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47 AELIA

Something pulled at the knot in my chest, drawing me deeper into the forest. Darkness surrounded us, save for the light of the hunter’s lantern. With each step I took my throat grew thicker. Something ominous awaited me in these woods. Something called to the knot in my chest. I tried not to think about it and instead focused on finding Tharan.

The distant smell of a bonfire wafted through the silent forest. Caiden walked behind me followed by the Shadow Hunters. I scanned the trees for any sign of a threat.

A loud cry echoed, sending a chill down my spine. I looked back at Caiden, the moonlight cut a path across his chiseled face. Only Tharan knew about the weaver’s magic resting in my chest and I couldn’t put that on Caiden. A bitter taste filled my mouth. My mother had once again saddled me with a burden I did not wish to have. I never wanted magic. I was content being a human. And now I had this thing inside me that could go off at any moment and I had absolutely no control over, besides a cryptic message from my mother asking me to trust in it.

I let out a breath. My fingers itched to light a cigarette, but I fought the urge.

A wind whipped through the trees, carrying cheering voices with it.

“We are close to their sacred ritual ground,” the hunter said, sinking low. Before her lay the ruins of an ancient temple. Time and the elements wore most of the granite away. Tall, twisted columns rose high into the sky.

I swallowed the dread pooling in my stomach.

The hunter extinguished her lantern. “Do not linger here. We need ta find a place ta rest for the night. Then tamorra I will take ya inside.”

We nodded and followed the hunter around the back of the ruins.

The unruly knot burned, and I fell to my knees grabbing at my chest.

“What’s going on?” Caiden asked.

“It’s my chest… there’s something woven into me. Ancient magic. It’s never acted like this before.” I gritted my teeth, trying to fight through the searing pain.

Caiden scooped me up into his muscular arms.

“We need to get her somewhere safe, now.”

The hunter nodded. “There’s a cave… this way.”

She ushered us along. I shut my eyes, unable to bear the pain. The knot twirled in my chest calling to something in the ancient temple.

We walked for what seemed like ages to me but could have only been minutes.

“Hold on, Aelia,” Caiden whispered in the darkness.

I did my best not to cry out, but every breath was agony. Sweat wetted my brow, and heat radiated from my skin.

The hunter pulled aside some vines, and we stepped into a damp cave. Lighting her lantern once again, the hunter motioned for us to follow her.

Through a tunnel of limestone, we traveled until we reached a cavern where a small stream cut through.

“We should be safe this far in,” the hunter said.

Caiden lay me down on the cool stone and I sucked in a breath. The pain dissipated but not entirely. “I wish there was something I could do, but I’m no healer.”

“The knot…” I winced in pain. “It’s calling to whatever is in that ruin.”

The scraping of boots on rock set us all on edge. A quiet swept over the chamber. I held my breath, and the Shadow Hunters pulled their swords silently from their sheaths.

More footsteps echoed through the massive chamber.

Caiden stepped in front of me, but did not call his lightning to his fingertips. We couldn’t risk being found out.

Two of the Shadow Hunters laid themselves flat against the opening of the cave.

More footsteps. How many of them were there?

My pulse raced through my veins. I called my dagger to my hand. I would not go down without a fight.

Through the darkness a shadowy figure appeared.

My heart leapt into my throat and I let out a gasp at Lucius.

“My Lord,” Lucius said, rushing to Caiden.

Behind him Tharan, Roderick, Amolie, Sumac, and Hopper filed into the cavern.

“Aelia!” Tharan said, rushing to where I lay. “Are you hurt?” He held my face in his warm hands, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m alright.”

He pulled me in for a kiss and I could taste blackberries on his tongue. How I’d missed him. I wanted to pull him close and never let him go.

“How did you get here?” He asked.

“The hunter brought us.” I nodded to our guide and Tharan gave her an appreciative nod.

“I was so worried. I thought Erissa had you.”

“She did. She had me and Caiden, but we broke free, luckily. Oh, and as I’m sure you’ve discovered… Baylis is a traitor.”

“Oh, we’re aware,” Roderick chimed in.

