25. Chapter 25

When I got there, they were dressed and ready. Only five of them. Tagon was missing.

"He died," Zade answered when I peered around for the seventh member of our group. Haden and Kace stepped forward. Sadness filled me, but I couldn't linger on it.

"We need horses to sneak out without being detected. Who knows the way to Cerithia?"

"Me and Zade," Haden spoke and pointed to the magicless fae.

"Let's go."

The hallways filled with smoke and rubble as we wove our way out of the castle. The fire burned harshly, making sweat bead on my forehead. A hole had been blown into the side of the castle, so we climbed over the stone rubble and out into the fresh air. My eyes and throat burned from the smoke overtaking the castle. Other fae flowed out of the castle through holes that shouldn't be there to escape the attack.

We had all dressed in dark colors to blend in with the darkness. When we all had our horses, we headed towards the woods, but I stopped and observed the castle being hit by huge balls of fire. The Wisps were watching the attack in shades of black. I pulled deep within myself and felt the barrier magic I had taken from the guardsmen who took Cassius in the woods. I summoned it forward and created an invisible barrier so tall and wide that nothing could penetrate it.

It wouldn't hold forever, but it would buy them time. We turned and moved into the woods as fast as the horses could take us. A sense of pride and relief spread through me, and I knew it was Cassius through the blood mark. I smiled as I raced through the dark forest on my horse. She seemed to know where we were headed and needed little direction from me.

We covered a great distance after a day of traveling, only stopping to rest our horses. I had known we entered Cerithia lands some time ago because the air was much hotter here, probably because the sun seemed to be out constantly, and their trees did little to offer protection like they did in Crimson. Crimson always seemed to be gloomier, with the sun not making appearances as often. It was sticky and hot in Cerithia, much like Exile had been. My skin balked at the heat. I wasn't sure how to work this damn blood mark, so I tried to feel for Cassius as I stared at it.

It only took him a moment to send relief through it. I took a deep breath and looked around the thick forests of Cerithia. Their trees were not the same as the Crimson Kingdom. Instead of tall pine trees, they were smaller leafy trees that didn't block out the sunlight. Flowers did not grow on the forest floor even though it was Spring. The birds chirped faintly somewhere in the distance, but nothing near us. It was early morning, and the air was slightly cooler than it was at midday, and I was thankful for the small reprieve.

"How much farther?" I asked Haden, as they all sat and ate some food they had packed.

"Less than a day," he sighed. "The Kingdom is directly in the middle of their lands for protection. We should be there by nightfall tonight."

I nodded as they all stared at me.

"Is anyone here familiar with the castle?"

"Only you," Haden responded. Great. I couldn't remember anything about my time as a guardsman at Cerithia. Maybe being there would help my memory. It hadn't worked at the Crimson Kingdom, but I needed to be somewhat positive.

"Well, we can't rely on me remembering anything." I sighed, eating a handful of berries I had foraged. We rested for a short time before heading through the thick forests again. My mind wandered to Cassius and the castle. Hopefully, there wasn't too much damage done. By midday, I was dying of this heat. I much preferred the cool spring air of Crimson.

If Cerithia knew I made it through the trials and attack, they would be expecting us soon. Hopefully, they wouldn't think we would leave so quickly after the trials, but I doubted we would get that lucky. No one had ever made it back. Why was everyone so sure that I could? I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Cerithia's castle in the distance at first.

It sat on a tall hill above everything else. The walls were made from gray stone and blue flags whipped in the small breeze. My chest tightened significantly at the sight. Was it fear? Or was it because it was familiar to me even if I didn't want to admit it? Images plagued me in quick flashes.

Me in my blue uniform while in battle. Arguing with the royal family. Feelings of sadness plagued me, as well as loneliness. I could see myself sitting in a small dingy room wearing tattered clothing crying. I shook my head and the flashes of memories left immediately. Then, memories I wasn't expecting hit me like an arrow.

Smiling at the King of Cerithia when he gave me a small gift. Walking through the forest of the Kingdom with a blonde girl my age and a handsome guy. Flashes of the handsome guy kissing me sent a zap of jealousy through the blood mark. Can you see my thoughts? I asked through the marking, not expecting a response. Jealousy still sat in my veins. I would take that as a yes.

Why was I remembering things about my time here already? Maybe because I was from here or at least fought for the Royal family. Did my family reside here? Did they wonder what happened to me? I wasn't sure if anyone did, but I did know that Cassius was waiting for me, and I would be fine if he was the only one.

"We should sleep until nightfall so we can all think clearly before making a move," Kace muttered. We all agreed. There were a series of small caves we had passed and turned back towards. The cave was dark but cool as I laid on my cloak. Why hadn't memories hit me as quickly in Crimson as they did here? Obviously being in Cerithia had triggered a vast amount of memories, but Crimson only showed me memories of Cassius. If I truly did live in Crimson with Cassius, wouldn't I remember more? I thought sleep would evade me, but it found me so quickly.

