CHAPTER 24

The moment we passed over the border from Icethorn land to Cedarfall, I felt discomfort’s longing hum within my body. Although the feeling came over me suddenly, it didn’t linger long. I massaged at the dip at the centre of my chest and willed the tugging to calm. Leaving my court behind felt as disconcerting as a thorn lodged in my hand. And the further we rode from it, the easier the thorn dislodged until I no longer felt as though a hand was gripped around my heart, squeezing at it viciously.

Althea offered me a tight smile. It screamed with understanding, yet I couldn’t help but notice how straight she sat on her ivory mare or how her cheeks were flushed with colour again. Being back within her family’s lands reinvigorated her. Althea practically glowed, haloed by the orange and red tones of the setting sky we rode into.

Gyah sliced through the sky above us in her Eldrae form. She sped through the sea of gold, her nimble, black-scaled body dancing through wisps of cloud like a serpent. She disturbed flocks of sparrows, even snatching one in her maw for a quick snack. I was confident I recognised her laugh beneath the rumbling roar she emitted, and the giggles that came from Althea only confirmed it. Gyah attempted to fill the journey with some more entertainment than our fleeting attempts at conversation or, worse, my own thoughts.

Kayne, who rode at the back of our group, seemed wary of Gyah. Perhaps it wasn’t kind of me to smile every time he flinched or gasped as she glided down above us, but I couldn’t help myself.

Duncan wasn’t relaxed, either. Hours into our journey from Berrow to Aurelia, he was on high alert, constantly watching our surroundings for a threat. Even though that was the very reason Gyah flew above, guarding us from the sky.

The little conversation I had attempted with him had failed quickly. It was obvious that he was solely concerned with the horizon. He watched it, waiting expectantly for us to be greeted by more demonic creatures that crawled through the weakened gate in Irobel.

Since the attack on Imeria Castle, there had been no further sightings of hellish monsters. A fact that should have made me feel more at ease, but I’d learned that silence was not always a good thing.

“You see those stones there, your border markers. They’re the same material with which the Defiler’s gate was constructed.” Rafaela encouraged her amber-haired stallion to the side of mine. They were similar in size, but the mare I rode on began throwing her head from side to side. My palms burned as I pulled tighter on the reins to control her. “Explains how the powers of your courts are kept separate.”

Labradorite, Altar’s bones.

I craned my neck and looked at the oddly shaped stone marker dusted with snow just off in the distance. I saw them in a different light now. Deep in my mind, I recognised them for what they were now I had the knowledge.

“One day, when this is all over, I’d very much like to go over those texts in Irobel that you mentioned,” I said, pondering what other knowledge had been lost to us.

“Labradorite is an ancient mineral. And like all old things, it has many purposes.” Rafaela looked ahead, but not quick enough for me to miss something that passed behind her stare.

“Such as?” It was better discussing such things, it kept my mind off what awaited us in Aurelia.

“Well, the Nephilim also have uses for the stone. Although rare of an occasion, it is not unheard of for our elders to bind a Nephilim within them.”

My stomach jolted from the clear discomfort creeping at the corners of Rafaela’s eyes.

“What do you mean, bind?” I asked.

“Duwar is strong. Aldrick’s not the first being who has been invaded by the Defiler and… influenced. Those Nephilim who turned against their own were not killed and given eternal peace with the Creator. Instead, they were bound – imprisoned in labradorite and kept from existing in life or dying. Unless the stone is destroyed, of course.” She shot me a look, one that spoke of our secret plan. “Nothing comes back from that. Being bound is a punishment revered at the highest level.”

“That sounds awful,” I muttered. “How the simple beauty of a stone can be turned into something so… evil.”

“Even the prettiest of flowers can harbour the deadliest of poisons. Caution against even the most beautiful things in life might just be what saves you, trust me.”

I soured at Rafaela’s words, recognising the way she patted the pocket on her jacket, suggesting the piece of labradorite that no doubt lurked within. As she’d promised, she left Berrow briefly and returned with some, all before anyone but me noticed her disappearance.

“Without trust, I have nothing,” I replied. “I especially need it if we are going to see that Aldrick is stopped.”

“And we will,” Rafaela replied, facing forward to our convoy.

“It would be foolish to think that Aldrick’s not prepared for anything we throw his way,” Duncan said, all without glancing our way. “What happens if he manages to open this gate, can we trust there is a way of solving that problem?”

“My power is the key,” I replied before Rafaela could. “If Aldrick can open the gate, then we sure as hell can close it again. The old saying ‘lock it and throw away the key’ springs to mind.”

Rafaela winced but hid her discomfort with a huffed chortle. “Your ability to look on the brighter side is an honourable trait, Robin. Even with everything you have faced, and have yet to experience, I hope it never fades.”

“From the way you speak, it seems as though you believe I’m going to succeed.”