Amolie rushed over, wrapping her arms around me.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Me too. I’m glad you’re all safe as well.” I took in the scent of nutmeg and honey still lingering on her skin. My heart soared and sank. We still had to get to the Wells before Erissa knew we were here. A chill crept down my spine. I didn’t want to ask them to do more than they already had.

“We thought Queen Calliope had taken you at first,” Amolie said.

“Oh no,” I whispered.

“Yeah, Tharan had it out with Calliope and sent her crawling back into the sea.”

I swallowed the dread pooling in the back of my throat. I had put the ones I love in danger again.

“I’ll likely regret that later, but at least I still have the song.” Tharan shrugged.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I had to tell them about Erissa and the scepter, but I couldn’t bear to see the looks on their faces.

“That reminds me… Erissa has the Scepter of the Dead.”

A hush fell over the room, and I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t look anyone in the eyes. My love for my sister blinded me and now we’d all pay the price. More than that—the continent would pay the price.

“She can’t use it, though. She’s already tried. It won’t bind to another’s blood until I’m dead, and she can’t kill me yet. She needs me for the Wells.”

Tharan sighed, running a hand through his silken locks.

“Well, she has some hold over these people. She’s sending them out to hunt for us tomorrow night. She promised them the power that had been stolen from them. Whatever that means.”

I shuddered at the thought.

“Nothing good.”

“So, what are we going to do?” Caiden asked, ringing his hands.

Everyone looked around at one another.

“Well, I’ll tell ya what I’m doin’. I’m gettin’ outta ’ere,’’ the hunter said. She took her lantern and left.

“Alright, so what are we going to do?” Caiden asked.

Tharan thumbed his lip.

“I think we should try to open the Well tonight.”

“Tonight?” Sumac’s eyes went wide.

“They’ve gone to bed after their ceremony and won’t be back until dawn. We should go now when they’ll least expect it.”

“Tharan, there’s something I need to tell you.” My voice was little more than a squeak.

“What is it?”

I took a ragged breath.

“The knot in my chest. It calls to the Well. To the magic within. It’s like it’s unraveling the closer we get. I don’t know if I can bear the pain.”

Tharan clasped his hand around mine.

“It’s okay, Aelia. I will help you.”

“You’re going to have to carry me. I don’t think I can walk.”

“Of course, my darling.” Even through the darkness I could see the beginnings of a smile on his lips, making my heart skip a beat. It had been a long time since I trusted someone so completely.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

We crept through the forest on silent feet. Amolie gave me a piece of willow bark to numb the pain, but it barely touched the fire in my chest. I kept looking down, expecting to see a glowing hole, but none surfaced.

I lay my head against Tharan’s chest, focusing on the sound of his heart, reveling in his warmth.

“You’re burning up, Aelia,” he said.

A chill crept through my body, and I began to shake uncontrollably.

“I feel cold,” I whispered as my teeth chattered together.

Tharan paused, laying me against a tree. An invisible hole bore into my chest. Squeezing my eyes tight, I tried to focus on anything but the pain. Tharan brushed the sweat-soaked hair sticking to my damp brow behind my ear. When had I started sweating?

“I won’t take you a step further if you don’t want me to. I will not risk your life for this.” Removing his cloak, he placed it over mine.

“No,” I said, fighting through the agony. “We have to do this. It’s the only way to stop them.”

“If you want to stop, just tell me. I can’t lose you, Aelia.”

Tears formed behind my eyes.

“You won’t. I promise.” A lie. I didn’t know how this would end. Would the fire in my chest consume me completely?

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, King Killer.”

I smiled through the pain.

Lucius and his Shadow Hunters went ahead to scout for any adversaries while the rest stayed behind and waited for the all- clear signal. A fresh layer of frost coated everything in silver crystals, reminding us winter wasn’t fully gone yet.

“What are we going to do, once we get in there?” Caiden asked.

“We’ll need to look closely at the runes. They’re ancient, and I don’t know if I can read them,” Tharan said.

“Roderick can read ancient sylph. Hopefully he can interpret.”

Roderick nodded; his pale green eyes glowed in the darkness.

The cawing of a starling signaled the all clear .

We snuck around the opening of the ruins where heartless naked bodies still hung. Their lifeless heads tilted downward.

