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42 AELIA

We walked for ages through the silent forest, not stopping for food or water. My back ached, and my muscles cried out for rest, but still, we kept walking. A tugging pulled at the knot in my chest. Was it calling to something? To the Well?

I tried to focus on my steps and not on Caiden behind me or Tharan somewhere far off, or the magical knot I had no way of controlling. We would have to stop eventually, and with Caiden and I tied together, we might be able to make a break for it. I scanned the forest floor for any herb I could use to poison them.

Alwin hurled the contents of his stomach up every so often. He would need a drink soon if he wanted to avoid the worst parts of withdrawal. He would be the easiest target. I just had to avoid Baylis seeing. She knew her herbs. She’d know if I slipped him something, but taking on Alwin would be our best bet. He was Erissa’s muscle. I could probably take Kita, even without my magic. Erissa and Baylis would be a different story. I wish Amolie were here to help me with a potion. I wish I were better at herbology. I wish my magic weren’t blocked so I could crush each and every one of these asshole’s heads.

When darkness fell, the forest came alive. Creatures called to one another in a preternatural language I could not identify —guttural clicks and clacks. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. We were in Night Folk territory. Why weren’t they attacking?

“I don’t like this,” Alwin said. “We’re not supposed to be here.”

“These creatures will not harm you as long as you are with me,” Erissa said, tapping her staff with the green stone on the end. A light lit within the rock

“And why is that?” Baylis asked boldly.

Erissa turned toward my sister. “Because they know their time will come when Crom rises again.” A feral look flickered in her eyes and her nostrils flared. “You would be wise to remember that.”

Baylis only nodded in response.

With darkness covering everything, I could barely make out the plants at my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I caught a streak of red. Rhubarb. Although put into many delicious pies, the leaves could leave one with a nasty case of food poisoning. And what luck, growing next to it: the purple-leafed valerian root. Feigning a trip, I tumbled to the ground, pulling Caiden with me. I started to cough and quickly grabbed some leaves and stashed them in my pants.

“Clumsy fool,” Erissa said. “Get her up.”

Alwin took the opportunity to hurl more bile into the nearest bush. The smell overwhelmed me, and I, too, heaved the contents of my stomach onto the forest floor. Acid burned my throat, and tears welled in my eyes.

“I need to relieve myself,” Kita said.

Erissa huffed. “Worthless… go.”

Baylis nocked her bow at us.

“Don’t try anything, you two. I could kill both of you before you made it to the next tree. That is, if the Night Folk don’t get you first.”

“Shut up, Baylis. I need them in one piece. I just healed them. I don’t have the ingredients to make another salve.” Erissa blew out a long breath. “Fine, we’ll camp here for the night.”

My gaze shifted between Erissa and Baylis. Was Erissa jealous of my sister or more annoyed she had another woman to deal with? Hmm… how could I exploit this?

“Are you going to let her talk to you like that?” I asked Baylis. “You’re basically the queen now.”

Baylis’s brows knitted as she considered my question.

“You’re right. I am the Queen in Waiting now. You should show me more respect. I doubt Gideon would be happy to hear of you treating me this way.

Erissa scoffed, pointing a long, elegant finger at Baylis.

“I made you, girl. Don’t forget that. I’ll take orders from you when dragons roam the sky again.”

Baylis stomped her foot into the damp soil but did not retaliate. She needed Erissa to get through the wilds. Still, the seed of discord had been planted between the two.

Alwin stood, wiping his mouth on his cloak.

“Go fetch us some wood for a fire,” Erissa ordered.

Kita returned, chest heaving. “They’re just watching us out there.”

“Yes, idiot, the Night Folk are always watching. This is their land, and we are being granted the privilege of walking on it. Now, tie these two to a tree and get some rest. We’re moving out first thing in the morning.”

Alwin tied us to a tree a short distance from their camp. Before he turned to leave, I whispered, “I have something for your stomach.”

“What?”

“Yarrow leaves to help with your stomach. They’re in my pocket.”

Alwin eyed me suspiciously.

“Why are you helping this oaf?” Caiden asked. “He should suffer for what he did to us.”

“He’s still a person, Caiden. I know what withdrawal feels like.” I nodded toward my pocket. “Go ahead, take it.”

