Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
Sorin
The two Enchantresses that escaped with Elora sit side by side around a dark marble table in the Onyx meeting room. Pitchers of water and kettles of tea line the center of the table along with a few plates of dried meat and assorted nuts that no one seems to care for.
Elora’s nails tap against her teacup, her eyes darting between the two women before us.
“We cannot stay here long.” The dark-haired Enchantress speaks first, her skin pale and eyes a stormy blue. She cups her mug of tea between her hands. “Hunters will sense any magick we have?—”
“Only if you use it,” Elora says. Both of the Enchantress' eyes fall to her. She tugs her earlobe but straightens herself. “If you don’t use your magick, the hunters can’t sense you. I lived for years that way?—”
“Must have been lovely,” the other Enchantress adds. She has deep, red hair that billows down to her shoulders. Despite the chill of the mountains, her sleeves are pushed up, revealing scars around her wrists, bubbled and pink against her dark skin. “Living a life in peace while the rest of us were mutilated. Murdered.”
Elora flinches, her shoulders sagging.
“That isn’t necessary,” I say, my hand finding Elora’s leg under the table. “While Elora and a few others managed to escape Valebridge, I assure you their lives were anything but easy.”
I have you.
The Enchantress with the shorter hair glances at me. Her eyes narrow further, and a chill runs down my spine.
“And you are the heir of Valebridge correct?” She smiles when my body goes rigid. “Rumors travel quickly through Valebridge, heir. Even in the dungeons.” She pours herself another cup of tea. The steam muddies her features a moment before it settles and her eyes are on me again. “So gracious of you to finally step up and help.”
“Enough of this.” Lord Calix enters the room with a sea of handmaids and guards behind him. Each one dressed in all black. Calix’s fur lined cloak is laced tightly, a faint crest of mountains stitched across the front. Calix glances quickly at Elora and even quicker away. “We’re happy to have you stay as long as you’re comfortable, Enchantresses.”
He redirects his attention to me. “Sorin, as well as all of us, have made mistakes and bear many regrets these last five years. But know this, we will stop at nothing until there is justice and peace for the Enchantresses. You have my word.”
The Enchantress looks to the woman next to her and when she nods, she focuses back on Calix. “Whatever we can do to help,” she says. “Please let it be known.”
“Let's start with your names.” Calix gestures toward the Enchantress while taking a long sip of tea with his other hand.
The women share a glance with each other.
“You’re guests in this house,” Calix says. “So please, your names?”
The redhead Enchantress pushes her hair behind her shoulders. “I’m Brigid.”
Calix nods, his smile warm and inviting. So, unlike what I presumed the Lord of Onyx Guild to be. Given the elevation and constant cold, I assumed a bit more of a bite.
The dark-haired Enchantress watches Elora as she draws a ring around the edge of her teacup. Her lip curls when my hand wraps around Elora’s shoulders. “I’m Sera,” the woman finally says. “Now”—she breaks her gaze from Elora and looks to Calix—“I’m afraid Brigid and I don't have much to offer. Most of our magick was harvested and what’s left is unreliable. I managed to get us out of the castle—” Elora scoffs, crossing her arms. “But I’m not sure what use I’ll be to you, Lord.”
Calix holds his hands up, shaking his head. “I would never ask you to use your magick against your will.” His gaze slides to Elora who is unsurprisingly silent by my side, I can practically hear her teeth grinding from here. “What I do ask is for your help mapping out the castle.” Sera relaxes into her chair, a smile dancing on her lips. “Passageways, dungeons. Anything that may make infiltrating smoother.”
“I have also lived in Valebridge, Calix,” Elora says, her voice barely registering in the room. “It was my home, too.”
Sera smiles, bringing her teacup to her lips. “And yet you fled.”
My stomach boils, nails digging into the marble top?—
“There isn’t any need for hostility.” Calix steals my moment to speak. “What has happened to you—” He glances at each of the women at the table, Elora included. “ All of you, is unfathomable. Without working together, we’ll have no chance at rectifying this mess the king has made.” He lets out a sigh, rubbing his palm to his eyes. “Are you all with me?”
