CHAPTER 16

I gazed down upon Gabrial, refusing to look away, my body equally as rigid and cold as her corpse.

Her remains had been laid out across the table for all to see, blood soaking into the wood and staining the air with the harsh tang of copper.

The blood was everywhere. Once-golden hair was now stained russet, her roots were so dark with gore that it looked as though her scalp had turned to obsidian. I was thankful for the two identical pins that’d sewn her eyelids closed. When she’d first been presented to us, they’d been wide and all seeing. It had taken a lot of encouraging for Rafaela to release her. She’d clung on to the body of the smaller warrior, the pain etched into her face with lines so deep they could’ve been scars.

Rafaela was drenched in Gabrial’s blood, too. Her once-white tunic was splattered with the gore, spreading across her torso until it looked as though it was Rafaela who bled. But there was no denying that Gabrial was gone.

Before Elinor saw to Gabrial’s eyes being closed, I knew I’d never forget how little white was left in the young girl’s eyes. They were stained black as though her pupils had ruptured and the colour bled out of their confines.

It had been hours since Duncan pried the dead body from Rafaela’s grasp. Since then, Gabrial had been cleaned and cared for. Her skin had been washed, and her body prepared for her death rites. Although, little could be done for the ribbons of skin that’d been clawed from Gabrial’s body. The bleeding had stopped, but the damage was unrepairable. It was impossible to know what had been skin or torn strips of clothing. Face, chest, arms, neck, legs, hands. There wasn’t an inch of Gabrial’s body that’d not been tortured.

Her only discerning feature was the symbols across her now-greying skin – marks that would never reveal another human’s story again.

Rafaela’s fellow Nephilim had done well to fold the wings beneath Gabrial’s small, broken body. But there was no hiding the patches of missing feathers or the irritated gashes that sliced across the bone-like frame of the wings. Whoever – whatever – had done this to Gabrial, had made sure they left their mark.

And as if the horror she’d been through was not enough, it was believed her tongue had been gouged from her mouth first. The fey healer found only the stump of flesh in her mouth. Not that it made anything better, but it was believed Gabrial had died from suffocating in her own blood. I only hoped her death was swift and provided her peace from the mutilation she’d fallen victim to.

Rafaela had hardly made a sound since she brought the body to us. I had to convince myself that she’d not turned to stone from grief. Every time the Nephilim took a breath in, as though she’d forgotten how to do so for too long a period of time, I felt the chill of relief. The only noise she made was a guttural growl when anyone got too close to Gabrial. There was no denying the fear in the fey healer’s eyes as she tugged the white sheet up to cover the horror completely, finally removing it from view.

Gabrial’s body had been discovered when Rafaela went to tell her of the summons Kayne had sent, the note tied around Lucari’s leg. When Kayne was told of the circumstance, he paled so white I saw webs of blue veins beneath his complexion. Especially since Lucari hadn’t returned since.

He knew this looked bad for him, but there was something telling me that he wasn’t to blame. For Duncan, I’d keep Kayne safe from speculation until we all figured out what had actually happened.

“We are truly sorry for your loss,” Queen Lyra Cedarfall said, her strong voice settling across the deathly silent room. Her words were meant for Rafaela, who showed no sign that she’d even heard the fey queen. “It saddens me we have met one another under such circumstances–”

“Gabrial is not lost ,” Rafaela spoke for the first time in what felt like hours. And she sounded as broken as she looked. “Gabrial is dead, returned to the arms of her maker before time. I do not want apologies. I want answers .” Slowly she lifted furious eyes, settling them on everyone in the small crowd. “Now, I ask you… why is my sister dead?”

Why? Such a clear question, to the point and precise. Yet why was it the hardest to answer? That word alone opened a multitude of further questions. None of them we could answer, no matter how we wished to do so.

“I don’t have the answers for you, Rafaela. But I swear it, with everything we have at our disposal, we’ll help find what did this,” I replied, tearing my mind from the haunting memory of Gabrial’s flayed, greying skin. “I understand our promise may mean little to you, but I swear it.”

