16. AURELIA

Chapter sixteen

AURELIA

I couldn't risk changing before I left, in fear that my father would go back on our deal. Thanking the gatekeeper of Ezu 1 , I grabbed the leather satchel of clothes I packed prior, and hastened toward the Forbidden Forest, curious of how it'll react to its newest lively addition.

Running through the mysterious black trunks of trees that I had watched my entire life, I didn't look back. Immediate darkness and an icy breeze shuddered through my body as I passed the border marked by black-trunked trees. Shadows lived on the inside, making it almost impossible to see through the thick core of the thickets, leaving what they laid behind them a mystery.

Bringing the images of the map back to my mind, and looking to the moon and Celestials for directions, I knew I needed to head west to reach the island. The moon shone like a beacon of hope, reminding me I could make it out alive.

Based on the locations of the Celestials, I found myself running, desperate to reach the outside of the grimy forest. Something didn't sit right with me. Immediate gloom had overcome my body, filling my every sense.

I wanted to get out, but I knew it was at least a two-day journey until I reached the other border of the forest, allowing myself to escape.

There was no going back now and no chance anyone would come after me here.

A small surge of excitement electrified me. I had dreamt of coming in here for ages. Ever since I was little, I wanted to come into the forest. I wasn't sure why, but I was drawn to its uniqueness. Maybe since I was outcast and cursed from my kingdom, I was also drawn to the outcast and cursed creatures hidden within the Forbidden Forest.

After running for a while, I slowed to a walk with a firm hand grasping my leather bag. Being far enough away from the castle, I decided it was a good time to change out of the dress. Its silver and gold fabric snagged on the twigs as I made my way through the forest, almost thinking the trees were grabbing me and pulling me closer to their trunks. The wind through the bark snickered from my pain of the marks that I bore on my legs and arms from the claws of the branches.

The haunted trees around me settled in an empty space, giving me the opening to quickly change from the shredded ball gown.

Setting my bag on the ground, I was barely able to see inside it from the dim light of the crescent moon. I grabbed a pair of tight-fitting black pants, a silver and gold bodice with pastel pink laces, black socks, and silver boots. I slipped out of my dress, having to rip the strings from the corset to escape.

My fingers ached from the strength and tightness of the cords, attempting to free myself from its bond. Ripping at the pins and beads, I let my hair flow freely.

After minutes of rummaging through string after string laced through silver hoops on the back of my dress, it fell to the floor, and I sighed in relief.

Delving into the depths of my leather bag, my fingers brushed against the cool metal of the golden vial Cora had entrusted to me before her departure. Drawing it out, I felt its pressure in my palm, a tangible reminder of her presence. With careful precision, I slipped the chain over my head, the delicate links glinting in the faint light. Concealing the vial beneath the fabric of my shirt, I carried it close to my chest.

I slung my leather bag over my shoulder, its weight pressing into my muscles as I left in the direction I believed to be right. Thoughts of Tobias crept into my mind like shadows inching across a room. His random acts of concern replayed in my head, each instance feeling more disjointed than the last. A sense of unease settled in my stomach, twisting like a knot I couldn't unravel. Then, I realized that when I was with him in the gardens he told me that he had to tell me something.

He never told me.

And the girl, the girl that found her way inside of the castle after being touched by the Deathlies. How did she make it in? Who let her in? The thought sickened me that it could've only been someone within the castle walls, and someone who knew it well enough to be able to sneak her in.

My mind raced as I thought of the egg and my one responsibility. If I found this egg, I could change the course of history forever, and I could make Scalebornes be seen as good again. There was a possibility of being able to change how Scalebornes were seen.

Stepping over a large tree that had fallen, I thought about the possibility of Scalekind and humanity living in harmony. No more war, hatred, and killing. By finding this egg, I could become queen, and maybe I would be seen differently. Maybe Scalekind would finally be accepted and respected for what we were.

I only had ten days to find the relic. Would I make it in time? What if something happened? What if I get caught in some floor trap? What if I have to swim all the way to the island? I didn't know how to swim. I had never seen a body of water more extensive than a bathtub or the fountain in the back of the garden near my tower.

Breaking my thoughts, there was a small cracking noise, like someone had just stepped on a twig. Pausing, I waited to see what would happen. Fear entangled inside my body. Was it a creature? Was it Tobias or one of his men already trying to stop me?

