CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

T he quality of the bow Gabriel brought me was nowhere near to that of the one Trybe made. I vowed that I would get that bow back someday, even if I had to hunt it down. If Volund took it, I would pry it from his cold, miserable hands myself.

Elias asked for a simple dagger – one not so different from my own, except his wasn’t made of silver. I knew now that once Elias got all his powers back, he wouldn’t need a weapon for hunting or protection. His wolf form – his magic – was his greatest weapon. But in the meantime, he could handle the small blade well if needed.

The sisters took us back to Willow, upon our request. I owed her my world, and I could not let us leave without saying goodbye.

When we found her at her home, Magda and Nadia gave us a few minutes of privacy. Once alone with her, it was Elias’s idea to ask if she had any sort of spell or potion that could prevent Sarai’s scrying abilities from finding us .

The prophet shook her head. “We witches can do many, many things, but we have our limits. Wards, for example, can only be constructed around places or things – not living beings.”

“Will the wards around Zolmara block her vision?” Elias asked.

Willow paused, thinking. “Any witches outside of the wards will not be able to see in,” she confirmed.

Elias’s shoulders relaxed. “Thank you,” he said.

“For everything,” I added, stepping over to embrace her tightly. “I will never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for us.”

The witch gently patted me on the back then pulled away. “Your existence is more than enough payment.” I had no idea what she meant by that, but something told me I would someday find out.

We finished our goodbyes, then met with Magda, Nadia, and Gabriel outside of Willow’s house where they waited patiently just as we had asked. Nadia’s eyes appeared to be red from crying.

“You really don’t have to go,” she sniffled. “Maybe you can live here with us!”

I chuckled, and bent down to hug her. “You will live in my heart forever, my dear friend. But I promise we will meet again soon.”

Nadia hugged me so tight I thought my ribs were going to re-break. Then she let go and did the same to Elias. There was no evidence anywhere on his face that he was upset to leave her, but I felt it. Through the bond, I felt the slightest hint of sorrow. She really did grow on him. But from Magda and Gabriel’s perspective, he probably appeared bored and impassive. He was certainly good at putting up a mask.

We said our final goodbyes and promised to be back for the wedding, if our situation allowed. I really hoped it would. I wanted to see them all again. These were some of the nicest, most giving and selfless people I’d known. My beautiful friends.

Elias believed it would only take three days to get to the outskirts of Zolmara, but it took five. As much as he said he was fine, he forgot that I could now literally feel his pain. Or at least some of it. And if I could only feel a small portion, then I knew how much worse off he actually was.

He wanted to get through the wards and into Zolmara as soon as possible, so Sarai and Volund couldn’t find us. But I didn’t want him to push his limits when what he needed was rest. I had to force him to stop whenever I could feel the pain in his body reverberate into mine. The site of his wolfsbane-blade wounds hurt the most, but the poison flowed through his entire body and brought waves of piercing cramps, aches, and sharp pains.

I tried distracting him with questions about his people, about Zolmara, and about other immortals. I learned that when two immortals reproduce, the child cannot have both abilities. If a lycan and a witch have a child, the child will either be all-lycan or all-witch. The magic of immortals could not mix. For that reason, they usually married their own kind. But not always.

I also learned that no humans lived in Zolmara. Long ago, humans were well aware of immortals, but did not mingle with them much, mostly out of fear. Immortals could come and go from the kingdom as they pleased, but if they fell in love with a human, the human was not welcomed to live in the City of Immortals.

I learned that they did have a queen or king just like the human kingdoms, but theirs weren’t based on a royal bloodline. Instead, they elected their ruler every half-century, and alternated having a witch, a lycan, or a mythic as their ruler.

Lastly, I learned what exactly mythics could do. They could manipulate the energy around them to create strong waves of condensed power – which often materialized as a fire-like light that would emanate from their eyes and hands. This explained all of the people from the book who I thought had glowing, flame-like eyes. They were mythics.

The energy flames they created could sear through the hardest stone like it was butter, Elias told me. And one of those creatures used that power to annihilate an entire race. I felt nauseous thinking about it.

But the flames weren’t just for destruction – mythics could manipulate the energy to lift objects without having to use their hands. “They were the most dangerous, but also some of the most helpful when it came to our kingdom,” Elias said. “They could use their magic to lift a tree right out of the ground by its roots, and toss it aside like it was nothing. They did most of the heavy lifting around the city.”

Why one man would destroy his own amazing species and then another was beyond me. Elias said it was because of his quest for power – his obsession to be the most powerful immortal alive. And he succeeded, only to be brought down by whatever witches remained. Because although he was nearly unstoppable, they were just as strong in numbers. Numbers they no longer had after that final battle.

“Why did their rebellion prevail where yours did not?” I asked, trying to understand his past.

Elias sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Because I was impatient, and I underestimated his power,” was all he said, and I didn’t press further as I felt his emotions bristle and guilt begin to consume him.

I kissed him, if only to distract him from his guilt. And it worked. He made love to me on the forest floor, euphoric heat running through me even as my back pressed against the cold ground.