Cassius sat on our bed at the Crimson castle like he was waiting for me.

"Hi," I murmured.

His head snapped up to me before he stood and crushed me into him.

"You're alright." He sighed before giving me a hard lingering kiss and I immediately thought of the memories he had seen of me kissing another man.

"You can see my thoughts?" I asked pulling back.

Jealousy bloomed over his features.

"You sent them barreling down the mark. I didn't know I could until I saw Jesper kissing you."

"I didn't mean to show you. They came out of nowhere."

The tension was palpable for only a moment before it was gone.

"He's an ex. I knew of him, but I don't want to see it."

"I don't know how to control this thing." I pointed to the mark. Cassius wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly for a long moment.

"Your barrier saved a lot of fae, Thea."

"I wasn't sure it would work." The scent of night and rain and pine drifted from him as he pulled us down on the bed, so we were both lying down, and I snuggled into his side. We didn't say anything more. We just relaxed in the presence of each other. It didn't feel long before Cassius sat up and pulled me along with him.

"It's time to wake up, My Love," he whispered as he kissed me. "The witch"s stone is in the throne room, highly guarded by men you trained."

Confusion must have taken my features because he offered a larger explanation.

"You were the Captain of the Cerithian guard, it's how we met. It's why we were always trying to kill each other." He gave me a proud smile. "You are a great warrior, Thea. Even without your magic, you are clever, smart, tactical, and strong. You are the best Captain of any guard the realm has ever seen. A true leader. You just need to believe that about yourself."

Captain. A female captain? I nodded as if I understood, but it was hard to wrap my mind around it. I knew I was part of the guard, but the Captain? It was nice to know I was successful even without my magic. Cassius's words sank into me. I needed to believe in myself enough to be a leader. I didn't need to wield my magic around to do things well. Cassius gave me a long lingering kiss. This could be the last kiss I ever give him.

"Don't ever think like that again." He growled as he pulled away.

"Sorry," I whispered before kissing him again. He devoured my mouth like it gave him life before pulling away.

"I'll see you soon, Little Viper."

I nodded as I faded back to the cave I had been sleeping in. I lay there for a moment to gather my thoughts. My fire magic was growing wild under my skin. It was ready for whatever we were about to step into. We would do this, but how many of us would come back? I stood up wrapping my cloak around me and stepped outside the cave.

Walking to the small clearing between all the leafy trees I watched the greystone castle in the distance. The large blue flags whipped around in the warm breeze. There was a distinct smell of flowers and sunshine here, where Crimson smelled like forest and rain. There was a large city at the base of the castle, like in Crimson, but this city looked larger.

There were tall buildings that were the same stone as the castle, but the rest of the buildings looked weathered. Small homes made from scraps of wood and other mismatched items sat on the outskirts of the tall buildings. It was still pretty but held nothing to Crimson.

The others had started emerging from their spots in the cave. Haden walked up to me as I looked over the landscape that was nearly opposite of Crimson in every way.

"How's it feel being back here?"

"Odd." I sighed. "It all looks so familiar, but not at the same time."

Haden nodded as he stared at the castle.

"I've been looking at the landscape. The best thing to do would be circling wide to the right to the grouping of trees close to the castle and scout the guard rotations before making our way in."

Zade and Kace both came and stood with us. We all just stared at the Kingdom of Cerithia in silence before we gathered around to make somewhat of a plan.

"Cassius said the stone is in the throne room and heavily guarded," I said.

"Cerithia is known for their level of skilled guards," Haden spoke softly. "Trained to be ruthless." His eyes moved to me. "By Thea herself."

He hadn't meant it negatively, but I wished the Gods above that they would give me some insight into my own past. I shook away the thought. Cassius said I was a true leader even without my magic and I believed that. We didn't need my memories. I was a skilled fighter, Kaz and Kai made sure of that.

"If I trained them, then I can beat them," I said confidently. "Someone should stay back just in case something goes wrong so you can get word back to the Crimson Kingdom."

"We all go in," Zade said. "Our bodies will be delivered to the Crimson Kingdom if it doesn't work out."

I nodded in agreement but felt a tug of despair in my chest. They were all willing to risk their lives to not only get a wish but also to help break my curse.

"I will use my magic to protect us as much as I can, but I do not know what I am capable of when it comes to my magic," I spoke the truth to them. I had never admitted that I did not know my own magic well. "Sometimes it gets out of hand."

They all nodded as if they understood.

"If I am trapped, if I cannot get out, you will leave me," I ordered.

"We cannot return without you, Thea," Kace spoke. "You are the only one that has to make it back alive. It is our only mission here."

