Page 11 of Duskbound (Esprithean Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER TEN

The Citadel pierced the mist like a blade of obsidian, its towers twisting impossibly high into the perpetual twilight. Where the outer city suffocated under masses of desperate people, these streets stood eerily empty, as if the very air had been carved away. Our footsteps echoed off black stone walls that seemed to absorb what little light remained.

Aether led me through a series of checkpoints, each guard more heavily armed than the last. Their eyes followed my every move, hands never leaving their weapons. Even Rethlyn's levity had vanished, replaced by a sharp alertness as he walked beside me.

The air grew colder as we approached the Citadel proper, and I could have sworn the shadows deepened, becoming almost liquid in their movement. A group of men in charcoal uniforms stood beyond the final gate, their red insignias gleaming like fresh blood against their sleeves. Something about their stillness set my teeth on edge.

"Valkan's men," Vexa muttered, “they shouldn't be here."

Aether's hand moved to his weapon, a subtle gesture that sent ripples of tension through our group. "Keep moving," he ordered, his voice low and sharp. "Don't look at them."

I slowed my pace, straining to hear their hushed conversation. Their voices carried an odd resonance, like multiple tones layered together.

"The Council actually agreed to negotiations?" Effie whispered, disbelief etched into every word. "After everything?"

"You haven't spoken to your parents?" Vexa asked, shooting a concerned glance at the men in gray. "Things are changing. Quickly."

"Having her here now..." Rethlyn trailed off as one of Valkan's men turned, milky eyes locking onto our group. He shifted closer to me, almost protective. "Especially after what Talon said?—"

"Enough," Aether cut in, his shoulders tight. "We're exposed out here."

The Citadel's entrance loomed before us, a massive arch of polished stone that seemed to swallow all sound. Each step deeper into the structure sent chills down my spine. The corridors twisted at sharp angles, lined with torches that cast more shadows than light.

The others moved with familiarity through the labyrinth. Guards stood at attention at every intersection, their armor reflecting the red hues of the torches. Each one's eyes found me, lingering too long before sliding away.

We turned down a final corridor that ended at a heavy wooden door reinforced with black metal. Two guards flanked it, their hands resting on weapons that seemed to drink in what little light reached this deep into the Citadel.

"The General is ready for you," one said, his voice carrying an edge of warning as his gaze settled on me.

Aether stepped forward, his presence suddenly filling the narrow space. "Then we shouldn't keep him waiting."

The room beyond felt impossibly vast after the cramped corridors, circular walls stretching up into darkness. A massive table sat in the center, its surface etched with what seemed to be a map.

Rethlyn immediately claimed a spot against the wall while Vexa began a slow circuit of the room, her fingers trailing along the table's edge.

"Now we wait," she said, though the tension in her shoulders betrayed her casual tone.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I took in the maps, the careful notation of troop movements, supply lines, and something else—dark areas spreading across Umbrathia like a disease. The drought's progression, I realized.

"Perfect time to clarify something," I said, planting my feet firmly on the stone floor. "I agreed to meet the Void. I did not agree to fight against Sídhe. Not until we've considered every other option."

The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush stone.

"Oh, isn't that precious?" Effie pushed away from the wall. "The non-violent approach. While our people starve."

"I chose to meet your Void. I chose to hear you out," I kept my voice steady despite the rage building in my chest. "But I won't blindly agree to?—"

"To what?" Aether cut in, shadows deepening beneath his eyes. "To save an entire realm? To stop the slaughter of innocent people?" He slammed his hand onto the map, right over a region marked with countless small crosses. "Each mark is a village, Fia. Dead or abandoned. Have you already forgotten what you saw out there?"

"Of course not," I snapped. "But there has to be another way. If I could just get back, talk to—" I caught myself before mentioning Laryk. "The right people."

"Right. Because they'll definitely listen to the shadow wielder." Effie's laugh was sharp as broken glass. "Face it, you're one of us now. Whether you like it or not. "

"I'm nothing like you."

"Clearly." Her eyes darkened. "We actually fight for what we believe in. We don't hide in towers pretending the world isn't dying around us."

Vexa moved between us, but before she could speak, the temperature in the room plummeted. The shadows in the corners seemed to recoil as the door swung open with enough force to rattle the walls.