Duncan placed a steady hand on my shoulder. I was thankful for how anchoring his touch was.

“This is Aldrick’s doing, I don’t think we need to waste time thinking otherwise,” he said, placing his spare arm around Kayne’s shoulder, protectively drawing him in close. A twinge of jealousy was born from his actions, and I couldn’t lie to myself, seeing it displeased me. But I swallowed my pathetic misplaced emotion. Now wasn’t the time for it.

“For our sakes, I hope you are wrong, Duncan,” Elinor added. “If Aldrick’s influence can reach this far, we have no chance against him.”

“I dare the Defiler to stand before me. In the Creator’s name, I will avenge her.” Rafaela trembled on the spot, standing so suddenly that her chair clattered against the floor. “By nightfall, I demand the culprit to be presented before me for judgement. Turn your camp upside down, I do not care. But you find me who did this to Gabrial, I demand it.”

“You think it was one of us?” I asked, sensing the accusation in her words.

Rafaela cast an accusatory stare across the room. Her full lips were drawn into a tight line, draining the colour from them. “I don’t know what to think besides how specific the murder was. It was to weaken us, to keep us on the back foot. Gabrial is dead because of what she can provide – could provide us.”

Rafaela was right. Gabrial had been killed because of the insight she could’ve provided regarding Aldrick. Without her, our ties to getting information had been completely severed. It was an unsettling thought, but not as damning as the idea someone in this camp was not working with us, but against us.

“Why did you request our audience?” Rafaela asked, snapping her eyes from Lyra, to Elinor, and then to me. “Was it to break bread and discuss unimportant matters, or was it because you recognised what Gabrial could do for our cause?”

I couldn’t find the words to reply, knowing what Rafaela was suggesting. It was Lyra who answered, and even her voice shook with knowing.

“Robin informed us Gabrial had access to insight on Aldrick, an ability to read his past and present.” Lyra kept her posture rigid, refusing to back down against Rafaela’s clear insinuations. “Yes, we required her for her gifts, but do you really believe we are the ones who… murdered her? As you said, she was an important asset.”

“She was more than an asset.” Rafaela’s cheeks blossomed with heat, staining her skin a rich crimson. Then she turned her attention on Kayne, just as I expected she would. “You sent the summons, where is your bird now?”

“I… don’t know.” Kayne stifled a sob, catching it in his fist as he, too, worked out why Rafaela believed Gabrial was murdered. “Lucari did not return.”

“Then I trust I do not need to explain any further as to where my suspicions have found themselves.” Rafaela’s jaw trembled as she gritted her teeth. Muscles hardened in her jaw, matching the fury in her bright, accusatory stare. My eyes flew to her hands as they were gathered like boulders at her sides, for a moment I feared for Kayne’s safety.

I stepped forwards, drawing out of Duncan’s touch and positioning my body before them both. “We can throw accusations around, or we can spend our time getting the answers you need, Rafaela. There is no good to come from pointing the blame. What is important is we ensure this does not happen again. Clearly, we are not safe here, not anymore. Perhaps we never were. Not with this unknown killer among us. It is important everyone is questioned regarding their whereabouts.”

“Unknown,” Rafaela barked, eyes widening at the word. “Find me that bird and let us see if it really is unknown.”

“Lucari wouldn’t have done this,” Kayne snapped. “If you think she is to blame, or even if I am, then why would I be stood here? If I was guilty, I’d be long gone.”

“Kayne has spent most of the evening with us,” Althea said, actually standing up for the Hunter. “In fact, there is someone who has suspiciously faded off into the shadows.”

Rafaela’s attention snapped to the fey princess, tongue lapping at her lip as if she hungered for the information. “Who?”

“The Asps. They haven’t been seen since we docked,” Althea said, looking directly at me. “This stinks of the bite of an Asp. Their loyalty lies with those who fill their pockets with coin. It wouldn’t take much of a price for Aldrick to pay one. Perhaps Seraphine would be the first person we should investigate, since she’s seemed to disappear at the right hour?”