Reluctantly, Alwin reached into my pocket, pulled out the rhubarb leaves he thought were yarrow and sauntered back to camp.

“Thanks for that,” I whispered.

“What’s the plan? I know those weren’t yarrow.”

“My hope is he gets violently ill, and then we can take out the other two.”

“And how do you propose that? We’re tied to a tree and have iron blocking our magic.”

“I’m working on it, but if I know anything about addicts, and I do, they do things half-assed to get back to whatever high they want. Alwin is a drunk and going through withdrawal. He will do anything to stop the hurt. I bet he didn’t even tie our ropes correctly.” I tugged on the ropes binding us a bit. They weren’t tight, and if we both moved in opposite directions, the knot would likely come undone.

“How do you know that?”

It’s what I would’ve done if I were going through withdrawal.

“Because his head is probably killing him. You’ve had a hangover before. Now, just imagine it being ten times worse. Your vision is blurry, and your movements are shaky. We’ve been walking all day. He doesn’t have Illya’s gift and he probably just wanted to rest.”

“That still doesn’t solve our problem with the other three. And these chains.”

I looked at Baylis and Erissa, their rigid movements and cold words led me to believe they were both stewing on the earlier exchange. I hoped I’d done enough to build the pressure between them.

“Alwin will hurl, and I’m hoping Baylis and Erissa’s hostility boils over into a full-blown fight.”

“And what about the Night Folk? I’ve seen what they can do.” He motioned to his shoulder.

“We’re healed now, and we can run. This forest can’t last forever, and they go underground at dawn. We just need to pick the right time. They can’t touch the light.”

“This is a ridiculous idea. Your sister could kill us with one arrow.”

Yes, it was a ridiculous idea, but it was the only one I had. They wouldn’t risk undoing my shackles, and night was the only time we would be left alone.

“Erissa won’t let that happen. She needs us alive. But I won’t go on her terms. We need to get to that Well before she does. We need to claim it for our own.”

Caiden sighed and I could picture his mouth scrunching as he thought about the plan.

“Alright, what do we have to lose, really?”

“Possibly our lives… but that’s just a normal day for me.”

“Fine.” I could hear the smirk in his voice.

I let out a breath that turned to vapor in the cool night air. “Alright, let’s wait until they fall asleep.”

Kita took the first watch, bringing us water and something to eat. Caiden and I greedily scarfed down the minuscule meal of what I could only guess was a crow.

My body begged for sleep. “Caiden, do you want to take the first watch?”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll wake you if I see anything.” His hand slid over to rest on top of mine.

I swallowed hard. Emotions I thought I buried rose to the surface. Reluctantly, I shut my eyes.

Caiden nudged me awake, and I let out an audible gasp. The fire burned low, and I could make out the sleeping bodies of Erissa, Baylis, and Kita.

“It’s happening,” Caiden whispered. “Alwin ran into the forest.”

Adrenaline coursed through my veins. “Okay, on the count of three, we try to stand, and the ropes should loosen.”

“This better work.”

“One, two… three.” We both stood, and the ropes loosened. “Pull…”

We heaved against our restraints, pulling as hard as we could. My heart beat faster with each passing moment. The rope tightened around us. For a moment, I thought it wasn’t going to work. Then the tension eased, and the hastily tied knot came undone.

“Thank the Trinity, that worked,” Caiden said.

“How long was I asleep?”

“Kita and Alwin changed posts about two hours ago. I’d say dawn is not far off.”

“Do you think we should run now or wait a little longer?” I asked.

The sound of Alwin’s cries of pain echoed through the forest.

“I say we run for it while we can,” Caiden said.

I debated the merits of each. If we stayed, we would be protected from the Night Folk, but if we didn’t leave soon, the rest of the party would likely wake. “Where do you think we are?”

Caiden squinted at the sky through the darkness.

“If my training serves me right, the stars are saying north is that way.” He pointed into a particularly dark part of the forest.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and my dinner sat like stones in my stomach.

“Alright, let’s go. But as softly as you can.”

