8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I waited in my room until an ungodly hour of the night. I did not bother attending the event my father had invited me to, and I burned the hideous dress the maid gave me for it. No one in my family came to see if I was coming. No one apologized to me. I doubted my father talked to the girls. But it wasn’t going to be my problem any longer. Anticipation coursed through me.

My father was lying, and I was going to prove it.

I wasn’t sure if his whole story was a lie or if there was another reason that he wanted me to forget about Exile. Either way, tonight I would find out the truth.

Standing, I slipped on my dark green cloak and strapped my daggers to me. Exile was my destination, and afterward, I didn’t think I would return to Cerithia. My thoughts have run wild since this morning. I realized I would not care if I ever saw these fae again. But I would care if I never saw Sybil and the twins.

I glanced around the shitty room and felt nothing but a need to leave this kingdom. Quickly, I headed out of the room and up the stairs. I took my time sneaking out so no guards would see me, but there were no guards in the halls as I slipped through, which was odd. It was too late for the party to be going on, so they shouldn’t have been busy elsewhere.

Something in my instincts told me I needed to hurry up and get far from here.

Kaida was happy to see me when I finally made it to the stables. My hand glided over the length of her face before I froze. An odd noise outside caught my attention. Harsh whispering in the dark was moving closer to the stables. I kneeled behind the low wall and waited. Perhaps it was just guards on night duty.

“I saw her run in here,” a man whispered.

My body tensed when I realized they were out there looking for me.

“She’s going to kill us before we can take her.”

“No, she won’t,” the other argued. By the sounds of their feet, I could tell it was more than two, but no one else was talking.

“Her horse is still here, so maybe she snuck around and kept going to the woods.”

I stilled my breathing. It was as if Kaida knew I was in danger and sensed my need for her calmness. She was so nonchalant that she would not attract attention, and her body blocked mine from view. My scalp prickled as I held my breath in order to hear them speak.

It was then that Wisp appeared next to me, her flames burning a bright red. She was warning me I was in danger, but I already knew that. Wisp floated toward me and flashed an array of colors.

I know. I mouthed at her. It’s not like I can run out of here. Kaida’s ears flattened, letting me know someone was close to me. A moment later, a guard dressed in green popped their head into the stall, locking eyes with me. Before he could speak, my fire shot out and silenced him forever.

“She’s here,” one of them yelled. I darted.

Moving through the stables, I fled through the back door and into the woods on foot. Wisp floated in front of me, leading me somewhere. I followed her blindly because I couldn’t see shit in the darkened forest.

The sounds of heavy footsteps alerted me to the fact that the guards were running behind me. I shot my fire out behind me without knowing where they were in the dark. Their pained screams let me know I hit at least a few of them. All of a sudden, Wisp stopped moving. Her red flames froze, and it made my chest tighten. When I turned around, a small dagger flew quickly at me. Luckily, it barely nicked my arm, but it burned violently.

I continued to run, but my body hummed with something foreign. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. My magic was retreating inside of me, and I knew this wasn’t good. Wisp kept leading the way, but I had to stop. My forehead was damp with a sudden fever that was kicking my ass.

“I can’t keep going,” I groaned as I leaned over and threw up. Spots overtook my vision. “I don’t feel right.”

“It’s just a little sleepy powder to make you weak.” A guard dressed in green appeared beside me. His eyes glanced at me oddly.

“What do you want from me?” I snapped. How did these Falgon guards get close enough to our castle without being caught?

“I was just told to take you.” He glanced over at me before looking away. His eyes landed on the other guards coming, and he kneeled down. “Don’t worry, you won’t suffer for long.”

His words were fuzzy at best. I willed myself to focus on him, but it was difficult with the spots in front of my eyes.

My darkness burst out for a brief moment, but it faded before it could kill the guard in front of me.

“Why?” I choked out.

“To start a war, of course,” he smiled down at me as I passed out.

★★?★★

“Crimson’s army is breaking through the barriers we had set up as defenses.”

My eyes shifted to Kaz. I sighed heavily to control my irritation, but everyone knew I was mad. It was no use trying to hide it. I had just come from the front lines of the battle. I knew how bad it was.

“I know this already. So why did you pull me from the battle for this mediocre news?” I hissed. Someone joined Kaz, but my anger was too focused on him to make note of who it was.

“We found out where he is,” he said. I stopped glaring and looked around. I had been waiting to hear these words for seven months. For seven months, this man has caused problems for my men.

“Where is he?”

