“What’s wrong, Tyrios?” Asterious’ weary eyes suddenly opened wide with concern.
“The scouts have received word that Sinevia has left for the Woods. And she has an army of Shadow Soldiers waiting in Felhold, ready to be resurrected. And their first order—” Tyrios breathed. “To destroy Vaerwynd and burn the witchlands.”
Asterious bit his cheek. “She believes she’s finally powerful enough to steal the Veil’s power for their life source. If we hope to beat her there, we have no choice but to leave before sunrise.”
Caramyn sucked in a deep breath, trying to hide one of many countless yawns, her exhausted joints aching with each movement. Asterious glanced at her with bloodshot eyes beforecontinuing. “We’ll sleep a few hours tonight while we can, but tell Terrin to have the horses ready at midnight.”
“So be it. I’m eager to meet your dear sister.” She lifted her chin, finding buried strength at the thought of someone infiltrating the forbidden forest she’d spent so many years guarding. “And I’m very much beginning to miss my Woods.”
51
Past the Point of No Return
Sinevia
Sinevia watched as the snow drifted over Felhold, marking a new beginning, sealing old sins beneath white silence. A cleansing of sorts. And once she destroyed what was left of the Lightborn Court, Blackwynd Court would rise as the symbol of one central, final, and unchallenged power.
The queen turned her horse away from the looming stone castle, leaving her precious throne behind for this necessary journey. It would not be easy, but once the Veil was within her reach, her power would be unlimited. She’d studied the runes, she’d translated the spells and reworked every single word down to the last syllables to ensure her illusions wouldwork in conjunction with the Shadow magic and the blood she’d prepared for the ritual. To ensure she could siphon that living source of power from anywhere, once she had claimed it. It stirred deep satisfaction in her to think that once her soldiers rose, she would lay siege to the last rebelling cities and crush the resistance before it could fully take root. Even the Silvereans would no longer be exempt from her dominion.
She blinked, the pride of her efforts and pain laid bare before her in the form of her guards marching through a blanket of white. “A beautiful sight, wouldn’t you agree, Captain?” She patted her horse as the Captain kept in pace alongside her on his own mount.
“Glorious, Your Majesty,” he nodded.
She took a cold, deliberate pleasure in every part of it. An entire realm would bend to her will, backed by a military that could not waver, doubt, or betray her. And above all, she would have her revenge for Daphne’s death. Against the ancient belief systems that had nurtured weakness and misplaced compassion in the first place. They had crept into Daphne’s mind like a slow rot, convincing her to waste her power on those least deserving, to mistake mercy for virtue, and to get herself killed by defying the law for a love that was a lie. Such defiance was no less dangerous than unchecked magic itself. And unlike her father, she would not tolerate either.
And what fun it would be to watch it take shape. Her brother could not slaughter an army that was already dead. He would tire long before her immortal soldiers would fall and then she would capture him once he had nothing more to give. All that remained was to provoke him, to pry open the scars of years spent suppressing grief, fury, and guilt, and shove him past the point of no return. And at last, she knew exactly how to do it.
“Just imagine that beast under my command...chained out at the castle gates like a dog on a leash.” She muttered, earning a nod from the Captain.
But then something cracked. Something in her that called to the bond they once shared. The image of that little girl with long black hair who would visit her brother in the cell below the castle. She’d ask why he couldn’t come out to play. And he’d tell her from the corner where he curled up alone.
“I’m not allowed. I might hurt you.”
So she’d fetch a ball from her room and bring it to him, and they’d play through the bars of his prison. Once in the garden, she found a bird with an injured wing and brought it to him to nurse back to health. He kept it for three days before letting it fly away—
“You still prefer subduing him over just killing him?” The Captain’s question snapped her from her memory. But it lingered, and she looked at her hands covered in smoky black markings that covered her fingers like soot. And suddenly some part of her wished she could stop it. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. It was that simple. She blinked, and the darkness overshadowed her once more, consuming the last bit of whatever was left of her soul. There was no way out.
“I think I do. I have more to gain that way,” she said. “And thanks to you, I now know his weakness.”
“What about the Shadow Woods? What if the Shadow wraiths do not welcome you, my queen?”
“They cannot banish a greater power than themselves.” She nudged her horse forward. “And anyone who tries to stop me from entering will find out just how powerful I am.”
At her unspoken command, the Captain’s image flickered, fading as she released his presence and returned him to the work that defined his true purpose, far beyond her reach.
“Go now. You have a duty far greater than escorting me,” she said. “Ensure that everything is ready for when I arrive.”
52
Into the Darkness
Caramyn
Caramyn hardly remembered the walk through the castle doors and to her room in the tower. The soles of her feet ached with each step. Her muscles burned with each step up the stairs, threatening to give out with each leg put forward. The lack of sleep was dizzying, and the dark corridors blurred and twisted as she tried to blink away the throbbing in her head.
She fumbled in her gait and swayed with pure exhaustion, hardly aware of the footsteps behind her. Just when she felt she couldn’t take another step, the prince’s warm arms encompassed her, scooping her up against him and carrying her the rest of the way. She hadn’t even realized he’d still beenwalking with her. Her weary head flopped against his chest, where she succumbed to the weight of her eyelids as the beat of his heart lulled her to sleep.
She awoke a few hours later, snug beneath warm blankets in her bed. The sound of a ringing tower bell outside summoned her, and she sprung to her feet to wash and get dressed. It would be a while before she could bathe again.