“No.” I shook my head, the word practically exploding out of me. “Aldrick is behind the murder of Seraphine’s twin sister. Historically the Asps have not been the most trustworthy of people, but there is no amount of coin that Seraphine would accept to ever work for Aldrick.”

“You sound sure,” Rafaela said, disbelief evident in her tone.

“Seraphine is not behind this. I – I can vouch for their whereabouts, and it is not anywhere near here.”

This was the moment to tell them that, as a condition of giving Seraphine and her vipers Imeria Castle as their new nest, it was actually a place of retirement. They got my stronghold, as long as they never accepted a job again.

“It’s too messy of a kill for an Asp,” Gyah said, golden eyes coiling with contained power. I sensed a beast lurking within, one wishing to be freed. To hunt whoever did this and bring Gabrial to justice. “If they’re smart enough to conduct this atrocity, they will have the sense to never return to the scene of the crime.”

“We will see,” Rafaela snarled, her red-stained eyes filled with tears of fury and pain, landing back on Kayne. “The moment your little bird returns, I wish to see it.”

“What if Lucari is dead too?” Kayne swallowed hard, unable to conceal the fear on his expression. “Has anyone contemplated that the same thing that killed Gabrial, has hurt my… my Lucari?”

Duncan drew the broken man to his side. “Lucari is a smart creature.”

Elinor cleared her throat. “And Lucari is not the only creature with claws.”

“What are you suggesting?” Rafaela paused, her eyes narrowing on the Oakstorm queen.

“Wychwood is home to many monsters. Some I’m more familiar with than others.”

I knew exactly what Elinor was suggesting. “Gryvern. Do you think they…”

“I do not know what to think,” Elinor said. “Doran’s creatures have disbanded since his death, but they are still monsters. We should not ignore the chance that there is a flock nearby.”

“If there is,” Gyah growled deep in her throat. “I will find them.”

All this talk of deceit, murder and monsters had me worrying for an entirely different reason. Had Aldrick found a way of getting control of Doran’s creations? It would made sense – or was it easier to point the blame in any other direction than Kayne’s hawk?

“Rafaela, I invite you to stay with us in my court,” I said, demanding her attention. “I think we all agree this is Aldrick’s doing. Until we can root out the infection among us, it isn’t safe for you. Our focus must remain on him until we determine what our next steps are to be.”

“What is there to determine, Robin Icethorn?” Rafaela shouted, her voice booming across the tent, the heavy canopy material flapping as though she’d brought on a gust of storm winds. “Aldrick must die.”

“And he shall,” Lyra announced. “But decisions of war cannot be rushed, nor is it decided between such limited company. We must return to our courts and prepare our people. We must brace our borders, sharpen our weapons. There are more ways to win a battle than with brute strength and power. We must be cautious–”

“No,” Rafaela interrupted. “Gabrial has not died for you all to separate like lambs in a field, practically inviting the wolf to take you out one by one. What is important now is keeping you safe, preventing the keys from falling into Aldrick’s hands.” She took a hulking intake of breath, her wings twitching with unspent energy. “He must be stopped before he has any more of a chance to release Duwar. Gabrial’s death will not be in vain.”

“I’m sorry, Rafaela,” Elinor interjected. “But this is far greater than Lyra, Robin and me. We have people to protect. Innocents, like Gabrial, to keep from the same fate. We cannot abandon our courts and hide from Aldrick, as much as that seems like the only option.”

I watched Rafaela closely as she pondered Elinor’s words. She didn’t blink, didn’t release the tears she clearly fought hard to kept at bay. I sensed it, because it was a feeling I’d experienced before – Rafaela teetered on the edge of a knife. If she fell, it was into the abyss of sadness or fury. We were a matter of seconds from determining which side claimed her, it all hinged on how this conversation ended.

