Chapter 24 #2
The uneven stone beneath my feet shifted as a warm breeze played with my hair, and I stepped under the grand archway into Blackrock.
The village's dark stone walls remained intact, and from the outside, it appeared as it always had—warm, safe.
But stepping inside, my breath hitched. Ruin surrounded me.
Much of it had been cleared and cleaned, yet the emptiness was stark.
Where shops and pathways once existed, only scorched earth and debris remained.
The pressure in my chest intensified as I scanned the now nearly vacant streets.
These were the streets my parents had walked, holding my hand. The streets where I had run with Xavier. It was here I had my first drink, bedded my first female. This was the place of countless fights with my uncle, with Xavier, with the others. The place where we all laughed and cried.
Bile rose in my throat, and a twisting, heated anger boiled in my veins.
Standing on its uneven cobbled path, I took in a shaky breath.
The moonlight reflected off the stones, creating an illusion of light that shimmered like water.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to take a deep breath.
Memories played in my mind, sharp and weighted.
The grief of what happened here, to my uncle, pressed down on me like a crashing wave and I wanted to drown in it. And I would, but not here, not now.
Suppressing the rising emotions I opened my eyes, and took another uneven step into the village. The streets were empty, except the occasional villager, sobbing or running by. No one seemed to notice me, or wanted to, and I was fine with that. I didn’t have much left in me to give tonight anyway.
The arched rounded doorway of The Horned Tavern loomed ahead. Its sign swung in the breeze, creaking and swaying. I approached the door but paused as a low deep growl sounded from somewhere above me. I knew that growl.
Taking a few steps back, I glanced skyward and smirked. Agatha was perched on top of the tavern, and her wings opened and closed in irritation at my arrival. Agatha’s large golden eyes narrowed and another growl came from deep in her throat.
“I come in peace,” I said, exposing my palms to her in a mock surrender. Agatha only snapped her beak a few times, a garbled noise coming from her as she lowered her head as if she were trying to speak.
That was new.
I put my hands in my pockets and grinned up at her. “I’m going to go in there and I’m going to have a drink.” Agatha growled again and I chuckled. “But I’ll also order a large steak—rare, and have someone bring it to you.”
I raised a brow in question and Agatha’s head rose a fraction, her wings tucking tight against her body.
Two other heads emerged and Dimitri and Tria started chirping excitedly as they peered down at me.
Agatha ruffled her feathers, pushing her siblings back with her wings, as she continued to glare down at me.
After a moment however, she lowered her head, resting it on her paws as she let out a neutral chirp as Dimitri and Tria’s excited cries still echoed around her.
I let out a low laugh. “Three steaks coming up.” I winked in her direction and Agatha huffed, burying her head within her wing but I could have sworn I saw her smile.
The tavern was packed, but not with the usual laughter and loud conversation.
Instead, a somber quiet hung in the air, and more than one person flinched when the door opened, fear etched on their faces.
I stepped further into the room and made my way toward the bar.
Murmurs rippled around me as people talked amongst themselves, others calling out in greeting as I passed.
I gestured and a tall, curvy woman wandered over to take my order, laughing when I mentioned the steaks. This was apparently their third order of the night, and I couldn't help but smile back. Of course it was.
As I approached the bar, I leaned against it and caught the owner's eye.
Cameron was a short, plump man with pale skin, and he grinned the moment he saw me.
His face was mostly hidden by a thick, brown beard that spilled down to his chest, but his rosy cheeks still managed to peek through.
He slid a frothing mug of ale across the counter toward a hunched, gray-haired woman, the liquid sloshing over the rim and onto the wood.
Cameron didn't seem to notice and turned, slinging a rag over his shoulder as he made his way down the bar toward me.
He was barely half my height, yet somehow carried himself like a man twice his size. His chest was naturally puffed, his white tunic stretching, over his broad shoulders.
“Well, if it isn’t the traitor himself!” Cameron bellowed, his booming voice cutting through the tavern chatter.
Heads swiveled in my direction and Cameron winced.
“Sorry. It’s usually a lot louder in here.
I’m used to shouting over the noise.” His deep, belly-shaking laugh followed, drawing a grin out of me before I could stop it.
