24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Malakai

H umans were fascinating. And not just them—everyone who lived in this giant, gray, and noisy world had such fortitude and tenacity that I couldn't help but admire them.

I'd never spent so long outside of my grove. On the fourth day, I was starting to feel the effects of being here for so long—the weakness, the yearning, the apathy. On the seventh day, came the pain. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be—I had heard tales from others who had been stranded and suffered in an unbearable agony that only increased with time. But all I felt was a dull, frustrating ache.

A soft flutter of wings pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to the owl perched on the branches of the nearby tree. The sky was a dull shade of blue, bleeding into magenta with the dusk approaching, but as it had been for days, the forest was quiet. There was barely anyone patrolling on the edges of Roman's territory, their forces concentrated around the camps. It was a smart move, the ward would have warned them if the witches came.

I had taken it upon myself to keep an eye on the outside world since there seemed to be nothing else for me to do. I didn't mind them disregarding my presence or not asking for my opinion on their plans—they knew me as the Fae prince who came drunk to meetings and whose people rarely got involved in anything, even if their support could save lives. I hadn't earned the right to voice my opinion. I was surprised I was even invited to their little assemblies, but I suspected that was more out of politeness. So the least I could offer them for their hospitality was to watch their backs before my body withered from the lack of magic to sustain it.

The owl cooed, and I frowned.

"Which way?" I asked. Its giant eyes stared at me unblinkingly until, finally, it turned its head west. "Thank you." I nodded before heading that way. I didn't run, the bird hadn't seemed all that concerned, so there was no immediate danger coming this way. Still, I let my senses sink into the ground, listening to its whispers and tells.

It was much harder to do it out here, where the trees and the earth were hardly alive. But they listened, and they replied, compelled by my power.

‘More, more,' they whispered, urging me forward. ‘Humans. Fire. Blood.'

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Blood. Could it be that they were hurt? Or that they ran into one of the shifters and hurt them? I had already exited the safety of the ward and the others knew better than to venture beyond its protection without a good reason. Roman's security measures protected the place from other dangerous creatures with malicious intent, but humans and vampires could still enter. The first I doubted he considered a threat and the second… magic did not work on them, so there were very few things that could stop them.

‘More,' the earth whispered, its roots repositioning themselves as if to point me in the right direction. ‘North. Blood.'

With every next step, their voices grew louder, urging me on. I smelled the blood before I saw the people, but it wasn't until I caught the sharp, sweet scent of magic and earth that I stopped. The realization shocked me as much as terrified me. This wasn't a shifter's blood or a human's. It was Fae's.

My movements were soundless while I maneuvered between the trees and low bushes, drawing closer and closer to the source. A female shriek had me freezing in my tracks, the sheer agony in it making my skin bristle. Before I knew it, I was running, my clothes catching on brambles and shrubs and tearing off with a loud noise.

‘Death is near,' the ground whispered, its voice quipped with sorrow and a strange sort of anticipation. ‘Feed the earth… feed the earth…'

I staggered from between the trees, eyes going wide at the sight before me. There were three of them, humans judging by the smell, but not the kind that I'd heard liked to camp in the woods to connect with nature. Tall, broad, and dressed all in black, they stood out like sore thumbs among the beautiful meadow with blue flowers and knee-high grass. Most of it was stomped, and a large section was even burned to clear space for their camp.

Blue blood was smeared everywhere, the stench of it making my insides churn.

I didn't see the Fae at first—I was too focused on the hunters who rose to their feet the moment they spotted me. Surprise was etched onto their faces, but it lasted only a second before they grinned.

"Well, boys, we might be the luckiest people alive. Not one, but two of the pointy ears in just two days," one of them said, spitting on the ground. "This one has no wings either. Pity."

"He's High Fae," another smirked, unclasping something from his belt. The flames of the fire slid over the shiny blade and he grinned. "We'll gain a lot of benefits if we can get him back in one piece. It has been decades since they got one of those at the Headquarters."

The smile of the first widened, but the third one sneered.

"The ward has been up for over a week, so if he's here, he hasn't been to their grove. He'd be dead in a few days, tops. I'm surprised he isn't already."

They exchanged a quick look before nodding in an eerie unison. When the first one moved, he bared his teeth, half of which seemed to be made of metal. I frowned, balling my hand into a fist. I didn't want to hurt other living beings, regardless of their race, but if they had one of my own with them… I wasn't leaving without them.

