Page 17

Shadows twisted around me, clawing and clinging to my skin. I resisted the urge to brush them away—it was pointless, anyway—but that didn’t stop the shiver of revulsion that crept up my spine and I walked toward the garden.

The night was terrifyingly still and silent.

After so many nights of heavy rain, the pause in the deluge was strange and destabilizing.

How could I stand here and wish for the comfort of a predictable rainstorm?

As I stood at the edge of the path, moonlight spilled over my shoulders and its chill bit into my skin.

The stars glimmered above, distant and indifferent.

Tears pricked at my eyelashes…

How long had it been since I’d seen the stars?

I blinked them away before they could fall.

Tears wouldn’t fix anything.

And crying over stars was stupid.

“You’ve changed—” The grimoire’s hiss was gentle for once.

“If I am, it’s your fault,” I muttered.

I took a step forward, and the rain soaked earth squelched beneath my feet and the cold mud seeped into the satin of my shoes.

“Hurry,” a voice whispered, beckoning me deeper into the tangled labyrinth of the garden.

Valen?

The sound curled around me like smoke and urged me onward.

I hesitated, but only for a moment.

The memory of his promise to help me escape this place tightened my throat.

I forced my legs to move and hurried into the garden—suddenly worried that I would be caught and dragged back to the house and thrown into the confines of my room once more.

Or Lucian’s study.

Either option was an unwelcome one.

Freedom.

That was what I wanted.

“Would you kill for it?”

My steps faltered as the grimoire’s voice sliced through my thoughts.

Would I?

Yes.

The answer was just as sharp.

That shut you up.

I followed the voice.

Was it Valen? Or something else?

I wasn’t convinced that the woods weren’t full of monsters…

Each step drew me closer to the wall at the end of the garden.

Its ivy-clad surface moved gently in a wind I couldn’t feel, but my breath caught as memories slithered through my mind.

The last time I had seen this wall, I’d been trapped in a dream I wasn’t sure that I could escape— The trailing ivy had been alive, snaking vines entwining around my limbs, touching me—

All while Titus, Valen, and Bastian had watched and laughed.

A shiver raced up my spine, and for a moment, I thought about turning back.

But then I saw something out of place: a gate, ajar, its hinges creaking softly as if inviting me to escape.

Hope flared in my chest and I rushed toward it. I gave the ivy a wide berth, just in case… I didn’t trust those glossy dark leaves.

The moon glinted off the wrought-iron gate, and I pushed it open a little wider to allow me to squeeze through. It fought against me, and there was barely enough room for me to slide through.

Sharp metal bit onto my fingers and rough stone scraped against my back, and I swallowed a cry of pain as I pushed through.

My tongue was heavy with the taste of metal as I freed myself from the gate and stumbled out on the other side of the stone wall.

My fingers throbbed, and I was afraid to look down and see blood.

The chill of the night air clawed at my skin as I stood just outside the garden wall, and the familiar grounds of Withermarsh receded into shadows behind me.

I dared a glance back as dread pooled in my stomach.

What if they noticed?

What if Lucian’s watchful guards were lurking, waiting to catch me and drag me back to the mansion?

No.

Freedom.

Move!

Were those my thoughts, or the grimoire?

Silence.

No hissing whispers. No viper-quick response.

I turned and sprinted towards the forest. The trees loomed ahead, dark sentinels that beckoned me closer with their twisted branches. As I entered the underbrush, the world transformed—and any familiarity faded into the eerie embrace of darkness.

I’d only ever seen these trees from the back of a car as we’d raced along the road… I didn’t know where I was going.

But I didn’t care.

A flash of blue flitted past—a small bird, bright as a spring flower in the mist, darted through the trees. Its warbling song weaved through the heavy silence.

“Wait!” I whispered, breathless, as I followed its elusive form deeper into the woods.

My feet barely touched the ground as I moved through the underbrush, but as soon as I entered the tree line, the temperature plummeted and the spongy uneven ground sucked at my feet and threatened to topple me to the ground with every hurried step.

I pushed through tangled branches and dense thickets as I followed the bird through the trees.

But then I lost sight of it.

“Where did you go?” I called out.

I skidded to a stop, my shoes slid in the needles that carpeted the forest floor.

I spun around in a circle, looking for the bird’s bright feathers, and strained my ears to hear any hint of its song.