Elora paces throughout our small room. Back and forth she goes, between the chest of drawers and the black four post bed. She bites at her nails a few times before placing her hands behind her back, biting her lip insead. Her hair, a mess of waves from our earlier bath, is down and unkept. The dark pants that Calix provided fit more snugly than her normal breeches. The dark, long sleeve, wool-lined top is laced up in the front, and she pulls on the strings as she moves back and forth.
“Are you going to do that all day?” I say through a laugh.
She stops to frown at me before turning toward the bathing chamber, her back facing me. Her shoulders stoop and between both of our breaths, she sniffles.
“They were not kind to you.”
“They weren’t wrong about me,” she says. Elora doesn’t turn but her head straightens. “My mother and I fled Valebridge and never looked back. We lived in peace on the mountain while they were tortured and—” She hangs her head again. “I don’t even know why I’m here. Perhaps I should have just stayed in Valebridge.” My stomach twists. “I’m so tired of being in pain, Sorin.”
I step toward her, making sure my boots are heavy against the ground so as to not surprise her. She stiffens when my hands brace her shoulders, but a moment later, her muscles relax.
“Where does it hurt, love?”
She says nothing, keeping her back turned.
“Does it hurt here?” I slide my hands gently over her back. Careful not to touch her bruises too deeply.
Her breath hitches, but still she’s quiet.
“How about here?” I kiss her temple, and she lets out a sigh. “Yes, this must be what ails you.” I kiss her temple again before turning her around so she faces me. Her lips twitch, as if she can’t decide to smile or cry.
I drag her to the bed.
She sits down, and I take my time unlacing her boots then unfastening her cloak and pulling it off of her. I kick off my boots before climbing into bed. She curls onto her side, her back to my chest. There isn’t much solace I can offer her, but maybe a momentary distraction will be enough for tonight.
My fingers trail along her leg, up the curve of her hips, until they skim underneath her tunic. “I know everything feels like shite right now,” I say, “but I can’t hear you say you’d wish to still be in Valebridge because if you were still there, it means you wouldn’t be here and I don’t think I can handle the thought.”
She lets out a deep sigh, her hands propped under her cheek like a pillow.
“Now, does this feel okay?” My lips graze her neck as I whisper against her skin, fingers tracing tentatively across her hip. “I asked you a question, love.”
“Yes,” she whispers. “That feels okay.”
I hold my breath, still unsure she’s ready for any kind of intimacy, but I trust her enough to tell me when I’ve gone too far, so I continue. “What about this?” I glide my fingers under her shirt, tracing soft lines over her ribs, then her breasts. “Does that feel good or bad?”
She arches into me, and my eyes roll shut as I trace her breasts again.
I missed you so badly , I want to say. But this isn’t about me, so I remain quiet. I kiss her neck, letting my lips drag against her skin before nipping slightly just at the bottom of her ear. “Answer my question, Elora.”
“Good,” she says, between heavy breaths. “That feels good.”
“Good.” I slide my hand lower over her bare skin, down her abdomen, until I’m at the laces of her breeches and that’s where I stop. Doubt gnaws at my mind, making my fingers retreat before I can push this further.
As I slide my hand away, Elora grabs it, guiding it back down. Her hair slides away from her neck as she dips her head forward, revealing a glimpse at something dark marked on her skin. But as she moans again, my body heats, distracting me from what I think I saw.
I wrap my other arm under her, holding her body tight against mine. She tilts her head back so it rests in the crook between my jaw and shoulder. I continue my movement, running my palm over and over until she’s wriggling beneath me.
“Good or bad?” I whisper, my breath coming out just as ragged as hers.
“Good, Sorin.”
I remove my hand for a moment, and she glances over her shoulder at me, a frown forming between her brows.
“I don’t think you have any idea what that does to me, love.” I kiss her pulse. “My name on your lips is enough to undo me right now.”