"I guess we'll have to do a few experiments here, boys."

Disgust squeezed my throat, followed by an all-consuming anger.

"I'm afraid I'm not in the mood for experimenting," I said flatly, glancing at the whimpering heap behind them. With their bodies blocking the view, it was hard to see much of her, but I spotted blue hair and a torn dark brown tunic. "I'm going to ask you politely to return my people to me. Otherwise, I'll be forced to hurt you."

The three hunters burst into laughter while I took the moment to study them closer. They had to be shifter hunters, judging by the silver knives and guns they carried, but the runes on their skin suggested they had some protection against magic too. Most Order members specialized in hunting only one type of creature, but some branched out in more.

Not that it mattered. The hunters of my kind were not too big of a threat to us since they couldn't enter a grove and weren't familiar with even half the Fae that dwelled there. And they were most definitely not equipped to deal with me .

"Is that a no?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. The body at their feet whimpered again, rolling to her side and exposing her back. The air whooshed out of my lungs as I stared at the old scars where her wings must have been cut off, now newly reopened along the visible part of her skin. Her flesh was mangled, hanging in pieces while blood seeped from the wounds.

There weren't many Fae that could survive this kind of mutilation. And only one in my grove.

Myra.

Bile rose in my throat and I took a step closer, needing to see her face to make sure it was her—or maybe to make sure it wasn't. I had sent her to Roman that night, thinking I was saving her from the danger in the grove. I figured she'd returned straight away, so I didn't search for her when the ward was raised, thinking that she was at least safe back home.

The hunters moved as one, their speed deceptively inhuman, but I had no more patience left for them. I needed to get to her. I needed to check the damage and… and… do what? She wouldn't survive outside the grove even if she wasn't hurt. She could probably last longer than most Fae because, with her wings gone, she didn't have much magic to begin with. Still…

"Take care of them," I told the forest, letting some of my stored energy pour into the earth beneath them. The whispers rose, eagerness pulsing through every living thing surrounding us. Roots shot out of the ground toward one of the men, wrapping around his ankles. The second one dodged the attack, jumping over them, but once his feet hit the dirt, he sank up to his thighs like the hard earth had turned into quicksand. He roared in frustration, pulling on the high grass in an attempt to drag himself out, but the forest didn't let go.

The third one paused, hesitation flickering in his eyes. He withdrew a dagger from the belt on his waist. A moment later, the blade was flying toward my face.

I didn't move, just waited for the branches to intercept the weapon's trajectory. The metal embedded itself into the bark, wiggling up and down before the tree cleared my path.

More roots shot out of the ground, upturning the soil and flowers, while branches coiled around his arms. He tried to grab for me when I moved past, but his hands were promptly yanked behind his back. A loud crack echoed through the valley when his bones snapped, but I ignored his scream of pain.

My heart galloped in my chest as I stopped next to the bleeding female, my breath coming out in sharp rasps. I hadn't realized how truly bad her injuries were until I kneeled for a closer look. There were slashes and burns all over her skin; one of her eyes was swollen shut and the tip of one ear was cut off. There were so many wounds on her that her body had stopped healing itself.

I reached for her cheek with a trembling hand.

"Oh, Myra," I whispered, my voice shaking as I watched the lid of her good eye flutter open. When she finally focused her gaze, she sucked in a surprised breath.

"Your H-H-Highness?" she whispered, raising her hand to touch me as if she wanted to make sure I was real. She lost her strength halfway, and her limb fell, but I caught it before it touched the ground. Careful not to press on the raw flesh where her nails had been torn, I squeezed her fingers gently and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"I'm here," I said. "You're safe. It will be f…" The words refused to leave my mouth. I couldn't lie to her even if I wanted to, and the realization cut deeper than the hunters' blades ever could. So I just repeated. "I'm here."

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she let out a quiet sob, followed by an even quieter whimper.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her fingers tightening around mine. "I shouldn't have waited for you. I wanted to… make sure…" She stopped, wincing again, and her hold on me loosened. For a moment, I thought she passed out, but then she continued. "...you were safe. Both… of you."

"We were," I told her, looking her over again. I needed to get her back. I needed to heal her and…

A roar of frustration came from behind me, and Myra shuddered with fear. I glared back at the hunters just as one of them slid something from his pocket and threw it our way. Another tree shot to intercept the weapon, but this time, it didn't sink into the bark. It bounced off, falling to the ground and spilling a cloud of dust.

