50. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

It is not the ones we give the power to that I worry for. It is their children. It is what happens when they have forgotten what we have taught them.

~Calyr the Gold, A History of Magic and Dragons

For that briefest of moments, I'm nothing. Just like when the Shade showed me what it was to shadow walk. Lost to darkness, I can't feel Cole on my back. I can't feel anything. I'm nothing and there are no responsibilities. I don't need to help Cole. I don't need to do anything. I can simply fade into that darkness.

That darkness pulls at me, desperate to take all the desires in me away. To make me a part of it. It wants me to stay here in the void with it. It feels like home, just like before. The calm silence where there is no desire and no hatred. Nothing except serenity.

But the time is too short. My willpower isn't that weak, and I visualize everything in Cole's room. A puddle of shadows grows at the side of his bed. My shadows.

Those are a part of me I can control and sense the world through. I pull on them. Hard. Immediately, I fly out of the darkness and hit the foot of Cole's bed. Cole tumbles off my shoulder onto the bed, falling in a heap. The shadows we came out of fade almost immediately now that they're not connected to me anymore.

I grab the ring off Cole's finger and slip it over mine. No one's in the room, so I let the clothing fade. I want as little of my magical scent in the room as possible. Immediately, I'm digging out the medicine and bandages. I know exactly what to do, but as I wrap the bandages around Cole's arm, he doesn't stir. I'm terrified, but I don't know who to talk to. I don't know how to help him.

I could call the Shade. I could beg for another favor. One to heal Cole and wake him up. My fingers itch the three marks that are still on my wrist, and I refuse. I will not let him own any more decisions. Not after he nearly killed the man… the man I love.

I don't have time to accept that realization. To think it through. He needs help, and I may not know the right answers. I grab my undertunic off the floor and throw it on over my head before going to the door to Cole's room. Nevan is standing outside it, concern on his face. "Lady Maeve, is there something wrong?" he asks in that reptilian voice.

"I need…" I grit my teeth, not knowing who to talk to about this. Only Darian and Lee. I know he trusts them completely. "I need Darian and Lee. Are they still in the Keep?"

Nevan nods. "They are getting ready for the ceremony. Would you like me to send for them?"

I nod emphatically. "Yes. As fast as possible. Please, Nevan. I need them immediately."

Nevan seems to sense the urgency, as he doesn't even bow before stepping away from me and walking down a hallway.

I take a deep breath and go back into Cole's room, closing the door behind me. I go to him and see that his breathing is still labored. There's nothing else to do, so I just sit next to him and hold his hand. I reach through the betrothal bond and try to pull him out of this deep sleep. It's the only thing I can think of to wake him.

But nothing happens. Minutes pass and seem like hours, and I just keep trying. Calm and peaceful, I try to wake him without upsetting his body. I want him to rest and heal, but I'm scared there's more wrong than I had thought.

Then the door opens and Darian and Lee race to the bed. "What happened?" Lee asks, a terrified look on her face. "Nevan said that Cole was injured."

Darian sees the arm and looks at Lee, and it's like they're talking without saying anything. "He broke his oath," I say softly. "I don't know exactly what the oath is, but he broke it, and it tried to kill him. I kept it from finishing, and it was only when he said that I could stay in Draenyth that it stopped. But it tried to kill him for a long time. Many minutes. I put the medicine from when his back and chest were burned on his arm to take care of the wounds, but he won't wake up. And he's not breathing well."

"You stopped the mark from killing him?" Darian asks. He's very calm, like this is a very important question I'm answering.

I nod to him. "Yes. They were shadows, and they were trying to kill him, so I stopped them. Just like when I stopped the Shade from using his shadows on me."

Lee and Darian look at each other for a few moments and then back at me. Both of their eyes are full of fear and surprise, and I don't understand why. I'm from the House of Shadows. Why wouldn't I be able to do those things? "Maeve," Lee says slowly. "You need to get dressed so that you can go to Calyr. I promise we will make sure that Cole is okay. There's a different medicine for wounds from shadows that he needs, but if you're going to help Hazel, you need to do it now before the ceremony begins."

I know that. I do. But when I look down at Cole, I can't help but worry that he won't be okay. When I'm done with talking to Calyr, I'm going to have to run. I'm going to have to escape the city, and there's a very strong possibility that people will be hunting for me. I may not see Cole ever again.