We made love every night since leaving the village, and every night I felt his strength returning more and more. With each passing day and with each drink of the elixirs Willow provided him, Elias felt better. By the end of the fourth day, the pain I could feel from him had nearly disappeared on my end.

That night, he made me climax three, four, maybe five times. I had lost count. The bark that dug into my back as he fucked me against a tree only added to the raw pleasure. I thought the sex was hot before. But now… gods. Elias with most of his strength back was an absolute beast at lovemaking, in all the best ways possible. The way he knew exactly how to move to make the pleasure spike from between my thighs and pulsate through my entire body was magic all in its own.

When he finally came, and I finished seeing stars behind my eyes while moaning his name, he buried his face into my neck.

“Gods, Aura. You smell…immaculate.” A bead of sweat dripped down my neck and he licked at it, making me tremble.

I laughed. “You make that kind of love to me, and then want to compliment the way I smell? I haven’t bathed in days.” We both knew better than to spend too much time near a lot of water, for fear of Sarai.

He pulled back, his mouth curving into a smile. “I wish I could explain it to you. Your aroma is the most intoxicating fucking thing I’ve ever smelled.”

I blinked. “So your lycan smell is back?”

He paused, and I watched his nostrils flare slightly. “Yes, I believe it is.”

I smiled widely. “That’s great! Do you think you can shift?”

Elias gently lowered me to the ground, only then reminding me that I was still pinned to the tree and that my legs had been wrapped around his waist. “I’m not to that point yet, but I feel it will be soon,” he assured me.

It was hard for me to be patient when I had been dreaming about the wolf for many months before I even met Elias. That dream was the sole reason I was out here in the first place, so close to a kingdom that all others had forgotten.

Elias took first watch that night for the first time since recovering. After satisfying me the way that he did, it certainly was not hard for me to fall asleep. I took over halfway through the night then woke him at sunrise.

We were a few hours into the day when Elias stopped mid-step. My heart fluttered. “What is it?” I asked, worried we had been found.

“We’re here,” Elias answered, his voice hushed.

I looked around, but saw nothing different from the forest we had been hiking for weeks. “What do you mean? I don’t see anything.”

“I can feel the magic of the wards,” he explained. “I can’t see them, but I can feel them. They start right here, a few yards in front of us.”

I stood there and tried to concentrate. “I can’t feel anything,” I admitted after a moment.

“Because you are human.”

“Oh.” I took a deep breath. “So do we just…walk through it?”

Elias glanced around. “I’m not sure there’s any other way.” He took my hand, energy igniting. “Stay close to me, Aura. The spells are going to try everything to keep you out.”

“Right.” I nodded. And with that, I followed Elias through the invisible wards, hand in his.

Within the first hour of stepping through the wards, I was noticing strange little occurrences. I would see the same tree with odd markings more than once, or pass a boulder I swore I had stepped over already. After another hour, I felt like something was wrong with my mind.

We would be walking and I would suddenly forget where we were going. If it hadn’t been for Elias’s hand in mine, I would have forgotten who the hell I even was. But I didn’t forget him. I could never forget him.

Random spurts of intense anxiety began rolling through me. Like something was telling me to turn around and go home, or I would die.

“Focus, Aura,” Elias said to me, centering me back to the present. “The magic is messing with your mind. Fight it.”

I tried. But after more time went on and we kept walking, I felt myself going deeper into madness. We had been walking for hours. Or days? Had we just been walking in circles? Why could I not pinpoint where the sun was? What time was it? How long had we been there? Wh…where were we even going?

Anger and confusion had a complete chokehold on me.

“Aura,” Elias’s voice was muffled, like I was about to pass out. He kissed my forehead, the lingering energy from his lips on my skin forcing me to focus for a moment. “The magic is playing tricks on you. On us. It is changing our direction, moving the trees, confusing us. We need to stay focused.”

“I’m focused, Elias,” I barked at him. My tone was harsh and bitter, and I didn’t even know why.

But I wasn’t focused. My mind was swirling with fear and anxiety. I just wanted him to let go of me so I could turn around and run home. But he wouldn’t let go of my fucking hand. “Let go! I need to leave!” I found myself shouting at him.

“No.” He squeezed tighter as I tried to pull away. I imagined pulling out my silver knife and slicing his hand off—

Gods, what the hell was wrong with me?!

“I’m sorry, Aura,” Elias said soothingly, breaking through my madness. “I thought that because I’m an immortal, I could get through the wards easily. Looks like the witches are keeping everyone out, not just humans.”

How did he sound so fucking calm? I was ready to gut him for no reason. But when I looked up, his face was drained of its color, his eyes sunken. He was struggling too, I was just so focused on my own anxiety that I hadn’t noticed his.

“We…we need to get through.” Temporary sanity flowed in and I tried my best to hang onto it. These witches really put some crazy magic into these wards. No wonder it was called the Forest of Torment.

“We can do this.” Elias’s voice was hopeful. My amazing, strong mate. He would get us through this. “We must be focused and persistent. Don’t trust your senses until you’ve made it past the wards. What you see, hear, feel – it could be a trick. Trust your instinct and your instinct only.”