My skin burned when the first specks reached me, and I held my breath. Sliding my arms under Myra as gently as I could, I picked her up and stepped away from the spreading powder, gritting my teeth in rage while I stared at the struggling hunters. I couldn't allow the iron to touch Myra, not with her flesh so exposed. There would be absolutely nothing I could do for her then, not once it entered her bloodstream.

"Kill… them," Myra said, and I looked at her in shock. "They will… follow you if you… don't. They won't… stop. They never… stop."

Her eyes drifted closed and her head fell against my chest. If it wasn't for the slow beats of her heart, I would have thought she had expired.

"She got that right, you filthy scum!" the one that was stuck in the ground spat, his face red from the effort of freeing himself. "We will never stop! Not until we exterminate all you abominations!"

I looked at the other two, searching for fear, for hesitation, for even the slightest hint of remorse. I found none. Just a thirst for blood and death.

"Then you leave me no choice," I said solemnly, ignoring their bitter laughs.

"You think you'll scare us with branches?" The one with roots around his legs spat. He had managed to cut through half of them, his hands and feet bleeding from his own blade. "Your tricks won't stop us!"

‘Feed me,' the forest begged, and I winced at the request. But it had helped me, it had protected me and while my magic couldn't fully fuse with it, I could still give back in return.

"Then they are yours," I said, taking another step away from the group.

The screaming started even before I disappeared among the trees, curses and shouts of panic and pain filling my ears. The earth shook. I heard them trashing and fighting against the roots dragging them beneath, but even without looking, I knew it was pointless.

When the yelling abruptly ceased, the forest seemed to sigh with contentment. As if woken by the sound, Myra shifted, her eyes opening again.

"How are you… alive?" she asked in a voice dripping with effort and ache. "You have so much… magic. You need the… grove more than… anyone." She stared at me with worry, but I had no answer for her.

"I do not know," I admitted. "Finally, something useful has come from all this power."

Myra let out a soft chuckle. "I thought maybe…" She paused and didn't say anything for several long seconds, but then seemed to come back awake, continuing, "...made a grove for… yourself. That's what… the prophecy…said, wasn't it?"

My step faltered, and I stopped, staring at her with an open mouth. Her good eye stared back, half closed, as if she was drifting away again.

The prophecy. The prophecy said I would have the power to extend the grove to the entire continent if I wanted to. To turn this land into a home for the Fae, to claim it for our own once and forever. I had refused to do that, to take so much away from all the other races, but maybe… just maybe…

"Myra," I whispered, tightening my arms around her. "I have a task for you."

"Your H-H-Highness?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "I'm not sure… I can…"

"Please." I closed my eyes. "Please, accept this one." When I looked at her again, she was smiling—or I thought she was, her face was too swollen and bruised to tell for sure. She nodded. "Hold on. Don't die on me. I will save you."

The words rolled easily off my tongue this time, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes, Your Highness," she whispered, tightening her fingers on my blood-soaked tunic. "As you wish."

I brought her closer to my chest, holding tightly as I broke into a run. I didn't have to ask the forest to assist me this time. As if sensing my urgent need, it made way for me. Within minutes, I was back in the garden behind Roman's house, looking around frantically.

The earth here was rich and full of magic, some leaking from the secondary ward that protected this place, some born from the herbs and the care this place received. This… this would have to do.

"What…" Myra started, but I hushed her as I walked around, searching for the right spot. I didn't want it to be too close to the building, but I needed it to be inside the garden. Just a small section would do. Enough for one. Maybe two.

Moving past a fountain of a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair, I stopped by a tall, overhanging tree that seemed to be bent over with age. Its trunk had twisted around itself, the bark turning gray in places. I set Myra down as gently as I could, wincing alongside her when she hissed in pain.

"Stay here," I told her before circling the tree. Despite the smell of rot and withering leaves, it was healthy. Alive. "Good." I put my hand on the bark, closing my eyes as I reached for its heart.

I could only hope this would work. There was no way to tell what would happen to me if it did or didn't. But I knew that I'd never forgive myself if I let Myra die in my arms like my brother did. Myra, who had been like a little sister to me; Myra, who had been the only friend who was never afraid to speak her mind; Myra, who had been tortured and mutilated again—this time, because of me.