I won't know if he survives.

I look down at him and run my fingers along his cheek. If I'm going to save Hazel, it has to be now. When everyone's focused on the Midsummer ceremony and won't be hunting for people from the House of Shadows because I'm going to have to take off my ring in order to get into Calyr's cave.

"I'll see you again, Cole," I say. "I promise you that after I'm done, I'm going to find my way back into Draenyth. I won't let you go. I will make you mine, Cole."

"You need to go now," Darian says. "Before everyone's here. There's almost no time."

I nod to them and go to the armoire. I grab my traveling clothes, a simple tunic and pants. Everything's been planned. Cole and I have talked through every step in detail. There are no questions left.

I walk into the bathing room and don the clothes before going back into the bedroom to see Darian pouring a black liquid into Cole's mouth. Cole doesn't stir for a few seconds, but then he coughs and sputters.

Black shadows hiss as they leave his open lips, and his breathing looks far better. Darian and Lee weren't lying. They're going to take care of him. It's all going to be fine.

I glance at the spear and sigh. No. I won't be able to sneak through the Keep with a spear. I'll look too obvious. The best weapon I'll be able to carry with me is the little belt knife. It's not a proper weapon, but it's also something that the average guard wouldn't worry about. Just like Rhion didn't.

I have everything I have to have. I can do this. My entire purpose in leaving Blackgrove is ending, and right at this moment, I don't want to leave. I don't want to walk away from Cole, or even Darian and Lee. They've been my friends. Better friends than I've ever had in my life. They understand me, and even more than Hazel, they don't care that I'm different. In fact, they like that side of me.

I look at the three of them, and I take a deep breath. I have a responsibility to fix Hazel. Then I can come back. Just like I said.

"I'll be back soon," I say. Darian and Lee look up at me, and they nod in unison. They're worried about their best friend. I'm worried about Cole, too.

Everything inside me wants to stay and help the man that's shown me what it is to be me. The man who's taught me how to embrace the Immortal side of me and who's shown me how to be strong enough to stand on my own two feet in this world that was made of nightmares not that long ago.

More than that, he taught me I wasn't strange. He showed me that all the things that had forced other people away were strengths and not weaknesses. He showed me how to love myself . And I think he showed me to love him as well.

I can't let him die from breaking his oath, though. If him telling me to leave hurt him, then I'll follow through with the plan. I'll leave after I'm done. I have done incredible things nearly every day since I walked out of the house I grew up in. I have fought harpies. I have trained with the strongest Fae warrior. I have learned magic from the most legendary of Fae.

And now I'm about to meet the last dragon in Nyth.

If I can do all of that, then I can find a way back to Cole. There's no way that a stupid debt is going to keep the two of us apart.

I nod to the twins and walk out the door. The crimson marble of the Keep's walls, ceiling, and floors doesn't make me think of fire. It makes me think of the blood that poured from Cole's arm this morning. What had initially been beautiful and opulent now almost sickens me.

The ring on my finger is a heavy weight. There's no drumbeat in me. No bottled lightning. I feel worn out already, but I have to press on. That's what Cole's oath was, as far as I can tell. I need to follow the plan even if I just want to curl up with him like we laid last night. Our naked bodies pressed together high above the world, supported on a bed of shadows.

I try to keep my senses alert, no different from when I'm hunting, and it's surprisingly easy to shift into that mindset. I've been hunting when tired or when I've been worried before. It's how I've coped with things that were out of my control too many times to count. And I found peace then.

My senses strain to hear anything as my feet move as silently as possible on the marble. I travel through the royal wing of the Keep and move toward the throne room that houses the red marble chair that matters so much more than I'd ever have guessed.

Then I hear people. Soft whispers far down the passageway, and I turn off, still going in that direction, but trying to stay far away from anyone. Three days ago, Cole had shown me how to get to Calyr's cave. He'd walked me down all the paths to get there. He'd shown me maps. He'd made sure I could find my way no matter how many hallways had people in them.

We knew there'd be a crowd. That's the entire purpose of doing this today. When I have to continue to change direction, I don't get angry or frustrated. There will be a way, and the more people that are here, the less likely that anyone will sniff around when I take off my ring.

