Chapter 27
The search party
“So, is there anything you’d like to share with me?” Shiloh looked at Adalia over the rim of her glass with a questioning grin.
The girls were in Adalia’s courtyard, sipping on strawberry margaritas and grazing from the charcuterie board Adalia had put together. Laden with an assortment of dried fruits, crackers, cured meats and fresh cheeses.
“What do you want to know?” Adalia smiled as she popped a grape into her mouth.
“I want to know everything about that great hunk of a man you’ve been hiding away from the world.”
“I’m not hiding him . . . well, not intentionally. We’ve just been getting to know one another and obviously he’s not always here, so when he is, we like to spend time together.” Adalia grinned.
Shiloh reached for a slice of manchengo and placed it on a cracker. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“Like what?”
“Glowing.”
Adalia shrugged and smiled at her white-haired friend. “No one has ever made me feel the way he does.”
“Are you happy?” Shiloh asked.
“Terribly . . . and it terrifies me,” Adalia whispered her reply.
“What scares you about it?”
“That it’s not real. That he’s not real. That one day I will wake to find it all a dream and my heart shattered on the floor in a million pieces.”
“Has he given you any doubt to believe he is not sincere?” Shiloh asked as she sipped her cocktail.
Adalia shook her head gently. “No, I guess not. It’s my own securities that are getting in the way.”
“You have every right to be cautious and to take things slowly, but don’t let it ruin what might be,” Shiloh said.
Adalia sipped her drink.
Shiloh smiled sweetly as she chewed on some dried orange. “Have you kissed him yet?”
Adalia felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she recalled all the times she’d kissed the prince. In the woods, in her home, in her bed, in the courtyard up against the wall, on the daybed just yesterday. “I may have.”
Shiloh threw her head back in laughter, her white curls bouncing in the breeze. “You forget that I have known you for over ten years and you’re not very good at hiding anything from me.”
“Okay, fine, we have kissed a few times.” Adalia grinned as she rolled her eyes.
“Yes, that’s what I thought. How could you not kiss that face? I’d be climbing him like a tree if I were you,” Shiloh teased.
“Shiloh!” Adalia squealed in response.
“What! You can’t tell me you don’t want to be all over him. If you don’t, there is something seriously wrong with you,” Shiloh crooned.
Adalia picked up a grape and threw it at her friend. “Well, let’s just say there’s nothing wrong with me then,” she said primly, straightening her napkin
Shiloh laughed. “You’re blushing so much right now.”
The girls laughed the rest of the afternoon away under the branches of the blossom trees, drinking their strawberry margaritas and teasing one another, but thoughts of Matthias and his return never wandered far from Adalia’s mind.
Two days.
Matthias had been gone for two days now without a word. Adalia was growing restless in his absence. How had his father taken to his son’s return a second time? Was Matthias okay? Thoughts ran at her like a bull trying to escape the confines of its pen, causing an unnecessary headache.
She rubbed her forehead as she sat at her desk. The office was her place of residence for the day. Sighing, she stacked more papers and filed more reports. There had been no sightings of Thorns for weeks, which was relieving and concerning all at once. Patrols had eased, but Adalia and the rest of the majors and generals remained on high alert.
A small knock sounded at the door, and Adalia motioned for River to enter. “Sorry to bother you, Adalia, but the king has requested your presence at the palace as soon as possible.”
“Oh, is everything okay?” Adalia questioned as she rose from the chair.
“I’m not sure, Major. I’m just the messenger,” River replied, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Thank you, River.” Adalia politely dismissed him.
Her mind scrambled for what the king would need to talk about; they’d already had their weekly meeting a few days ago. Adalia quickly packed her bag and neatened her desk before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
Once she was on the compound grounds, she shot into the sky with force. It would only take her a few minutes to reach the palace.
Adalia landed in the castle gardens moments later and headed through the huge white and gold front doors. The king would most likely be in his private counsel room, so she walked straight there.
He answered as soon as she knocked.
“You called for me, my king?”
“Hello Adalia.” The king beamed. “Thank you for coming here so quickly. I wish it was for a positive reason, but unfortunately, I have bad news.”
The king ushered for Adalia to sit beside him, his dark red robes brushing the floor as he moved the wooden chair closer to his. His kind, brown eyes rested on her face and no matter what the situation was, Adalia knew that if he wasn’t worried, then she wouldn’t be.
“What is it, Your Majesty?” She asked intently.
“There are reports that Oscuro is about to declare war on The Grey. I need you to take a small team into Oscuro and see if it’s true. The Shadowkin won’t stand a chance if the dark one unleashes his army upon them,” the king replied gravely.
Adalia’s heart rate rose, but she shoved down any fear that tried to rear its ugly head. Where was Matthias? She needed him more than ever right now. “If he is, we won’t have long to evacuate The Grey, and where would they go? How do we even get them all to move?”
“We don’t. We will have to draw the Thorns to the fields below the Asher Reign mountain range and the forest that runs along the Veil’s edge.” The king answered. “If the reports are true, we will have to assemble there.”
“Yes, my king. I will head back to the compound now and gather some Lightners to accompany me. I will report back to you as soon as I have any information.” Adalia stood and bowed.
“Thank you, Adalia. Now be careful. I refuse to lose anyone to the darkness.” The king reached for her hand and gently squeezed it. Adalia smiled and turned on her heel, knowing full well who she would select to take with her on this highly delicate mission.
