Page 60

Reyla

Lore's arms remained tight around me as he flitted, but Farris’s howl echoed around us. I felt his furry body peel away mid-flit, taking a chunk of my heart along with him.

Cold slammed into me, sharp and cruel on my skin. Magic prickled across my soul, slicing like ragged glass. Were we breaching Halendor’s wards?

I didn’t want to think about what that might mean.

Black stone loomed below as we blinked into existence behind Halendor Castle, on the edge of a thick, gloomy forest. A broad lawn spread out ahead of us. Calling it a lawn might have been a stretch. The grass was too vibrant, as if it battled to bring some color to the dark monstrous structure with turrets stretching toward the sky beyond it. The towering castle swallowed the horizon, the clouds, and even the surrounding countryside .

Ash-black walls stretched upward, their harsh spires broken only by narrow windows that glinted in the blood-red dawn like borgon eyes waiting to devour prey. The deep crimson light of sunrise slithered across the courtyards and surrounding gardens, beds with flowers too bright and bushes twisted into grotesque shapes. They were beautiful and wildly unnatural at the same time.

The stinging, metallic breath I sucked in tasted of warning.

“Farris,” I croaked, looking around for my precious nyxin.

“He leaped on us as I flitted.” Stark desperation filled Lore’s eyes. “I lost him on the way.”

I didn’t know what happened if someone lost touch mid-flit, and the thought of my poor little fluffy friend suffering ripped through me like jagged wire.

“Flit us back,” I barked and with a grim nod, Lore took us to our suite.

Farris was not there.

My heart cratered with pain, and I staggered. Only Lore swiftly pulling me into his side kept me from falling.

“We’ll find him,” he said. “I promise.” When he looked down into my eyes, I found an assurance there I struggled to hold onto.

He stroked my arms. “I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

“We didn’t try to take him; he insisted.” My poor friend, always determined to stay by my side. If only I could sense whether he was safe somewhere or…

Maybe knowing would only make things worse.

“We need to go.” Two weeks and two days was not enough time. We had two more talismans to find, and we didn’t know where they were other than that we’d find one inside each court.

Lore wrapped his arms around me again, and I clung to him, desperation in his touch. We’d lost Farris, but we would not lose each other .

We landed again in the same spot overlooking Halendor Castle. With daggers in our hands, and my shadows masking us, Lore and I skirted along the edge of the forest, creeping closer to the building. We’d have to run when we could no longer hide among the trees, and the thought of being starkly exposed as we darted across the stretch of clipped grass between the point and the ashen building chilled through me. Pray to the fates my shadows would continue to hide us both.

We stopped in the last copse of trees. He couldn’t flit us inside, because he hadn’t been there.

“We’ll have to move fast. Stay close.” His eyes, darker than the shadows pooling under the black spires, flicked to mine. That usual cut of amusement I adored was gone. This was Lore tipped into his ruthless self. Cold. Calculating. A blade honed to perfection with nothing left but intent.

My chest tightened with the pressure of the wrongness swirling all around us. “This place feels?—”

“Too quiet,” he finished, his tone grim.

No leaves rustling in the wind.

No breeze, either.

No buzz of insects or cries of birds echoed behind us in the forest.

Lore’s head tilted, his attention snapping to something behind me. More guards than I could count rushed toward us from among the trees, their black armor glinting in the red-orange light as they burst into full view. Wearing sleek, faceless visors, they appeared as smooth and polished as the ashen castle. Their weapons flashed, curved blades and staffs tipped with glowing stones. They and their weapons glistened with magic.

More guards raced toward us from our other sides.

A low zap radiated from them, and an invisible force tightened around us .

Binding magic. I’d only heard of it once, and I’d hoped to never feel it tightening its grip on my spine.

As my limbs went sluggish, my shadows slipped away, slinking back to where I’d stolen them. The magical binding weighed down my will like soggy fabric draping across my body. I staggered, disoriented, before Lore’s steady hand shot out to hold me upright.

We put our backs to each other and held our daggers tight in our grips.

“If we go down, it’s together,” he growled over his shoulder. “Our magic may be gone, but we have this.”

“Together.” My eyes stung as I was dragged back to that cave, that raid where Kinart died in my arms.

Not again. Not this time. I would not allow it to happen.

The guards moved in fast, surrounding us, their weapons buzzing like whips about to strike.

“Surrender,” one barked.

“Never,” Lore growled.

