Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
The painted smile
nik
Hooves thundered against the hardened ground of the Wyldpine Forest, my breath misting like steam in the frigid air.
I ducked my head to avoid low hanging branches stretching out like skeletal arms from the aspen and moonshadow oaks.
Cold wind whipped at my face, scraping its frosty teeth against my skin as my steed galloped at full speed.
River was a length ahead of me, leaning low over his gelding’s neck, his shaggy brown hair flapping wildly behind him.
His eyes fixed on the two dark shapes darting through the trees.
Up ahead, two Thorns did their best to blend in with the shadows, but the odd black feather floated on the air, giving away their presence.
No matter how much they tried to hide, my eyes sought them out.
They were quick—but they were sloppy. Always were.
I could see the panic in the way they split, veering left towards a break in the treeline that skirted the shimmering Oscuro Veil.
My teeth ached from gritting them, leather reins slick in my hands. Every heartbeat crashed behind my eyes like a war drum. A low branch whipped my cheek raw, but its sting never came—all I saw was the blur of black wings and the snarl of sharp teeth glancing back over its shoulder.
I leaned forward, eyes locked on the closest one. Almost in reach. Another twenty strides and I’d be on top of him.
The Thorn twisted, stumbled. I shifted my weight, spurred the horse sideways—the stallion’s hooves struck a patch of ice and skidded. Pain tore up my arm as I hauled the reins hard, just to keep us upright.
“Hold ‘em, Nik!” River barked, veering wide to box them in.
I hissed a curse through my teeth. Focus, dammit.
Something blue flashed in the corner of my eye. I flicked my head towards it, my heart stuttering in my chest. A bird. It was just a bird. Not the cerulean hair of Sapphire. Even here, in the midst of a Thorn pursuit, she consumed my thoughts.
The way her laugh spilled between her lips as I left her at the Silver Finch echoed in my mind every time I closed my eyes. Four days was too long to wait to hear it again.
“Nik!” River’s voice sang through the trees.
By the light.
If I didn’t get a grip, we were going to lose them. Yet how could I focus when all I could think about was her. She’d given the young girls the bread—bread I had thought she was purchasing for herself. The Grey was not kind to her, but even in her darkness, she still found moments to be the light.
She wasn’t just a Night Jewel . . . underneath the grit and grime, she was made of something finer.
I forced my focus back to the Thorns ahead.
The male threw a glance over his shoulder, his dark eyes glittering with hatred, yellowed teeth gleaming with spite.
For a moment I wondered if he’d always looked this way.
Crooked and full of despair. Perhaps he’d started out as a good man, who just fell into the wrong circles and ended up in Oscuro. Maybe he’d been wicked all along.
River surged ahead, trying to catch the female, but she darted out of reach, twisting into a thicket.
The Veil shimmered to my left, a quiet reminder of what lay beyond its protective shield. Icy wind tore at my cloak, seeping its way through every layer of fabric and skin. I couldn’t wait to get back home.
Underbrush snapped and shifted under the hooves of my chestnut gelding, but the forest around me was closing in. I needed more control, I needed to run.
With effortless ease, I dropped the reins, drove my wings downward, and launched into the air in a single motion, spearing my way towards my mark. When the Thorns realised I was gaining, their eyes grew wide with fright.
Cerulean.
The bird I’d seen earlier darted across my vision.
Sapphire hair. The scent of smokey jasmine. Perfectly pink lips. Kindness.
There I went again. Not focusing.
I hit the ground running, revelling in the feeling of my feet against the ground, my heart pumping blood through my chest.
The male was so close. So close I could hear his ragged breath.
Reaching out a hand, I brushed the tips of his blackened wings just before he ducked sideways into the thin shimmer where the Veil wavered like smoke.
His wings sliced through the tear and he vanished into the rotting dark.
The second one followed close behind, crashing through bramble and frost, gone in a heartbeat.
I skidded to a halt, drawing in ragged breaths. The forest around us fell too quiet, too fast—just the hiss of my pulse in my ears and River’s horse snorting behind me.
River cursed, low and bitter, before kicking his gelding around to face me. His jaw was tight, a cut on his cheek weeping red from a branch he hadn’t even noticed.
“By the light, Nik.” He ran a hand through his hair, rough enough to make it stand up. “We had ‘em. They were right there.”
“I know.” I spat the words out, tasted blood from where I’d bitten the inside of my cheek.
