44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

" W hy didn't I just stay with Eoin?" I toss a peanut to Cirrus. He cocks his head, and I imagine his response. ‘You know why. So you can perhaps steal the crown relic. The one the humans found in the rubble, and gifted Luc as recompense for saving the city. You should really look harder for it.'

I roll my eyes and toss another peanut at Cirrus. "I know, I know. It's probably behind those bricks with the sword. But all I want to do is sleep right now. I'm still so sad about. . ." My teeth click as I snap my mouth shut. I'm having an imaginary conversation with a raven. Perhaps I have lost my mind.

My door flies open, and Luc strolls in without a knock. "You're not going to believe it, Legs. I know where the next relic is."

***

"I don't understand why we couldn't bring a couple of swordsmen with us." Every time I close my eyes, I shake away images of dragons and crumpled bodies. Since Luc has never been to Mirkvale Cemetery, he had to phase us to the nearest town he's been to—Lornshadow.

We wander the streets for several minutes, looking for a cart or carriage to take us to the Mirkvale cemetery.

"She wouldn't let me." Luc flinches and looks skyward to the moon. "I mean, we're running out of time. The more bodies we have out here hunting for this thing, the more there's a chance of something going wrong or bringing too much attention to ourselves. Besides, it's not like we will have to go to the underworld again." Luc visibly shutters.

"Over there." I point to a tavern on a corner. "I bet carriages will swing by the tavern to take people home."

We walk towards the dimly lit corner. "I thought you and your men did great fighting the frygt at Ravton. I'm sure you'd be fine in the underworld again." I stroke his ego whenever I get the chance. It makes him far less grumpy and less likely to use his gift on me.

"You have no idea. Those things were the tame version of what I saw down there." He squeezes his eyes shut. "I can't even bring myself to think about my time down there. It makes me feel sick." He swallows hard.

"I saw you kill a dragon. I didn't even know those existed! And then you phased. I didn't think that was possible."

"Yes, well as I told you before, Legs. August stole that land from Helios and gave it to the humans. Now that the wards are down, I can phase there."

Just as I assumed, a carriage arrives and parks in front of the tavern. Luc convinces the man to take us out to Mirkvale but must pay handsomely.

I follow Luc into the back of the musty carriage and close the door behind us with a snap. Along the way, Luc frequently pulls the carriage curtain over to look at the night sky and mutters incoherently to himself.

His erratic behavior is becoming alarming, but I try to ignore it. Ever since the battle, he's different. He doesn't sleep much and takes late meetings in the city with unknown associates. The dark circles under his eyes are a permanent fixture, as is his unkempt hair. If this is what leading a court does to you, I'm not sure if I'd ever want a part of it.

The carriage comes to a stop, and the coachman lets us out. He rushes back to the driver's seat and whips the two horses frantically until they take off at full speed. I look over my shoulder, trying to see what he's so afraid of, but find nothing but the largest cemetery I've ever seen.

Lanterns and candles light up row upon row of haphazardly arranged headstones and mausoleums. The only thing that seems coordinated about this place is the consistency in color and texture of the tombs. The entrance to the cemetery is guarded by two reaper statues whose scythes touch overhead, creating an archway of sorts.

"What court are we in?" I ask, trying to get my bearings. The dirt road here is red, and the constellations have shifted.

Luc grabs my hand and pulls me through the archway before answering, "Litha."

A chill runs up my spine as we pass under the scythes.

"It's a shame we had to come at night," he says. "It's truly beautiful here."

Movement catches my eye as something darts behind a headstone. "Are they still mad about the wedding?" I keep my head on a swivel. I have the distinct feeling of being watched, but I'm still unsure what we are looking for.

"I sent a sizable gift and have met with Mazarine's father since the wedding. He remains a faithful ally to my court." Luc stops at a five-point intersection and looks down each path. Behind him, a raven lands on the statue of an angel.

"This place is too big," Luc says with a scowl. "We need to split up. The entrance to the relic should be visible under the light of the full moon." He starts down one of the five points and calls over his shoulder at me, "Yell if you find something."