I tightened my spine, the dagger in my hand humming its own lethal song. Lore’s heat radiated against my back. A flicker of his shadow lunged across the grass, revealing his first move. He struck with such speed and force it split the air, a dark streak cutting through the closest guard.

The faceless visor cracked, magic spilling out as if the armor bled. The guard collapsed, but another took its place before the body could hit the ground.

I spun away, twisting on instinct, and drove my dagger up into the throat of a charging foe. My blade met little resistance, sliding through the armor like hot horig. A faint hiss escaped the guard as they crumpled, their weapon clattering against the ground. For each one who fell, another three took their place.

“Reyla, left.” Lore’s voice barked from behind me .

I ducked, narrowly avoiding a swing that would’ve severed my head from my shoulders. The buzzing, crackling staff missed, and I retaliated with a vicious slash. My blade found favor on the guard’s knee, and they toppled, collapsing in a heap. Without missing a breath, I pivoted, snapping a boot into a chest with a sickening crunch.

It was a relentless press, a tide of faceless bodies forcing us to move faster, strike harder. Each swing of my blade seemed to take more effort, more focus, my movements sluggish under the weight of the binding magic thrumming through the air.

My legs felt like I was wading through sand, my magic swarming uselessly under the surface, bound and gagged and as unobtainable as a cup of water with a sieve in the sea.

Surges of guards crashed into us in black waves, their weapons flaring as they clashed against our blades. For a heartbeat, Lore's face turned toward me, and I caught a glimpse of sorrow in his eyes. We wouldn't give up, but he must fear this was it. He wouldn't even make it to his thirtieth birthday. He wouldn't get to hold me, love me again.

“I love you,” he cried out, slashing with renewed vigor.

We couldn't break through. Soon, we were surrounded with their weapons pointed our way.

“Surrender,” one snarled.

“Let her go,” Lore said. “I'll come with you peacefully.”

“Bring both of them,” someone said in a haughty voice from a short distance away.

Before we could blink, guards bound us with magical ties and turned us to face him .

An older fae man stood in the front of a big open courtyard ahead of us, slowly clapping, the cracks piercing my ears. He stood tall, his frame both powerful and elegant, like a sculpture that had been forged in fire and cruelty. His silver hair, as sleek and gleaming as moonlight, gave way to sharp, lightly lined features that were too exquisite to belong to anything mortal. His unnervingly golden eyes remained locked on us. Unflinching. Penetrating. As though he could peel back our skin and examine our souls in their rawest form.

“King Tallin of Halendor,” Lore hissed. “My father’s rival.”

I was sure he only made the introduction for my benefit.

The king wore a coat of deep red, not the shade of flowers but of fresh-spilled blood, with black threading curling through the fabric in shapes that shifted. Each detail about him screamed dominance, control, and power.

Tallin didn’t just own the space he stood in; he devoured it.

“Welcome to Halendor Court,” he said in a cool, deep voice laced with a venomous charm. “So nice of you to join the party.”

Lore’s growl rumbled in his chest as he strained against the magical bonds.

The king smirked, his lips curling sharper than the blade of a dagger. “Ah, such fire. I do enjoy guests with spirit. Makes my day far less dull.” He flicked his hand up in the air.

The guards forced us toward him, their boots scraping against uneven stone. My pulse thumped furiously in my ears, but I kept my expression defiant. Fear was a predator that fed on the faintest trace of weakness. I wouldn’t give this man the satisfaction.

Lore tilted his head back, his sharp gaze locked on the king as though he could burn a hole straight through his heart.

“Disarm them, if you will,” he said curtly and the guards pawed their hands all over us, including our packs, tearing off what weapons remained and flinging them to the side.

Once the one I took for the head of the guard grunted, the king's smirk broadened. “Now that the formalities are out of the way, we can get started.” He dipped his head forward in a mocking bow. “I’ve been expecting you.” His eyes gleamed as though savoring our confusion. “You see, a lovely woman whispered about your arrival in my ear. When you breached my wards, I told my court to prepare to welcome you.” His cackle rang out, echoed by…

Prager slithered out from the shadows behind him, her gown glimmering like molten sunlight. The fabric clung to her as if it had been poured over her perfect frame and crafted to accentuate her every curve. Her porcelain-smooth face appeared ageless and sickeningly pretty, the kind of beauty that held venom behind its allure. Her golden hair had been coiled artfully on top of her head, a few loose strands draping to frame her calculating features.

Her lips curled into a smile that dripped sweet malice. She slid her arm through King Tallin’s as though she belonged there, as though she shared in his domination of this wretched place. Her red lips parted, and a poisonous laugh spilled out, shrill enough to shatter bone.