Her face softens as I unlace her breeches, painstakingly slow. I’d rather rip them off, but she needs to be outside of her mind for a moment so I take my time.
I kiss her neck, her shoulder. Elora turns to face me, so I move on top of her and kiss her deeply, my fingers tangling in her hair. My lips on her neck and her chest and her mouth.
“Good?” My voice is low, and now she doesn’t answer me. Just a breathy moan that has my heart racing. My body is ignited just by kissing her. Touching her. Being close to her. I kiss her again and again, the memory of losing her teeming at the edge of my mind.
“Sorin.” She pulls away, her chest heaving under mine. Running her fingers through my hair, she then drags them down my neck and across my chest. Her eyes meet mine, and I’m brought back to our first night together after the wicked wood. She opens her mouth, perhaps to say something, but I don’t give her the chance before I brush my thumb to her lips and speak first.
“When you feel yourself retreating to all the shadowy places in your mind, just tell me.” I swipe across her body lip again. “Just tell me, and I’ll meet you there. And in the shadows, we’ll face the demons together. I’ll hold your hand until you’re ready to climb back out, no matter how long it takes.”
A tear slips from her eye, wetting my arm that’s tucked beneath her.
“I told you before that the darkest parts of you will never be enough to scare me away. I meant it and now it’s time you start believing it.”
It’s only when Elora is soundly asleep against my chest that I push her hair to the side and discover what I thought I saw earlier. I lightly trace my fingers along the ink on the back of her neck. The same black, circled pattern I received from Grawgeth all those years ago. My stomach sinks.
I should have seen this sooner.
A knock at the door draws my attention. I tip-toe across the room, pulling on my clothes as I do.
Lord Thaddeus waits on the other side. His clothes rumpled, as if he, too, dressed in the dark.
I step into the hall and shut the door behind me. “What is it?”
“It’s the Jade Guild,” he says. There’s panic in his tone, the words rushing out all at once.
“Is my sister not on her way?”
He paces the small space outside our door, his hands fraying the edge of his tunic. “We must abandon the Onyx Guild and return immediately.” My stomach clenches. “Evren sent word with a raven, it arrived only moments ago.” He glances toward the ground. His hands tremble as they rake through his gray hair. “Loxley has been destroyed.”
The caravan rattles as we make our way to the Jade Guild the following morning. Elora’s grip on me is airtight, not letting a moment pass without our hands clasped together. She’s nervous and it’s understandable. The last time we were in a caravan, I was covered in blood and her wrists were still raw.
“Be there soon,” I whisper against her ear. Her eyes are closed but the smile on her lips tells me she’s not sleeping. Thaddeus, however, has dozed off, his heavy snores keeping me and Calix awake. The Lord of the Onyx Guild insisted on traveling with us to aid in any way he can. Though I find his dedication odd, he’s practically a stranger, I appreciate any effort to try and bring comfort to my people.
My people.
Bile rises up my throat. So many faces and memories of home pushing their way to the surface.
I distract myself by peeking outside the window. The forest has barely woken up, daybreak promised by faint songbirds and a blooming sky.
Loxley has been destroyed.
Thaddeus’ words echo in my mind.
Loxley has been destroyed.
I have tried to imagine it. Tried to picture all he told me that happened to my home, but my mind refuses. Like it won’t be true until I see Sam and she can confirm it. I close the curtains and brace my elbows on my knees.
Loxley has been destroyed.
Our village has been warded for decades. Protected. Sacred to those in need. It isn’t lost on me that it’s been infiltrated now by the kingdom. Especially when someone who knows Loxley as well as I do stands at the king’s side.
I bite the inside of my cheek and close my eyes. There is so much anger brewing inside of me, I feel as though I’ll come undone. Burst right out of my clothes. My jaw clenches and that’s when I hear it.
A howl.
Elora bolts up, her eyes wide. “The wolves,” she says, grappling for the curtains. “They said someone’s out here.” She bites her bottom lip, pulling the curtain shut.
