Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The distraction
nik
Golden light licked the crests of distant waves, setting the Drayton Sea aglow in the far-off haze. From my vantage in the sky, it looked like an endless stretch of molten gold. The sun broke over the horizon, round and radiant—like a ripe orange waiting to be plucked from the edge of the world.
Scarlet wings stretched wide on either side of me, riding the upper draft with ease. The cool air ruffled my feathers, sending a gentle shudder down to my core. It’d been so long since they’d been caressed by anything more than the wind.
I needed to actually socialise with other Lightners if I wanted to find company in a woman.
But between patrols, studying, and my royal mission, I really didn’t have the time for that.
I shook my head softly with a gentle sigh.
Ever since Sapphire, all other women seemed to fade into the shadows anyway.
Since I didn’t have patrol duty today, I should’ve been spending my time wisely by studying for the promotion I had coming up.
However, after a sleepless night tossing and turning, I’d risen early, deciding to make my way to the most southern part of Lucius to visit Adalia and Matthias.
They didn’t know I was coming, but Adalia wouldn’t mind the surprise.
A foreign pain gripped my chest, causing me to drop in altitude as I clutched it with a hand.
“If this is about some reward, if you’re expecting some glory for dragging a whore out of hell—”
Sapphire’s words rung in a loop in my head. Every damn time I closed my eyes, she was there, tears pouring down her face, blotched cheeks and a quivering bottom lip. It took all of my willpower not to reach for her, not to pull her into my arms and tell her to scream into the void if need be.
Yet as soon as I stepped towards her, spite had flashed across her features. I knew if I touched her, she’d hate me even more for it, so I held back, and endured every torturous second.
How was I meant to be persistent when she loathed me so?
Soon I reached Adalia’s home. With too many mixed emotions, I dropped from the sky, landing quietly on the paved pathway. Nestled on the outskirts of a small forest lay the log cabin Matthias had built after he chose to cast aside his Oscuro crown and marry my sister.
The scent of pine wafted in the air, accompanied by something floral—geraniums. One of Ada’s favourite flowers.
Bright red blooms poked their heads through the wooden fence that ran around the perimeter of the property.
It was still early but I could smell pancakes through the open window. Someone was up.
My knuckles gently wrapt on the wooden door. Moments later, I heard the sound of feet scuffing across the stone floor, then the door opened and I was met with a pearly white grin, golden eyes and hair the colour of chestnuts.
“Nik! Get in here!” Adalia threw her arms wide, pulling me into her embrace.
An invisible weight fell from my shoulders as she crushed me to her chest. We’d always been close, and admittedly, I’d missed her these past few months.
“You’re too slim,” Adalia scolded, darting off to the kitchen to collect a plate of steaming pancakes. She shoved them into my hands before I’d even sat down.
The scent of honey and browned butter hit me like a punch. My stomach betrayed me with a loud growl. “I’ve been here for mere seconds, and already you’re insulting me with lies.”
Adalia rolled her eyes when I flexed my arm to prove my statement.
I slid into a chair at the kitchen table, a smile dancing on my lips. Bones—the oversized white wolf that followed Matthias around like a shadow—lay sprawled by the hearth, his pale eyes cracking open at my arrival. He gave a low huff and closed them again, too comfortable to be bothered.
Matthias stumbled in moments later, shirt half-buttoned and dark brown hair sticking out like he’d fought a pillow and lost. Tattoos plastered his chest, all the way up to his throat and a lazy grin tugged at his mouth. “You feeding strays again, Ada?”
Adalia shot him a look over her shoulder. “He needs it. Look at those cheekbones—you could slice bread on them.”
“Isn’t that what the ladies want?” I chuckled before devouring a mouthful of the golden pancake.
Matthias offered Adalia a brief kiss, before he came over and clapped me on the back and sat down at the table. “Good to see you, brother.”
“You too,” I said, meaning it.
When I first met the prince of darkness, I was more than skeptical.
And the moment I found out he was interested in Adalia, I was furious.
But over the past year, he’d proven himself on more than one occasion—proving me wrong with every kind act, and the way he treated my sister with such love and respect.
He was proof that when shadows sought light, truth was revealed.
Over pancakes and strong tea, we talked. Married life was treating them well—Adalia rolled her eyes when she mentioned Matthias still forgets to keep his daggers off the kitchen table. He laughed and said she talked in her sleep.