"Please," I whispered as I sank to my knees, digging my other hand into the earth. I called to it, begged it, fed it with magic I had borrowed from the grove. I didn't take anything this time, I just offered more and more until I heard its voice.

‘As you wish.'

My magic was siphoned from me violently, but there was no pain. It flowed with ease, pouring into the tree as its roots and branches started to shudder. The air turned heavy and sweet like honey, the ground trembling while the weak, sparse grass disappeared beneath stalks so vibrant that I had to blink several times to make sure I was seeing properly.

I looked around, eyes going wide as more plants broke the surface, rising and spreading with staggering speed. The flowers and herbs that fell within the range of the grove twisted and changed, their petals turning brighter, bigger, more aromatic. Magic crackled in the air and with another jerk, the earth pulled the last of my magic out, leaving me heaving breathlessly.

This one did hurt. It felt like someone had thrust an iron dagger into my stomach and was slowly cutting me open. Yet, I saw no blood, no wound, no trace. Just a strange type of weakness that made me tremble like a newborn foal.

‘Will this kill me?' I thought, not even realizing I was talking to the tree.

‘No,' it replied, its voice changing to something more familiar, something ancient yet new. Something magical. ‘You're the one that was promised. The earth bends to your will.'

The words echoed, not just in my mind, but in the air around us, then all of a sudden, the connection between us was severed. Delicious air filled my lungs as if I had been allowed a breath for the first time in hours. The weakness remained, but with my knees in the grass and magic filling the space, it was like I was back in the grove.

And in a way, I was.

A sniffle on the other side of the tree reminded me why I was doing this—who I was doing this for. I crawled around the massive trunk, stopping next to Myra's body. She had managed to sit up straighter, her eye wide with awe. She looked even paler, the ground beneath soaked in her blood .

"The prophecy was true," she whispered, meeting my gaze. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but this time, they were not of pain or fear, I was sure of it. She reached for me and I took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm glad I was… alive to witness this… Your Highness," she said, choking on a sob. "You are truly… the best of us. May you…"

"You are not going to die," I said sharply, touching her cheek. The tree started to untwist its body, forming a hollow right behind Myra. "You are going to sleep. And when you're healed, you're going to come out. I'm not losing another person I love, Myra."

Her lips quivered, and she nodded.

"I trust you," she whispered as the hole behind her grew large enough for her to fall through. Roots shot up, wrapping around her carefully and easing her into the trunk. "Be safe until I… return."

"I will," I forced a smile to my face, holding her gaze as the tree took her, twisting its body again until it returned to its original position. I exhaled slowly, trying to calm my racing heart. She'd be fine. She had to be fine. The earth would heal her just like it did when Celeste returned her, just like it did for many of our people who were hurt outside our borders. She'd…

"M-M-Mr. Malakai?" a voice spoke from behind me and I jumped, eyes going wide in surprise. I hadn't even realized anyone else was around until I spotted Chester standing just outside the line where the vibrant colors of the grove met their dull counterparts in the human world.

He was wearing a pair of gardening gloves, one hand holding a bucket filled with fertilizer, and for once, he looked utterly bewildered. Getting to my feet, I dusted my clothes, only to find out they were beyond salvaging.

"Erm, well." I cleared my throat. "It appears I'll be needing some new attire and perhaps a bath. Would you be so kind as to assist me with that?"

Chester looked like he couldn't remember how to speak. It only lasted a moment, though, then his expression smoothened, and he bowed his head.

"Of course," he said formally, leaving the bucket on the side of the path and slowly, pointedly, taking his gloves off. Once he set them down on one of the nearby bushes, he turned sideways, motioning toward the mansion. "Please, Mr. Malakai, follow me. "

"Thank you," I said awkwardly, leaving the safety of my new grove and following him down the path.

"About that… tree," he said after we were almost on the other side of the garden.

"I'm going to talk to Roman about that," I said quickly. "And take full responsibility." Chester nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "However, I'd advise against going anywhere near it until I put some… protections."

The older man turned his head to look at me, his expression one of exasperation.

"You don't get to be my age by being a fool, Mr. Malakai. With a vampire for a Master and a house full of magic, I learned long ago the importance of steering clear of dangerous things." He faced forward just in time to open the door to one of the side entrances. "Please, this way. Watch your step and try not to drip too much blood over the rugs. I just had them deep-cleaned two weeks ago."