“We are going to.” Rafaela kicked her heels into her stallion’s side and spurred it forward. “Because there’s no other choice.”

We stopped only briefly during our journey; it was all Althea allowed.

Duncan guzzled from my waterskin, some spilling over his lips and chin. He looked at me, face flushed and eyes wide, lips glistening with water and every thought was driven from my mind as a fire kindled in my belly. We ate dried meats and filled our bellies, gave our legs a break from the aching ride in our saddles. If I had the chance to speak with him privately, it was taken from me when Althea demanded we continued forwards. Even after we resumed, all I could think about was getting him alone. Time had been unkind since the night I’d left him and found Kayne. There was so much left unsaid, especially with what was to come.

From the way he continued to glance at me, I wasn’t alone in my thoughts.

Kayne noticed too. I felt his stare bore into the back of my head. He hung back and seemed more at ease once Gyah had been sent ahead to scout the path to the city. The taut grin was set into his freckled face like a jewel. It didn’t waver and only seemed to brighten the closer we grew to Aurelia, the city of gold.

Evening had fallen across the world, bathing us in a blanket of darkness. We navigated Cedarfall’s landscape with only a conjured ball of light held aloft in Althea’s hand for guidance. Without its proud glow, we would never have seen the group of shadowed figures reveal themselves. There were so many of them, each peeling away from the tree line ahead, making themselves known.

“Halt,” Althea called to us, panic edging the single word. Rafaela and Duncan positioned themselves before me, a shield of wings and lightning encased in flesh.

Althea moved from our group to greet our visitors. It didn’t take long for them to be recognised as Cedarfall guards as her ball of fire cascaded light across them. I felt the tension lessen as Althea confirmed what I thought. Soldiers sent by her mother to escort us to the city, all garbed in autumnal shades and silver, with their faces obscured by the leaf-like design of their helmets.

There were countless armoured figures. The closer we drew to them, the more seemed to slink from the shadows of the forest’s edge, into the halo of Althea’s light.

“Mother hasn’t skimped on our protection for the final stretch of our journey,” Althea said, looking directly at me.

The swarm of faceless Cedarfall guards circled around our group as we entered the dark tunnels beneath the tree line. Althea still kept ahead, but the line of soldiers didn’t allow anyone to leave the perimeter they’d encased us within. It surprised me just how quiet they kept.

Although the soldiers refrained from much more than the sound of clinking armour and the heavy footfall of their mounts, I couldn’t ignore the many that looked toward me. Whenever I would catch their heads turned in my direction, they would promptly turn away again. Not being able to see their facial expressions, which were masked by intricately crafted metal, only added to my growing unease.

Queen Lyra Cedarfall took the protection of her court seriously, whereas I’d left my own people to fend for themselves. The contrast highlighted just how far behind I was as king.

I was quick to blame my discomfort on the likeness the soldiers had with Erix. They bore the same armour, adorned with the same colours he wore with pride. Deep down, there was a part of me that wished I had the chance of one more conversation before he left Berrow by my order.

Focusing on the back of one soldier, with his broad shoulders and familiar frame, I couldn’t help but think of my old guard. His voice haunted me, taking me back to when I first saw him riding into the Hunters’ camp, haloed by the golden light of day that danced from the designs of his armour. For a moment, encouraged by the silence, I allowed myself to remember him in that way. And, for the first time in a long while, I felt the tickle of a smile pinch at my own cheeks.

Duncan caught me smiling and returned one over his shoulder, directed at me. I didn’t shy away or attempt to hide mine. I wasn’t ashamed of my past and the feelings that came with it. Instead, I recognised it, welcomed it, and looked toward Duncan, my future, and felt grateful that I had one.

“How’re you holding up?” he called back at me.

I shrugged, fighting the urge to yawn or complain about the ache in my thighs. “Like I wish I had taken you up on your offer to ride alongside you.”

The thought of being held up by two strong arms, with the hard muscle of a stomach and chest at my back, warmed my soul.

Duncan’s eyes narrowed. Within the dark of the forest, they seemed black and never-ending. “Careful, we have an audience around us.”

I swore I heard Althea mutter beneath her breath, and something resembling a laugh escaped Rafaela. My cheeks warmed as I focused on my fists, which gripped the leather saddle. I couldn’t stop myself from beaming.

The more time passed, the more I longed for nothing more than to climb from my mare’s back and stretch my limbs again. Each thud across the uneven, leaf-strewn ground encouraged the song of discomfort to intensify across my back. I was certain every joint would crack with relief when we finally reached Aurelia.

We all bore signs of exhaustion, from our slumped postures to the echoes of yawns that plagued our group. All but Kayne. Every time I looked back, I expected to find that he’d vanished. Instead, he was still locked in the competition of silence with the surrounding soldiers. He sat straight-backed and wide-eyed as though he could not relax. His gaze drifted across the soldiers with a glint of expectation, likely counting his moments until they recognised his past and slaughtered him for it.

