Calder protested.
“I didn’t catch her. My body just so happened to get between her and the ground. Also… what are you, the Bailiffs? What’s with all the questions?” he argued with an exasperated toss of his hands.
Emer mouthed an apology, but Calder was too busy glaring distastefully at being compared to those appointed to keep order between mortals and those with magic. He rubbed the back of his head furiously as he tipped it back and winced. The moment his sigh left his lips, it formed a cloud in the suddenly frigid air, and they all paused at the sight.
Before anyone could comment on the strange drop in temperature, the hair on their necks rose. The three turned in unison, having all felt the strange energy stirring to their backs. Peering into the darkness, they found what appeared to be two floating candles fashioned to look like horns. A flickering blue flame danced at the end of each.
“No warmth can be found near a blue flame,” Keane recalled the ancient warning.
As if in agreement, Calder’s own torch began to writhe like liquid azure.
Spinning Emer around by her shoulders, Keane gripped her firmly and held her eyes. “I have avoided the need to run for literally centuries, so you need to take what I am about to do very seriously. No matter what… do. Not. Let. Go.”
He held his hand out to her and Emer clung to him.
As they ran, an inhuman screech came from behind them.
“What is that!” Calder yelled over the rumbling and screeching that seemed to be surrounding them from every direction.
“Fewer questions, more running… but if we survive this, we really need to fucking talk about why literally everything is trying to kill us!” Keane hollered back.
“You can’t die!” Calder growled in return.
“Yeah, well, almost dying hurts like a—” Keane’s words were drowned out by a sound that almost stopped Emer in her tracks.
Look at us.
The voice—cold and hoarse like a howling wind over the midnight sea—whispered in her ear.
Emer’s chest began to ache as if the tendrils of fog that slipped down her throat had grown into fingers and were now strangling the beat of her heart. Spots began to form in her vision as the moment her heart should have beat passed her by .
“I can hear them,” she gasped, unable to draw in sufficient breath.
“Don’t look, Emmy!” Keane yelled as they continued to barrel down the road.
“Eyes on me. Only me,” Calder demanded.
Salt coated her tongue as beads of either tears, perspiration, or a combination of both slipped into her mouth. She closed her eyes and her whole body trembled as she felt lips press against her skin. They echoed the path Calder had taken the day before, but rather than heat, it left a trail of frost. She strained her face in the opposite direction as she took in a sharp breath.
“It’s so close,” she choked.
With a roar, Calder pulled her forward and moved to run at her back, using the torch he retrieved like a sword. The creature hissed.
“Why is it only attacking her?” Calder bellowed.
“I don’t know, Cal, why don’t you stop to ask it?”
Emer’s steps began to slow and her body began to list.
The uneven stones sent pulses of pain with each step, but the men showed no signs of slowing.
“I can’t,” she gasped as her legs once again began to buckle.
“If you stop, we stop!” Calder howled, and Keane squeezed her hand in agreement.
She caught the edge of her lip as she gritted her teeth, ignoring the metallic taste of blood that filled her mouth.
“Keane…” Calder growled.
“I know!” Keane barked again.
“Take her. Do something!” Calder shouted, and the muscles in Keane’s back twitched, sending a shudder through his wings.
“If this doesn’t work. Guard her like your life depends on it. Because it quite literally does,” Keane commanded before he disappeared in a swirl of muted colors.
Emer’s now empty hand tingled faintly where Keane’s had been .
“He’ll be back,” Calder assured.
Emer’s legs began to give, and Calder moved back to her side, his fingers now intertwined with hers. Again, she could hear the whispers building, the cold breath leaving pinpricks along her neck.
“Calder…” Her voice was resigned and unsure of what to say or what she hoped to hear in return.
“Tell me later, Merrow.” He paused. “We’ll have later,” he vowed.
She felt the creature stir at her side, and her blood ran cold. Closing her eyes, she squeezed Calder’s hand twice before releasing it and bracing for the shadows to take her.
A low growl escaped the Sea Raven as he held her hand even more fiercely than before. The smell of smoke and sweet wine wrapped her.
“Sorry, darling.”