"Wait!" I shout at Luc, but he's already turned out of sight. I know he heard me. My irritation is brief as the depth of my solitude overwhelms me. The vastness of the night sky seems to expand above me; billions of glittering stars twinkling for thousands of planets, one perhaps just like this one. I feel so small and alone.

I start down the path, eyes still scanning between rows and all around me. The dry crunch of my boots on dirt and stone feels unnaturally loud.

At once, I realize being alone out here isn't nearly as frightening as not being alone. I stop in my tracks and peer between headstones, eyes catching every shadow. My heart quickens as my mind twists shadows and rocks into frightful creatures.

I continue down my path, and the graves and headstones transition into shoulder-high tombs haphazardly placed along the path. A fluttering behind me startles me, and I turn around. A black raven cocks his head at me from atop a tomb, faintly clicking his little talons against the stone.

"Cirrus?" I ask cautiously. He caws once and then flies away. "Uh, I don't know what that means!" I turn around on the path and jump back, a small squeal escaping my lips. Red eyes peer at me from within the nearest mausoleum.

"It's just me." Razenna steps out towards me, wearing her black fighting gear. "Where are your weapons?"

I rush forward and hug her. She squeezes me tightly. "Luc didn't think we would need any for this relic, that it would be more of a challenge of wits and logic."

She pulls me back and looks at me incredulously. "Well, Luc is an idiot. Here." She pulls a blade from her boot and hands it to me. "Promise me you'll start carrying a blade on your person."

I promise her and tuck the blade into my belt. The cemetery feels far less frightening with Razenna here with me.

"So, what else does Luc know about this relic? The only thing I got from Cirrus was that it's here. August is on the west side of the cemetery. Cirrus went to alert him that I've found you."

My heart leaps at the sound of August's name. "August is here?" I can't hide the excitement in my voice. I hope I get to see him.

"Focus." Razenna scolds me.

"Oh, yes—the relic. Luc believes once we find the gateway, he can pass through and will have to solve a series of riddles or tests to receive the relic. I'm not actually sure why I'm here, except he said we would need two people."

Her eyebrows pinch together in agitation. "I don't like the sound of that. You need to stop trusting him so freely."

"I don't!" I snap at her, and it surprises us both. "I don't trust him," I say more calmly. "What am I supposed to do? I tag along with him, hoping he will get bored with me and let me go. I can't run away. He would find me, and where would I go? My home is destroyed, and the Prophet is already searching for me. After Ravton, I either can't sleep or I sleep too much. Everything is a mess."

"I'm sorry." Razenna's eyes soften, and she squeezes my arm. "That's normal after your first battle. I have a team in the library trying to find a way out of your deal with Luc. I told you, deals with the fae are tricky. But we will get you back to Selene if that's where you want to be."

"I do."

"Great. You'll be glad to know Lydia is missing." She jokes with me, but something about the statement doesn't feel right. "It seems she's just up and left."

The clouds above part, and golden beams of light cast down upon us. Cirrus crosses the gold-tinged full moon and continues circling above, still looking for August within the acres of tombs, graves, and buildings.

"Okay, so we are looking for a gateway or portal, it sounds like." Razenna is quick to action, swiftly walking down the path, scanning for anything unusual.

"Legs!" Luc calls for me somewhere in the distance.

Razenna grabs my arm. "I know you've been told this before, but please do not trust him. What you said in Astral's Promise made me realize something. Luc has been playing a much longer game than we realized. I don't think he wanted to open the borders between realms just to commingle with the humans. He wanted to get to that relic, and now the sheep have quite literally opened the door to the wolf."

"Legs!" Luc calls again.

"Go. I won't be far behind. I don't want him to know we are here if we can help it."

Luc calls for me again, and I head towards his voice, keeping a close eye on my surroundings and Cirrus above. August must be hiding well.

