Chapter 40

40

REYA

" I f you strike right here, with a sharp jab, it should pierce his heart, and then you twist sharply to embed it."

I'm at the rebels' hideout and Corlan has me in front of a dummy of a man made of straw. He hands me the crystal stake, and I get used to the feel in my hands, turning my wrists this way and that

"Okay, have a go," he suggests, stepping back to give me some space. I am aware of Arkynn and Izan's watching eyes behind me.

"Forget it's a person, Reya", I whisper to myself. This man stands for everything you hate. He stands between you and your freedom. Of a life of your own choosing.

With a cry, I lift the stake and drive it into the chest of the dummy. Remembering Corlan's instructions, I twist it and drive it deeper.

"Perfect," he praises, giving me a brief applause. "Just don't hesitate Reya. As soon as he is in front of you, make your move."

I nod my head. I can do this. I can take a life. How bad can it be?

I remove the stake from where it's impaled in the straw man's heart, and I have another go. No one will have a clue. No one will expect a petite Shadow Kissed female to be the one to try and kill the heir to the realm. His guards will be watching for threats elsewhere in the crowd. I remove the stake, and I hand it over to Izan, who places it carefully away. It is getting late, and I need to be getting back before Raegal arrives.

For the past two nights, the nightmares have returned. Each time they are the same, thousands of voices whispering to me and overwhelming my senses. Last night, the mutts' howls persisted into the early hours, reminding us of the lurking danger outside the valley. I found myself last night waking to their howls last night, and I went out onto the balcony. Closing my eyes, I felt like I was there with them. In my nightmare, I'd walked down the mansion stairs and out into the valley, pushing open those intimidating stone doors with just my hands and walking right out to where they waited. One large mutt had stalked towards me, and I recognised it as the one from the night Raegal found me in the forest. It dipped its head and when I reached the creature; I stroked him, and he purred like a cat. The mutt nudged my hand with his head and ran his side against my leg before he'd turned and walked towards the forest. He looked back over his shoulder and waited until I fell in step behind him. I watched in awe as all the other mutts fell into line behind me. They didn't inflict any harm upon me, and, in my dreams, I didn't have any fear or concern towards them. If anything, I'd experienced a sense of protection. Despite the urge inside me to go to the mutts, Raegal's nightly presence in my bed, cloaking me in shadows, made it impossible. It was so hard to explain, but it was like something was unfurling inside of me.

"We should get back," Arkynn announces, pulling me from my thoughts. We say farewell to Corlan and Izan after they offer words of encouragement at how well I am progressing with my grading. I am just shy of being in the top five. Those positions are currently held by Shalia, Saveya, Eilana, Zaina, and a girl from the north whose name escapes me right now. With Saveya's tutoring, I am getting better and better at my sewing classes, and Raegal's impromptu dance classes were ensuring I didn't trample on anyone's feet anymore. In combat classes, I am always top of the class. Without it, I'm afraid I would probably be nowhere near the top five.

All the way back to the valley, Arkynn chats excitedly about the reaping and how they'll never see what's coming their way. He gets an almost crazed expression in his eyes when he talks about the rebels. It's like he can't think of anything else.

I arrive back in my room without being detected and I slip out of my clothes and into Raegal's shirt. Wearing his shirt has become a habit, but after he tore Arkynn's in half with his shadows and growled that he was tired of me wearing another man's scent, and if I'm honest Raegal's scent brings me comfort, although I hate to admit it. I'm sitting at my dressing table and take my hair out of the plaits that help to keep my hair underneath the cap, when he appears in a swirl of shadows in the centre of my room.

"Come," he commands, holding out his hand and frowning at me. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you for a short while tonight."

I hesitate, almost tempted to tell him I won't give in to his commands, but observing the expression on his face, I can see he has something on his mind, and I decide not to antagonise him further. "What's wrong?" I ask, as he reaches out for my waist and pulls me into his body.

"We've located where the girls are being kept. I need to support the extraction."

I try to steady my beating heart. If they know where the girls are, then they will capture the rebels holding them.

"You'll sleep in my bed tonight. Surrounded by my scent and the onyx, you should be undetectable."

I nod my head, not arguing with him, as a plan takes root in my head. Tonight could be my only chance.

We weave into his room, and he immediately releases me and moves over to the door to put his sword in its scabbard at his belt. "It shouldn't take long. We have all the necessary intel and a robust plan in place."

His wolf, Nyx, opens one eye from where he slumbers in the corner of the room.

"What will happen to the rebels you capture?" I ask him as I climb into the large onyx bed and get under the covers.

