27. war

27

war

Rivian

The castle is eerily quiet when no one else is around. The rain that started just moments ago pitter-patters against the bricks and melts into the warm barks of the trees, while creating an ominous ambiance for us to enjoy as we follow Birdania into the castle.

Surely, she is hiding something, that is clear now. But friend or foe? That is the question.

She slips away into the great hall, her hair flowing a trail behind her as she makes haste of her steps. Her matching yellow dress signals us like an incontestable flare against the darkened rooms she travels in.

Troian stops us from getting too close, worried she might already know that we're on her trail.

"What if she's a distraction?" she suggests, turning to face me, her twin, my wife, and Kacian all huddled around.

She's right. This could all be a ploy to lead us away from who we're really after.

"In all honesty, we're not even sure what to expect right now," Lucynda chimes in, careful to raise her voice while still tucked into me.

"We could just be following around a lost puppy for no reason at all. We have no idea what we are even looking for," Troian adds on to my wife's theory. Her voice sounds a bit disappointed. Maybe because dejection swarms her at the idea that this could all be for nothing or maybe because the person she'd been cozying up to might, in fact, have some part to play in all of it.

"We're looking for someone to fucking blame for this mess. And whoever it is has us running around like morons." Travois is still shaken from the revelation that someone has been screwing with his head. It's messing with him because he thought he was stronger than to let someone intrude upon him.

"I say we still follow her, maybe we break off and we-"

"No, we are not splitting," I interject as Lucynda started to suggest a plan. "Travois has no mind of his own and I just got my wife back," I add on for good measure. There's no world where I am going to risk losing her again.

"Rivian, maybe she's right," Troian explains. "Maybe we can get ahead of whatever is in store. I'm sure that whoever is behind the treason, Trav's compulsion, and the truth behind Ameliana will show their face tonight. They'll want to ensure that Trav ends up paying for all of this, framed as intended. And maybe whatever else they have planned will all come to fruition. We have to be one step ahead." I watch my sister as she gives me reasons as to why we have to pursue this. And I know that we have to do something but I don't like the sound of this.

But I know she's right. I look over to Cyn whose head is hung in defeat. She tried to give a suggestion and I shot her down, not even giving her a chance to finish before I rejected her offer.

"Fine," I agree. "But my wife stays with me." I feel her eyes pull up to my face and I meet them. She has to know I won't let her go again but something tells me she needs me to.

"Actually, I'd like to finish my conversation with Travois." Lucynda steps up to face me with her request. I think about what they were talking about in the Gilded Hollow and grow curious to what the subject of their talk was.

"We'll be fine. Troian can go with you and Kacian can stand guard," she nods at him and he happily accepts her order.

I'm trying really hard not to do what I crave to do and argue with her request. But I have to let her have some say. I have to let her lead the way she deserves to lead and hope to God that it doesn't fail us.

"Okay." I sigh. I see the appreciation light up in her eyes as I allow her this request. But I despise that my wife won't be under my protection. "You follow the direction Birdania went and we'll go this way." I hook my thumb to the opposite direction. I don't know what will happen tonight. Everything has been left up to the unknown. But I have to believe that of any threat we may face tonight, Birdania might be the weakest of them.

"If you need me, if there's any trouble at all, just say my name," I whisper to her as I pull her into me.

"I'll be fine," she whispers back and leans up to kiss me. I miss her the moment she steps back but before I can protest, my sister is already eager to break off.

"If none of us finds anything within the next forty-five minutes, meet back here," she twirls her finger around the air to signal our meeting spot.

Travois steps back with Lucynda while Troy commands with her eye contact before looking back between the five of us. "If someone doesn't show up . . . it's war."

Lucynda

Back at the Gilded Hollow, Travois greeted me with a story. A memory. Or rather his knowledge of something I've been wondering for a while now.

I never really allowed myself the pain of holding on to the question, but it rattled in the back of my brain and now, as I realize I have no chance of getting any answer . . . it's all I've been thinking about.

Did my mother ever think about me when she was gone?

A lot of my heart break doesn't come from my abusive father. Or my bully sisters. It doesn't come from the lies I've been told or the way I've been used. It comes from the loss of someone I loved more than anything.

When I think about that feeling, I think about how Rivian must have felt. How I felt the same. How Travois was right about the both of us and how we each used that pain differently, manifesting it into who we allowed ourselves to become.