“As I’ve already petitioned, I’m with Rafaela on this. We should not separate.” Every eye in the tent snapped to me. I straightened my back as much as I could, lifting my chin, imagining the crown atop my head. “But… I understand why we must.”

Rafaela exhaled the breath she’d been holding. “Then it seems you’ve made your minds up. If you no longer require the council you have requested of me, I will leave.”

“Rafaela, if there is anything you need from me,” I said, reaching out with the overwhelming urge to supply her with the comfort of touch.

Rafaela offered me a sympathetic smile that revealed she was thankful I’d at least tried to help. When she turned her attention to the queens, that expression faded back into a mask of displeasure. “Queen Cedarfall and Queen Oakstorm, you will be provided with Nephilim to protect you on your return to your courts. Do as you wish and prepare your people. Time is sensitive. There is no knowing when Aldrick will act again. If you know what is good for you, you’ll not refuse this offer.”

“I get the sense it’s not an offer, but a command. One, as you said, we would be foolish to decline,” Elinor bowed her head, although her eyes never strayed from the Nephilim. “I accept.”

“As do I,” Lyra added.

“We wish to depart within the hour.” Elinor straightened. “Thank you, Rafaela. After everything you have lost, we appreciate your help.”

“Your escorts will be ready. But do not thank me yet,” Rafaela replied through a grimace. “Even we do not have the power to save ourselves from Aldrick, let alone you.”

With those last words, Rafaela knocked past me as she turned on her heel and swept toward the tent’s exit. Before anyone could speak, she threw out her wings like a shield on her back.

“What would you like us to do with Gabrial?” I called out before Rafaela could fly away. “I’m not aware of the Nephilim’s customs, but if you wish us to prepare a burial or ceremony, we shall do it. Whatever you ask.”

I wondered if she heard the guilt in my offer. Gabrial was dead because of us, after all. Her blood was as much on our hands as it was on Aldrick’s. If we’d not required Gabrial’s gifts, perhaps she’d still be breathing, smiling that kind smile. But alas, those chances for life had been taken from her.

“There will be no need for a burial,” Rafaela replied, voice cold as the winter winds invading the camp. “In the eyes of the Creator, it matters not in what state the body is left behind, but the memories and marks the person left upon the world. Gabrial will be with him now. Allow her body to perish, knowing her soul thrives in paradise.”

There was no denying the slight choke as Rafaela spoke. Then she was gone, tearing out of the tent and leaving a gaping hole from her presence. As the canopy flapped open, it invited the chill of the dawn to invade within. I could’ve stopped the icy winds if I wanted to, but I didn’t. Its presence was comforting to me. The sting of ice on my cheeks did more to wake me than anything else could’ve at that moment.

Silence thrummed across the tent behind me, surrounding the body of the dead.

I turned on the small company, taking time to look at every single one of them. “Ensure that whatever has been discussed here does not spread across the camp. Now is not the time to create hysteria. If we allow for chaos, we will lose control.”

No one disagreed.

“There is still the issue of whoever killed Gabrial.” Gyah glowered, the only one brave enough to look at the covered body on the table. “If the killer is still here, I would like to dine off their flesh. I will scout the area until we have left, if you permit it, Robin.”

I could taste the indignation in Gyah’s comment. As though the scaled creature hidden beneath her skin spoke for her. But more so, there was no denying how important her request for permission was. It was a sign, to everyone in this room, that it was me who Gyah looked to for command. Not her queen, who stood on watching. But me.

“As much as I share in your sentiment, I cannot risk you leaving alone,” I replied. “We stay in pairs at all times. No one is safe. Aldrick has invaded, and I hardly imagine he will retract his claws, knowing Gabrial is dead. His presence is still among us. I know it. And now there is the issue of us needing information about him, or we will forever be chasing his tail, guessing his next moves too late.”

Althea noticed something in me, just as I knew she would. “And, from that look in your eye, you have a plan, don’t you?”

It was the easiest answer to give. I just hoped I had enough to tempt an Asp out of their retirement. “Oh, I do.”