But there was nothing.

Only the creak of the trees.

Fuck.

Furious, and hopelessly lost, my hands clenched into fists at my sides as I tried to catch my breath.

As I looked around the clearing, I noticed a dark shape against one of the trees.

Had I been followed?

The shape didn’t move, and I took a hesitant step forward.

No, it wasn’t a person.

It was a motorcycle, propped against the gnarled trunk of an ancient tree—its sleek black frame was half-hidden by shadows and elation surged through me. I was about to rush toward it, but before I could move, the roar of an engine shattered the stillness and vibrated through the ground beneath my feet.

I spun around, heart racing, searching for the source of that sound.

But there was nothing—and the echo of the bike’s rumble lingered in my ears.

Panic clawed at my throat.

What was happening?

A heavy hand closed over the back of my neck, and a low voice growled in my ear: “Leaving so soon—”

I opened my mouth to scream, but darkness swallowed me whole as I jolted awake, gasping for breath.

I sat up in bed and clutched at my throat.

The sheets bunched around my waist and the chill air of the room caressed my skin with icy fingers.

I reached out for Valen—but he was gone and the bed was cold where he had lain.

When had he left?

My heart raced, and I struggled to draw a full breath as the remnants of the dream clung to me—each detail was sharp and vibrant, and it was etched in my mind like a map leading to freedom.

I could still hear the faint melody of the birdsong that had led me onward.

There was no question in my mind; Valen had sent me that dream.

He was out there, waiting for me in the forest.

“So certain…”

I gritted my teeth as the grimoire’s whispers rose again.

I was certain.

He was keeping his promise to help me escape.

My body burned with urgency as I sprang out of bed and cold air bit at my bare skin. Every instinct screamed for action as I fumbled through the darkness, and my heart pounded with a frantic rhythm that echoed in my ears.

I had to leave.

I had to get out.

I didn’t care where he took me—just that I could leave.

Escape.

With trembling hands, I dressed swiftly, each movement purposeful.

There was no time for hesitation—and there was no way to know how long that window of opportunity would remain open.

I rushed to the door and wrenched it open.

I half-expected to see one of Lucian’s silent guards standing outside my door, but the hallway was empty and dark, and the grand staircase yawned in front of me.

I paused for a heartbeat, listening—for what, I couldn’t say.

The house was hauntingly still and its silence was heavy.

Shadows danced along the walls and moonlight entered through the windows and turned every surface a ghostly silver.

Just like my dream.

“Careful…”

Shut up.

The grimoire’s chuckle was dark, but I had to ignore it.

As I crept down the grand staircase, every step beneath my feet threatened to betray me with a creak. I held my breath as I rushed down the stairs and clung to the wrought-iron railing to keep from giving away my movements.

A flicker of movement caught my eye—a curtain swaying gently in the breeze from an open window, or perhaps a trick of the light. My heart stuttered, and I froze, straining to hear any sign of life.

I had to be careful.

Every second I lingered was a second closer to capture.

I had to get to the garden.

Valen had laid the path for me in my dream.

It was still clear in my mind.

When my feet hit the flagstones of the main floor, I almost ran toward the side door. Using the grand entrance was stupid—I’d be caught in an instant.

The hallway was dark and quiet.

Where was everyone?

I muttered a quick ward as I laid my hand on the latch and pushed the door open.

The world outside was cloaked in silence and the air was cold and crisp.

The leaves on the tree just beside the door trembled in the faintest breeze, but there was no other sound.

I couldn’t stop now.

I clenched my jaw and forced my legs to move.

I had to keep going, to reach that gate.

The door closed softly behind me and I hurried toward the winding path that led into the garden.

The pale stone path stretched out before me, barely illuminated by the pale moonlight that broke through the clouds.

The rain soaked earth squelched beneath my feet and the cold wet of the mud seeped into my satin shoes.

“Hurry,” a voice whispered, beckoning me deeper into the tangled labyrinth of the garden.

Valen?

The sound curled around me like smoke and urged me onward.

I hesitated.

My dream—it was the same.

That was a good thing, wasn’t it?

As I stood at the edge of the path, moonlight spilled over my shoulders and its chill bit into my skin.

The stars glimmered above, distant and indifferent.

Tears pricked at my eyelashes…

I was getting out of here.