Now, in the aftermath of it all, Rivian has forced himself to truly forget the way it felt to experience that loss, and has completely shut himself to the idea that his shattered heart might be mended. I have no hope for closure. If Ameliana is truly dead, I will never know the one thing that will now torture me forever, and forever for a vampire is a very long time.

But when Travois approached me back at the party. He had something to tell me.

The first time he met Ameliana he penetrated her mind. He was curious about her and he didn't mean to intrude, but he did.

" You were there . . . in the center of her mind. You, me and Troian. We were all there," he had told me, recalling what he'd seen in our mother's thoughts. She was thinking about us. No specific memory, as I'm sure there weren't many. But she was holding us close.

That was the moment when he knew of my existence, he told me. And that's why he approached me at the masquerade party that night; he'd known who I was before Rivian even revealed me.

"Do you think she had a real reason for running from us all?" I ask Travois as we walk discreetly down the hallway behind the Great Hall, leading to a second set of stairs that descend to the basement.

"Why does anyone run, Lucynda? Only because they are afraid of something,” he answers me but I can tell this is the first time he doesn't really have much to say. There's no way of knowing what she's going through or what any of her motives are. The only way we'd ever know is if we got to ask her, but that time has come and gone.

"What happened to your hand?" I decide to ask him, switching the subject as we continue to travel through the hall.

"Have you ever felt that burning need to prove something to someone, and when you still feel the sting of rejection, all you can think about is ridding yourself of the pain?" He doesn't look at me as he speaks and I clench my jaw knowing exactly the feeling he's describing.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" he remarks. "I know you know it all too well, sister." He turns to look at me. "Let's just say I know what it's like to actually act on that desire for obliteration and unfortunately, I wasn't successful." I close my eyes, understanding what he's saying and hating that he endured whatever he'd gone through.

That feeling is hollow.

It brings me back to a memory Rivian had recounted of how he saved Travois, wondering if maybe he had saved him that time as well. I attempt to start to tell him the truth about the day in the ocean, but he interrupts me before I get a chance.

"Shh," Trav shoots his arm out to stop me from walking any further. "Do you hear that?"

I concentrate my ears, closing my eyes to try and listen to our surroundings. The only thing I hear is the parade of rain and thunder tangling outside the castle.

I lift my eyes to see that he's zoned in on whatever noise he hears and I wait for him to explain. "That," he says as he turns to look behind us to the direction he must have heard it come from.

"What are you-" I try to ask but he cuts me off. "That siren. It's getting closer and closer," he tells me.

Perplexity paints my face as I can't make out the same sound as him. I watch him to see that he's obviously hearing something I'm not and worry sets in.

We're stopped in the middle of the hallway that leads to the dungeon. Out of the corner of my eye I see a flash of yellow and immediately pull Travois to follow.

"Come on," I urge but he's planted in his position, trying to locate the sound. “Birdie went this way. Let's go." I try to pull him my way but he doesn't even respond and then without warning, he's brought to the ground.

" Agh, fuck! " Travois clutches his head in both hands, a look of agony twisting up his facial features.

"What's wrong?" I rush to his side as he falls to his knees, screaming and groaning in pain.

"Make it stop!" He tries to shout between the sudden torture he's enduring and I look around frantically to see if anyone is around.

"What is happening?" I question frantically as I watch him fold lower to the ground, gripping his skull and obviously being tormented by something or someone.

Suddenly, his cries stop and a blank stare falls from his dark eyes. Panic engulfs me as I step back, scared of what will happen next.

But before I can make any further move, my back bumps into someone's chest and a darkness covers my face.

I'm bagged and a voice I'm entirely unfamiliar with whispers into my ear through the rough fabric.

"Hello, my queen. Let's play a game." And then, my neck is snapped.

It's torture knowing that the pain from having your head spun around, cracking your spinal cord and shutting off all the lights, is something that you have to endure when you wake from the death that was intended.

I'll never get used to the aches and the anger that floods me when my eyes flutter open, knowing that someone clearly wanted me knocked out so they could transport me to whatever prison I'm being held in.

I sigh in relief when I see that my head is no longer covered, but gasp when I see Travois' seemingly lifeless body is laying mere feet in front of mine.

I check for chains. There are none. I am free to move, so I stand to my feet and analyze my surroundings. We have to be in Hollows Trace still. The same colored bricks and cold cement surround me, but I don't immediately recognize the area. The only thing different is the firepit off to the side.

I rush over to Travois but he's knocked out cold. His heart is still in his chest which gives me relief. Still, I'm frantic to get him awake, not knowing how long either of us have been out.