“Headed toward Cerithia,” Kaz spoke confidently. “Leading the army to the castle, we believe.”

“Perfect.” I smiled as I put my armor back on and hopped on Kaida, racing toward my father’s land. Kaz and Kai flanked my sides. I would need them. The captain of Crimson’s guard was unstoppable. My men were dying as the man killing them barely lifted his sword to do so. He had to have powerful magic. Perhaps it was elite magic. My power, my magic could outdo his. Of this, I was certain. I would be the end of the Crimson King’s army.

I smiled as I raced through the forests of my homeland. I knew this place better than anyone in this damned realm. I glanced behind me and saw dozens of my warriors following. If I took out the captain, we could push back into Crimson’s land and take it over.

After riding for some time, we came to a clearing. I paused at the silence of the forest. It was not right. Not even the birds sang. I held up my hand, and everyone stilled as my eyes scanned the forest across the field. I smiled when I saw them waiting. Even though the sun was setting, I could make out their silhouettes.

Kai looked at me as I shifted my eyes to the clearing edge. A soft whisper moved through my warriors as they prepared for battle. My eyes narrowed when I saw their captain. He wore all black and stood taller than any of the others behind him. I couldn’t make out anything else, though, with the armor helmet on.

I led my army. I was always the first to ride onto the battlefield and was usually the last to leave. I was not a coward. My horse was faster than most, but I was surprised when the captain of Crimson’s army met me in the middle of the field.

He and I clashed a second before our men did. The sound of swords and armor rang in the cold night air. Magic erupted from some, but not all. My eyes were trained on the captain; he was my only target. My latest mission was to kill him so that I could go about taking the Crimson Kingdom for Cerithia and ending their miserable royal bloodline.

Their captain had struck first, his sword coming down at an angle I wasn’t expecting. What an odd technique, I thought. I struck back just as quick, and we both fell off our horses. Our swords fell out of our hands, but before he could get to his, I tackled him to the ground. Our fists connected against each other’s armor. I grunted in pain when he slid a dagger into my shoulder.

“Fuck!” I yelled at the sneaky little bastard.

I reached up and yanked the dagger out, then turned it and plunged it into his leg before standing. His scream was drowned out by the clashing around us. He ripped the dagger from his leg as he stood and held it tightly. Impressive. I didn’t have time to look out at my men, although I desperately wanted to know how we were faring against the best of Crimson’s men.

The captain tossed the dagger at me so hard and fast that I had to use my magic to stop it before it plunged into my neck. For fuck’s sake. When I went to turn the dagger toward him, he ran at me and kicked me to the ground. I swept my leg out and knocked him down next to me. I tried to get him pinned beneath me, but he was too quick and strong.

I went to stand, but suddenly he had me pinned with his magic—shadow magic.

“We have the battlefield, captain,” someone had said next to him. I glanced around and saw a few of my men retreating into the woods. Damn them.

“Have the men start clearing the dead, Kace.” The captain’s voice was deep and pleasant.

His magic held me tightly, but I was just biding my time. I could break free from this. I watched as he lifted my dagger off the ground and stared at the viper handle for a long moment. His armor prevented me from seeing his face, but I could feel his eyes on me. In the space of a heartbeat, I was standing up, and the captain of Crimson stood in front of me. He wasted no time reaching for my helmet and sliding it off.

“A woman?” One of the soldiers looked at me with confusion, then back to his captain.

“Where is Cerithia’s captain?” my captor asked softly.

“I am Cerithia’s captain,” I snapped with as much anger as I could muster. My blue uniform was bloodied and dirty, but I stared at him proudly as his shadows swirled around me.

“Impossible. Armies do not have women soldiers.”

“Well, then the king of Cerithia must win an award for allowing such equality.” My anger was now directed toward my father for making me do this. He hadn’t even acknowledged how well I had done in the past few months. Now here I was, being sneered at by the enemy.

He whispered something to the large man next to him, who scurried off quickly.

“Take off your helmet and show me your face before you kill me, you coward,” I demanded with as much authority as I could spit out. He laughed. The bastard laughed at me, but his hands slipped off his helmet.

“Is this better?” he asked as he gave me a cocky smirk.

It certainly was not better. I had expected a troll, not—this. His golden eyes held amusement in them as I was trapped against my will in his shadows. His dark hair was chaotic from battle, and his smooth skin glistened with sweat. His jaw was dusted in dark stubble from a few days of not shaving, and my eyes drifted to his strong lips that parted as he gave me a smile.

