13. Saoirse

Saoirse

D awn peeped over the horizon as Vane led us through the winding paths out of the kingdom, after lending Xan some of my clothes. They didn't fit her well, my much larger frame making my clothes drape over her, making her look childlike, but she hadn't wanted to go back to the castle and risk getting trapped by a party goer or worse, our parents. Vane and I had cleaned up as best we could, but none of us wanted to delay this any longer.

If he was telling the truth, then we had a much bigger problem at hand.

The early morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of dewy earth. I'd always wanted to spend more time out here, but I never had, not willing to go out alone. In a way, my life behind Lanthus walls was like a prison.

Vane led us with purpose, his every step perfectly placed, surety in his movements as he steered us along. It had occurred to me that maybe he was leading us to our sudden death in an elaborate way to kidnap the royal heir and stick it to my father, but if that were the case, I don't think he would have saved me when Jephyr attacked.

I watched him as he moved, the way his shadows glided freely along his skin, peeking just barely underneath the sleeves of his shirt. His now black eyes were focused, his steps steady. If I hadn't already known, I never would have guessed he had been on his way to the afterlife just hours earlier.

I didn't know what to make of him. On one hand, he had saved my life, and for that, I was grateful, but on the other, he could kill me in the blink of an eye, and it may benefit his cause to do so. If our parents had been sending out guards to attack his people, it was more than certainly an attempt to find their half of the shard. Could he be trusted at all?

Xan and I followed closely behind him, our footsteps nearly silent on the soft ground—hers more than mine. It had become quickly apparent that I did not spend much time outside, as I struggled with my movements clumsily, in stark contrast between the two of them.

"Just step where I step," Xan said, keeping her eyes trained on Vane's broad back, her arms always down by her side, ready to flare at a moment's notice. Her hand drifted to her hip then steadied, and I knew she was missing the thin blade she usually had strapped to her sheath. Flaring was great from a distance, but up close it became a much more unpredictable weapon, and a very liable one to injure yourself with if you got too close.

"How much further is it?" I asked. I did my best to keep my voice steady and not sound like I was huffing and puffing, but I'm sure they could hear my fatigue. Baking was my happy place, not out in nature, and my endurance levels reflected that.

"Not much," Vane replied, glancing back at us. Even with his shadows disguising them, his gaze was still piercing. "The decay has been spreading much more rapidly than we thought. Once you see it, you'll understand. "

Xanthi nodded, resolute despite the tiredness that tugged at her features. "If this is a trap, Darkwing, I will kill you."

He cut a glance at her, his steps never faltering. "You could try."

We walked in silence for a while, the rhythmic sound of our footsteps and rustle of leaves the only thing breaking the silence. As we traveled further and further from the city walls, the landscape gradually began to change. The lush greenery of the surrounding forest slowly faded, first in denseness, then in color, the vibrancy giving way to browns and grays, the trees becoming thinner and sparser, the ground more rocky and uneven.

"How long has this been happening?" I asked, my heart sinking as I looked at the land that was clearly already beginning to decay. My heart dropped as we continued further. If we were still walking, it meant he still had something to show us. How much worse could this get?

"Years," Vane replied grimly. "As long as I can remember. At first, it was small. We weren't even sure it was expanding, but then it became obvious, spreading more and more as each day passed. We tried everything we could think of to stop it, but nothing has worked."

Vane led us through a narrow pass, the path widening as we approached. "Where are we?" I asked, struggling to keep the breathlessness out of my voice. Xan cut a sharp gaze to me, then softened as she remembered I rarely ventured outside of the walls.

"This is the way to our farms," she said softly. "The lands that border Sol are quite fertile, and we've always used them to grow the food that feeds most of the kingdom."

A few minutes later, we arrived, Vane coming to a halt as Xan and I looked out. She couldn't help her gasp, and I struggled to comprehend what I was truly looking at. It was far worse than I had imagined.

Crops lay wilted and blackened, like the life had been sucked out of it, barren and desolate. The air itself seemed heavy with decay, a faint, acrid smell hanging over the land. For every section of deadened crops there were miles more of healthy, green vegetation, like a line had been cleanly drawn through the dirt, one side alive, the other dead.

Xan and I exchanged a horrified glance. "This is… this is terrible," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Vane stopped at the edge of the fields, his expression grim. "This is what we're fighting against," he said, his voice low and filled with emotion. "And this is why I need your help. We have to fix this, for everyone's sake. My scouts have seen your father visit these fields many times over the last few weeks, and he's pulled workers off the crops, sent them to other areas where the decay isn't visible. No one comes out here but him now."

"Why wouldn't he say anything?" Xan frowned, her arms crossing over her chest. She wasn't really asking us, more talking aloud as she contemplated the situation. "This is a problem for everyone."

She was right. It made no sense that they would know of something that has been spreading for years, and not say anything. What good does it do to keep the information from the public?

"I have no idea. We tried to send a messenger once, to make peace and solve this problem together. He never returned." Vane turned to us, looking us dead in the eyes. Cotton bloomed in my mouth as I swallowed drily under his scrutiny. "Getting that shard is our best bet to stop this."

"How can we fix this when we don't even know what's causing it?" I asked helplessly. We were only three people, and one of us had zero magical ability. "How do we even know the shard would work?"

"We have to at least try, don't we?" Xan mused, seriousness etched in every pore of her face.

I stepped forward, kneeling to touch the dry, cracked earth. My heart broke for the land, the pain it must feel, with no voice to say anything.

"Do you have any idea where the shard might be?" Vane asked, his intensity back in full force as he turned to us .

Xanthi looked thoughtful, eyes narrowing as she considered his question. "No. Let me start researching our library archives in the castle, and I'll ask around as incognito as I can. I've explored every inch of that castle and I've never seen any sort of magical shard. I don't think it'd be smart if either of you were seen there."

After a brief glance at me, she turned to him, drawing up to her full height, and I glimpsed the queen I knew she would someday be. It would be a turning point for the Lightlace with a person like Xan at the helm. She would do whatever she needed for her people, even when it meant going directly against them. "We will help you, and we will keep your secret. But please understand that if we get caught, we could very well be put to death for treason, and I will not die for you. If I find out you are lying to us, I will burn you from the inside out."

His eyes widened, before a slow grin broke across his face, his shoulders almost sagging in relief at the threat. "Who knew the princess was so aggressive?" He turned to look at me, an expectant quirk to his brow.

I nodded my agreement, taking another look at the barren landscape, thinking about the mouths this food should have directly gone to. "We'll figure it out."

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I think it's better if I stay within Lanthus while we search." Because I don't trust anyone else. He didn't say it out loud, but still it hung in the air.

"You can stay with me," I voiced, my stomach twisting in an anxious knot, the thought of what we were planning to do wearing on me. It would be an awfully thin line we were treading. "There's not much space, but we can make do. I can't think of anywhere else that would be safe for you."

"For now," Xanthi continued, "we need to keep you hidden. Just blend in with Saoirse at the bakery. If anyone finds out who you are— what you are..." She paused, catching my eye as she did. She wanted me to understand what was really at risk here .

If she was caught, I don't think she would be executed. Not the crown princess and golden child. No, her look said something much more sinister.

Death for the both of you.