43. Saoirse

Saoirse

T hree days later, we stood on the outskirts of Lanthus, the castle a distant silhouette against the darkening sky. Vane's presence was a comforting weight beside me, as Maeve busied herself with tending to our supplies. She wasn't coming with us on the trek to Umbra, but she'd filled our packs with as much as we would need to make the trip safely.

Xanthi stood a few paces away, her gaze transfixed on the castle. I'd spent the last three days trying to convince her to leave with us. Her expression was a storm of emotions that I couldn't even begin to fathom. She turned to me, a sad look in her eyes, and I knew what she'd decided.

"You don't have to stay," I said softly, stepping closer to her. Once we get rid of the decay, we can start fresh, somewhere far away from here."

Her eyes hardened, sadness twisting her beautiful features. "I know. But I can't just leave. Not yet. This kingdom needs stability and Mother… I worry she's just going to make it worse. She was never fit to handle all the things that come with ruling a kingdom."

"That shouldn't be your burden to bear," I told her, my heart in my throat .

"No, but it is, anyway," she said with a small smile, before pulling me into a hug. I stiffened at first, the wounds on my back still healing even with the help of her powers, but then I let go, enjoying the embrace of the person I loved the most in the world.

"Once we get the shard from Umbra and we fix this, I'll come back to see you," I told her, squeezing her hand as we separated.

"Forever?" she said hopefully, her face brightening. My eyes cut to Vane, who stood chatting with Maeve as we loaded up the horses we would be riding. Vane wanted to fly, but we couldn't bring any supplies with us if we did that, and from what he had told me, his people would desperately need these. With the horses, it should only take us the better part of a day if we didn't take a rest.

Xan saw my gaze, a knowing smile on her face as she gave me one last hug. "Take care of yourself, Saoirse. And each other. I see the way he looks at you," she added.

"It's not like that," I muttered. What I had said still stood. I needed to figure out who I was, what I wanted, before I brought another person into my mess.

"Well, still. Be safe." She gave me a look that said she knew I was lying, but wisely held her tongue.

"We will," I promised, the lump in my throat a betrayal of my body when I wanted to appear strong. After a few more teary goodbyes, I turned to Maeve, wrapping the old woman into a hug.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for me," I told her, inhaling her comforting scent one last time. I'm not sure when I would come back, or if I ever would. There was nothing for me here any longer.

"I'm so proud of you, Saoirse," she said, gripping my hands tightly in hers as I pulled away. "I worry about you. You tell me not to, but it's hard to watch someone you care about struggle. This is the lightest I've ever seen you. I hope it continues. "

With that, Xan and Maeve departed, and so did we, setting off at a steady pace toward Umbra.

The trek to Umbra was so different from anything I'd experienced so far. We traveled in mostly silence, the landscape around us changing from the familiar warmth of Sol to the darker, more foreboding terrain of Umbra. The silence wasn't because I didn't want to talk to him, but instead because I was so focused on not falling off of my horse that I couldn't speak. The skies grew heavier with each passing mile, the sunlight gradually giving way to true night that marked the borders of Vane's homeland.

It felt strange to be out of my home city, to leave behind everything I'd ever known. But Lanthus had been a place of pain for me, but also familiarity, of routine. I knew the streets like the back of my hand, the way the sun warmed my skin anytime I went outside. But now, as we ventured further and further from its borders, unease settled into my bones. Nervousness at the unknown, at the glaring potential that I could have been making a mistake.

The air grew colder as we moved deeper into Umbra territory, a chill seeping in that I had never experienced before. We never really had a true winter in Sol, the sun always shining and warming us up. Here, the moonlight was our guide, casting eerie shadows across the barren land. I marveled at the object in the sky. The land here felt different, as if it was holding its breath.

Would the Heartshard reverse all the decay that had already been inflicted upon the earth? Or would it just stop the process, and Vane's people would still have to live in a land that couldn't sustain life ?

If that was the case, maybe we'd be making the trip back to Lanthus sooner than I thought. We couldn't leave them out here to rot and slowly die off. With the king dead and only the queen in control, I'd bet we could get a deal worked out for them. A future in which they don't have to live in hiding from us.

The journey was long, and the hours blended together as we moved further into the darkness. The silence between us was heavy, but I didn't mind. There was a lot to process, a lot to think about, and I could tell Vane was just as deep in thought as I was. I'd left behind more than just a city; I'd left behind a version of myself that I'd rather forget.

"It's just up ahead," Vane called to me, giving me an excited grin as we got closer. He had wisely chosen to keep guard of the shard while we traveled, tucked securely in a pouch around his neck. Only someone with a death wish would try to take it from him.

It was cute to see him so happy to be home, and I wondered what his home was like. What his mother was like. It struck me that he knew so much about my life, but I knew very little about his. Did he have any other family? What was his role in the Darkwings? I knew nothing.

We approached the towering rocks that marked the Umbra Pass, and I marveled at the way it seemed to reach toward the sky like a jagged tooth. "There are a few entrances you can go through, but this one is easiest if you can't fly."

I rolled my eyes at the way he casually spoke, as if it was more normal that people could fly. As we drew closer, Vane reached out, his shadows reaching out to hover over the stone's surface. Shadows rippled over the rock, shimmering faintly before dissolving into nothingness, revealing a narrow passage that led to unknown depths below.

As soon as the rock opened, Vane hunched, his eyes narrowing as his shadows created an even wider berth around him. "Stay close," Vane murmured, his voice low as he guided me into the passage. Pitch blackness was immediate. I could barely make out spots for torches on the walls, but none of them were lit, apprehension coiling in my gut as we moved further in. Vane was on high alert; this wasn't normal.

