She walked with the prince at her side, guided by the thrum of darkness in her veins, desperate to drive out the threat to the place that had once been her refuge. But they had to find the Blade first. And this forest was vast. The trees stretched for miles, filling the landscape so far and wide it could take weeks to fully explore, especially if one did not know the farthest reaches that led to the Veil.
She called to her raven, and asked him to fly toward the Veil, and to spend as long as necessary searching for the Shadowblood’s sword and for Sinevia. They’d continue to search the woods on foot for as long as they could—until nightfall would make it unsearchable.
“So how close have you ever gone to the Veil?” Asterious pushed aside a thorny branch from his face as he ducked underneath another.
Caramyn narrowed her eyes at a familiar cluster of trees in the distance, assuring herself they were heading in the right direction.
“I tried to see it once. I wanted to know what it looks like, to see if the rumors were true about it being unapproachable. I had to be less than a quarter mile away when the darkness came too unbearable even for me. I don’t know if the Shadows would have killed me if I went closer, but something in me was too afraid to find out.”
“How…encouraging. What did it look like?”
“Tell you and spoil all the fun?” Caramyn wrinkled her nose. “You’ll get to find out firsthand soon enough.”
The prince feigned a laugh, but the air was stiff between them. Fresh snow crunched beneath their boots as it deepened with the passing hours. As the woods began to darken, Caramyn held out a hand and stopped Asterious in his tracks. “Listen.”
The sounds of wind wailing and unearthly whispers swirled around them, low at first, but then it grew. The branches swayed in a sinister dance as they carried the sound closer, growing until it felt almost tangible between the prince and the woman in the forest.
“The Shadows are hunting.”
Asterious glanced around with a light shrug. “Should I be worried then?”
Caramyn shook her head. “I don’t think so. It sounds distant. Just hope it isn’t one of your men who tried to come looking for us.”
The growl of the Shadows lingered in the distance, humming their eerie lullaby as night cast its cover over the forest. Caramyn was grateful for the snow, as it made the ground easy to navigate even without torchlight. She shuddered as a cold chill snaked its way down her spine and breathed a sigh of relief when the snow-covered roof of her cottage came into view, a bright white spot of hope in a maze of darkness.
“We’ll have to resume our search in the morning. It’s useless to be out here after dark. We’ll wander blind all night.” She knew her senses were strong, and that she could likely push through the night. But the midnight darkness fell so thick it was almost painful, like an oppressive force sucking away any hope that had existed during the day. And she feared it might just be enough to weaken Asterious and strengthen the darkness fighting to overtake him. Nocthar was already out searching. It would be unwise to press on through the despairing dark, too.
“My cottage isn’t far. We’ll be safe there for the night.”
The prince nodded, gesturing for her to go forward. “Lead on.” He never once questioned her or even asked for an explanation for anything she said. And something in her heart swelled at the thought that he trusted her completely.
55
The Cottage
Caramyn
He followed her to the house, and when they reached the door, Asterious stopped, staring as though he’d seen a ghost.
“Are you alright?” Caramyn called.
“Yes,” he stammered. “Just a strange sense of familiarity. Like I’ve been here before, as crazy as that sounds,” he said as she pushed the wooden door open, the familiar scent of cedar and honey charging her senses.
It was too dark to even make out a hand in front of her face, but Caramyn navigated the room with ease, her feet following a path they’d learned through endless repetition. She hurried to atable in the corner, where she lit an assortment of candles, one by one, and then placed her bow across the table and her quiver in the corner. With the room now illuminated from the candle’s soft glow, Asterious moved further in, his steps slow as he took in his surroundings.
He walked to her table by the shelf of endless jars, elixirs, and herbs. “Quite the apothecary.”
Caramyn strode to the table, noticing the wilted leaves she’d never had a chance to dry. “You’d be surprised how many rare plants can be found here in the Woods—Here, smell.” She opened a jar and placed it under his nose. “Willow Vein. One of my best sellers at Havenswood before people started getting suspicious.”
The prince gagged and pushed the jar of powder away. “I’d be suspicious too if you tried to sell me that. That could kill a horse.”
Caramyn tightened the lid with a laugh. “Despite the smell, it’s the only cure this side of the river for Nerve Blight.” She placed it back amongst her many other herbs and dried powders, thinking of the neurological illness caused by the bite of a fanged insect native to the forested mountains ranges.
“You no doubt saved countless lives.” The prince walked to the window just above her bed, his hands folded behind his back as though he was afraid to accidentally touch something he wasn’t supposed to.
“Maybe,” she sighed. “But I took them, too. Mostly to spare them from the Shadows. But I’d be lying if I said sometimes it wasn’t personal.” Caramyn walked over to join him, noticing his fixation on the notch marks on the wall. Her heart dropped. She knew he’d ask. But he didn’t. So she offered, because there were to be no further secrets between them. “I kept count of the men I killed.”
The prince stared at the tallies, his face unreadable as heavy silence hung in the air like a wet towel. “One more and you would’ve made it to a hundred.” He said matter-of-factly. She still couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and it was turning her stomach to knots.