I turned around in circles to find who or what it was. A few more twigs snapped, creating a series of crunching noises. It was dark, and the shadows were too obscure.

The urge to cast flames to provide light coursed through me, but I couldn't expose myself like that. That would be too dangerous, and I couldn't allow myself the idea of it.

Breathing hummed on my neck. Shivers rolled down my spine, bleeding into my system. My body was frozen in place.

I. Couldn't. Move.

The howling wind breathed past the trees, masking the movements of the creature, hiding them in the lost sounds of the forest. Allowing them an upper-hand to me as their bait.

Something sharp rose to my neck, poking into the lump that formed in my throat. The tip of it was cold, like ice and stone. It was a knife. I refrained from breathing, determined not to succumb to the urge to hyperventilate—the need to ask who it was strung throughout my mind.

Whoever it was started leading me backward, still holding the knife to my throat. We moved backward until I was pulled hard by the shoulder, slamming into a tree. The person then moved in front of me, the blade gliding across my throat, still barely touching my skin just enough to avoid doing any damage.

My eyes were still adjusting to the shadow and the form before me. It looked to be about a man. A man with dark hair and–oh, my scales–dark eyes that would devour me whole. He had to be the gatekeeper to Haxnau 2 himself.

Demon. Dangerous. Death was all that was running through my mind.

My mind was telling me to run away. Fear curled through me like a slumbering beast, and I relished in the freedom of it. The way it called to me, the same as my deadly flames. Flames that I silently summoned to my fingertips. I was no longer the quiet, useless girl in the tower. I had to become something greater if I wanted any chance to become queen.

He had facial hair that covered above his lips and around his sharp jaw, the stubble slightly unkempt. His hair was somewhat longer and went past his ears, the dark strands covering his eyes as they gleamed from the moon's light. The man smelt of salt and wind. He must be from one of the fishing towns. His clothing showed it as well. His boots were deep, with large soles and on the thinner side. There was no way to access the ocean on Clandike land. He must be from the Sardan Kingdom. What was he doing here?

His breathing was deep and controlled, his emotions in check. Panic held a death grip in my chest, but I willed it away.

Something on his chest caught a gleam of light from the moon. Squinting my eyes, I noticed a large silver locket necklace on his chest, branded with a large "S". My stomach tensed with the urge to yank it and collide his head with the tree behind my back.

"You're a Scaleborne," he said, noticing the gold in my eyes. I was right. His accent proved that he was from the Sardan Kingdom. His voice was smooth yet deep, able to call on the open sea.

I forced a shaky breath into my burning lungs. The fire rumbled on my fingertips. I had to wait until he was right on the verge of slicing me. It had to be an element of surprise.

My thoughts that had been racing before were immediately silenced when his dark eyes peered into mine. The shapes and angles of his face. His stance. The silence that he approached me with. The stained blade that I peeked at, still covered in slightly rusted blood from one of his previous victims.

"You're an assassin," I breathed, panic rising in my throat.

"Something like that," he suggested, his face closer to mine. I gulped down air at his approach. His keen eyes noticed the movement, no emotion sitting behind them like a blank, dark void. "What are you doing here?" he spoke through gritted teeth. "You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous for little things like you." I cringed at the way he called me a little thing–especially when I could summon fire and set him straight to flames–send him to the gates of Haxnau . I'm sure they would willingly accept him. "There's too many of us hunting things like you."

Us.

Things.

"Do it," I challenged, nodding to the knife that was still creased into my neck. "You won't." His eyes arched upward, almost wanting to accept the challenge. But that was not what he was here for, and we both knew it. Whatever drove him to kill wasn't insatiable bloodlust; if it was, I would be dead already. The way that he saw me was something else. His expression was unreadable as he kept the dagger at my throat, pulling away slightly. It wasn't my death he wanted, but the blood in my veins.

"You're scared," he observed, readjusting the knife to sit more comfortably on his wrist, pulling away the small inch of a gap I needed.

"I only fear what will happen to you," I said, a smirk forming on my mouth. Before he was able to respond or move, I flicked my wrists at my sides and conjured up condensed balls of flames, setting his clothing on fire. He released the knife held to my neck, the blade thudding on the ground in response. Cursing, he stepped away from me, patting down the flames that clung to his leather black clothes.