"There's no use," a voice echoes over me and I look behind me to see empty air.

I stand as I demand a reveal. "Who are you?" I turn around over and over to see if I can spot someone, but my eyes come up empty.

"You might not ever know." The ghostly response sends a chill down my spine as I find recognition in the female voice, not the same as the person who bagged me earlier. But the eeriness of familiarity causes me to shiver and I shake my head, not wanting it to be true.

"Don't be a fucking coward now," I taunt, raising my voice to dictate command and light laughter responds to me.

My head snaps to the direction of footsteps approaching and I see a figure dressed in a white, flowy dress step out from a dark corner.

It's just who I thought it was.

My mother.

I don't want to believe what I'm seeing. I thought Rivian told me they'd found a death certificate stating she'd been dead for at least ten years. But then how could she be standing in front of me now? How was I able to teeter with her heart in my hands the night I tried to kill her?

"I was told you've been dead," I state, taking a step back, cautious not to leave Travois out of my sight but not wanting to breathe the same air of this woman.

"Do I look dead to you, Lucy?" Her voice is maniacal almost, and a sadness layers her tone.

Her eyes pierce through the darkness, the exact same color as mine. Her long black hair is a blunt contrast to her dress and falls effortlessly behind her back as she takes a few more small steps toward me, causing me to stumble over my brother's torpid body.

"What do you want?" I regain composure and face her, feeling haunted by her eyes. But I'm entranced. This is my mother, and I can't help but feel the flood of emotions that overcome me as I realize just how close we finally are.

I could ask her the questions that I've been stuck with remedying on my own. I could get closure. But by the look on her face. That's not what she wants.

"You tried to rip my heart out from my chest, sweet girl. I didn't appreciate that." Her timbre is broken, like she's disappointed in me for the things I've done.

My head spins. I can't be sure of what to listen to. Everything feels light and dizzy right now, and I wish more than ever that my curse had an on or off switch that I could trigger. But it's gone and I have to muster the strength to handle this without hiding behind my twisted shadow.

I think, closing my eyes for a brief moment to think of anything that could bide my time.

Say my name.

My husband's instructions were clear. Call him if I were in danger.

"Rivian!" I shout, not caring about the consequences of my actions. "Rivian!" I chant his name just like I did that night I had called him to my old family home. He came within only a few seconds but now . . . he's nowhere to be found.

A chuckle from my mom reaches my ears and I glare at her in fury.

"Your king can't hear you from here," another voice says. This time, I recognize it as whoever snapped my neck.

I look behind me to face a man. A little shorter than Rivian, but I can't make out who he is. I don't recall ever seeing him before and if I have, I don't remember him. He steps out from the entry that rounds the corner and shoves his hands in his pocket.

"But I do expect he is on his way." The man steps closer to the center where I stand next to Trav, and a sinister smirk caresses his face.

I know this man . I know I've seen him before, but I just can't place where.

A moment of silence passes between the three of us. Ameliana's arms are straight at her side and seems to be focused on the body at my feet more than anything.

"Who are you?" I decide to ask, making eye contact with the man in front of me. I'm not hopeful that he'll answer me but I wait anyway.

He pulls out a small paper out of his back pocket and flicks it to me. It lands at Trav's feet so I reach down to get it.

I pull it into my line of sight and study it. It's a faded, discolored image of two men standing side by side. But I don't recognize either of them. I huff a frustrated sigh and look back up at the man.

"Is this supposed to mean something to me?" I ask with sarcasm laced in my tone.

He scoffs. "I suppose not," is all he says, and I toss the picture back onto the floor.

"What the fuck do you want?" I challenge.

"I want what's mine," he fires back quickly.

"I don't have anything that belongs to you," I assure him, trying to scour my brain for any memory of this man but I fall short.

A deadly glare falls from his beady eyes as he takes a step forward, threatening to enter my space. I step back in response, starting to feel hopeless and helpless to the scenario that plays before me.

"You won't find any recollection of me in that little mind of yours." He steps over Trav's body. "Here's the thing. Growing up, I never knew who my mother was. My father never spoke about her and I was forced to pretend like she never existed."

He still inches his way toward me. I look down, hoping that Travois will wake up soon. He's my only hope right now. I'm out numbered, and I don't know what will happen if I try and make a move, so I slowly walk backward trying my best to avoid both Ameliana and whoever this man is that stands in front of me.

"One day, I did a little snooping and found out that my mother was actually just some boring human girl that my father couldn't avoid helping himself to." His tone sounds bitter, like he's been upset this whole time that his mother was human.