He stops at the end of the bed to answer me. "We'll imprison them, arrange a quick trial, and if found guilty, they'll be executed in the square."

I shudder. There's not a dash of emotion or regret on his face when he informs me they'll be killed. "Doesn't it bother you, taking a life?"

He sighs and runs a hand through his dark locks. He looks tired, and I fight the urge to go to him and try to soothe him. "I'm afraid I don't have time tonight for the depths of this conversation. At seventeen, I took my first life. It was kill or be killed. The flame soldier I killed wouldn't have thought twice about ending my life. Do I feel good when I take a life? Never." He pauses, staring at me for a moment, and his shadows reach out across the bed to me and caress my cheek. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Try to get some sleep."

"Raegal," I call out as his shadows whip around him. "Be careful."

He doesn't have time to react to my surprising show of concern for his safety and I'm thankful for that, as I'm not sure what made me utter those words.

I hesitate for a second, before my feet are in motion and I'm making my way down the stairs of his quarters. I stick my head out of the back door to check no one is around. Staying close to the wall and concealing myself in the shadows, I navigate my way through the barracks until I reach block E. I jump up and reach for the window frame and attempt to peep over the top. I scan the rows of beds until I spot my friend lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. I realise that if I go around the other side of the building and climb up to the window opposite, I might get his attention. Cautiously, I sneak around to the other side and clamber up, gripping on the concrete frame. I wave my hand frantically back and forth, hoping that he'll catch the movement in the corner of his eyes and praying the guy sleeping next to him doesn't wake up and spot me. I almost give up when his eyes shoot my way and widen in recognition. I watch as he casually stretches and climbs off his bed, making his way to the door. He appears around the side of the dorms a few seconds later.

I beckon him over with my hand, eager to share with him what I know.

"What is it, Reya?" He looks me over, checking I'm okay. "Why are you wearing a man's shirt?"

I dismiss his question with my hand. "Never mind that. They know where the girls are. They've already left to extract them."

"Shit!" he exclaims, grasping the back of his neck with his hands. "I need to raid the storage warehouse and find one of the communication globes and get an urgent message to Corlan." He pulls me in for a hurried hug. "Thank you for alerting me. Did you sneak out of the mansion like that?"

I chew on my bottom lip, unsure how I explain. "Okay. Don't get mad, but the Commander's been having to cover my scent with his shadows to stop the mutts trying to enter the valley."

His eyes narrow. "You're sleeping with him?!"

I quickly cover his mouth with my hand and press a finger to my lips. "We don't have time for this conversation. You need to try to spare some rebel lives. And I'm not sleeping with him. Not in the way you think. There're things you don't know, Ark." I remove my hand when I'm sure he won't yell. "Go! We'll talk soon," I promise him, and he gives me a reluctant nod, before sighing and turning on his heels and hurrying as fast as he can out of the barracks. I rest my head against the wall and thank the Mother Goddess that I was able to alert him. Now onto my next mission, how to leave the valley without being seen. I ponder my situation for a minute before I decide my best option is to take the tunnels out to Hestwalde and then double back along the forest to the perimeter of the valley. I sneak along the barracks until I reach the main gates. It's going to be tricky to get past the gates because armed soldiers guard them. I cast my eyes across the yard and observe a man loading up a rubbish cart. Checking to see no one is looking my way, I dash along the edge of the buildings until I reach the cart. Not having the time to doubt my plan, I heave myself up into the back of the cart and cover myself with some sacks of rubbish. Oh, wow, it stinks. I'll be washing this smell out of my hair for weeks. I cover my nose with my hand as a wave of nausea hits me. I hear the chap who's busy loading up the cart say good evening to the guards and soon the cart judders and is on the move. I'm jostled against the rubbish sacks causing a fresh wave of foul odour to pass my nose. How come I always find myself in situations like this?

I risk leaning up to see out the back of the cart. After waiting for the right moment and confirming that the driver is still concentrated on the path in front of him, I leap off the back of the cart and roll across the floor until I come to a stop. Quickly checking all around me, I make for the side of the nearest building and catch my breath. Raising my hair to my nose, I grimace. I need to hurry up. If Raegal gets back first, I'm in big trouble. I uncover the tunnel entrance and use all my strength to turn it and lift it open. I climb down and as soon as my feet touch solid ground; I run as fast as my bare feet will carry me.