I had an opening to run, but something kept me planted. The forest rippled with danger of its own, far crueler than an assassin with a blade. I needed a guide, and he was in need of something as well.

At first glance, even though he had a knife up to my throat, I knew he would be useful. He was from the Sardan Kingdom, so he would be more familiar with the lands. The map that I memorized had most of the journey through the terrain of the Sardan Kingdom, which was unknown terrain to me.

He obviously was from some sort of fishing town, so he would be able to help me get through without being seen.

I needed him.

After patting down the flames, extinguishing them to nothing, he looked up at me, confusion and fury settled on his face. He was wondering why I hadn't left. I had the prime opportunity to run, but I didn't. "See. I am not scared," I said. "What do you need a Scaleborne for?" I asked, wondering why he hadn't already tied me up yet.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he remarked, the weight of his stare becoming heavy.

"I would actually." I tried to shove the nerves away from my voice, but my pitch went high. His eyes assessed mine. I watched as he grabbed a bigger knife from his left black boot, the hilt massive, the blade long. He took a step toward me, and I raised my hands in defense. "Whatever you are after; riches, fame," I paused, "whatever it is, I will double the original offer."

This time, he had paused. His features tightened as a cruel scoff wisped from his mouth. He approached me quicker this time. My heart lurched into my throat as he stabbed the lengthy dagger into the tree above me, leaning forward to look down.

"Tell me, do those golden eyes of yours give enough magic to raise the dead?" His voice rumbled through me. If it weren't for the intensity in the vast void of his empty eyes, I would've thought he wasn't serious.

"No," I said quietly, an idea forming in my head, rolling on my tongue before I thought better of it. "But I know someone close to me with magic from the Old Religion. I'm sure it would be no trouble for her to raise someone from the dead." I held his stare, willing the guilt and panic out of my own. I forced the lie to be a wall of truth. He didn't need to know that not only was Nana getting weaker by the day, or that even she would never do such a thing.

My hands were shaking.

I was bargaining with an assassin.

I was bargaining with an assassin.

My heart started to race as sweat collected behind my neck.

"What are you trying to do?" he emphasized. I gulped, staring at him through my long eyelashes.

"I am trying to make it to an island. Outside of Evler."

"What makes you think that I would be able to help you?" He stepped back, pulling the dagger from the rough wood. His arms were covered over his chest, my eyes catching the muscles beneath his tight leathers.

Oh, my scales, what was I doing?

I couldn't just force an assassin on this journey with me.

"You're from the Sardan Kingdom. You obviously have experience with the water and the land. I need to ensure that no one sees me as we pass through. I don't think I can do it alone."

Oh, my scales. I was forcing an assassin on this journey with me.

I needed him because of my fear of the water. I had never been anywhere near a large body of water, and I didn't know how to get across or even make it to the island. I had no idea how to swim if I were to have to cross the water itself.

How did I know that he wouldn't just kill me in the middle of the night? Or kidnap me?

I didn't.

"So you're saying that if I go with you, then you will give me all of the riches and gold I desire as well as bring back Seb- a friend of mine from the dead?"

"Yes."

"What else is in it for me? How do you not know that I won't just kill you or kidnap you, anyway?"

"I don't," I said. "But I like to put at least some trust in humanity and Scalekind. There's not a lot of it anymore." He pondered what I said, nodding his head up and down.

I knew he would reject my offer and kidnap me, anyway, but he didn't. After thinking about it, he paused and said, "Okay." He bent over, picking up the dagger I made him drop earlier, sheathing both, returning them to the proper places in his boots.

"Okay, what?" The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Okay, I will go with you."

"You will?" I asked, more surprise in my tone than I would've liked. I was not expecting his willingness to comply.

"Yes."

"Deal," I confirmed. A small spear of relief flowing through me. "My name is Aurelia. Aurelia Demilove."

"Damian Cadence."

The moment he pushed his dark hair behind his ears, his onyx eyes popping from the moonlight streaming through the dead trees, I knew I got myself mixed up in a dance of death and trickery. From the unsettling smirk that was sprawled on his face, he was thinking the exact same thing.

1. Ezu (Eh-ooh): Heaven

2. Haxnau (Hah-nah-woo): Hell