“You know, I find your eyes quite odd,” The Vulture pointed out. “Intriguing, yet odd. Tell me, why are your eyes the same color of the Magick that blasted apart the Lucien's ballroom?”
Eryx rumbled a deep, rich chuckle. “I can assure you, the attack was not of my doing. That matter is being taken care of.”
The Vulture clenched their jaw, their restraint diminishing. “We had a deal. You help me overthrow the government, and I in turn kill your precious targets. Only now I can see they aren’t just regular people, are they? This male’s head was severed by heat. Her power was so hot, itdisintegratedhis flesh. The girl was not supposed to be able to access her power here. What else aren’t you telling me? What else do you know?”
The Vulture could feel in their bones the man was holding back information. Of course, they didn’t trust Eryx. Not fully. But their interests had aligned, and The Vulture took the deal. They were desperate for help, but the man couldn’t know that. He couldn’t know that The Vulture’s future–their entirefamily'sfuture depended on this alliance going forth as planned. Failing would be the end. Failingwasn’t an option.
Eryx huffed out a breath before leaning forward and inspecting the head. He frowned, tracing a finger over the burnt flesh. “This was unexpected. If she can conjure a power this great within the barrier, who knows what she could do once she leaves the continent.”
At least he hadn’t knowingly sent them and their spies to their deaths. The Vulture needed Eryx to remain loyal, intent on their alliance. Without him, who else could they use as a scapegoat?
The Vulture straightened their spine, remembering themself. They simply couldn’t afford to lose this alliance.
Play nice. Keep your attitude in check.
“So what is our next move? What about the male?”
Eryx waived a hand, dismissing the last question. “He will be contained as long as his emotions are in check. His power is buried under a lifetime of pain and suffering, that much blockage stifles Magick. We need to focus on containing the girl, then the male.”
“Do you have a plan or not?”
“I do,” Eryx said calmly as he thrummed his fingers across the desk, and told The Vulture what they needed to do next.
Chapter 20
And in a moment of rage, Tinyrah Kazimyr created the Everstorm. It was a defense mechanism, to keep out the one person she knew she couldn’t deny. Evyen.
— The book of Tevye
Taryn
“You just had to provoke a dark spirit,didn’t you?” Airess asked sarcastically, laying down her cloak as a makeshift pallet to rest after several hours of riding aimlessly through the woods. They were all tired, horses included.
“You can’t possibly think that has anything to do with us being lost,” Taryn reasoned as he straightened out his own pallet, turning to face her, the darkness cloaking her features. He had learned Airess was quite superstitious, her belief in the supernatural balancing his severe lack of it.
It amused him, truly, that one could have such faith in the unknown.He couldn’t relate, only believing what he could see and feel, onlyaccepting anything that had been scientifically proven. Dreamwalking had been the first time he had ever opened his mind to those possibilities, and even that he was still skeptical about.
Airess sighed, ignoring his doubt. “At least we got away from those guards,” she shuffled until she came to a seated position, “I’ll keep watch first.”
Taryn nodded through the darkness. “Keep your dagger on you just in case. I haven’t heard anything, but it’s just a precaution.”
The entire time they ventured into The Twins, Taryn hadn’t picked up on any sounds that indicated a living soul lived here. Not even an insect. This had contradicted everything he had heard about the forest, but decided it would be a boon to their travels.
“Dream well,” Airess crooned as Taryn lay down.
He hadn’t dreamwalked since the night he saw into Airess’ memories, and he hoped he never would do it again. What he saw that prince do to her in the dreamworld made him livid.Furious. The prince had struck her. How many times had he done that? What else did she endure while prisoner to theLuciens? Airess didn’t want to discuss it, and he didn’t blame her.
For some odd reason, Taryn just wanted her to feel safe. He wanted – no,neededto protect her. As he fell asleep, he vowed he would never let anyone harm her again.
He felt himself being ripped from his body.
It felt forced, like his spirit was peeling away from his physical form. Suddenly, Taryn was floating over his physical body. He had a perfect view of himself sleeping, Airess keeping watch beside him. He wavered slightly to straighten himself as if he was floating in water.
It was when he looked a few feet in front of Airess when he saw it.
A tall, thin creature stood beside a tree, its body resembling a mangled Human being. It was black, as if it were made of Shadow. Its face was covered by long, tangled hair that fell to the ground in thick sheets. It watched him, its head cocking to the side abnormally fast. The creature lifted a knobby finger and pointed at Taryn.
Taryn opened his mouth to scream, to shout at Airess to look up, but nothing came out of his mouth, the words caught in his throat as if his own voice had been silenced. A sinister grin spread beneath the blanket of hair, exposing teeth carved into sharp, jagged shards. It made a clicking sound, something so terrifying Taryn didn’t know a sound like that could exist.
