“Taryn!” she called out in fear.
“Almost there!” he said as they neared the forest. She looked behind her one last time, and to her utter surprise, the guards on horseback had reared their horses to a stop, watching them ride into the black darkness that was the forest, fear evident in their round eyes and parted mouths.
Daylight vanished as they crossed into the forest. She reached out to Taryn on her horse as her vision began to blur completely to black.
“Something iswrong,” she said. Her grip on the reins slackened, her body sliding from the horse as everything went dark.
Airess woke to an eerie silence.
That, and a damp cloth resting atop her forehead. She stirred, her hand instinctively reaching for the cloth, when she heard a shuffling. When she opened her eyes, Taryn was hovering over her with a finger pressed to his lips. He mouthed aShhand removed the cloth from her head.
Her eyes shifted beyond him. It was night–pitch black, even. She had expected to hear the soft hum of crickets and the crackling of a fyre, but to her surprise, it was complete and utter silence. There was no glowing light from the usual fyre they lit every night. There was a chill in the air, much colder than it should be for this time in Luciena.
“What happened?” she croaked. Taryn reached for her elbow, his hand resting softly on her lower back as he helped her sit up.
“You got hit with Shadow Magick. You fell unconscious when we passed through the threshold into The Twins. That was hours ago.” Taryn spoke in a hushedwhisper, eyesdarting around to look for something in the forest beyond. “You’ll want to keep your voice low here. We don’t know what's lurking.”
As consciousness settled within her body, she finally took in her surroundings–horror settling in the pit of her stomach as she focused on thetrees.
The trees around them weren’t just gray from light-colored bark, they were covered inpale skin. Purple veins traveled underneath the thin membrane, the veins pulsing as if it were alive. The leaves were a dark red, almost black, as if they were filled with thick, clotted blood.
She could only see the trees closest to her. The rest of the forest was pitch black, besides a glimpse of light that reached through the leaves towards her. They currently sat near the patch of light, the only source lighting up Taryn’s worried features.
Not a single soul existed here. Airess’ blood turned cold. Every instinct in her body screamed that she did not belong here.
“What is this place?” she whispered, noting the horses bedded down closer than they normally would.
Taryn’s silvery gaze slid to hers. “The Twins.”
“The what now?”
“The Twins,” Taryn repeated. “The only forbidden forest in Luciena.”
Airess shook her head. “What do you meanforbidden forest? That sounds like something from a bedtime story.”
Taryn snorted. “I wish. This forest is ancient, supposedly filled with dark spirits conjured by Bas, the Death God. No one ventures in, not even the guards.”
“Darkspirits?” Airess asked, horrified.
Taryn waved a hand. “Only according to folklore. I personally don’t believe in ghosts, and doubt we will find anything of the sort.”
“Such a skeptic,” Airess said, rolling her eyes. “I wouldn’t go doubting a notorious spirit, you might provoke it.”
“Ha!I’d like to see it try.”
Taryn stood up, brushing off his trousers before extending a hand to Airess. As he helped her stand, she realized he was quite the gentleman. He barely knew her, yet had never failed to help her mount her horse or light their fyres. She glanced at the wet cloth that he had placed on her forehead during her unconsciousness, and wondered what type of person raised such a gentleman–well, that is, besides his crassness.
“What about the guards?” Airess asked, remembering they could very well be waiting for them beyond the treeline.
“We will deal with that when we get there. Let’s just… get out of here.”
Airess cackled, folding her arms as she looked up at him. “Are you sure you don’t believe in ghosts? I would think such astrongFae male wouldn’t be deterred by suchfolklore.”
Taryn’s head snapped towards her, a sly grin gracing his pretty mouth. “You think I’m strong? That’s quite the compliment, Haeleth.”
“Just get on your horse.”
They mounted, riding back in the direction they’d come from. Their horses walked slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. Spirits or no, there could always be a wild animal lurking nearby.