“Do you like what you see?” His voice held no malice for me. It was more curious than anything. I snapped my jaw shut as I realized that I had been gawking at the enemy.

“Get on with it, prick,” I scoffed.

My attitude only made his smile bigger. He took one step toward me without breaking eye contact. I didn’t fear dying, and I had no one who would mourn me. The realm would continue tomorrow as if I had never existed in it.

“How long have you been the captain of the guard?”

I stayed silent and did not answer him. His golden eyes watched me thoughtfully. Something was unsettling in the way he looked at me, like I was fascinating. Perhaps he was in shock that I was a female captain. I decided to answer him just so he would stop watching me so closely.

“A few months.” Seven, to be exact.

He nodded like he was thinking my answer over in his mind.

“So, you are the reason why Cerithia’s guard has improved significantly in their strategy over the past six months?”

It was a compliment, even if he didn’t intend for it to be one. I wasn’t going to answer him, though. He just stared at me for a long moment before saying anything.

“The real question is, princess, why did your father enlist you in his guard?”

My heart began to beat wildly in my chest. He knew who I was. My eyes narrowed at him. How did he know that when my father and the queen did their best to hide it from other kingdoms? I was under the impression that they did not know of my existence. After all, my father did not accept me as his daughter; therefore, I was not important.

“I’m no princess,” I spat, seething at the title.

“You are unlike any princess I have ever met,” he smirked when I huffed at the title. “Did you volunteer?”

His eyes looked over me like he was truly confused, as if he wanted to know about me.

“It was a punishment.”

He gave me a knowing smile, like he knew I must be a troublemaker.

“It must have been pretty bad,” he muttered as he looked over his shoulder. His men were gathering their dead. My eyes followed his, and I watched them gently move my men to the side. Respectful. It was an odd gesture. “You can come to Crimson and fight for me.”

“I would stab you the first chance you gave me. I’m no traitor.”

“I have no doubt about you stabbing me.” A glint in his eye told me he found my answer to be exactly what he expected. “Something tells me that you would be happier fighting with me rather than against me.”

He had stepped forward, so we were only inches apart. I would not find this man attractive. A strong scent of rain and forest filled the space around me.

“I would treat you so well, Thea.” My name flicked off his tongue like a wicked promise. Urgency filled me; I needed to be away from this man before I forgot he was my enemy. My chest swarmed with something, like a restless itch that only this man could scratch.

As soon as he turned to look at his men again, I let my fire mist surround me and rip apart his shadows. The captain turned as soon as I freed myself and just stared at me as my tendrils of fire wrapped around him and made him hit the ground on his back. I straddled him as he struggled. His eyes blackened as he stared at me.

I grabbed my viper-handled dagger and held it to his throat. He wasn’t trying to escape. I could practically feel his eyes tracing over every inch of me. Why didn’t he fear me?

“Fire magic, I forgot,” he breathed. He growled when I pushed my dagger harder against his neck.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” I smiled wickedly at him. “Any last words, Captain?”

He looked me in the eyes as his own eyes swirled with black and gold. He gave me a lazy smile, as if he thought I wouldn’t slice his throat. I’m sure that smile had gotten him out of plenty of situations, but I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.

“I don’t think you want to hurt me, little viper.”

I pulled my dagger back slightly as he stared at me oddly. No, this couldn’t be him. I put my dagger against his throat again. That tugging in my chest only became more intense as I looked down at him.

“How do you know that name?”

“Because I gave it to you.” He tried shifting. “You stabbed me in the stomach with this same dagger,” he said, chuckling like this was funny. “A dagger that I gifted you, by the way.”

My eyes looked over his face, and somehow I knew he was telling the truth. I found this dagger in the woods one day when I was much younger. I thought it had been good luck, but this made more sense. He gave it to me. The hooded man from my past was now my enemy. Why had he saved me that night? My hand reached up and ran across his stubble without me thinking about it.

His eyes stared at me for a long moment, distracting me from my mission. I shook my head, trying to clear it. After all, it was my duty to kill any of the Crimson guards, but even as I thought about it, my dagger fell from his throat.

“You never came back,” I frowned.

“Did you miss me, little viper?” he frowned back as I stood up and looked down at him. I turned away and ran into the forest, confusion filling me. When I was far enough away, I released my fire magic from him. Gods, when I fucked up, I fucked up big. Oddly enough, I felt the stirring in my chest get worse the farther I ran from the man with haunting golden eyes.