I forced my legs to move and hurried into the garden—suddenly worried that I would be caught and dragged back to the house and thrown into the confines of my room once more.

Or Lucian’s study.

The thought chilled me more now than it had in the dream.

Freedom.

That was what I wanted.

It was what I deserved.

“Would you kill for it?”

My steps faltered as the grimoire’s voice sliced through my thoughts once more.

“Yes,” I said aloud. “I would.”

No falter in my voice.

No hesitation.

I would.

If I had to…

“Brave little bird—” The grimoire’s voice sounded smug. Satisfied with my response.

“Hurry—”

The echoing voice again. Soft and urgent.

Afraid?

Was it Valen? Or something else?

What if the woods were full of monsters?

My classmates at Messana Academy had talked about it. About children going missing—

Not helpful.

The end of the garden was just between the topiary creatures.

And the wall.

Its ivy-clad surface moved gently in a wind I couldn’t feel and I swallowed hard as the dreams rushed back into my mind.

“Your stepbrothers… These nightmares… They’re the ones who did it to you. They violated your dreams…” The grimoire’s voice was a persistent slither. A viper of doubt.

“Stop it,” I whispered.

“They’re lying to you,” the dark chorus of whispers insisted.

“They can’t,” I said through clenched teeth. “The bond—”

“If you’re sure…”

A sharp-toothed smile seemed to accompany those words.

The ivy seemed to writhe as I stared at it.

A trick of the light. It had to be.

I shook my head and looked desperately for the gate.

It had to be here—

A soft metallic creak tugged a breath from my throat that could have been a sob.

Hope flared in my chest and I rushed toward it. I gave the ivy a wide berth, just in case… I still didn’t trust those glossy dark leaves.

The moon glinted off the wrought-iron gate, and I pushed it open a little wider to allow me to squeeze through. It fought against me, and there was barely enough room for me to slide through.

It was the same.

All of it.

I wrapped my hand around the wrought iron and pushed, grimacing as the sharp metal bit onto my fingers. The stone scraped against my back and I gritted my teeth against the familiar sting of pain as I pushed through.

The metallic tang in my mouth was familiar now and I swallowed hard as I freed myself from the gate and stumbled out on the other side of the stone wall.

I spat on the grass to get the strangeness of it off my tongue, but it lingered and I wiped my sleeve across my lips.

The motion reminded me of the pain in my hand. My fingers throbbed and this time I looked down to inspect it.

My fingers were dark with blood that looked black in the moonlight.

Slippery.

But I was out.

I didn’t wait to look back at the gate or the house—I turned and sprinted towards the forest.

The trees loomed ahead with twisted branches and rough bark.

Go. Go. Go.

As I entered the underbrush, the world transformed—and any familiarity faded into the eerie embrace of darkness.

This time, I knew where I was going.

But something was missing.

A flash of blue flitted past—the bird!

A sign that I was on the right path—that the dream Valen had sent me was true—

“Careful—”

“I’m not listening to you—”

The bird’s warbling song filled my ears, and a smile curved across my lips. I expected it to wait for me, but just like in my dream, it darted between the branches and headed deeper into the trees.

“Wait!”

The temperature dropped sharply and dark mud between the roots of the trees sucked at my feet and threatened to topple me to the ground with every hurried step.

I pushed through tangled branches and dense thickets as I followed the bird through the trees.

But then I lost sight of it.

“Where did you go?” I called out.

I skidded to a stop and my wet shoes slid in the needles that carpeted the forest floor. I couldn’t feel my toes. My fingers were stiff and cold and the blood had dried into a sticky crust between my fingers.

I spun around in a circle, looking for the bird’s bright feathers, and strained my ears to hear any hint of its song.

But there was nothing.

Only the creak of the trees.

The ground beneath my feet was uneven, and roots snaked across my path like skeletal fingers that grasped for my ankles. Stories I’d heard whispered in hushed tones—tales of monsters that roamed these woods—leapt into my mind.

Suddenly, I remembered the dark presence in my dream—the heavy hand on the back of my neck.

I spun around desperately, looking for the motorcycle.

It had to be here.

Everything else had been the same.

Panic tightened around my throat and I fought to keep calm.

There was no safety here, only the oppressive darkness that threatened to engulf me whole.

“Get a grip,” I hissed and shook my head as if I could physically cast away the fear that wrapped around my thoughts. I’d stolen power… but here in the dark woods, my magic felt so far away—pale and ineffective.

