Chapter 10
Zara
The wind whipped around me, carrying the sharp scent of wet grass and bark.
Loose strands of hair drifted across my face as I drew in a steadying breath.
Darkness stretched in every direction, broken only by the full moon rising along the horizon, its pale glow carving long, skeletal fingers of shadow across the forest floor.
The path beneath my boots was uneven, forcing my gaze downward to avoid the twisting roots that clawed through the dirt. The cliff plateau lay just ahead. I inhaled again, the pressure coiled in my chest easing slightly as the trees began to thin.
We were in Nexia, and Lana and I were tasked with rallying the witches here.
We had been meeting with them, plotting, rallying, recruiting. That wasn't the hard part. Apparently, they had been waiting for Morgana’s return for quite some time, having heard a prophecy centuries ago that it would happen.
Per Morgana’s instructions, we had been teaching them how to control the daka, something only Morgana knew how to do. This was proof enough for the skeptics within their ranks, and they now served their long-lost queen without question from a realm away.
But the book...the book was proving to be the real obstacle. Morgana needed it to overtake this kingdom. Without it, she couldn’t open the door between the two realms. So, until we found it, or got it another way, Lana and I were forced to continue coming here in secret to search for it.
Since we had to remain unseen, the witches were the ones raiding and attacking villages on their newly tamed daka. Their swift and brutal attacks provided us with sufficient distraction and cover to follow behind in the ensuing chaos and conduct our search.
There were far fewer witches than Morgana had expected; they were nearly extinct, much like the humans in Velra—forgotten.
A distant, echoing laugh seemed to resound within my thoughts, and I clenched my jaw at the sensation of something constricting within my chest. I've been noticing it more since I discovered Morgana has been messing with my memories, my mind.
I now knew from that red-haired girl what she had done, taken.
To Cynthia’s nauseating delight, I had been meeting with her whenever I could find the time.
I wanted to understand why Morgana took those memories from me, why she wanted them hidden.
Cynthia had been telling me about my past, at least what she knew of it, but I was still skeptical.
Those flashes of memories I experienced were evidence enough, yet I kept fighting with my own mind about them.
The more I delved into my memories, the more I noticed the gaps, the blocks of time that were missing, and it wasn’t just my childhood.
Mossy rocks appeared as the trees thinned around me.
A cool breeze picked up, and the opening in the trees ahead became visible.
I visited this outcropping almost every night since arriving.
It was one of the first places I discovered, as if I were drawn here by some unseen force.
I stumbled upon it by accident, and I was happy I had.
The cliff was so peaceful, so quiet… there was nothing like it in Velra. Everything there was dying. Even in the most desolate places, the stars in the night sky barely flickered. But here, in Nexia, the stars blazed brighter than I had ever seen.
The first time I found this cliff, I laid back on the flat boulder near its edge, and it felt as though the sky were consuming me.
The stars stretched around me until they were all I could see.
It was safe. So, I returned the next night, and the next.
I wanted to cherish the stars while they still shined.
Morgana would soon dim them, just as she had in Velra, and guilt and sadness coursed through me at that thought.
A twig snapped somewhere in the distance, and my muscles locked.
I strained my ears, listening for the source of the sound.
The faint crunch of footsteps on the forest floor reached me, and I cursed under my breath, ducking behind the nearest tree.
I twisted silently, peering around the rough bark of the large oak, scanning the darkened woods.
Shadows played across the forest floor, as if welcoming whoever approached.
The footsteps drew nearer, and the silhouette of a tall, muscular man began to emerge.
My magic was already swirling around me, ready for me to slip away, but a feeling deep inside urged me to stay, to observe.
My shadows dissipated, and I held my breath as the man moved through the trees, heading towards the very cliff I had been making for.
Had he arrived just ten minutes later, he would have seen me there.
The thought sent me crouching low, grateful for the fortunate timing.
Whoever the male was, he was dressed entirely in black, and it made it difficult to track him through the dense trees.
He merged too seamlessly with the shadows, as if they were as much a part of him as they were of me.
Moonlight filtered through the trees, offering fleeting glimpses of his form.
My gaze fell upon his chest, a sliver of which was visible above the collar of a silken shirt.
He was broad-shouldered, and a deep indentation suggested significant strength.
But what was he doing out here in the woods? At my cliff?
I winced at the possessive thought, but I couldn’t deny I wished to claim it for myself.
Twin blades glinted over his shoulders, and I raised an eyebrow at how heavily armed he was. His footsteps grew louder, and my breath hitched as he stepped into the full moonlight. His back was to me, but the sight of him made my pulse quicken.
My gaze lingered on his ass, and the sound of metal clashing together snapped me out of my daze. He had thrown his swords to the ground, and I nearly fell from being startled, catching myself by gripping a nearby branch.
The branch rustled, and I saw him stiffen, having heard me.
I froze, not daring to move or even breathe, as the man turned towards me.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw his face.
He was gut-wrenchingly handsome, like some sort of ancient god peering out at me through the trees.
Long lashes framed burning emerald eyes, and his hair was raven black, save for a single white streak falling over his brow.
A chiseled jaw tightened as his gaze swept toward me, and I pulled my shadows around me, camouflaging myself into the surrounding.
He radiated power. Every line of his stance, the practiced way he surveyed the tree line, marked him as a warrior.
My attention slid to his forearm as he dragged a hand through his hair—corded muscle flexing beneath his skin.
