She doesn’t let her hand linger for long, pulling back after just a few moments. “He’s a feisty one—I can tell.”
“That’s one way to put it.” But deep down, I know he wouldn’t hurt her, unless he was protecting me. And right now, Odeyssa is the furthest thing from a threat. She’s an ally, and we need all those we can get right now. “We need a game plan. I can’t stay here much longer,” I say, trying to push out the urgency.
Like I said earlier, I have an idea. But I don’t think you’re going to like it.
Well, speak now or forever hold your peace.
Before he can tell me, Odeyssa interrupts the conversation she didn’t know we were having. “I know you have your reservations, but I think the best option is to go to Nefarium. My dad can help. We can figure it out—”
“No. Out of all the options, that’s not one of them. I need somewhere they’ll never think to look, or at the very least, let it be thelastplace they look.”
Forest of the Forgotten,Voraxis blurts out.
“Forest of the Forgotten?” I repeat so Odeyssa is on the same page, and clearly it means something to her. Her entire body goes rigid, stiffening like a statue.
“Is that where he suggests we go?” There’s a hint of attitude in her question, with underlying…fear? Suspicion? I don’t know. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I nod my head cautiously, seeing there is more to the absolute outrage she’s feeling.
“Yeah, sure. That’s a great idea. Especially if we want todie!” she exclaims. Voraxis lets out a growl in warning, obviously not appreciating the bite in her tone. Surprised, she immediately pulls her hand off him, eyeing him warily.
“He doesn’t like your attitude.” And frankly, neither do I.
She huffs out a breath. “Look, all I’m saying is we wouldn’tsurvive there.”
“I won’t survive in Nefarium either,” I murmur.
“I’m sure my dad—”
“No!” I interrupt. The comforting rage I’ve gotten so used to starts to breach the surface, and I don’t think I have it in me to let it simmer back down. “Why are you pushing this so hard?”
Odeyssa contemplates her next words. “Have you ever heard of the forest? In all your time in Siderium, has anyone mentioned it?”
I answer with a curt shake of my head.
“That’s for a reason. The forest sits on the farthest edge of the realm. It’s believed to house all the fae who are sentenced to live the rest of their days alone. Forgotten.” Her expression softens, morphing into something more somber, like she knows all too well what happens there.
“Why not just send them to Mortis Regnum?” That’s the prison realm, which seems like the easier option in my opinion.
“Some crimes are too great for just the simplicity of death.”
“So what you’re saying is, if we go there, we die?”
Not necessarily,Voraxis chimes in, and I whip my head toward him, needing him to explain further.
It’s a risk, Firebird. But I don’t see another way.
Odeyssa seems like she’s getting increasingly more agitated the more we bicker on the subject. “What I’m saying is, we don’t know what’s going to happen. Everyone who enters is marked with a brand. So, by the small, minuscule chance they ever escape, they won’t be accepted anywhere. Permanently shunned.”
What a shit show this all is. Did I escape one prison only to trap myself in another?
“But I don’t understand. What’s the point? It seems like a bigger hassle than it’s worth.”
“Maybe it is. Think of it like a purgatory. The fae who arebanished stay until they die—which for someone like us is a very,verylong time—and even after death, their punishment continues. All spirits who wear the mark are sentenced to an eternal afterlife of misery in Mortis Regnum. And before you ask, there’s an enchantment placed upon the land, essentially ensuring they can’t kill themselves to ease their suffering.”
How morbid.
The silence stretches between the three of us, only the distant sounds of drills and hammers breaking through.