A short while later, I'm creeping up the side of the buildings in the village. I need to make it over the wall without being detected and double back on myself towards the valley. I take up a good vantage spot where I can watch the night watchmen as they patrol the village walls. I wait until one of them turns to patrol back the way he's just come, and I sprint for the wall, hurtling myself over the other side. I land with a thud on my back in the mud. Great! Now not only do I stink of rubbish, but I'm also caked in mud. I lie still for a second; the wind knocked out of me. I must reach the treeline unseen, and then I'm safe. Well, for now I am. I scan the wall and, deciding its safe, I turn and make a beeline for the forest. Once I'm out of sight of the watchmen, I take a moment to catch my breath. Going through the gauntlet was less challenging than this!

I move to travel deeper into the forest when a twig snaps behind me. The noise echoing in the quiet serenity of the trees. I whirl around and scan the treeline.

"Who's there?" I shout out loud. "Reveal yourself," I command with more courage than I possess.

Nothing.

Way to go Reya! Now you're imagining noises.

I fight my way through the trees, keeping as near to the road as I can without being in view. A long, deep howl echoes through the night, and I pause on hearing it, trying to work out the direction it came from. I question my sanity as I head toward the howling mutt. This will either be the most stupid decision I will ever make, or it will finally give me some answers.

As I trek towards the howling, more mutts join in, and the night fills with the eery echoes of its nightly predators. I spot glowing purple eyes in the distance and my heart pounds in my chest as I realise I'm getting closer. Two large eyes move through the trees and emerge about a hundred yards in front of me.

"Reya! watch out," screams a voice behind me and I turn to see a small pack of mutts racing in from the east towards me. My eyes must be deceiving me, as Saveya is standing across the clearing from me, yelling at me that there's a mutt gunning for me.

It all happens in slow motion. The mutts change their course, veering toward where Saveya is standing instead. My mouth drops open in utter horror as I scream for her to run. She spins on her heel and runs back in the direction she came from, but one mutt is faster than the others and it leaps and knocks her to the ground.

"Stop! No!" I scream as I race after them. I see the moment the mutt latches on to her and searches her mind for her fears. I reach out and grab at the back of the mutt's large, muscled head and it turns snarling.

"Leave her! Let go!" I order it firmly as I physically shake. It could take my hand off in one swift bite. "Please, don't hurt her," I beg.

The mutt tilts its head and sniffs my way, before it releases Saveya and backs away from us.

"Saveya!" I cry out, as I fall to my knees beside her and lift her torso onto my lap. "Saveya!" I scan her body and my heart falls when I see where the mutt has bitten her. "No, no!" I gaze towards the sky and pray for a miracle

"Raegal!" I scream out into the night. "I need you!" It's futile, I know it is. He's far away, so how can he possibly hear me out here in the woods? Yet, I still feel the need to call out for him. "Mother Goddess, I beg you to save her for me. I'll give you anything."

Saveya whimpers and her eyes flutter open. "It hurts," she cries out as her body contorts in pain. I can't go through this again. I can't watch someone I care about die like this. I'm transported back to my mother's final moments and Raegal telling me that only a Night Borne can extract the venom.

That's it! "Saveya, I'm going to make it better. I promise," I assure her. Even if this could work, I have no idea how to go about it. I think back to the time Arkynn was bitten by a snake and the labourer who came to our aid sucked the venom out with his mouth. But if that worked, Raegal would have saved my mother.

Think Reya!

How would someone with night magic remove the venom?

I place my hands over the wound, and I close my eyes.

"Asterin, the god of night and stars, if you can hear me and I'm one of your kin. Please help me heal her. I'll do anything you ask of me."

I clear my mind and picture entering her bloodstream. I picture the dark, thick venom and tell my mind to search for it. My breath stutters when a vision of the venom travelling up her shoulders towards her chest enters my thoughts; so I can reach out for the venom with my mind, pulling it towards me. It resists at first and it takes all my mental will to keep a grasp on it and pull it through her veins towards me. Slowly, it moves back through her body towards the point of entry. My brain hurts from concentrating so hard. It resists me every inch of the way and as it leaves her body; it pounces towards me, causing me to roll to my side and jump to my feet to avoid it. I watch, my heart pounding in my chest, as it slithers into the soil beneath us. Rushing back to Saveya's side, I check her veins for any sign of the dark venom; thankfully there is none. Leaning down and placing my ear above her heart, I listen, whimpering in relief when I hear it beating, albeit sluggishly. I think she's going to be okay. It's only then that I realise I am not alone. In fact, we are surrounded by a pack of mutts. They face outward into the dark forest as if they are protecting us. The adrenaline is wearing off, and I slump forward as exhaustion floors me. I blink, fighting my body's attempt to shut down. I need to get us out of here! As my eyes flutter shut and I slump forward onto Saveya's chest, I see a slither of shadows out of the corner of my eyes.