A man who must have been General Urkin filled the doorway. He was older than I'd expected, his dark gray hair pulled back severely from a face that seemed carved from the same stone as the Citadel. His uniform was pristine despite the perpetual twilight outside, decorated only with a series of small pins on his collar that caught the light.

The others snapped to attention. Even Effie's smirk vanished.

"General," Vexa said, inclining her head.

Urkin's dark eyes swept the room before settling on me with the weight of an avalanche. When he spoke, his voice was rough as stone on steel. "So this is the prisoner from Sídhe." He moved into the room like a predator, never taking his eyes off me. "The one you claim is a Duskbound.” The word prisoner hit like a physical blow, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. Every instinct screamed to look away from those dark eyes.

"She is," Vexa said firmly, though I noticed how her fingers tightened around her weapon belt.

"Interesting." Urkin circled me with measured steps, each footfall echoing in the sudden silence. "And why exactly should I believe that? Why should I believe anything about her?" His voice dropped lower, taking on a dangerous edge.

"Sir—" Vexa began, but Urkin's hand shot up, cutting her off.

"Do you know what I see?" He stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I could see the anger burning in his eyes. "I see a spy. A potential threat. Someone who could very well be playing all of you for fools while her realm continues to drain ours dry." His lip curled.

"With all due respect, sir," Aether's voice cut through the tension, deadly calm. "If she were a spy, she's the worst one I've ever seen."

Urkin's attention snapped to where Aether stood in the shadows. "And you've all grown quite attached, haven't you?" His words dripped with contempt. "Taking her to the stables, showing her the city. Did you forget what she is? Where she comes from?" He turned back to me, eyes boring into mine. "Tell me, girl, how many of my soldiers have you killed?"

The question knocked the air from my lungs.

"I was fighting for what I believed in," I managed, my voice steadier than I felt. "Just like your soldiers."

"And now?" His eyes narrowed to slits. "What do you believe in now?"

"I believe there's more to this war than I was told." The words felt inadequate, but they were true. "I've seen what's happening to your realm. But I also believe there might be a way to stop it without more bloodshed."

Urkin's laugh was like steel scraping bone. "Naive. Completely naive." He turned to Aether, disgust evident in every line of his face. "This is what you've brought me? A girl with idealistic dreams of peace?"

"I've brought you a Duskbound," Aether said, stepping forward. His voice carried an edge I'd never heard before, and shadows seemed to pulse around him. "The first one born in over a century outside of the royal line."

"So you keep saying." Urkin moved to the table, his hands bracing against its surface hard enough to make the metal markers rattle. "You know how delicate things are right now. I don't have time for this. The Council has been swayed?—"

"Who on the Council would agree to his terms?" Effie interrupted, genuine fear breaking through her carefully maintained facade. "I know my parents wouldn't."

"It's divided," Urkin said, shooting her a warning look that made her step back. "As things worsen, people become more... open to extreme solutions."

"The Queen would never allow it," Rethlyn said quietly. "Not if she was in her right mind."

Something passed between them then, a current of unspoken meaning that made the air feel thick enough to choke on. I looked between their faces, trying to piece together what I was missing.

"We have an alternative," Aether stepped closer, his golden eyes fixed on Urkin. "I can sense it in her. The shadows respond to her in a way I've never seen before."

"And you want to take her to the void? Now?" Urkin's voice dripped with skepticism. "With everything else happening?"

"Now is exactly when we need to do this."

"You're asking me to trust the word of a foreign spy?—"

"I'm asking you to trust mine." Aether's words cut through the air like steel, carrying enough weight to make even Urkin pause. The two men stared at each other, some silent battle of wills playing out between them.

Finally, Urkin straightened, his face settling into something cold and calculating. "Fine. You want to prove she's a Duskbound? Then let her prove herself to the realm as well." He turned back to me, and the look in his eyes made my blood run cold. "You'll enter the Void during the Strykka."

"The trials?" Vexa's eyebrows shot up, genuine shock breaking through her composure. "But sir?—"

"If she survives all three trials." Urkin's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Then perhaps I'll believe you." His eyes locked with mine, filled with challenge and something darker. "That is, if you're willing to risk everything for a realm you claim to suddenly care about."