Shadows crept in the corners of my vision. My lids weighed so heavy that I couldn’t be sure if the darkness was my falling consciousness. I hoped it was, eager to welcome sleep to numb the pain. But through the ringing in my ears I heard footsteps crunching through the stone debris toward me.
If it was Auster, I lay here completely at his mercy. I began to fight within myself, grappling for clearer awareness of my senses and scrambling to find any inkling of magick.
My body was too weak to reach for the sparks that tried to ignite within me.
The shadows grew closer, and a familiar sense of dread and utter disbelief slithered through me. My horror was confirmed when the figure knelt, and my head lolled to find such deadly beauty staring down at me.
“Thank you for releasing me, Maiden,” Nightsdeath said. “Truthfully, Ididn’t think it was possible but you were almost mine in that rift, and you brought me here with you instead of being kept there with me.”
How was this possible? Did this mean Nyte had awoken?
That flare of hope was quickly doused under a wave of absolute terror because Nightsdeath was in this realm, separated from Nyte’s body.
Oh stars, what have I done?
Unable to fight or protest, I let Nightsdeath lifted me into his arms and I cried out in pain with every movement of my broken body. Next thing I knew we were out of the deep crevice in the courtyard.
“You show yourself too late, Rainyte,” Auster called over.
I stiffened as Nightsdeath stopped walking and turned to where Auster, Zephyr, and Notus stood on a flat piece of the courtyard close to the castle.
“Rainyte isn’t here,” he said, a chilling calm in his tone.
Nightsdeath didn’t have a body like a mortal; he was crafted to appear as something between flesh and pure shadow, with amber eyes that glowed permanently, swirling with molten ore.
Auster chuckled menacingly, ignoring that statement. “You will not make it far with her.”
“I don’t plan to. In fact, I’m about to walk right up those stairs into the castle and take her to rest.” His head angled down, caressing me with his ethereal golden eyes. His voice lowered to a whisper of shadow. “We have much to do together before I kill you, my star.”
I shivered at the jarring tenderness in his tone coupled with the ominous promise in those words. As I pushed at his chest, he didn’t put up any resistance and let me fall clumsily to the ground. I yelped at the sharp pain that shot through every inch of me like the vibrations of a struck gong.
Steps shuffled to me but hesitated; I cast my sight up to find Auster and Zephyr had come forward, but the darkly radiating challenge of Nightsdeath halted them from coming any closer to me. His aura spilled around us like death lingered one touch, one breath, away.
“What are you doing?” Auster spat.
“He has no regard for her in this state,” Zephyr deduced.
A muscle in Auster’s jaw twitched scanning from me to Nightsdeath. Despite Auster’s words and resentment toward me, he was showing his care for me wasn’t completely gone. He didn’t truly want me dead; he wanted tofixme.Reformme. He wanted our friendship back, maybe even more, but only on his terms, as the person he wanted me to be.
“He’s always been a great danger to you, and this is who you chose to bond with,” Auster said with venom. “I suppose you deserve such treatment.”
My teeth gritted, and I mustered all the strength I had to lift myself from the ground, swaying to my feet. What stood behind me wasnota true portrayalof Nyte. Even when Nightsdeath fought viciously to take over his thoughts and actions, there was always the good in him to reach for.
We would all be condemned if we had to let our suffering stand to represent us.
“I will let you live, Auster Nova, as I think we have a common goal for now.” Nightsdeath brushed my tangled silver hair over my shoulder. “And we have this one in our possession to help us gain it faster.”
“What are you talking about?” It was Zephyr who snapped, his wariness growing as he kept careful track of me.
“We both want to find Rainyte.”
That only furrowed the confusion on the High Celestials’ brows deeper.
“It’s not him,” I said, barely a croak.
“You want me to believe you’renotRainyte?” Auster said in disbelief. “Do you take me for a fool?”
“Yes. But for far more reasons than this, I assure you. Now get out of my way.”
