Page 94 of In The Dark
Chills snake down my spine.
If this is his power in Elderheim, it must be absolutely shattering in Aurelia. I shudder at the thought. But Ren makes a grave mistake and reaches for his blades, lowering his brow and widening his stance.
Good gods, he’s preparing to fight.
Before I can blink, Rydian thrusts out a palm and slowly curls his fingers, lifting Ren clear off the ground as if he’s a child’s doll and not like the six-foot-six male that he is. Rydian dangles him in the air from an invisible force by his neck.
The king of Aurelia has made his appearance.
Ren scrambles his hands across his throat—gasping for air—as he kicks his feet, looking for purchase. Yet for a reason I can’t quite explain, panic surges beneath my skin.
“Rydian, stop!” I shout.
My feet pull me to him, suddenly at his side with a hand clawing at his chest. Frantic eyes dart between the two of them as I shake his arm, attempting to gain his attention. He glances down, furrowing his brows.
“Are you hurt?”he asks.
“No. Now please, put him down. He knows something. I’m okay, I promise.”I beg him to stop.
“Say the word, and I will end him right here,”he vows.“No one lays a finger on the princess of Aurelia, mark my words.”
And I believe every word he says. If I told him to, he would kill Ren without a second thought. But I don’t want Ren to die, not today anyway.
“I don’t want you to. Please, Rydian. There’s a sleeping boy in the tent behind you.”
He holds my gaze a moment longer, then drops Ren to the ground with a hard thud. Wrapping an arm around my neck, Rydian pulls me to him, watching Ren collect himself all while he holds me, as if he’s claiming me as his. I suddenly can’t help the relief settling in my chest.
Ivy and Orin step out from the shadows, lifting Ren to his feet only to push him toward the fire, sitting him down as it roars to life. I begin to follow when Rydian gently tugs my hand back. He searches for any signs of injury, then cups my face, tilting it from side to side—inspecting me.
“I’m fine.” I meet his gaze, but I can’t help the sudden wave ofexhaustion settling over me. Whatever I did to Ren, it took a lot of my energy.
“What happened?” he asks.
“We tracked our target to his home but when we got there, he was sleeping. A boy no older than ten. I don’t know why we’re bringing him back to the castle. We shouldn’t have taken him in the first place, and I fought Ren on the issue when we got back. Things got… heated.”
His expression darkens, his usual calculating demeanor cracking, revealing the raw anger forming behind his eyes before quickly masking it.
“How did you find me?” My brows pinch. He shouldn’t have been able to find my exact location without setting foot on this side of the realm first.
His gaze locks with mine, features softening as he studies me, then smirks. “I told you that I would always find you, no matter where you are. But if you really want to know, I felt you first. Your power is growing rapidly. I assume it’s because you haven’t told anyone about the magic growing in you, but I can’t be sure. I’m afraid others may have felt it too. It… tugged at me, and I followed it. I brought Ivy and Orin with me.”
I’m quickly reminded of the moment right before Rydian stepped through the Veil, when my hands glowed in a mix between light and dark shadows. My entire body hummed with it.
“Ren knows of my power now, so we need to figure out exactly what he knows and find a way to keep him quiet,” I say.
“I know one way to keep him quiet,” he mutters, and I throw him a scowl.
More snow falls, blanketing the clearing in a soft powder. I quickly peek my head inside the tent, checking on Theo, only to find him still snoozing from the sleeping draft. I close the flap, walking in Ren’s direction.
Ivy and Orin stand on either side of Ren as he sits near thefire on a large log. We halt on the other side of the fire when Rydian finally tugs his hood down. His hair barely touches the slight points of his ears, the auburn waves curling around the edge. The hard line of his jaw flexes, arms crossed over his chest as he eyes Ren from over the fire.
Ren’s expression is close to what seeing a spirit would look like—the color draining from his face, eyes darting between the two of us. No doubt recalling the memory of what he saw at sixteen when Rydian came for me the first time, right outside the orphanage.
“It’s you.” Ren exhales, staring at Rydian with wide eyes. He attempts to stand but Orin pushes his shoulder down, preventing him from reaching his full height.
“It’s best to just sit there,” Orin says.
“What do you know?” I ask Ren, his attention suddenly shifting to me.