In a human castle, there would be flowers and paintings and engravings. There'd be miles of rugs. Anything to make it feel less like a stone prison and more like a carefully decorated home. A display of wealth.

For a people whose barest bit of emotion could burn nearly anything, decorations don't last long. Plain stone just makes sense in unimportant places like hallways.

I would love to have a rug or two to dampen my already nearly silent footsteps, though. I know from my time traveling with full-blooded Immortals that no matter how quiet I think I am, they can hear me.

When I glance down a branch of hallway and see the clumping of guards around a single door, I breathe a sigh of relief. It's been several minutes since I've heard a person other than these guards. There's not an ounce of steel on them other than their weapons.

After training with Cole, I understand the reason they don't wear armor, but it also seems so stupid. They may not be able to use their powers effectively if they're wearing armor, but the greatest protection against anyone else's powers is gone as well.

I look down the main hallway and then down the branching one, and I see no one. I listen for a few moments and hear nothing. No one is nearby, though I know that as soon as my ring comes off, someone will notice the scent. Someone will alert everyone. I just hope that I'm far enough along already.

I slip the ring off my finger and put it into the pocket of my pants. The shadows flow from my fingertips as easily as ever, but they aren't overwhelming today. There's too much worry and nervousness for desire to take a great hold inside me.

But this is enough. Probably more than enough. I will the shadows to cling to each other and run along the corner of the floor and the wall on which Calyr's door is inset. Down, down, down, those shadows run. I can feel the tie between them and me becoming thinner, and when I glance down the hallway, I can tell that the tightly wound strands of darkness are fuzzing as they move closer to the guards.

It's enough, though. More than enough. They run behind the guards, and just like so many times sparring with Cole, the strands of shadows rise and become nearly solid. They wrap around arms and legs, tightening and coiling and holding the guards in place at the same time as separate strands run into their mouths and noses and clog their throats. Every one of them tenses, pulling and trying to squirm out of my grip on them.

Eight full-grown High Fae from the House of Flames. They have the same potential abilities as Cole. Except that as my shadows slide into them, I hold them. I don't hold back like I've always done with Cole. I know their eyes are turning black. Their hearts are racing, but even as they run out of breath, they don't struggle. They're no more than puppets right now, and puppets don't fight you even if they're dying.

Their bodies slump, one by one, as their air runs out, and as the last one falls unconscious, I let them all go, my shadows disappearing. They're not dead, but they are unconscious.

I race to the door and slam it open. The heavy steel door feels like it barely weighs anything. I step into the next room, and Cole's instructions ring through my mind. We've never been here. This is the first place in the Keep of Flames that feels truly strange.

Unlike literally every other room in the Keep, this room isn't covered in that marble. Instead, it reminds me of the cave we were in last night, and that's because it's a part of the mountain, not a part of the Keep.

The ceiling holds shadows behind stalactites, and the stalagmites that rise from the floor are nearly as tall as I am. This is the opening to Calyr's cave, and while there are many miles between this place and the dragon's treasure hold, this is the beginning.

I remember Cole's words exactly as he'd explained this step. Every piece of my journey from here to Calyr has been outlined for me. I just need to follow his instructions exactly.

This room is full of traps. My father is the only one who knows where they all are, but you don't need to know. You want to bypass them. They could be triggered by anything solid, but shadows aren't ever actually solid.

Walk on your shadows and you'll be fine.

Surprisingly, I notice dozens of traps almost immediately. Little pinholes near the opposite door. A rock that's inset in the floor. A stalagmite with strange lines that wouldn't ever have happened naturally.

I fill the floor of the cave mouth with shadows, which is far easier than I'd have believed when I first began using magic. All it takes is a momentary thought of Cole's naked body rising over me. The touch of his lips against mine as I give myself to him completely.

With a thought, I solidify the shadows and walk to the other side of the room without a single problem. I hop off the shadows and let them dissipate. The guards outside are stirring, and the last thing I want is to be anywhere near this place when they wake up. I need to be past the next door.

Maybe I should have killed them like Cole suggested. Choke them to death and leave their bodies there. It would be the smart decision. They wouldn't be able to call for help or chase after me. They couldn't have done anything, and it would have taken far longer for anyone to understand what's happened.

