Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Iris

W alking through the grounds of the castle, I savour the feel of the sun against my skin and the fresh air in my lungs. Finally, my chest can fully expand, filling my body with hope. Beneath the castle, the air doesn’t move. It feels stale and warm and oppressive. I never thought I would miss feeling wind against my skin, but several days locked underground will do that for you. More than that, though, is the feeling of being free. Beneath the castle, it is easy to feel forgotten, my every move filled with hesitation as I know I am being watched constantly.

Everything that I am is locked away inside me, and I feel as though I’m losing my identity. I am no longer Iris, but a prisoner, unable to be myself or do what I want, when I want, which is why I am so grateful to the fae at my side for managing to get me out, even if it is only temporary.

“Remind me how you managed to convince the king of this?” Reluctant to take my gaze off the gorgeous flowers and plants in the courtyard, I watch my companion from the corner of my eye.

Snorting, Blaise crosses his arms over his chest as we stop for me to lean in and smell a particularly gorgeous bed of roses. “It was mostly Alaric. I just made sure the king overheard me telling Alaric that you were going crazy and could do with a real shower, as you were starting to stink up the cave.”

Jerking upright and full of outrage, I turn to berate him, only to see his smirk in full force, his eyes sparkling with amusement. I’m so happy to see him back to himself after his near-death experience that I can’t find it in me to snap at him.

I fight a smile, instead rolling my eyes and looking away before my own amusement gives me away. “Charming.”

His elbow bumps against mine in a friendly motion. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Honestly, I am just happy to be out of those rocky rooms. I have no idea how the fae of old used to live in there. Standing upright from the flower bed, I turn to face him, warmth spreading in my chest as I reach out and touch his arm.

“Thank you, Blaise.”

He doesn’t say anything in response, but I see the repressed emotion shining in his eyes. Blaise isn’t the type of male to wax lyrical with his emotions, so I’m not surprised that he just nods and gestures for me to walk over to the small garden area to the side of the courtyard. It is clear that he is indicating we should sit, and while there is a stone bench built in amongst the plants, I choose the alternative.

Lifting the bottom of my skirt, I ease down onto the grass, crossing my legs. Arranging my dress around me, I brush my hands over the gorgeous pink fabric. Although they are keeping me locked away here, I have to concede that the clothes they gave me are beautiful and of the highest quality. Pressing my hands to the grass, I enjoy the cool sensations of the individual blades tickling my fingers. The flower beds behind me are brimming with manicured roses, their scent making me smile. Tilting my head back, I bask in the sun, surrounded by plants. The only thing that would make this better would be if I had my mate with me.

Blaise must sense the change of my mood, because he sits heavily on the stone bench, resting his elbows on his knees as he leans towards me. “He wants to be here with you, you know?”

There is only one person he could be talking about, so I don’t even need to question what he’s saying—Alaric. An ache starts in my chest at the thought of him. No, that isn’t right. The ache has been present since the moment we were separated, only growing as our time apart gets longer. I have become accustomed to it and pushed it to the back of my mind. Thinking of him now just brings that feeling to the forefront of my mind, my longing becoming painful.

Sighing, I press my hand to my breastbone, rubbing the area in the hopes it will ease the ache. “I know, I can feel his need to see me through the bond.” Lifting my eyes, I meet his gaze. “It doesn’t make any of this easier though.”

Despondency settled over me when Blaise walked into the cave this morning and explained that Alaric was still working on his father to have me released. While I am overjoyed to be out in the sunlight, the separation is taking its toll on me. Our connection is so new and raw, we should be together solidifying the bond, not stretching it to its limits.

“Is there anything I can do?”

The concern in Blaise’s voice pulls me from my slump, and I lift my gaze. Tilting my head to one side, I smile. When Alaric had shown up in Brine with Blaise, I never would have imagined that I would be in the Seelie Court, having a friendly conversation with him. It would be easy to assume he is only being nice to me because he believes I saved him and he is putting in extra effort around me, but I can see the change in him and know he genuinely cares for my welfare. There are many different reasons why this could have happened, but none of them really matter. I am just happy to call him my friend.

My smile turns wry. “Could you convince the king to let me out and see Alaric? That would be really helpful.”

He laughs sardonically and rolls his eyes as though I proposed a simple task. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Companionable silence falls between us, and I take the time to run my fingers over the roses closest to me, enjoying the velvety feel of their petals. A ladybird lands on my hand, its shiny red shell glistening. I count the black spots like I did as a child, trying to distract myself from the knowledge that I’m going to have to return to my cave of solitude.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work, my thoughts quickly returning to my mate. “Is he okay?” I am for the question to sound light and easy despite my true feelings, but wince when my words sound sharp and abrupt.

From the corner of my eye, I see Blaise smirk as he stares ahead and monitors the guards in the courtyard. “I assume you’re talking about Alaric.”

I don’t bother to confirm, the discomfort in my body becoming more difficult to ignore. Thankfully he wasn’t expecting an answer from me and huffs out a tense breath as though hoping it will release some of his tension. “Physically, he’s fine,” he begins, his words not a comfort to me as I know there is more he’s yet to say. “He’s struggling with not being able to see you, especially with the bond being so new. However, with you being in the same building, it is stopping his more feral nature from making an appearance.”