There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I didn't. Cassius had ordered them to protect me.

We made a plan to split into groups of two to cover more ground and work from different spots of the castle. Zade, the magicless fae, was with me even though Haden had tried to stop it. I appreciated them fighting over who was going to go with me, but we didn't have time, so I chose.

We rode swiftly to the castle through the thicket of trees outlying the Kingdom, splitting up on the way. Zade and I left the horses in the thick forest and moved closer on foot. We set up posts in two leafy trees that helped us see over the large, ten-foot wall surrounding the castle. We waited for an eternity to see where the guards were stationed, but none ever emerged. Something was not right, but we didn't have time to wait. It was nearly nightfall. Jumping down from my perch in the tree, I moved across the large castle grounds first, but no traps awaited us.

The castle of Cerithia embodied everything Crimson didn't. It was made with light gray stone, and the flowers that decorated the outside were lush and brightly colored. No dark colors were anywhere to be found. The blue flags that waved in the wind were the color of the sky and the crest was gold like the sun. My footsteps faltered as the crest showed me the same one from the wooden door in my dreams. Zade grabbed my elbow and rushed me forward, through the front door of the castle.

We figured it was such an obvious entry point that it would not be an expected move. The gamble paid off and we were met by no resistance.

Where the fuck was everyone?

Immediately, I took in the foyer which was so white and bright it hurt my eyes. Familiar. It was all familiar. Wisp appeared to my left, her blue flames lighting the darkened hallway. I followed without much thought except that it seemed like Wisp knew where to go. The darkened hallways still seemed bright with their light-colored walls and floors.

The tapestries that hung depicted mostly pictures of the sun and flowers. Beautiful blues, gold, and silver hung from everywhere. I froze immediately when the Wisp flashed red in a warning. I heard a noise down the hallway a moment later. Zade and I crammed ourselves against the wall in the darkest corner we could find. Two guards dressed in blue walked past us without noticing.

So, there were guards on duty. This was proving to be more unnerving than we had anticipated. We expected the castle to be on lockdown, but the fact that this seemed almost too easy didn't sit right with me, and I began to think that maybe we should pull out of there. Zade started walking down the hallway again before I could protest going farther.

I headed down the hallway to join Zade but stopped when I heard the faintest noise behind us. When I turned, the two guards that had passed us had their swords drawn. Their eyes widened in recognition when they saw me. They didn't drop their swords but made no move to hurt us. Wisp rammed at them, causing them to stumble slightly. It wasn't enough to help me get the upper hand.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will," I promised.

Before they could say anything, Zade had knocked both swords from their hands. We each took one. The guard that charged me was small in stature. His hair was bright blonde and his eyes so blue it was like looking into a summer sky. I was surprised when he landed a swift kick to my chest. Pain racked through me as I fell into the wall.

"You're out of practice, Captain," he said, hissing out my title. I flicked my wrist and wrapped him in a fiery mist.

"I don't need practice when I have all this magic," I snapped back venomously. He struggled against the mist, but I punched him, rendering him unconscious so that he would not awaken until we were long gone. Zade fought the bigger of the two, his fighting skills unmatched by the Cerithian guard. He put him in a chokehold until the guard passed out.

"Let's get moving," I whispered as we hurried down the hallway. We made turns in the hallways that felt right, but we really didn't have any idea. I slowed when the Wisp appeared at a corner, not moving. We approached the corner, spying more guards sitting outside of a wooden door.

My heart pounded hard as I gazed at the wooden door from my dream. How many times had I wondered what this door was and now I was standing mere feet away? The large crest showed the Cerithia family crest. It had to be the throne room to the King of Cerithia. Dread filled me. Why had I dreamed of this door so much? Was it due to the witch's bloodstone being in there? Six guards stood outside this entrance, but how many waited on the inside? I wondered if there was another less secure entrance that we could use. Gods, I wished I could remember.

I turned to Zade but was only met by four other guards instead. Zade was being restrained behind them. I stood up and raised my hands in defeat.

"If you move, we kill him," one of the men sneered. "Move forward."

I heeded his command and turned towards the throne room where the guards now all watched me. They immediately drew their weapons on me. Glancing over their faces, I felt tugs in my mind that let me know they were familiar. These were men I trained. I was their Captain. Fear trickled into my mind and immediately a calm soothing emotion spread through me. Cassius. I tried as hard as I could to push the image of me being caught to him, but I didn't know if it worked. I felt nothing through the blood bond.

"Captain." The guards bowed as I stood in front of them and lowered their swords.

They opened the door and ushered me right in. Their weapons were still drawn, but they weren't looking at me with malice. When I walked in, I paused when the King of Cerithia stood in the middle of the room. In his hand was the witch's red bloodstone. The guards shut the door behind me, leaving me and the king alone.