At the end of the tunnel, the city of Umbra sprawled before us. It wasn't huge, but it was beautiful. Architecture that I hadn't thought possible. The buildings seemed to grow from the very rocks themselves, eerily silent and dark. The air was still, too still, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Vane's footsteps faltered as we stepped into the main square, and my stomach dropped to the floor, flip-flopping wildly. Bodies littered the floor, at least a dozen of them, all sporting a deep gash over their throats. Nearest to me was a young man, his dark hair matted with blood, green eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Dormant shadows lay like tattoos, decorating his arms. Vane's hand trembled, his jaw clenched tight as he broke into a run.

I chased him, winding through the streets, wincing every time I saw a body. Judging by the size of the city and amount of bodies, I didn't think this could possibly be everyone who lived here. Somewhere, there had to be survivors, and I held onto that hope, for Vane.

"Vane, wait!" I called as he rounded a corner way ahead of me, but he was too far gone, and I knew he must be running to find his mother. I followed the sound of his footsteps until we came to a small stone house nestled against one end of the cavern wall.

He was already inside, the door ajar, swinging slightly on its hinges. My heart sank as I saw the telltale signs of a struggle—deep gouges in the wooden doorframe, and the unmistakable scent of copper lingered in the air.

Vane's shadows were already stretching out in all directions, searching frantically. "Mama!" he shouted, his voice cracking as he called out, desperate .

The small house was already in disarray, furniture overturned and broken, blood smearing the floor. Our eyes saw the figure at the same time, a slim ankle poking out from behind a corner.

For a moment, I thought it was her. But as we drew closer, we saw it was a man, his dark hair matted with blood. Vane's breath left him in a rush, relief that this wasn't his mom, but even more worried.

"She's not here," Vane's voice was deadly, strained.

My stomach twisted as I looked around. The houses we had run past looked normal to me, none of them disturbed to this degree. "They were looking for something," I realized. Blue eyes met crimson as I asked, "Vane, where is the Darkwing shard?"

His eyes widened, running to another room in the house, rummaging through the fallen furniture. I knew by his rage-filled roar that it wasn't where it should have been. "She's not here," he repeated, stomping back in with me. "She could have taken it with her."

"Or," I said, not wanting to say the words, but needing him to be prepared for all outcomes. "whoever did this took her, and now has the Darkwing shard."

He was wild when he turned me, bordering on madness in his rage. "Who could have done this? It is not easy to get into the city."

"They used swords," I frowned, my mind racing with the possibilities. "And all of them had their throats cut."

Vane paced back and forth, like an animal in a cage, his finger coming up to touch his chin as he thought. "Ocea," he said with finality. "I've never seen one do magic on this scale, but how else could they have controlled this many Darkwings without using their hypnotic magic?"

"Kian and Len?" I asked, not wanting that to be true, but after the trial, they'd disappeared.

Vane considered my words, his jaw tightening. "Let's look around, see if we can find anything that will tell us where the rest of the city went. That wasn't even close to being everyone. "

I left him to search the house, opting to check on the street. I walked a little ways down, stopping in front of what had looked to be their version of a park in the underground. Chalk drawings littered the free space along different rocks that had been carved to resemble slides and balance beams. A small form caught my attention, caught between a building and a bush, and bile rose in my throat at the little girl's body. The child who would never have a future.

Her eyes were open, and I knelt, shakily reaching out. My hand flinched at her cold skin, a tear running down my face as I slowly slid her lids closed.

Then, a firm hand gripped my upper arm, hauling me backward against the chest of somebody solid and muscled, their larger frame dwarfing mine. An arm came around to crush my windpipe, and I staggered back a few steps, trying to remember my lessons from Vane, but whoever held me was much stronger than me. My oxygen supply was quickly running out, stars dancing across my vision.

I looked frantically, not sure that Vane had heard my scream or would even get here in time before this person killed me. I tried to elbow him, wriggle against him in any way I could to get him to let go, but it was no use. He staggered forward a few steps with my struggling, and my foot kicked something hard, and very solid.

I pushed against it with all the strength I could conjure, shocked when he stumbled back and began falling backward. With a crash he hit the ground, his arms releasing me just enough that I was able to elbow him, coughing and spluttering for air as I tried to get away. An icy grip wrapped around my ankle and I looked back at the shadows that held me.

Darkwing ?

They pulled, dragging me in as the figure stood. He was clothed head to toe in black, a familiar hood and mask covering his head.

This was the same Darkwing that had murdered the King Nerilin .

I screamed again, but it wasn't necessary, Vane running around the corner. His shadows were ready for his command, surrounding him in inky black tendrils as he launched them at my attacker. They sped at the man in record time, so fast he didn't even react as the shadows pushed, knocking him off his feet with a wicked crunch.

The stranger's grip on me lessened as he was thrown off guard, and I scrambled up, running as quickly as I could back toward Vane, behind him where I knew he could protect me.

Instead of attacking again, the stranger got to his feet with the help of his shadows. My eyes darted between the two men, wondering why they'd both stopped. Vane's chest rose and fell in rapid succession, but he made no move to go after the man.

Slowly, the man reached up, lowering first his hood, then his mask. He was tall and muscular, and much broader than Vane. High cheekbones framed his face, a set of long, full lashes decorating his crimson eyes, a thick beard hugging his jaw. A small cut bled from his lip, dripping onto his bronze skin as he looked from me to Vane, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Ryker," Vane said flatly, easing his fighting stance and crossing his arms over his shoulders. I relaxed only slightly. Even if Vane knew this man, I bet I had the bruising on my throat to remember this encounter for at least a week, and it wouldn't be so easily forgotten.

"Hello, brother." He grinned, revealing sharp, white teeth. "Welcome home."