Page 53 of Duskbound (Esprithean Trilogy #2)

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

"How did the King die—my great-grandfather?” I asked Aether as we soared above the clouds. The wind was calmer today, so we were able to hear each other easily. Nihr's wing hovered just above Tryggar's as we flew West.

"Something to do with his heart," Aether responded, arching a brow at me. "Why are you asking?"

"I had another dream."

"Last night?" he asked.

I glanced over at him, noticing the glint in his eye. "Yes."

"I'm surprised your mind could function enough to do so." He cracked a wicked grin.

"I guess you'll have to try harder next time." I shrugged, smiling as heat spread across my face.

"Tell me about this dream, then."

"It wasn't much, honestly. Short and more confusing than anything. The Queen’s sister?—"

"Vilda?"

"Yes—her. The corridors of the castle were filled with Kalfar in mourning clothes. And Vilda—she was walking out of a room… lo oking quite shaken, or angry, maybe even sad. It was difficult to tell."

Aether nodded, digesting the information.

"As soon as she left and blended into the crowd, I looked into the chamber to see the King laying on the floor. He wasn't moving."

Aether's eyes were on me now, his brow furrowed. "The King did die on the day of Lord Skalvindr's funeral," he said, "perhaps she was the one to discover him."

"Perhaps," I echoed just as towers broke through the clouds in the distance. We dropped down, finding a place to land the Vordr in a thick brush of trees.

I scanned the perimeter as we moved through the dense growth. We'd flown for most of the day, only landing every few hours when the Vordr needed a break.

The sun was setting in the distance, in the West just beyond Stormshire. It had been too far to make out clearly, but it was Stormshire alright. Another hour of traversing the woods, after leaving the Vordr tucked into the forest at the base of the mountain, and we'd be there.

My fingers trembled slightly as I pulled out the scroll I'd stolen from Laryk's office, spreading it across a fallen log. I needed to find his quarters first, then figure out where team V would be stationed after that. The thought of seeing him again had my stomach in knots, especially after last night.

I glanced over at Aether, who was adjusting the saddle on Nihr. His hair fell into his face as he worked, and suddenly memories from the inn came rushing back—how that same hair had felt twisted in my fingers, how his golden eyes had?—

Focus.

I forced my attention back to the layout. Each General had their own wing of the fortress, though they weren't labeled by name. My eyes found the smallest section, and I knew it must be his. Laryk's unit was deadly, not for the sheer size of it, but for the powerful focuses it housed. There were around fifty soldiers in faction venom, if memory served me, hundreds less than the others—it had to be his wing.

The fortress itself was a nightmare—corridors that doubled back on themselves, hidden passages between wings, multiple escape routes from every major chamber. The outer walls alone were twice as thick as any I'd seen before.

"This isn't going to be like breaking into the Compound," I sighed, turning back to Aether. "We're basically walking into the most heavily defended, most lethal part of Sídhe. Laryk's unit is..." I paused, swallowing hard. "Well, let's just say we cannot afford to be seen. Especially you."

Aether moved away from Nihr, coming to stand beside me. His presence felt different now, intimate in a way that made my face flush, and I had to force myself to focus on the map between us.

"Tell me about his unit," he said, his voice was that of a soldier again.

"If we ran into the wrong people, it could be catastrophic." I traced the path to Laryk's wing. "Mostly elemental abilities—fire, water, air, lightning even." I hesitated, remembering the ones I'd heard about when I joined the guard. "One has blood that can melt straight through flesh."

"And Laryk?"

Something in his tone made me look up. His expression was unreadable, but he seemed to have lost that edge of concern from the day before.

"He can anticipate people's movements even before they know their next step, whether it's in battle or negotiation." I turned back to the map, unable to hold his gaze. "He's never lost a fight."

"Until now." The words were quiet, almost to himself.

"Aether. We are not here to fight Laryk. We're not here to fight anyone. "

I rolled my eyes, focusing instead on the task ahead. "The problem isn't just getting in. It's navigating the fortress without alerting them. One wrong move and?—"

"Then we don't move wrong." His hand found the small of my back, the touch sending warmth through me despite the gravity of our situation.

"Soleil said that the Generals would be in a conference for most of the evening. And since there have been no attacks in months, they might have dropped their guard. We'll have to take advantage of that. They're not going to be expecting any infiltration. If anything, those on patrols will be most heavily stationed around the arcanite towers."

"And what's the likelihood they've moved things around since this map was drawn?" Aether asked, his fingers tracing the corridors.

"I don't know." The confirmation tasted bitter. "But the basic structure has to stay the same. The middle of war isn't exactly the time for renovations." I pointed to several marked passages. "These have the greatest chance of being empty. They're on the Northwestern side, furthest from the training yards and the arcanite."

A rustling in the trees had us both tensing, but it was just a bird taking flight. Still, the interruption served as a reminder of how exposed we were, even in the deepening twilight.

"We should move closer," Aether said, already rolling up the map. "Get a better view of the guard rotations before dark."

I nodded, but something was nagging at me. "There's another thing we need to consider." I caught his arm before he could turn away. "If we do run into anyone... you can't kill them."

His golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Fia?—"

"I mean it. They're clueless right now—they don't know what's actually happening. And some of them were my friends." The words felt heavy. "If we're discovered, I will take care of it, try and wipe their memory. We do nothing more. "

His eyes raked over my expression for a few seconds before he nodded.