The patrons lost interest and turned back to their drinks as I reached across the counter and clasped his outstretched hand.
“How are you, Cam? It’s been a while.”
Cameron reached underneath the bar and pulled out a large mug, turning and filling it with ale. His head turned back toward me as the amber liquid flowed out of the large barrel on the counter.
“As good as anyone here can be.” His smile was pinched as he turned back around and placed the full mug onto the bar, sliding it toward me.
I raised it in a cheer and took a long sip, letting the cool liquid coat the back of my throat.
My stomach warmed instantly, and I smirked. “I see Aria has arrived.”
Cameron laughed. “Her beasts are tricking anyone gullible enough to send them up steaks.” He threw his rag onto the bar and started wiping at it as he chuckled again. “If those beasts eat anymore, they are going to fall through the damn roof.”
Laughing, I looked around the tavern but didn’t see her familiar red. Frowning, I asked, “Is she already in bed?”
Cam’s face fell, and his eyes darted upward as if he could see through it, and he let out a long, sorrowful sigh, leaning across the bar.
“Dedra arrived this morning.” He dropped his voice into a whisper and my chest tightened.
Dedra usually went straight to the castle.
Aria, I understood why she might want to avoid staying there, but Dedra?
“Elida and I feel useless. She just sat here all day, barely eating or saying a word. We finally got her to drink something, but then—” Cam looked down at the bar, hurt etched into every line of his face.
“What, Cam?”
“Well, then she started drinking. And has kept drinking since. She has caused quite a disturbance today, and nothing we do seems to help. She eventually just took a bottle from behind the bar, and we haven’t seen her since.
” Cameron sighed, rubbing his face with his palm.
“Aria arrived a couple hours ago and went straight up to check on her, but she hasn’t been back down. ”
I stood abruptly, turning toward the stairway.
Cameron caught my arm before I could take a step.
“Wait.” It was the crack in his voice, the sadness that made me stop.
Turning back to face him, his gaze ensnared mine again, and the swirling grief made my skin itch.
“Bring them some food before you go.” I nodded.
“And Jaxon, be prepared. She isn’t well. ”
After gathering a large loaf of bread, and a rather large portion of cheese and cured meat from Elida in the kitchens, I made my way up the narrow stairway to the inn above.
The narrow landing curved sharply, and a long hallway appeared.
Doors lined the left side of the wall, while another stairway lined the right.
I knew she would be in the one at the end.
It had been her room when she worked here.
It was silent as I approached the door. I knocked twice, and heard a whispered curse and soft footsteps, before the door swung open.
Aria appeared, and she almost looked relieved to see me.
My gaze ran over her pinched features, and I couldn’t help but tighten my grip on the tray.
Her face was puffy, her eyes rimmed red.
Her usually kept hair was frayed and knotted as if windblown, still in her red jumpsuit and travel cloak. The one she liked to wear while flying.
I waited for her to snap, to tell me to go away, but to my surprise, she merely stepped aside, letting me into the darkened room.
The tension in my shoulders loosened, but I frowned. “Is she asleep?”
“Kind of, she has been in and out,” Aria said, sighing. I stepped into the room and the door clicked behind me as fire erupted at my back.
I raised a brow at her in question, and Aria huffed in annoyance. “The lights don’t work.” She grumbled, and I nodded thoughtfully.
“Here,” I said, holding out the tray of food, and Aria waved her palm with the flames at me with a reproachful look. I rolled my eyes at her. “I can create a light. Gunnar taught me.” I said, waiting for her to take the tray. Her flame extinguished, and she took the tray reluctantly.
Concentrating, I focused on my power, on the raw energy that flowed through my veins. Not one specific element, not my shadows, but the magic itself, the ebb and flow that lived beneath our skin. Light sparked at my fingertips, and an orb of light began to form in my palm.
Aria watched in fascination, her head tilting as she stared at the glowing light.
Her gaze rose to meet mine, something like awe shining in her black depths.
Smirking, I pushed more into the light until the entire room was lit.
Using my air magic, I lifted the orb, securing it to the ceiling above our heads.