“I shared a little secret,” she purred, her fingers brushing lightly over the king’s arm.

Lore bristled and strained at his binds, his rage pulsing across the space between us.

“Prager,” I spat her name.

She cocked her head at me, feigning innocence with wide eyes that gleamed too brightly, like stones polished clean of soul. “Oh, my sweet queen,” she said, her tone dripping with cruelty. “You didn’t think you could sneak into Halendor Court without someone alerting the host, did you?”

King Tallin’s gaze shot between us, a slick smile rising on his face.

“You’re a monster,” I snarled, my teeth bared.

Her laugh rang again, delicate as crystal yet as cutting as broken glass. “Now precious . Is that any way to speak of your gracious hosts? We’ve gone to great lengths to make this…theatrical.”

The Halendor King’s rich, baritone laugh rolled across the courtyard, the sound vibrating in the very air and sinking like a blade into my chest.

Lore strained harder against the magical ties, his entire body taut with fury. His elemental magic rippled through him but didn’t burst out. Just like the shadows I could call but not release, I could feel his power pressing against his skin, writhing, coiling, roaring to break free. The magical binds swallowed it whole.

“You’re boring me,” Lore drawled, his words so cold they froze the air between us.

Prager’s lush smile deepened, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Such bold words from a puny king who, until moments ago, was drowning in guards. But you're right. Let’s get this over with.”

A flick of her finger and the air shifted around us, snapping with cold. We were transported to a broad grassy area with the castle behind us in the distance. Mountains stretched and rolled ahead under a sky void of color other than faint, choking swirls of dusty gray. Nearby, dark hills formed a wicked spine that sloped down to the brittle stretch of lawn ahead. An enormous metal door anchored in stone had been cut into the closest hillside.

The Halendor King strode forward before gesturing grandly to the doorway. The heavy metal creaked, the sound dragging across my nerves like a rusty blade.

“My labyrinth,” he said, his voice thick with glee. “None have made it through, not even my only son.”

Son?

“Perhaps you two might do what no other can.”

Prager’s annoying laugh spilled through the air as she sidled up next to him. Her arm slid casually through his again, her polished nails grazing the sleeve of his coat. “I doubt it,” she cooed. “They’re passionate, yes. But passion can be so blinding.”

Lore’s low voice cut across the space. “You talk too much, Wizard.”

Her smile remained fixed, but the playful glint in her eyes faded, darkening like storm clouds. “How charming. Tell me, Viper, are all your words venom, or do you reserve the sweeter ones for that little queen of yours?”

Lore sighed, and I could tell he was daring her to try to provoke him further. My pulse hammered, the invisible magical restraints digging into my skin like fiery chains. I focused on steadying my breathing, counting each inhale as if it could bank the raw fury roaring through my veins.

King Tallin turned, his boots sweeping through the arid, brittle grass.

“Like everyone who has entered before you, you will do so without magic,” he said in a jovial voice.

“You have only yourselves, your wits, and whatever broken courage you think will help the two of you survive,” Prager said.

I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t taken our packs. Maybe because the small number of provisions inside would make no difference. They’d missed the small dagger hidden along the inside of my left calf. My secret stash too.

Guards shoved us toward the large metal door.

“Please. Enjoy my labyrinth,” the Halendor King said with a conniving smile. “Survive to the end, and you'll receive your reward.”

“We want nothing from you,” Lore snarled.

“Oh, no?” Prager lifted her arm, dangling a golden pendant with a red stone, the one we'd seen beneath the throne room.

The second talisman.

A flick of her hand, and the pendant disappeared .

“Do you swear you’ll allow us to leave with the pendant if we make it through the labyrinth?” Lore barked, his voice as conniving as the king’s.

Prager’s hand tightened on his arm.

Before she could stop him, the king dipped his head forward in a subtle bow. “I solemnly swear.”

Magic rippled through the air, binding his promise. Good.

Lore smirked. “We’ll see you on the other side, then.”

Prager snorted, but her eyes blazed with rage. “You won’t make it,” she growled. “Give up now.”

“Never,” I vowed. “We’re coming for you, Prager, and this time, we’ll kill you.”

The guards shoved us inside the echoing darkness.

As magic snarled across the tips of her fingers, her shriek rang out. “You?—”

The door boomed closed behind us.

Ahhh, sorry for that cliffhanger!

No worries, Warrior of Embers is next.