"Also," I said, moving closer to him, feeling that familiar pull. I took his hand in mine, trying to ignore how my skin tingled at his touch. "If this is going to work..." I met his eyes, watching as they darkened slightly. "You cannot reveal yourself, no matter what. I need you to trust that I can handle it. I need you to trust me ."

His jaw tightened, conflict clear in his expression. "I do trust you." His fingers interlaced with mine. "But if anything happened to you?—"

"Nothing will happen." I squeezed his hand. "But you showing yourself might ruin this entire plan. If they see you, I don't know how they will retaliate, but…" I reached up, touching his face. "They won't hesitate."

"And if Laryk tries to hurt you?" The words came out rough, almost a growl.

"He won't." But even as I said it, uncertainty crept in. I knew he'd never physically harm me, but I had no idea how he'd react to the truth—not just about Umbrathia or the King, but about how I wasn't his. Not anymore. "Just... promise me. Promise you'll stay hidden unless there's absolutely no other choice."

His eyes searched mine for a long moment before he let out a slow breath. "Fine." The word seemed to physically pain him. "But the moment?—"

"The moment there's real danger, you can go full ‘Realm Crasher’ on everyone." I tried for humor, but his expression remained serious.

"I won't watch you die." His voice dropped lower, that dangerous edge returning.

A twig snapped in the distance and we both tensed, instinctively moving closer together. When nothing emerged from the growing darkness, I turned back to find his eyes still fixed on me, burning with an intensity that made my heart skip .

"I'm not planning on dying," I said softly. "But I need to do this my way. He needs to hear the truth from me ." I paused, choosing my next words carefully. "And if he sees you first... he'll never listen to anything I have to say."

Aether simply nodded, taking a step towards me, his eyes piercing.

"We should go," I said, glancing over at Tryggar chasing some small rodent through the trees in the distance. I turned for my satchel?—

But before I reached it, Aether caught my wrist, pulling me back against him. His other hand tangled in my hair as his mouth found mine, and suddenly nothing else mattered. The kiss was deep, hungry—full of residual desire left over from the night before

My back hit rough bark as he pressed me against a tree, his body caging mine completely. Heat flooded through me as his hands slid down my sides, gripping my hips. When his teeth grazed my bottom lip, I couldn't help the small sound that escaped my throat.

"We shouldn't—" I managed between kisses, but my hands were already pulling him closer, betraying my words.

His stubble scraped against my jaw as his mouth moved to my neck, making me shiver. "I know," he breathed against my skin.

Nihr's hooves crunched on leaves beside us, reminding us where we were, what we were about to do. We broke apart, both breathing hard. His golden eyes had gone dark, void burns leaking black mist.

"We need to focus," I whispered, though my hands still gripped his leathers.

He pressed his forehead to mine, taking a steadying breath. "Later," he promised, his voice rough in a way that made heat surge through me.

The fortress emerged from the darkness like a beast, all jagged edges and shadows, its black stone seeming to devour what little moonlight remained. My heart sank as we drew closer—something was wrong. The walls crawled with guards, their silver badges winking like stars as they moved in perfect synchronization. Far too many.

"Fuck," I breathed, watching another patrol pass.

"They're everywhere," Aether said.

We shared a look of hesitation before melting into darkness, moving through shadows like mist. Each guard we passed made my heart stutter, though I knew they couldn't see us. Their conversations echoed off the walls as we slipped past.

"—third sweep tonight. General's orders."

Their words left ice in my veins.

I pulled out the scroll again after we materialized in a supply closet, checking our position. The layout was exact—each corridor where it should be—but the security was nothing like we'd expected. Guards posted at every major intersection, patrols moving within formations. This was nothing like I expected. This was an army preparing for war.

The guards weren't the only problem. Every alcove, every darkened corner that could have provided cover was illuminated by torches burning far too bright for this time of night.

We followed the map's path toward Laryk's wing, our darkness flowing like water through the corridors—shifting and adapting to any shadows we could find. The sound of boots against stone echoed everywhere. My web picked up dozens of minds moving through the fortress, all following the same patterns.

Finally, we reached the corridor leading to Laryk's quarters. I reached out with my focus, scanning the space ahead. No minds glowed within his chamber, but the hallway crawled with guards.

"Wait here," I breathed to Aether as we pressed into a shadowed corner. "Watch the corridor. "

I could feel the tension rolling off of him at my words, but he didn't move. We'd discussed this. He had to trust me.

"Be careful," I heard him hiss from behind me.

I slipped through the wall like mist, materializing in Laryk's quarters for the first time, all sounds from beyond the door now completely silent behind the thick layers of stone. The space was larger than I'd imagined—a massive desk on one side, weapons displayed on the walls, a training dummy positioned in the corner. My eyes caught on something that wasn't on the layout—a fresh stone arch had been carved into the far wall, leading to what appeared to be a grand bathroom. The stone dust still lingered in the crevices.

The room felt empty, but something prickled at the back of my neck. Wrong. It felt wrong. I moved toward his desk, noting the tactical markers scattered across maps, the half-empty wine glass beside them. It was stained with a faint mark of lipstick at the rim.

I whipped around, scanning the room as my heart raced. That's when I felt it—cold steel against my throat, an arm like iron around my waist. The sharp, metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils, making my stomach turn.

"Hi there, Riftborne." A woman's voice was silk against my ear, but her blade pressed harder. "Welcome home." Something wet seeped into my leathers where her arm gripped me. And then there was only pain.

Narissa.