A vine-like tattoo coiled up his right arm, disappearing beneath his shirt; a hint of it visible along his chest.
Abandoning his search, he seemed to sigh heavily and turned, striding towards the cliff's edge. He left his weapons abandoned on the ground, unbothered at being disarmed. I wondered if this place made him feel safe, also.
Annoyance sparked as he claimed my boulder, settling back with his arms folded behind his head.
I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. I could fight him for it, use my magic, push him off the cliff.
I sighed. No, unfortunately, that would only create problems...
though the urge to just roll him off the edge was hard to resist.
Instead, I looked past him and up at the sky. The moon hung high, mingling with thousands of stars scattered across a tapestry of deep blues and purples, but my gaze drifted back to the dark, brooding male stretched across that rock.
An overwhelming urge to go near him washed over me again, and I couldn’t help but frown at the sensation. It felt like a pull, a sharp tug at my core. It was as if whatever it was wanted me to show myself, to go to him.
The male still hadn’t noticed I was here, and he looked so still, almost like a statue, and I wondered if he would even notice if I approached.
What would he do? Would he attack? Or would he allow me to lie next to him, to share in the glittering expanse above?
Would he question why I was there? Or would he understand?
My pulse was thrumming in my ears. Why was I still here? Watching. Why hadn't I shadowed away yet?
I could have sworn I saw the edge of his lips turn up, and something inside me fluttered.
I blinked, realizing I had moved from my position behind the tree and was now standing at the forest's edge.
What was I doing?
I took a step backward, or I had meant to. Instead, I found myself taking another step forward, toward the dark and brooding male on that boulder. One more step and he would have been alerted I was here. He would see me, and why did I want him to?
I was losing my mind. I was—
“Interesting,” a voice purred, piercing through my skull. Pain erupted, and I was summoned, sucked inward.
My gaze snapped forward as a twig broke under my foot. Shadows gathered around me, and I saw him jump to his feet. But I had already vanished.
*
A wet, rough scratch grazed my forehead, followed moments later by something tugging at my hair. My temples throbbed, and the wet scratching sensation returned. I cracked an eye open, the room's light blinding me, and groaned, squeezing my eyes shut against the pain.
Lick—Thump. My cheek felt cool, and I realized I was on the ground.
I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision.
When it finally did, I was met by a pair of small, round yellow eyes.
A cat was tangled in my hair, its back paws hitting the back of my skull while its front paws clutched the strands fanned out around my head.
It bit down on a few, pulling again with its tiny paws, then leaned forward and licked my forehead.
Glaring at the little creature, I tried to move, but my limbs felt heavy.
Someone above me laughed, and I jerked upright, the small cat hissing and rolling away, taking a few clumps of my hair with it.
“Ow!” I cursed, my hand going to soothe my now sore scalp.
Bubba, who had been sitting at the wooden table in the kitchen's corner, leaned down and righted the small beast. He set it upright on its paws and scratched its head.
The creature meowed, looking at me wearily.
It ultimately decided I wasn't a threat and rubbed against my legs, blinking innocently and letting out another soft meow.
I had come down to the kitchens to eat breakfast and must have passed out.
My gaze met Bubba's, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he continued to chuckle into his goblet.
His thick, grizzled white beard was cut short, and his bald head reflected the light streaming in from the windows.
I'd met him for breakfast, and I was grateful I had.
I'd rather pass out here than in the dining hall in front of them.
“I pass out, and you send your beast after me?” I snapped, tossing my hair over my shoulder. Leaning down, I scooped up the small cat into my arms.
“I have a bad back,” Bubba shrugged. “Besides, I've been neglecting Bertie. I didn't want to interrupt her fun,”
Glowering at him, I returned to my seat across from him, placing the damn cat on the table. Bertie trotted over to my half-eaten bowl of oats and started licking the remaining bits at a fevered pace, turning the mushy oats into a matted mess against her black fur.
Wincing at the echoing pain in my skull, I scowled. I could have sworn I felt annoyance through my bond with Xavier, and it made my scowl deepen further.
After seeing him the other day, I hadn't felt even a stir through our bond. It was as if he had sealed it shut somehow. Another wave of annoyance pulsed through, and I exhaled slowly. I should have known it wouldn’t have lasted.
A part of me, though, was relieved. If I were honest with myself, knowing he was there made me feel less alone. Less empty.
The memory flashed in my mind of him on that cliff, of another memory on that same cliff months later. What were the chances he would take me to that exact spot? It was as if he had known.
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought, and I glanced at the large oval clock on the far wall and stood abruptly.
Bubba raised a brow in question as he wiped Bertie’s face with a damp cloth. The small cat was fighting him, thrashing in his arms as it fought to get back to the bowl of mush. Its little shrieks were almost cute.
I gave them both a small smile. “I was supposed to help move another group into Territan this morning. I'm late.”
“Well, you'd better get moving then. Don’t want to piss off the queen more than you already do.” He swatted at my hands as I reached for our bowls. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll clean up.”
Watching him continue to fight with Bertie, I nodded in his direction before shadowing into the courtyard.
I swayed as I appeared and was shocked to find myself in a sea of black and gold.
I had appeared twenty feet from where I intended, and men and women turned to me with wide eyes as they noticed me among them.
I straightened, my gaze sharpening, but my head still spun.
My gaze rose to the far corner where Freya waited. She was alone. Where was Lana? Irritation stirred in my chest at us both being late, and I let out a long breath. It was going to be a long day.