Just as our lips are about to meet, a sharp knock echoes through the room, shattering the fragile moment like glass. We pull away, both startled, as Elira bursts into the study. “Thaldiran, we’ve found something,” she says, her voice tense with excitement.
I clear my throat and straighten up. “What is it?”
“We’ve located a portal,” she replies, her eyes alight with anticipation. “It’s not far from here.”
“Are you certain?” I ask. We’ve been searching for a portal, a way to access the Shadowlord’s territory, for weeks. Portals exist all over the Enchanted Forest—and every realm—each leading somewhere different. There’s no telling if this is the right one, but there’s only one way to find out.
“Positive,” Elira confirms. “We need to act quickly before it disappears.”
“We’ll leave right now,” I assure her. “Astryl and I can handle this one. You all stand guard here in case the Shadowlord sends another wave of wraiths.”
A portal could be our ticket to victory, a way to outmaneuver our enemy and turn the tide of the war in our favor. But as I take one long look at the woman staring up at me, the almost-kiss that never happened lingers in the air.
For now, duty calls, and I must focus.
But Astryl takes a step back, her arms crossing over her chest defensively. “I don’t know, Thaldiran,” she begins, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “I’m not sure I trust the fae just yet. After all, your kind and mine have been enemies for as long as I can remember.”
I can’t blame her for her skepticism; the rift between our people runs deep, generations of animosity ingrained in our veryessence. But I know that if we’re to stand a chance against the Shadowlord, we’ll need to put aside our differences and work together.
“I understand your reservations, Astryl. Believe me, I do. But as I’ve said, this goes beyond ancient grudges and ancestral feuds. We need you, Astryl. Your power, your abilities—they could be the key to ending this senseless conflict.”
She scoffs, seemingly unimpressed by my words. “Or they could be the key to unleashing even greater chaos. How do I know you won’t exploit me, manipulate me to further your own agenda?”
“You don’t,” I concede. “But you have to ask yourself if you’re willing to let fear dictate your actions, to let the sins of the past prevent us from finding a path forward.”
For a moment, she wavers, seemingly caught between defiance and doubt. But then she straightens her posture and lifts her chin, and I know that my insinuation that she was afraid is the tipping point she needed to take that leap.
“Fine,” she relents. “But don’t think for a second that I trust you. If you betray me, if any harm comes to me or my people because of this, you’ll regret ever crossing paths with me.”
Chapter Five
Astryl
If you had told me when I woke up this morning that by the end of the day, I’d be an angel-dragon shifter, I’d have laughed in your face. It’s impossible. It’s madness. And yet, here I am, traipsing through the forest with a fae warrior who claims he can unravel the mystery of my heritage.
The events of the evening leave me reeling. Not only have I learned that I’m half angel, but I almost kissed a fae warrior, and he seemed keen on it, too. But the biggest revelation of the night is the fact that I’m only here because someone left a toddler unsupervised in the middle of a forest and I tumbled through a portal. Even a pixie knows better.
Now, I follow Thaldiran’s lead as we venture through the woods looking for the very thing that brought me here in thefirst place. A portal. The things I do for the promise of a heritage lesson. Like it or not, if I’m ever going to discover who I am and where I come from, I have to follow this fae into who knows what and help him with this war that I have nothing to do with. Oh, if only Lyria could see me now.
The air is thick with tension, each rustle of leaves making me jump, every snap of a twig sending my heart into a frenzied beat. Thaldiran strides ahead, his eyes scanning the dense foliage, a sword glinting at his side.
“Keep close, Astryl,” Thaldiran murmurs, his eyes darting to the dense underbrush.
“Trust me, I have no intention of getting turned around in this maze. I’d prefer not to add ‘getting lost’ to the list of questionable decisions I’ve made today.” I retort, clutching the dagger he gave me, itching to shift so that we can get out of here faster. But beneath the surface, my injured wing feels like a dead weight, and if I were to shift, I’d likely undo whatever healing has managed to take place.
As we push deeper into the forest, the sunlight dims, replaced by an eerie gloom that casts unsettling shadows. The silence is oppressive, punctuated only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant cry of a nocturnal creature.
Suddenly, a low growl rumbles through the air, sending shivers down my spine. Dark figures materialize from the shadows—Shadow Wraiths.
Thaldiran unsheathes his sword, his stance firm and battle-ready. “Stay behind me, Astryl.”
“Behind you?” I scoff, brandishing my dagger. “I can handle myself.”
The first wraith lunges at Thaldiran, who deflects it with a swift slash of his sword, dispersing the shadowy form into wisps of darkness. Another Wraith targets me. I sidestep its attack,dodging the creature’s grasp, and plunge my dagger deep into the dark mass, severing its spirit from its physical body.
The wraiths’ movements become more frantic, more aggressive, as more of them converge on us. Their wails grow louder, more terrifying, and I can feel their desperation in the air. The dark forms lash out at us, striking at our chests and clawing at our skin, but their blows are no match for our reflexes.
One wraith, emboldened by the others, moves to grab me. I dodge the attack, and when I look back, it’s been severed in two.