His eyes narrowed, sharp and unflinching. “No—you don’t know. You’re not here. Lately, your head’s somewhere else every damn time. If you want that promotion, you can’t afford to lose your focus.”
I flexed my hands, spinning on my heel towards my waiting horse. “I said I know.”
~~~~~
River walked beside me, his emerald-green wings hanging low and his lips pressed in a thin line.
I couldn’t blame him. I was disappointed too. But on a positive note, the Oscuro filth were back where they belonged.
Lucius was bright and warm. The air smelt clean, fresh. I dragged in a lung full, letting it wash through my body like a rejuvenating stream. We may not have caught the scum and interrogated them today, but we’d found the tear, and we’d send the healers. I’d say our patrol was a success.
That’s what I’d tell anyone if they asked, anyway.
A clear sound rang through the air as we walked the streets of Lucius.
A bell. Someone in The Grey had chosen the Light Kingdom as their home for eternity.
I couldn’t stop the smile breaking across my face.
All around me, Lightners broke into cheers.
“May the light guide them and keep them,” I murmured, shoving my hands in my pockets.
River dipped his head in agreement, the earlier disappointment now absent from his face. We walked along the sun-bleached streets. “I’m sorry about before. I know I’ve been distracted.”
“Anything you’d like to talk about?”
I shrugged. “It’s just this mission the king has me involved in. It’s—taking up more headspace than I thought it would.”
“Have you talked to him about it?”
“The king?”
River nodded.
I shook my head. “Not yet. I can handle it, I just have to figure out some things.”
We neared the white domed temple that loomed at the end of the road. River paused outside, offering me a reassuring smile. “Well, I’m here if you need to talk.”
“Thanks.”
He rapped on the heavy door with the side of his fist. One of the healers answered—he wore a pale robe edged with gold embellishments, no shoes, voice soft as butterfly wings in early spring.
We stepped inside, our boots echoing off polished stone.
The hush was so thick it felt like a weight across my shoulders.
“There’s a tear,” River said, voice pitched low to match the calm. “Western edge, near the Wyldpine Forest. Two Thorns went through tonight.”
The healer dipped his head, ink-black hair sliding across his cheek. “We’ll send a warding crew before dawn.”
I flexed my hands at my sides, the ghost of the chase still burning under my skin. “Make sure they patch it tight. These Thorns are testing us more each month.”
The healer’s eyes flicked to me, calm as water. “It will be done, Captain.”
I offered him a smile, before twisting on my heel and heading back into the streets. If I managed to get myself together, it would be Major soon. No more Captain Nikolas.
River stepped in beside me. “Are you coming out with us tonight?”
“I can’t.”
“It’s been forever since you had some fun.”
I paused, turning to face him. “I know, but I have to study and then go to The Grey.”
Hazel eyes feigned understanding. I’d disappointed him again.
I offered him my hand in a firm shake. “I promise to come out soon.”
He smiled. “You’re paying.”
“Deal.”
We parted ways, and I headed home. When I reached my place, I shoved the door open with a shoulder. The smell hit me first: green and sharp, geraniums and bruised herbs, warmth coaxing their oils into the air. My balcony garden, barely more than a row of battered clay pots, gave this place life.
Before I could make it up the stairs, a letter appeared out of thin air in front of me. It hovered there, caught by invisible strings, until I plucked it from the atmosphere. It was soft between my grip. With a smile, I opened it.
Will you please come and visit? It’s been too long. Mother and Father wonder if you’re still alive, and Matthias is driving me crazy. He needs a hobby or something . . . Also, how is training going? The ranking ceremony is only a few weeks away. Do you think you’re ready?
Fresh chocolate chip cookies wait here for you.
~A
I couldn’t halt the chuckle that escaped my lips. Adalia had warned me that Matthias was practicing his winnowing gift through the use of a mail system. He was calling them ashink letters. Fitting name for something that came from Oscuro.
With a sigh, I took the stairs two at a time.
Between, River, Adalia, Sapphire and my job, there wasn’t enough of me to go round.
Of course I wanted to visit my sister, and to go fishing and drinking with River, and Blue, but the king had given me this task.
Then there was that constant ache of wanting to see Sapphire, of wanting to pluck her from her window sill and make her smile.
How was I supposed to choose?
There was no use making decisions on an empty stomach though.