A blanket of grey clouds covered the skies as the trio silently moved through the chilled atmosphere, ensuring they stayed as high as possible to avoid detection by the enemy. Hand signals were their only form of communication. Nikolas motioned them to the left—Shiloh and Adalia followed as they neared the castle grounds. Scanning the area, Adalia could indeed see that the king was gathering his army. Rows upon rows of Thorn soldiers filled the castle grounds and spilled out onto the land surrounding it.The amount of soldiers below overwhelmed Adalia.
Nikolas put a finger to his lips before pointing to the ground. Adalia followed the trail and saw the figure that sometimes haunted her dreams.
The king.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she pursed her lips. Now wasn’t the time for seeking any form of vengeance, but every fibre in her body wanted to drop from the skies and break his neck for two separate reasons. One for how he treated her when she was his captive, but mainly for the way he’d treated Matthias his entire life.
Shiloh glanced at her sympathetically and Adalia smiled, a silent assurance that she was okay.
She searched for the prince, but he was nowhere to be seen. Why hadn’t he come back to her? All she wanted to do was find him to make sure he was okay, but now wasn’t the time. She wouldn’t put her brother and Shiloh at risk like that.
Turning to Nikolas, Adalia motioned her head back towards the Veil. They had gathered all the information they needed. The reports were accurate, and the King of Light needed to be informed.
It was time for war.
Generals from far across Lucius had been called to assemble, and all were informed of the coming doom that would definitely affect District Seven and possibly spill into the other district regions.
As she stood and watched the King’s Army gather and filter through the Gates from Lucius into The Grey. She beamed with pride at the soldiers she considered her family.
“Units have been placed all around the districts and along the shorelines of this,” Nikolas stated as he appeared beside her. Adalia had been so lost in her mind, she hadn’t heard him approach.
“Thank you, Nik,” Adalia quietly answered.
“You okay, little sis?” Nikolas placed his hands on Adalias’ shoulder and turned her to face him. His green eyes searching hers.
“I think so . . .”
“What’s bothering you the most? The Grey? We’ve got time. We’ll have these people protected with soldiers stationed outside homes by the end of the day.” Her brother squeezed her shoulders.
“It’s not the Shadowkin, well it’s part of it, but deep down I feel this is all my fault.” Adalia whispered as she looked at her brother for comfort.
“Ada—”
“If the Thorns hadn’t captured me or if I hadn’t met the prince. The king would have never known about me. What if he’s starting this war because I showed his son that there was another way to live?” Adalia held back tears.
Nikolas pulled her into a warm embrace. “You can’t think that way. What the king does is not on you. Don’t take his actions as your responsibility. He’s a grown man, all of this is on him. Besides, what if meeting Matthias is exactly what both of you needed?”
“What if he’s not who he says he is, though? What if it was all a ploy to extract information from us?” Adalia whispered into Nikolas’s chest.
Nikolas held her at arm’s length, his auburn hair brushing his forehead as he looked at her. “Do you actually believe that?”
Adalia stared at her brother for a moment before shaking her head. “No . . . I don’t. I know he is good. He’s not like them . . . I can feel it.”
“Then hold on to that. That’s the truth you need to believe in,” Nikolas whispered.
“But why isn’t he here Nik? He said he’d come back. It’s been three days. What if something has happened to him?”
“I’m sure he’s okay, Ada. Have you seen the muscles on that guy?” Nikolas chuckled.
Offering her brother a small smile, Adalia scuffed the ground beneath her feet. “I don’t know Nik; I think I need to go to him. I’m tired of waiting around. Maybe he needs me. Maybe he needs someone to rescue him, for once.”
Nikolas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I’ll support you either way. You’d do no less for Shiloh. For me. Matthias may be a lousy fly fisher, but he’s one of us now. Plus, you . . . kind of like him.”
It was a glorious moment for Adalia to hear her brother say those words. Nikolas supported her with most things, but with Matthias, she was unsure. This was territory neither sibling had ever crossed before. Matthias had come along and added a whole new dimension to the sibling relationship.
“I do kinda like him” Adalia blushed at her own words. It was the first time she’d admitted it out loud.
“I think most people can see that, sis,” Nikolas flashed her a boyish grin.
“I didn’t think it was that obvious.”
“It definitely is.”
Adalia smiled at the thought of the prince, and then quickly frowned. “I need to go to his cabin, Nik. And I need to go now. I will talk to the king. Do you think you could spare me for a few hours while I go to Oscuro?”
“We will be perfectly fine here. Just . . . take someone with you.”
Adalia shook her head. “It will be quicker if I just go. Less chance of getting caught.”
Nikolas looked at her with concern.
“It will be fine, I promise.” Adalia assured him.
After speaking with the king, Adalia rushed home to change into her Lightner leathers and to gather a few extra daggers. She sheathed them one behind her, one on her left forearm, and one in either boot. Standing in front of her dresser mirror, she fixed her hair into one long braid that hung down her back, securing the end with a tie. Bones whimpered in the doorway of her bedroom.
“I know boy, we’re going to get him.” She ruffled the wolf’s soft white fur. “Let’s go.”
Exiting the home, she locked the door behind her and set off on foot with Bones close at her heels.
The king had welcomed her, and she told him all her troubles and with a very gentle and understanding response, he’d given her his blessing, his only comment . . .“Just remember that in that place of darkness, I cannot follow. For if light was to touch it, the darkness would simply cease to exist. Go with my blessing and be on your guard.”
As she marched along, the fire in her belly grew bigger. Today, darkness would not win. It would not win tomorrow. It would not win the next day, or the next. So long as Adalia existed, she would fight . . . And as if he knew what Adalia was thinking, Bones growled and nudged her hand in agreement.
They reached the Veil to Oscuro and with one last glance around at all the Shadowkin going about their lives, not knowing of the dangers looming at their doorsteps, Adalia turned south and headed into the unknown.