The grimoire— was it blocking my magic? Or was it something else?

No. Don't be stupid.

Desperate thoughts twisted in my mind, but the grimoire’s whispers were quiet.

“Say something,” I hissed. “What do I do?”

Silence.

Just the creaking of trees and the soft rush of wind far above.

“Please,” I murmured as I cast desperate glances at the shrouded foliage that surrounded me.

It had to be here.

Where could Valen have hidden it?

But every moment I spent searching felt like a betrayal.

What if he had lied to me?

A shadow between the trees made my heart leap in my chest.

The bike.

With a strangled cry, I rushed toward it.

But as I approached, the shadow shifted and moved.

The forest morphed into a nightmarish labyrinth and as I reached the edge of the trees I felt a shudder ripple through my body.

What was that—

Shadows stirred among the trees, coiling like serpents, and from their depths emerged dark shapes, hunched and grotesque. I choked on a scream as icy tendrils of fear curled around my spine and forced adrenaline into my veins that electrified every nerve.

I stood frozen for just a heartbeat—one agonizing moment that stretched into eternity—before instinct kicked in and launched me into a flight of primal terror.

I tore myself away from the sinister figures that loomed behind me and tried to ignore the foreboding whispers that echoed in my ears. They called my name, but their voices were twisted with mockery and each syllable dripped with malice.

“Aaaaa-vril…”

“Leaving so soon—”

The chilling words from my dream.

“You can’t escape,” they taunted.

Dread churned in my gut as my feet pounded against the damp earth. I wove through the trees and branches clawed at my skin like desperate hands trying to pull me back. There was no time to think, only to move, to evade the darkness that hungered for my capture.

Roots snaked across my path, threatening to trip me, but I leapt over them.

My lungs burned as I gasped for air and the world narrowed to a tunnel of shadows and moonlight. My nerves were on edge, and every sound was amplified to a terrifying level—

They were behind me.

In pursuit.

And I was alone.

Helpless.

Where are you?

I reached out desperately for the grimoire and I could sense its weight in my mind, but it was muffled.

“I thought you didn’t want my help—” The grimoire’s wicked whisper was more like a hiss.

I thought of the motorcycle hidden somewhere within this living nightmare.

I had to find it before the creatures lurking just beyond my vision could ensnare me.

A sizzling ball of magic streaked past me and a tree just ahead of me on my left side exploded in shards of pale wood, and a scream tore from my throat as I covered my face.

My ears rang from the explosion, but I couldn’t stop running. The dark shapes loomed closer, their movements fluid and predatory, like shadows come to life. They reached for me, catching my hair, but not enough to grab—

My shoes were gone.

Lost somewhere in the trees.

Pain lanced through my legs and my lungs screamed for relief as terror surged through me.

Suddenly, anger overtook the smallest edge of my fear.

I didn’t have to run; I had to fight back.

My veins thundered with stolen magic.

Why was it hiding from me?

No.

I skidded to a stop and turned to face my pursuers.

“Come on,” I whispered to the magic that thrummed beneath my skin, desperate for it to respond. I thrust my hand out as if summoning a shield, but nothing happened.

The forest around me felt alive with energy—thick and oppressive—but my own power remained frustratingly dormant.

Laughter melted through the trees, but then it was in my mind. In my thoughts.

Mocking me.

“Please!” I cried out and my voice was raw with desperation and fury.

The ground beneath my feet trembled, and I felt a spark of warmth surge through me, but it fizzled into nothingness before I could harness it. The shapes loomed larger in the darkness and their whispers seeped deeper into my mind as dread threatened to envelop my senses.

“Stop!” I shouted as I spun around and planted my feet firmly against the damp earth.

I focused hard and closed my eyes tight as the chill of the night air wrapped around me like a noose.

With all my strength, I tried again, only to unleash a wild burst of violet energy that spiraled harmlessly into the trees, cracking branches like dry twigs.

“That’s all?” The voice was clear in the darkness. Unfamiliar. But the scorn… I recognized that brand of scorn. I’d heard it before. Countless times in the halls of Messana Academy.

“Try again, little one!” a voice jeered from the darkness, the laughter echoing with malice, reverberating against the trees. I shot a desperate glance over my shoulder, adrenaline surging through my veins. They were close. Too close.