"Why does any of this matter to me? I don't know you or your father," I say, trying to convince him to back off. Does he have me confused for someone else? Have we met in the past and that's where his face looks familiar from? And what the fuck does he have to do with my mother?

I look over at her and her body seems completely still as she keeps steady eyes on Travois, seemingly zoned in on his body.

"You're right, you don't know me or my father. But you do know Rivian and that's all the leverage I need to enact the last of my plans." Uncertainty paints my expression, still not understanding what is going on. I gasp when I feel the hard wall hit my back. I lay my palms out beside me to steady myself as he closes in on me.

"You see…" He swallows before finishing. "Rivian is also my father's son." It takes me a minute, maybe more, to comprehend what he just said.

"You're what?" Skepticism laces my tone. He's joking.

But he doesn't falter. He finally reaches the toe of my shoes and cozies himself up against me. I cringe and try to push him off me but there's no space for me to move my hands without risking him grabbing me first.

It's too much.

"You know what that means, right Lucynda?" His tone is teasing, forcing me to think about the unraveling of his confession, and then it hits me.

First-born male must rule.

I recall Rivian explaining that to me at one point. And then another conclusion.

He's a Royal. At least half.

"You were supposed to be the king…" I say under my breath, the statement is a culmination of the last few moments alone.

"That's right. But God forbid a ruler of Outsider blood be sworn to the crown," he finally takes a small step back as he waves his hands around in sarcasm, clearly peeved by the declaration. "And as it was, I had no anima vinculum and there was no rush for me to find a wife as my father's reign had just begun." A devious chuckle falls from his throat, his head falls back just an inch as he bellows the sound.

But without even blinking, he tips his head back down and pegs me with mania in his eyes.

"But it was me! I was supposed to be the king!" His roar frightens me, causing me to wince at the sound of his resounding voice.

"D-does Rivian know?" I try my best not to stutter over my words but the delirium of his timbre and the fixation bleeding from his eyes does petrify me.

He turns around to look at Ameliana, then eyes Travois. I could jump. I could penetrate his back and tempt to rip his heart from him that way. But I can't move, like I'm stuck. And that's when I notice that my mother's eyes are now on me. Almost as if she's holding me here.

He scoffs. "Rivian was too focused on his own trivial agenda to see the very downfall of his own being. But that's beside the matter at this point." My heart pounds against its cage, racing with anxiety. "What matters now is that I am here to take what belongs to me." He turns back to look at me.

Bile rises in my throat and layers the back of my tongue. I know what he's about to say. I know because I said something similar when I threatened to rip out my own mother's heart.

He opens his mouth and steps up to me once more, looking down and smiling devilishly. "I'll start by taking what belongs to him ."

"No-don't-" I try to push back but it's too late.

His hand is in my chest. My heart pressured in the palm of his hand. He squeezes and my gut chokes as I nearly bend in half. My lungs cry and everything burns.

"You don't have-" I try to plead, convince him that he can stop this now. But I sputter on my words, feeling blood rush everywhere except my heart. I can't breathe and everything starts to fade.

One yank and he'd take my heart.

He stares me down, laughter spilling from his mouth as he dips his head and smirks.

Footsteps sound from a distance, coming quicker and nearer.

"Ah, perfect. Right on time," the man says but he stays facing me and I don't have any strength to even peer over his shoulder to see who it is.

"Let her go, now!!" Rivian's voice reaches my ears and it's like coming to an oasis in the desert. But I can't be happy, the life is being squeezed from my body, and I have no energy left to fight against his hold.

"Mom? Travois?" I hear my sister's frantic voice follow behind. I can imagine she's confused at seeing Ameliana standing in the room, and worried about her brother's body in the middle of the floor.

I can't see either of them as the man in front of me doesn't move, focusing his eyes on me.

I hear another set of footsteps start to rush the opposite direction but I don't have brain power to wonder who it could have been,

"Don't touch him," the man shouts an order. Likely because one of the two tried to run for Travois. "He'll wake up just fine but not if you interfere." He spits his threat at them while still looking at me. His hand buried in my chest and not letting up the pressure he's putting on my aching organ.

"Let her go!" I hear Rivian's vehement command echo in my dizzy head as my eyes start to close.

"Is that an order?" The man in front of me quips, pulling an evil grin over his lips and turning his head slightly to face Rivian.

I hear a gasp fall from Troian's lips. "Zharus?"

And then a response, "Hello, brother."