Nikolas held her at arm’s length, his auburn hair brushing his forehead as he looked at her. “Do you actually believe that?”
Adalia stared at her brother for a moment before shaking her head. “No . . . I don’t. I know he is good. He’s not like them . . . I can feel it.”
“Then hold on to that. That’s the truth you need to believe in,” Nikolas whispered.
“But why isn’t he here Nik? He said he’d come back. It’s been three days. What if something has happened to him?”
“I’m sure he’s okay, Ada. Have you seen the muscles on that guy?” Nikolas chuckled.
Offering her brother a small smile, Adalia scuffed the ground beneath her feet. “I don’t know Nik; I think I need to go to him. I’m tired of waiting around. Maybe he needs me. Maybe he needs someone to rescue him, for once.”
Nikolas sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I’ll support you either way. You’d do no less for Shiloh. For me. Matthias may be a lousy fly fisher, but he’s one of us now. Plus, you . . . kind of like him.”
It was a glorious moment for Adalia to hear her brother say those words. Nikolas supported her with most things, but with Matthias, she was unsure. This was territory neither sibling had ever crossed before. Matthias had come along and added a whole new dimension to the sibling relationship.
“I do kinda like him” Adalia blushed at her own words. It was the first time she’d admitted it out loud.
“I think most people can see that, sis,” Nikolas flashed her a boyish grin.
“I didn’t think it was that obvious.”
“It definitely is.”
Adalia smiled at the thought of the prince, and then quickly frowned. “I need to go to his cabin, Nik. And I need to go now. I will talk to the king. Do you think you could spare me for a few hours while I go to Oscuro?”
“We will be perfectly fine here. Just . . . take someone with you.”
Adalia shook her head. “It will be quicker if I just go. Less chance of getting caught.”
Nikolas looked at her with concern.
“It will be fine, I promise.” Adalia assured him.
After speaking with the king, Adalia rushed home to change into her Lightner leathers and to gather a few extra daggers. She sheathed them one behind her, one on her left forearm, and one in either boot. Standing in front of her dresser mirror, she fixed her hair into one long braid that hung down her back, securing the end with a tie. Bones whimpered in the doorway of her bedroom.
“I know boy, we’re going to get him.” She ruffled the wolf’s soft white fur. “Let’s go.”
Exiting the home, she locked the door behind her and set off on foot with Bones close at her heels.
The king had welcomed her, and she told him all her troubles and with a very gentle and understanding response, he’d given her his blessing, his only comment . . .“Just remember that in that place of darkness, I cannot follow. For if light was to touch it, the darkness would simply cease to exist. Go with my blessing and be on your guard.”
As she marched along, the fire in her belly grew bigger. Today, darkness would not win. It would not win tomorrow. It would not win the next day, or the next. So long as Adalia existed, she would fight . . . And as if he knew what Adalia was thinking, Bones growled and nudged her hand in agreement.
They reached the Veil to Oscuro and with one last glance around at all the Shadowkin going about their lives, not knowing of the dangers looming at their doorsteps, Adalia turned south and headed into the unknown.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The cave
In the silence, the soft sound of a frog croaked, and the distant echo of a gentle breeze created an almost mystical ambiance. As Matthias’s eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, he caught a blurry glimpse of moss and lichen clinging to the walls, their faint luminescence adding an ethereal touch to the otherwise sombre surroundings.
He was in some sort of cave.
Strange formations and stalactites hung from the ceiling, looking like forgotten chandeliers created by the hand of nature. Slow, echoing drops of water fell into small pools on the cave floor that reflected the sparse light like tiny stars in the darkness. Matthias licked his dry lips, his throat begging for water.
Trying to move, he found that rope bound his feet and hands to the old wooden chair he was slumped on. The same rope that bound his limbs also wrapped around his wings, leaving Matthias utterly helpless. His temple pulsed and a warm sensation trickled down the side of his head. There was a bitter tang of bloodmixed with the earthy scent of his cage and Matthias knew it came from him.
His head rolled to the side, and he saw a needle in his arm connected to a tube of dark-green liquid. Trying to focus his mind so he could winnow out wasn’t an option. Whatever this poison was, it was keeping his thoughts clouded and his body drained of all energy.