Luc stands at another intersection of pathways, staring straight ahead. "I think I've found something." He points to the old crumbling archway ahead of him and the two behind it. I've seen several like it here so far. They're not impressive, and most of them aren't even archways anymore, as they're missing far too many bricks and stones.

"I don't see anything." I stand back from him; the harsh shadows from the moon make him look like some sort of madman.

He waves me closer to him but does not move. "Here. You have to stand here." I slowly approach, and he moves over so I can stand exactly where he stood. I look at the archways as I slide into place. Slowly, the shadows cast by the archways fall in line, turning into one legible word across the dirt path.

Run.

My blood runs cold.

I turn to Luc, who looks very pleased with himself and is not at all bothered by the ominous message. "This doesn't seem like the kind of clue we need."

"There's more. Look at the base." Luc points to the bottom of the first archway. "Ah, wretched Anwir," he exclaims as dark shadows move across us and the archways. I look up to a single illuminated cloud passing across the moon. "I've had enough of your chaos."

"While we wait a moment, there's something I would like to talk about." He turns me towards him and takes my hand. I flinch before realizing he still has his gloves on. A flash of something crosses his eyes, but he continues. "I know you're struggling after Ravton. I have something that might cheer you up." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope, handing it to me. The seal of a bear has already been broken. I pull the thick parchment from the envelope, and it nearly takes my breath away. It is the most beautiful invitation I've ever seen, with gold foil, embossed lettering, and elegant script. "We've been invited to Raynor's famous Yule Ball. Would you like to go?"

"Yes, very much." My voice is barely above a whisper, and my eyes haven't left the beautiful invitation. "Can I keep this?"

"Hmm? Sure, go ahead." He's still looking at the archway as the clouds above once again give way to moonlight. "There!" He points to the base of the archway once more, and I see it. Carved into the base are two lines of faintly glowing symbols.

I approach the archway and squat down, running a finger across them. "What language is this?" I look up at the other two archways and see a similar pair of carvings at their bases as well.

"It's old Ophellish. They spoke it here in Ophellen when the gods still walked among us." He squats down next to me and runs his finger across the top line. "It says . . ." He continues in another language I don't understand. "It's a riddle. According to my research, I'll have to solve and open the first two archways before I can open the third containing the relic."

I look over his shoulder to the nearest mausoleum at a pair of red eyes. It doesn't startle me. I know it's Razenna patiently waiting, ready to come to my aid if she needs to.

"This first one, I already have an inkling of what the answer is. Each archway will have a beast or beasts that will need to be defeated or distracted while I open the next archway."

"You expect me to defeat the beasts?" I'm angry and irritated by his utter nonchalance in this situation.

"Of course not." He stands up and dusts off his hands. "I expect you to distract them." He pauses and gestures to the shadows cast by the three archways. "I expect you to run. You like running. Don't you, Legs?" His eye twitches as his grin widens.

"Not for my life!" My voice is shrill, and I look over his shoulder again. The pair of red eyes are gone. Where is Razenna? Luc turns away from me, faces the archway, and shouts in a foreign language.

I pull the dagger from my belt and step forward. I'm going to slit his throat.

One step. Two more steps, and I freeze. I can't get myself to move. I've never killed anyone.

My thoughts are cut short when the air between the first archway shimmers and refracts.

Slowly, several sets of long antennas pierce the filament and creep through the archway. The long bodies of two cat-sized centipede creatures crawl through the archway. Luc holds perfectly still as several more move from the archway to the open space between us. They move slowly, their long, wispy antennae waving through the air. They don't seem to see either of us.

They each have a set of long antennae that drag on the ground behind them and a pair of menacing-looking jaws. More antennae pierce the veil. I thought the ones in the cellar at The Snakebeard were creepy, but these make my blood run cold.

I step back hesitantly, and the head of each creature whips in my direction.

A slow smile spreads across Luc's face as he bends and picks up a rock.

You better not! I silently mouth the words at him, and he winks.

My eyes widen, and my heart skips a beat as Luc swings back and releases the rock in my direction. I hold my breath as the rock flies through the air and lands with a series of thuds across the dirt.