“Dario’s daughter,” a voice sneered. “He’d be so ashamed to see you— pale spark.”

“Get away from me!” I screamed, spinning around to face the encroaching shadows. I raised my hands, willing my magic to respond. A vibrant spark of violet flame and smoke gathered against my palm, and I felt a twinge of victory.

That was more like it.

I’d sacrificed too much to fail—

But as I released it, the projectile veered wildly off course and exploded into the underbrush instead of hitting my pursuers. The violet light flared and turned the shadows into strange caricatures that somehow made the forest even more frightening.

The crackle of smoking energy fizzled out uselessly and left me trembling with frustration.

“Nice try!” another voice sneered. The shapes darted behind the trees and wove in and out of my vision like malevolent phantoms. Failure pressed down on me and my heart raced as I fought to keep moving, but my limbs were heavy and uncooperative.

And I was tired—so tired.

So cold.

“Why won’t you work?!” I hissed as my breath dragged from my lungs in ragged gasps. With each step, my strength waned, and I felt the primal urge to survive warring against the exhaustion threatening to drown me. My muscles screamed in protest, and I staggered, nearly losing my footing again.

“Come now, little one… You don’t need to keep running,” a mocking voice cooed from the depths of the forest. Their words slithered into my ears like venom. “Give up now...”

“Shut up!” I screamed.

Where are you—

I wanted the grimoire.

I wanted Titus. Valen. Bastian.

They were so ruthless. Merciless.

And their magic was so much stronger…

Mine was—

No.

Mine was just as strong… But why wasn’t it working?

I lashed out again, but the ball of smoking violet energy barely left my hand before it extinguished itself into nothingness. The fleeting light revealed the shapes, monstrous and looming, their features exaggerated by the shadows. They looked almost human at a glance, but the distorted outlines were hard to make out for sure.

“The keyline did its job—” one shadow said.

A keyline— was that why I was feeling so weak?

Was that why my magic was muffled?

Taunts and laughter filled the air like physical blows, and I stumbled forward—then stopped, gasping.

The motorcycle!

I almost didn’t believe it.

It was so close now.

All I had to do was reach it.

Mocking cries chased me as I willed my legs to move, but my strength was fading fast. My breath tore from my lungs in painful rasps, and my vision swam as I pushed forward.

With one last desperate surge, I closed the distance and stumbled against the bike.

I was freezing.

Exhausted.

But I was here.

I clung to the seat with bloodied fingers, the metal frame cold against my skin, and fumbled to get it upright.

“She thinks she can get away!” The voices dripped with disdain. I didn’t even care; I was so close now. I had to make it.

With trembling hands, I turned the key that had been left in the ignition.

And the bike roared to life beneath me.

The sound was deafening.

It shattered the silence, and I felt the vibration in my bones.

I could almost taste my freedom past the coppery stain of fear that bathed my tongue.

“Wait—” a voice slipped from the trees, urgent now, but I was already releasing the clutch. The tires spun and spat clods of mud into the air as I shot forward.

The sudden force slammed me backward and I lost my grip for a terrifying moment and my vision was a dizzying spiral as I fought to stay upright and regain my grip on the handlebars.

My fingers throbbed and pain raced through me as the wounds on my palm opened again and my blood was slick against the leather and chrome. I let out a strangled scream as the bike, as it had done a hundred times before, veered out of my control. I held on tight and fought to regain control.

Then I had it.

I was— I was okay.

Wind tore at my clothes and hair as I flew down a narrow path.

It was a path.

And it was clear.

I could barely breathe, but freedom was so close.

Closer than I’d ever been.

I leaned into the bike and forced the throttle farther open just as Valen had shown me, desperate to gain distance between myself and the dark shapes.

I didn’t dare look back.

The engine roared louder, and I knew that any second they’d be out of sight.

But then the bike lurched beneath me and my stomach dropped.

A flash of fiery light split the air just ahead, and an explosion rocked the ground. Dirt and debris filled the air and this time I couldn’t stop the scream that tore from my throat.

I struggled to keep the bike upright, but couldn’t, and another bright projectile struck the back wheel.

The impact rocketed through my body as the bike hurtled off the path and into the underbrush. I couldn’t even draw enough breath to scream as the world tumbled around me in a violent blur.

When I hit the ground, there was nothing but darkness.