The way they looked at each other, though, was a telltale sign of just how in love they were. It was almost sickening, yet I longed for someone to look at me the same way.
Matthias asked how fishing had been lately. I said the river trout were biting, but only for those with patience, which I had very little of.
“And work? How is it in District Five?” Adalia asked, as she sipped her tea.
My smile felt a little too forced. “Yeah. Patrol work’s been heavy. Too many Thorns slipping through the Veil. But I’ve been squeezing in training.”
By midday, the sun had warmed the courtyard bricks. We brought our mugs outside, sat around the outside table beneath the bloom-heavy arbour, and talked more about everything and nothing.
For a while, the world felt slower. Lighter.
But in the back of my mind, a certain blue-haired girl lingered like a shadow that wouldn’t lift.
Adalia angled her head to the side, her moss green eyes boring into me. “What’s bothering you?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Who said something was bothering me?”
“You’re looking at me like someone’s stolen Father’s prized fishing rod.”
My eyes formed a squint as I screwed my nose at her. “I’m not that readable.”
“To me you are. What is it?”
With a sigh, I sunk lower in my chair. “The king . . . he gave me a personal mission.”
Ada’s brow knitted together. “And?”
“It’s proving to be quite difficult. I’m lost and I don’t know what to do.”
“Want to talk about it?” Her voice was gentle, inviting.
I proceeded to tell her everything I knew about Sapphire. From initially thinking she was a thief, to finding out what she truly was, and the bruises I’ve seen on her skin nearly every time I visited The Grey. Every truth that tumbled from my lips drove the heaviness in my chest deeper.
Adalia shifted in her chair. “So you revealed yourself to her?”
I nodded once. “Yes, but the king allowed it and I’ve tried my best to keep it brief.”
There was no stopping the vivid memory of her in the graveyard. “She’s in pain, Ada. And I don’t mean scraped-knee pain. I mean the kind that clings to the marrow of your bones. The kind that etches so deep into your heart, it brands your soul.”
Matthias sighed opposite me. “I may be familiar with it.”
Adalia reached beside her, squeezing his hand on the tabletop before she turned her attention to me. “And I take it she doesn’t want you around?”
“You’d be correct. She’s sharp-tongued and angry. Always ready for a fight. But by the light, there’s something in her—something so broken, yet so beautiful—I don’t know. I can't understand what the king wants me to do for her.”
Adalia’s gaze was soft. “He’s never been wrong, Nik. Not about the big things. If he asked you to watch her, it’s because he sees something in her . . . or in you. You trust him on the battlefield. Trust him with this. Even when it doesn’t make sense yet.”
I nodded, knowing full well the truth of her words. However, they didn’t erase the confusion that still clung to me like the last frost of winter.
“As someone who has experienced both realms, give her time. I needed that back then. I needed to wade through all my messy, contradicting, painful thoughts before I could finally see clearly,” Matthias said.
With a sigh, my shoulders fell. He was right. I just had to be patient. No matter how hard it was. “There’s something else. It has to do with Oscuro.”
Matthias’s gaze locked onto mine. I could feel the hate radiating off his body. “What is it?”
“Rumour has it there’s a new ruler.”
Matthia’s father—King Sinfonia—had ruled over Oscuro for thousands of years. Not once had there been any other before him. This was a sensitive topic. One that would carry the weight of the prince’s dark past.
“What do you know?” His voice was quiet, calm.
I shook my head softly. “Not a lot. Just whispers on the lips of Thorns, and murmurs through the ranks.”
Matthias ran a tattooed hand through his hair. “Even if it was true, where would my father have gone, and who would take his place?”
Adalia reached for his hand again, this time she didn’t let go. “It’s been such a long time since you saw him. Who knows what’s happened on the other side of the Veil in your absence.”
I sip my tea. “Anyone who sought his throne died on that battlefield over a year ago. But that wouldn’t stop new Thorns trying to overthrow him.”
“I fear you’re correct. Let’s hope we never have to deal with them,” Adalia murmured.
A smirk pulled at the corners of Matthia’s mouth. “I mean, I’d be okay with wielding a few daggers. It gets pretty quiet in these parts.”
Adalia and I both grinned. “You should join the Lightner ranks,” I offered.
Matthias chuckled but shook his head. “My fighting days are over. I’m all about music lessons and figuring out my ashink letters.”
“Those letters are impressive. I don’t know how you do it exactly, but it’s like you've put a piece of yourself into them.”
Matthias just grinned.