Not before long, a noise broke the silence. It was loud and shrill, close enough that its sudden presence shocked me out of my exhaustion.

Our group ahead slowed to a stop, searching around the dark for what had caused the sound. Althea lifted her orb of fire until the underbelly of trees glowed with ominous shades of amber and gold. Her light exposed the entanglement of branches, but also the cause of the shriek.

A bird sat perched on a branch above us. Iron-tipped claws pierced the wood’s skin, causing it to bleed with amber sap.

“Lucari?” I muttered, pulling numbly upon the reins, causing Rafaela to do the same before her stallion knocked into me. I narrowed my gaze and looked up at the hawk as it glared down from its perch like a queen would from a throne.

Kayne’s companion waited above us as though it was always meant to be there. It glowed in the reflection of Althea’s light, which turned its beady eyes to small coins of gold. Lucari squawked once in warning before launching from the thick branch and gliding down toward Kayne’s outstretched arm.

“Looks like she found her way home,” Duncan said, concern evident in his chosen tone.

“And that she is still alive at that,” Rafaela glowered.

An icy chill speared down my spine as I watched Kayne calmly welcome his bird. It wasn’t the reaction I expected. There was no relief or surprise on the Tracker’s face. Only a wide grin that seemed to grow until it twisted his face into a mask that sparked unease in my gut.

“There you are, my girl,” Kayne cooed, running his finger across her yellowed beak. “Why, haven’t you been a busy little thing?”

“Kayne,” Duncan grunted whilst trying to steer his stallion back around to face him. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Something was wrong. I recognised the dread as it encased me. Duncan trotted toward his friend, who still paid no mind to anyone but his hawk. “Don’t you see, Duncan. Lucari has found her way back to me.”

“Yes, I see that.”

I watched as Duncan lowered his hand to the sword at his hip, knuckles paling.

“Fantastic, your bird has finally returned. But the reunion can wait. We must keep moving,” Althea called out, but her voice was buried beneath the roaring in my ears.

Kayne’s lips were moving as he whispered something to Lucari. Then, when his attention lifted from his missing – and presumed dead – hawk, he looked directly at Duncan. His smile faltered; the creases around his eyes softened. “One chance, Duncan, you have one chance to do what is right.”

It became so quiet that a pin drop could’ve been heard within the dark forest.

Rafaela’s feet thudded onto the ground, so disturbingly loud, I felt it vibrate through me.

“What are you talking about, Kayne?” Duncan asked.

“You know, deep down,” Kayne answered, eyes brimming with tears. Except they weren’t tears of relief of being reunited with his hawk. Nor were they a sign of sadness, but something else entirely.

It was regret.

“I’m giving you one final chance to do what is right. Stand by me, Duncan.” Kayne reached out his spare hand, fingers outstretched as though he beckoned Duncan toward him. I wished to reach out and grasp the back of Duncan’s cloak to stop him from moving any closer, but he was just out of reach.

I felt the soldiers shift around us, likely sensing the same strange atmosphere that had befallen us, ready to do anything to protect the fey from the Tracker and his hawk.

Duncan didn’t answer Kayne. His silence clearly offended Kayne, whose face pinched suddenly into a furious scowl. When he spoke, he no longer did so calmly. He screamed, spit flying beyond his thin, freckle-lined lips. “Everything we have been through, all the years we have spent together, and you still pick him .”

Kayne snapped his reddening eyes toward me. I felt his hate like a wave, nearly powerful enough to rock me from my mare’s back.

“Kayne, you are speaking in riddles! What’s going on with you?” The air crackled with lightning as Duncan lost control of his own emotions. I felt his confusion and embarrassment as though the air was laced with it. “Now isn’t the time to finally admit your misplaced jealousy.”

Kayne ran a hand down his hawk’s neck, bristling feathers to her delight. She expelled a sound, a rumbling shriek that I’d heard before. I blinked and saw Berrow under nightfall, Kayne lurking down an alley.

“I heard her…” The words flowed out of me as realisation came to me. Kayne looked to me, although his expression was impassive to my accusation. “Lucari. I thought I heard her in Berrow.”

“Congratulations, Robin Icethorn.”

My eyes narrowed on him, I was no longer bothered to conceal my distrust. “Lucari was never missing, was she?”

The Tracker rolled back his shoulders as he expelled a quivering breath.

“Answer him ,” Duncan growled.

I waited for Kayne to reply and confirm what I’d already decided, but when he spoke again it wasn’t to prove me right or wrong.

Smiling from ear to ear, with ruby-stained eyes and skin paler than it had been moments before, Kayne shouted out words that flayed me open, from neck to naval. “Long may Duwar rule.”

There was a terrifying silence that lasted only a second whilst Kayne’s words fell upon the group like flakes of snow. Then chaos erupted as the soldiers swarmed.

Not toward Kayne.

No. The soldiers attacked us .