There is an unspoken “for now” that follows his explanation. How long will it take for one of us to be driven mad by separation? As a fae, Alaric’s predatory instincts are much more violent and volatile, but as a human, my mind is not built for mate bonds, so I could be the first to break.

“The king hasn’t changed his mind then?” I look away, not wanting him to see my frustration, fear, and longing. Instead, I return my hands to the grass, running my fingers through it as though it was someone’s hair.

Blaise sighs, and I hear him shift on the bench. “No, but Alaric is trying to convince him that with your status as the doe and potentially being the promised female, that you are high enough in status to be his mate.” From the corner of my eye, I see him shaking his head in frustration, his fingers tapping against his legs to give him something to do. Clearly I am not the only one who finds this whole situation ridiculous.

“Do other mates have to prove their worth to be together, or is it just me?” I snarl, whipping my head around to look at him. It’s a tiny, strange sound coming from me and startles me so much that it only lasts a moment. Status. Does it really come down to that?

Raising his eyebrow, he lifts both hands in a sign of surrender. “Hey, I don’t agree with it either. It’s because of who you both are. The king is waiting for a sign that you are the promised one. Things will change once we know.”

It could be weeks until he gets his sign. What is he looking for? Is it something I can do now to get all of this over with? Magic does not flow within me, despite what Alaric and Blaise believe. Animals like me, especially butterflies. I don’t do anything to call them to me, there are no powers involved, they are just drawn to me. If the king wants to see butterflies surrounding me, then he can’t keep me locked up beneath the earth. I will slowly wither away without anyone to talk to and being kept away from the sun.

I haven’t seen Nyx since that one time days ago, and I am beginning to think that I dreamt the whole thing, seeing what I needed to see to keep me sane in that moment. The little voice inside that assures me it did happen is becoming quieter, although no less insistent. If it truly did happen, then where is he now? He said something was happening, and it wasn’t safe for him to take me. Does his lack of appearance mean it is still unsafe, or has something happened to him? The butterfly he left me is my only sign that I didn’t dream this up. It sits there in my room, occasionally fluttering around but mostly sitting on my shoulder.

A real butterfly would have perished by now without sunlight and flowers to feed from. My companion is still going strong though. Nyx said it was a messenger, so I have been talking to him, not sure if anything I say actually gets through. It helps me keep my thoughts active, although I am sure I seem like a lunatic to the guards.

I stand as I lament my situation and how much I miss both Nyx and Alaric, slowly walking over to the bench where Blaise sits.

“Iris…”

I look at Blaise expectantly, only to see his pointed look and gesture towards where I was sitting. There is a perfect circle of flowers around where I was, as well as the grass being lusher and greener than before. It shouldn’t be possible, but I can see the difference between where I was sitting and the rest of the small garden area. Daisies and other wildflowers that weren’t there previously have sprung up, and the roses in the beds close to my spot are all leaning towards where I was, as though I were the sun.

“Impossible,” I murmur as a cold chill races through me. I look between Blaise and the flowers. “Did you do this?” It sounds like an accusation. I don’t mean it to, but there is no way this was caused by me. No. Not possible.

Sympathy and understanding shines in his eyes as he shakes his head. “No, Iris, this is all you.” Standing, he walks towards me, his hands raised to indicate he’s trying not to startle me.

Fear and dread course through me. I’m not sure why I’m having such a violent reaction to the revelation, but it’s as though a switch has been flipped inside me and hidden emotions and flashes of memory flicker into my mind. No, they can’t be memories. I have no recollection of any of these.

A young version of me kneels beside a dead deer, tears rolling down my face. Pressing my hands against the warm body of the doe, I whisper something, and the deer miraculously begins to breathe. Jumping up, it shakes its head in confusion, and with one last look at me, it leaps off into the forest.

The image changes to my mother screaming. She must have followed me and seen what I did. Her words echo through my mind. I am never to tell anyone, and I will be taken away if I do. My whole family will be hurt if I use it again. I must forget that it ever happened.

Blaise calls my name, urgency in his voice, and I come to, only to find him standing in front of me, watching me with concern. A vicious headache tears through my mind, and I press my hand to my head in an effort to stave it off. What is happening to me? Those couldn’t be memories, could they? Limbs shaking, I take a step backward from my friend, terrified by what’s happening and unable to explain any of it.

“I can’t use magic, Blaise. I’m a human.”

A cloud of birds shoots up into the sky, their calls of alarm so loud it cuts me off. Everyone seems startled, myself included, and we stare up at the sky as the panicked creatures flee the city. They join the huge group of birds already in flight, escaping in the same direction. If one group of birds got scared off, that would be understandable, but this looks like every bird for miles. What scared them? I can’t see anything obvious, and I notice others are doing the same, frowns on everyone’s faces.

The hair on my arms suddenly stands on end as a ripple seems to move through the air and the sky starts to darken. It’s the middle of the day, and the sun is still high in the sky without a cloud in sight, there is no reason for darkness to reclaim the sky for many hours yet. There is a part of me that is suddenly restless and begging to be let out to protect me. Something is about to happen, something unnatural.

“Gods above,” Blaise curses, his expression hard despite the tremble in his voice.

That frightens me more than anything. Following his gaze, I spot what has him so concerned. Blinking, I shake my head, not understanding the significance nor why I am instinctively so fearful.

Slowly, the sun is blocked by the moon, and an eclipse throws us into darkness.