But I couldn't. Those guards are just doing their jobs, and who am I to say that their lives are less valuable than Hazel's or mine? They didn't choose to be here today, and they may not even have a problem with the House of Shadows.

I took a risk so that those eight men survived today and could go home to their families. That means that I have to move fast, though, and I race through the darkness of another room. One with no traps. Cole assured me of this multiple times.

But when I get to the door, I have to pause. Solid steel with a solid steel lock. No magic can break this door. Only someone from the House of Steel could physically break it.

Cole had said that we had two options. Steal his father's key, the only key, or I could try to pick it with shadows. Which is nowhere near as easy as the other things I've done with them. But trying to steal Casimir's key would have been a completely different level of difficulty.

I take a deep breath and push the shadows from my fingertips, but when I push the shadows into the keyhole, it's like there's an emptiness that pulls at them. There's no end to the amount of shadows that can fill that emptiness, either.

It's the steel sucking the magic out of my shadows, forcing them to dissipate like mist on a sunny morning. But if I can force enough in fast enough, there's a chance to force the lock. I just need to push hard enough. Like filling a room with shadows to block out the light.

I swallow before beginning. There's no way to do this while I'm nervous. I have to think about Cole. Have to think about every moment he's touched me and made me want him. The way his skin felt under my fingertips. The way his mouth feels on mine.

That dark heat of his skin while I kissed him fills me up and I do my best to forget every other emotion. Yet, memories of him lying on the floor this morning flash through my mind and fill me with fear and anger and sadness.

Shadows pour from my fingers just as they did last night. I try to focus on shaping them and forcing them to turn in the lock, to force the tumblers to the side. The steel just keeps draining it, though, and that's when I hear the door open behind me.

Rough voices hidden from view. I hear the word "shadows" and know that they're going to come and catch me soon if I don't hurry. The twang of a crossbow and a scream give the guards pause. I have to focus.

I close my eyes and think about Cole. I picture the way he'd burned for me last night. I feel the way my shadows and his fire danced in his eyes as his hands and lips had roamed over my body. I see his strength and his need to protect me, even from himself.

My mind is filled with the image of his eyes burning bright orange for me as he lay on top of me, his skin against mine, as I gave myself to him.

The shadows pour from me like they're coming from an ocean of blackness, and for the first time since I began, there are too many shadows for the steel to devour. It only takes a few seconds before I hear it click open.

I'm just in time to slide through the door into another room. "It's a woman!" By then, it's too late for them to catch me. I click the lock back in place as soon as I close it, and then I breathe.

I have time now, but I don't want to wait. Those guards are going to get Casimir, and if he catches me, both me and Cole are going to die. Casimir will blame Cole for letting someone from the House of Shadows survive. Much less claiming me as his betrothed.

My feet are moving immediately. I'm in the mountain now, and torches hang from the walls in the three paths. The labyrinth. This is the only part that I'm nervous about. There's no way to use magic to get through the labyrinth. No way that my shadows can help me at all.

Cole gave me directions, though. He said that Casimir had taught him how to get through the labyrinth when he was younger. Just in case Casimir died and Cole took over as King of Flames.

I take the central path, just like he told me. Running like I'd do in the forest, I play the directions back in my head. I'd memorized them and repeated them on four different occasions over the last three days. I know the directions backward and forward.

But it's been hundreds of years since Cole was in this labyrinth.

Hundreds of years of his father being very disappointed in him.

I follow the directions regardless. Second left. Fourth right. Right at the "V". You'll know if you're in the right place because there will be a ladder down. Second left.

I'm getting winded as I run. I haven't heard anyone following me. There's no crashing against the steel door that would reverberate through the labyrinth. No shouting. It's just my footsteps on the uneven floor of the cave. The sound of soft splashes as my feet find the tiny pools that flash with torchlight.

It feels like I've been running forever, but I know I haven't been. Everything's distorted when you're hidden under the world. When you feel like the mountain is going to come crashing down on you. Or that Casimir will fill this place with fire, and I'll be dead and trapped in a hole where no one will find me.

I keep following the directions, though. What else is there to do?

Until I run straight into a dead-end.