This only intensified my panic. What if the person in front of me wasn’t actually Elias? What if he left me here to die?

No. No. He wouldn’t.

But the madness drove in, forcing me to believe anything but the truth.

People have said they thought the Forest of Torment was filled with bandits, criminals, and vile people. But they were wrong. It was filled with nothing but pure madness. And silence . Gods, the silence was deafening. Not a single bird, animal, or bug made a sound. No rustling of the wind. No noise other than my erratic breathing and the crunching under my feet. Maybe it was the silence that was driving me mad, not the magic.

Then…something abruptly broke through that silence. The unmistakable sound of my mother’s voice, calling to me.

“ Aurelia ,” she beckoned in a sing-song voice.

My eyes immediately filled with tears. “Mama?” I said quietly.

Elias stared at me and tightened his grip even more. “Aura, no. Don’t listen to it.”

“Let go of me.” My voice was hostile as I spoke through gritted teeth.

“I will not,” he answered. “You have to fight this, Aura. It’s not her, it’s a trick.”

“ Aurelia, my baby. Come to me. ”

I tried to yank my hand away from Elias but he held tight. “Don’t you hear her?! I have to go to her!”

“No, I don’t hear her,” Elias answered. “Because she’s not here.”

“Let go!”

“Aura, listen to me. The magic wants to lead you away from Zolmara. It will pull you around and you’ll walk aimlessly in madness until you die of exhaustion or starvation.”

Everything he was saying made sense, but the spell overpowered all logical thought. When I heard my mother’s voice call to me again, that was that. I used one of the many maneuvers I had learned weeks ago when Elias trained me. I twisted my arm out of his grasp and brought my leg up to kick him in the chest. He stumbled backwards, taking a moment to find his footing. Then his eyes widened as he glanced toward my hand.

I looked down too, and saw that I held my mother’s knife, ready to slice. I froze.

“Aura, look at me.”

I didn’t. My eyes remained fixed on the knife I hadn’t remembered pulling out.

“We’re almost there, I can feel it. Don’t give up now.” He took a step closer, but I backed away.

“Stay back,” I warned. “I don’t want to… I wouldn’t… Please.” I couldn’t form words as the magical madness fought with my true mind. “I don’t want to hurt you,” I finally forced out.

“ Aurelia ,” my mother’s voice haunted me. “ Come to me .”

And so I did. I turned, knife still in hand, and sprinted away from Elias as fast as I could, determined to find my mother who wasn’t really there.

“Aura, wait!” Elias’s voice already sounded so far behind me. But I kept running, far and fast.

When I turned around, expecting to find him chasing after me, I was surprised to see that there was no sight of him. And the forest looked…different. Like I had been transported somewhere new. Somewhere darker, where the shadows grew larger and the sunlight poorer. It was the same forest, but different. Colder. And deathly quiet. I didn’t even hear my mother’s voice anymore, and the madness momentarily subsided when I realized I was completely and utterly alone.

Oh gods, what had I done? I was lost and alone in a magical fucking maze that moved. One that was peeling away my sanity. What the fuck was I going to do?

Focus . Elias’s earlier words centered me. Don’t trust your senses .

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, mentally blocking the madness from creeping back in. Trust your instincts . That was one of the last things Elias had said. I couldn’t trust my senses, but I could trust my instincts.

My instincts were telling me I was close to Zolmara. My mother’s voice wouldn’t have lured me away if I wasn’t.

Gods, her voice…it was so real. Exactly as I remembered it. My chest tightened with the pain of her loss. I would never hear that voice again. I fell to my knees and sobbed.

Fuck, I had to keep moving. Had to get out of here before the forest swallowed me whole.

I couldn’t turn back and look for Elias, my instincts told me that. I’d find Zolmara before I’d find him.

So that was it. Keep moving, and hope I made it on the other side of the wards in one piece. And that Elias would find me there. I only hoped he was faring better than I was. But which way did I need to go? I looked around, feeling hopelessly lost. I felt the madness try to creep its way back in, but this time I momentarily blocked it out, creating my own mental wards. I began to feel terrible for how I spoke to Elias. I couldn’t control myself. But I wouldn’t let it happen again.

I took a few deep breaths, grounding myself with the earth beneath me, when I felt a tug at my back. Not a physical tug, but an invisible energy that wanted to pull me in that direction. This energy felt different than the madness. It felt lighter, more…breathable. I took that as a sign, and just like Elias commanded, I followed my instinct.

Another weird instinct took over that I could not explain. Something in the back of my mind told me to close my eyes and walk. So, as crazy as it seemed, I did. I closed my eyes and took slow, even steps towards the direction of the invisible tug.

A few minutes passed, my eyes still shut, then a few more. Then, it suddenly felt like I was walking through a giant spider web. I almost stopped, but kept moving, the bits and pieces of the spider’s web leaving tingly feelings along my skin.

Then, out of nowhere…noise. The flapping of birds wings, a cricket chirping, a small creek flowing. My eyes shot open, and I was met with a sight I was starting to think I’d never see. In front of me was an ancient city in ruins.

Zolmara.