When Keane’s eyes met Emer’s, she could tell whatever plan he’d had failed, and the pain from his desperate desire to save her was all that remained.
They were always trying to save her and she knew they meant their oath. If she stopped, they would stop, and she would not allow them to be taken from each other without a fight.
“Your chalice,” she said breathlessly, and Keane stiffened.
“Calder, what did she say?” he shouted.
“Your chalice!” Calder echoed impatiently.
Keane conjured the chalice, and Emer released his hand and accepted it. Tossing her head back, she allowed the burning liquid to fill her mouth. Once, Keane entertained her by lighting the liquid and manipulating the flame into a small dancing form.
Tonight, she did not need a delicate dancer.
Tonight, she needed a dragon.
With her free hand shaking, she motioned to Calder for the torch. The moment she felt the bite of the wood against her palm, she fixed her feet to the path and turned .
Keane and Calder were unable to stop their momentum and stumbled as they attempted to reach back and keep hold of her.
Bringing the torch up to her mouth, she released the wine in a fine spray, sending forth a ravenous flame. The unnatural body caught, writhing and burning. If her eyes had been open, she would have seen how her reflection glowed like a star in the pitch-black night of the beast’s eyes.
Blinded by the violent flash of blue flames, Keane and Calder struggled to advance. Their own shouts vying to be heard over the high-pitched screams of the disintegrating beast.
Swaying slightly, Emer’s eyes remained closed until the last of the burning light faded. With no breath left in her lungs, her lips parted and red rivulets dripped down her chin. As everything went dark, she opened her eyes to find nothing but an empty lane. She released a relieved breath and then collapsed like a doll liberated from its strings.
Calder lunged forward. His body splayed across the cobblestones and his hands pinned under Emer’s head, he stared at her panting. With a sigh, his body molded to the path as every muscle sagged in relief.
Keane knelt at his side and patted him on the back with a low whistle. “I still can’t stand you. But good catch.” A pause. “I’ll deny it happened until the day I die.”
Calder nodded, his sweat-slicked forehead pressed against the stone. He struggled to right himself and pulled Emer into his lap. Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths, and he brushed the remnants of wine from her chin, the rough pad of his thumb stroking her bottom lip.
“She saved us ,” he whispered, staring at her in disbelief.
“I am certain the Elders wove in her nervousness for fear of facing her without it.” Keane’s voice was warm with affection .
Emer’s fire would not have killed the beast—it merely banished it and forced it to reform. In order to be safe, they would need to cross the running water of the creek at the border of town, and yet Calder could not move.
He didn’t want to let her go.
He.
Didn’t.
Want.
To.
Let.
Her.
Go.
The thought caught in his mind, tearing until he felt the burn in his eyes.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” he cursed rapidly under his breath, the full weight of his mistake crashing into him. He’d made Keane promise to take her from him if he tried to keep her on the Isle, and in that moment, he could not even stomach having her taken from his arms. His eyes shot up to Keane—his regret clear.
“I hate you, you know that?” Keane growled, the anger he had felt when they spoke at the camp renewed.
“Not even a day!” Keane bellowed into the night, pacing around them and tugging his hands through his hair. “If you could have just set aside your own arrogance for a moment, you would have seen she didn’t need us. We needed her!” he fumed.
Calder looked down at Emer, the sound of Keane’s strides growing dull as he watched her. He could not ask her to stay, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to get her to choose t o stay—to choose him. Without a word, Calder gathered Emer into his arms and began to walk in the direction the horses had fled. Keane cracked his neck to the side in frustration.
“Fucking figure this out, Raven. If I have to take her away… remember that I will be coming back, and I will be pissed,” Keane demanded before walking ahead .
They found the horses just on the other side of the bridge as if the animals could sense it was outside of the beast’s reach.
Still unwilling to relinquish her, Calder rode Danu with Emer in his arms. Keane rode Aven, his posture rigid with tension and resentment.
Lines had been drawn, unwavering like the space where the sky meets the sea. Somewhere in between is where Emer floated in a dreamless sleep. The cold water of the sea and warm wind gravitating towards her until their joined energies became a storm.