I gasped at the gruesome sight, some of their eyes were missing and their bodies were covered in whip lashings. Not dissimilar to my own.

“Oh Trinity, protect these souls.”

“I don’t think the Trinity has been in this place in a very long time,” Tharan said.

Roderick stood on the balcony of the ancient temple, spectacles balanced on the bridge of his nose, hand over his mouth, as he tried to decipher the ancient runes carved into the granite.

In the center of the platform an empty bowl made of copper on a pedestal sat filled with the remnants of the fire. Two indentations ran from the bowl into the maze of runes engraved below.

Roderick sighed.

“You can all guess what you have to do.”

“Spill our blood into the giant basin that runs into the maze?” Caiden called back.

“You got it. It says: Here three goddesses formed an alliance, each one granting gifts to their loyal subjects. Only those with sacred blood may enter their domain.”

The knot in my chest burned and I swallowed back the agony. “Let’s get this over with. Whatever is in there we need to get it before Erissa returns.”

My heart pounded and I gripped my dagger tight before running it over the palm of my left hand. I winced as I held my fist over the copper bowl. Drip , drip , drip , the blood fell onto the ashen basin.

Caiden and Tharan cut their palms too, holding their hands next to mine. The blood spilled into the channels before seeping into the runes.

“This better work,” I said through gritted teeth. Both my chest and my palm ached but I couldn’t stop. Not now, not when we were so close.

As the blood filled the runes the ground began to shake.

“Oh Trinity. What’s happening?” I asked, taking Tharan’s hand in mine.

“It’s a stairway!” Roderick called. “The blood opened a stairway.”

Despite the pain in my chest, a mixture of relief and fear washed over me. We’d done it. We’d found the Well before Erissa. Now all we had to do was take the magic.

I looked down to see the bricks of granite transform into a circular staircase leading to a dark abyss. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, whatever lay at the bottom of the stairs would come easily. I looked around at my friends. Each one of them risked their life to be here. We were so close to succeeding, I couldn’t let my fears get the better of me now.

“Amolie, come with us. The rest of you keep guard. Don’t let anyone in,” Tharan said before scooping me back into his powerful arms once again. The knot in my chest began to pulse like a second heart. I took shallow, shaky breaths, not wanting to breathe too deep and have the knot unravel.

Caiden led the way using his lightning to light an old torch, Amolie followed behind. The stairs wound round and round deep into the earth. Caiden used his torch to light a fire which burned around the edges of the staircase, lighting our way. Pictures of the Trinity culling the land lined the walls. A gruesome site I had never truly pictured before.

We descended into the first chamber where a golden book sat upon a stone pedestal. In front of it sat a stained-glass window depicting the Trinity gifting the Fates their power. It seemed to be lit from behind, but surely no light could reach this deep.

Caiden stepped up to the book. “Three trials for three goddesses. Only those who truly believe shall pass.” He swallowed hard.

“Great, just what I was looking forward to,” I said.

“There’s more,” Caiden said. “One for the wise elves, keeper of the eternal knowledge; one for the warrior sylph, protector of the realm; and one for the mortal human, to whom all things are more beautiful because they are fleeting.”

“That can’t be good,” Tharan said.

The pain in my chest beat faster.

The sound of clashing swords echoed from above.

“Shit. They’re here,” I said. “We need to go. Erissa will be here soon. What does it say we have to do?”

Caiden ran his hand over the golden pages. “Prick your finger and touch it to the book.” He took a dagger from his bandelier and pricked his thumb, pressing it to the page. The parchment absorbed the blood like a sponge.

Without another thought we all did the same.

The sounds of fighting grew nearer.

Blood raced through my veins. If we didn’t get through this door now, we’d be trapped like rats.

“C’mon, c’mon, please open.”

Scraping footsteps echoed from above.

Ammena, hear my prayer. We are your faithful servants. Please open this door.

Tharan squeezed my hand tight as the clanging of steel against steel grew louder.

Please, please, please.

Beside us, a wall descended, revealing a chamber surrounded by flames.

Before the door could fully open Tharan pushed me through, followed by Amolie, and then Caiden. As soon as his feet hit the dais, the wall sprang up trapping us in.