“And who might it be?” Thaddeus’ eyes are barely open as he asks, his gray hair sticking every which way.
“Hunters.” Elora’s knee bounces, so I place my hand on it.
“We’ll pull off and take care of this,” I say. She grabs my arm as I lean forward toward the driver. If it had been my way, we’d have taken horses, giving us more discretion. “I won’t leave you, love.” I kiss her forehead as the caravan comes to a stop.
“I’ll join you,” Calix says, eyeing Elora for a moment.
“The wolves can handle it,” she says. I glance at her over my shoulder. “Ruse says not to go.”
“Does she now?” I chuckle, kissing Elora again. “We’ll be right back.”
“I’m going too then,” she says.
“Elora—”
“I’m going if you’re going.” I open my mouth to argue, but I know it won’t matter so I shut it.
We take a timid step out, the breeze nipping at my ears, swollen droplets of rain landing on our cloaks. There's rustling behind me, leaves crunching. I turn just as a mass of black fills my peripherals.
Ruse.
Her lip curls over her teeth, and Calix flinches next to me. “Mother above,” he says, his voice dropping low.
“She’s harmless,” I say. Not quite the truth, not quite a lie.
Elora wraps her arms around Ruse, the massive wolf’s head dipping low to rest atop Elora’s. Alaric joins them next and Elora wraps her other arm around his neck. They sit like that for a moment, the moaning of tree branches the only sound between us.
“Where? “Elora asks, pulling back, wiping at her face.
Ruse trots ahead, Alaric at her rear and as we crest over a small hill, a dozen hunters sit around a fire.
“Good girl,” Elora whispers, running her fingers along her shiny, black coat.
The hunters sit with their backs facing us, their fire crackling, sending plumes of heat into the waking forest. Grizzly badges and vials litter the ground, as if they’ve been here awhile.
Camping out.
Waiting.
“What’s the plan?” Calix asks, his eyes glancing at Ruse and Alaric. His throat bobs as Ruse shows her teeth again.
My fingers twitch, the anticipation of a fight getting the better of me. “My plan is to treat them as well as they’ve treated my girl.”
I catch Elora’s smile out of the corner of my eye, before I pull my bow and nock an arrow. I’ve never been a fan of killing, but I’ve always done what I had to do to keep my people safe. And she is my person. I’ll be damned if I let anyone who thinks causing her or Enchantresses pain live a moment longer.
“Do it,” Elora says and that's all it takes. The first arrow lands, hitting a hunter in the side of the neck and then it’s nothing but chaos.
The rest of the hunters are on their feet, weapons drawn as the wolves sprint forward. Ruse meets the first hunter teeth first, then Alaric does the same. Calix falls backward, and I’m beginning to wonder why he came at all. Elora pushes past me as I let another arrow fly, hitting the farthest hunter square in the chest.
The men shout, only about a half dozen left when the forest shifts. My heart slams against my ribs as Elora lifts her hands, and pulls the weight of the falling rain down across the camp, engulfing the men that remain in a giant orb. She holds the water steady until the men floundering inside of it begin to still and only when there is no movement whatsoever, she lets the orb fall. It crashes to the ground in a thunderous wave, wetting everything in its path.
The limp bodies of the hunters flow through the forest, one landing close to my boot. I take a step back, but Elora remains rooted in place. Her boots and pants soaked as water rushes past, looking for an escape. The wolves flank her and she leans into Alaric, resting her head on his side.
“Is she all right?” Calix asks, his voice shaking.
“No,” I say, turning to him. Of course she’s not all right.
Elora glances at me over her shoulder, her eyes bright and glowing. The wolves follow after her as she makes her way around the bodies of the hunters.
You are so strong , I want to say. To remind her that even though life has given her nothing but pain, she still has found a way to rise.
“She most certainly is not all right,” I repeat to Calix, whose gaze is fixed on the sopping wet ground. “But she will be.”