Caiden nodded, and we headed into the darkness, stepping as softly and as quickly as we could. Nothing moved around us. I looked for the red eyes that hunted us earlier but saw none. Perhaps they went back underground. Perhaps they were waiting to strike. Maybe Erissa’s bargain still protected us. If I thought too much about it, I would jinx us. So I just kept moving.

Twigs and branches snapped underneath even our lightest footsteps. I cringed at each one.

We ran for as long as we could until the cold burned deep in our lungs. I lagged behind Caiden, but he kept moving.

“We can’t stop. Not until dawn.”

“I know,” I said through heaving breaths. “I need a moment.” My footsteps stumbled over the managed roots in my path.

Resting my palms on my knees, I hurled the contents of my stomach onto the forest floor.

“Aelia,” Caiden whispered.

“I know, I know, I’m ready.”

“It’s not that,” Caiden said, his body rigid with fear.

A low guttural clicking echoed through the forest around us, sending a chill down my spine.

“We have to run… now.” He held out his hand, and I took it.

Within seconds, we were running again.

The massive creatures followed. Their claws dug into the frozen earth as they raced after us. The smell of rotting flesh wafted through the air. Silhouettes slipped through the trees.

My blood froze in my veins at the thought of their claws ripping through my flesh. A scream built in my chest, but a didn’t dare set it free. I wasn’t sure I could stop once I started.

“Don’t look back,” Caiden said. “Dawn will be upon us soon. We… just… have to… keep… going.”

The clicking grew louder. And the creatures split apart, flanking us on either side. I didn’t dare to look. The creatures ran on all fours like dogs, but there was something distinctly human about them.

The sky lightened with the haze of dawn, and I breathed a little easier. They couldn’t stay on the surface much longer. But I couldn’t keep running at this pace either. We were lambs to slaughter if they caught us. With no weapons and no magic, we would make for a tasty treat.

Our feet pounded on the hard soil, matching the pace of our fast breath. Each gasp burned deep in my lungs. My mother mentioned a quest. If I was going to die, it would not be here.

The snapping of Caiden’s ankle brought me back to reality. He tumbled to the ground, dragging me down with him. Together, we rolled into the wet carpet of leaves and branches until we came to a stop underneath a pine. Our eyes locked, and electricity shot through my veins. The tension pulled taut between us but quickly faded when the sound of panicked clicking echoed through the forest.

Caiden’s blue eyes widened, and he blinked rapidly.

The pink hues of dawn streaked through the forest. From our position underneath the tree, I could see the clawed hands and feet of the creatures searching for us.

“I don’t think they can see in the light,” Caiden whispered.

The creature stopped in its tracks.

I held my breath, afraid to move. All we had to do was hide here until the sun fully rose.

The Night Folk scratched at the ground in frustration. The stench of their breath wafted through the cold air to where we hid, bringing bile to the back of my throat.

Caiden scowled at me with a look that said: You better not.

A preternatural scream echoed through the forest, ringing in my ears. I gritted my teeth, burying my face into Caiden’s neck. The smell of leather and bergamot still lingered on his skin, buried beneath a layer of sweat. Memories flashed through my mind of a time when I would have given anything to be this close to him.

The Night Folk scattered into the forest, leaving giant gashes in the frozen earth.

I let out the breath I had been holding in, and I could sense Caiden’s skin twitch underneath me. We hadn’t been this close in a long time. Perhaps it was the adrenaline coursing through my veins after nearly being torn apart, or maybe it was the realization I’d never truly let him go, but I had the urge to kiss him.

Our breath mixed in the cool morning air. Chests heaving just like they had that night in the glass house by the river all those years ago.

“Uh, Aelia?” Caiden asked.

My throat went dry.

“Yes?”

“You can get up now.”

Heat flushed my cheeks.

“Oh, sorry.” I stood, my hands still bound to his.

“A little help?” He held out his hand, and I helped pull him to his feet.

“How’s the ankle?”

“Sprained, if not broken.”

I let out a breath.

“Let’s make a splint for it. You can lean on me. We have to be close to getting out of here.” I found some sticks and used them to brace his ankle before wrapping some old vines around it to hold them in place.

The faint smell of lavender and honey wafted in on the breeze.

“We must be close to the Court of Honey!” Caiden exclaimed. “They’re friendly. C’mon, let’s go.”