Page 18 of Once Written in Gilded Blood

I follow their line of sight, and the same despair overcomes me.

The gates are slowly opening.

Chapter 7

Alira

Kalel freezes, brows pulled low with disbelief, and his grip tightens on his horse’s reins.

My heart races, unable to tear my eyes away from the parted gates. They’ve opened a fraction, maybe a quarter of the way, before stopping completely. Part of me thinks that some terrible creature will come running out, or that Pluto himself may appear. But nothing happens. The enormous wooden door remains only partly cracked, as if beckoning us to come closer and enter Mortem.

“Kalel, what do we do? Has this happened before?” Nikolai says, his voice trembling. He won’t look away from the gates. I don’t blame him; I don’t trust them either. Not after all the horrifying stories he and Tessa filled my head with.

Kalel blinks and takes a few deep breaths, holding them.

His golden eyes, full of fear, snap to Nik and then to me. “No, this has never happened. We need to return to Devicit immediately and report back to King Achill.” Kalel pulls on the reins and his horse whinnies, turning sharply before breaking into a run. Mine follows its lead, and I barely react quickly enough by grabbing onto the hilt of the saddle.

Tessa curses and follows at the rear with Nikolai beside her. He keeps stealing glances back at the gates like he doesn’t believe his own two eyes.

Why would the gates open? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kalel this frightened before. His body looks stiff as he rides ahead, and the quick pace we are going at only makes me more concerned.

“What does this mean?” I shout over the wailing wind.

Kalel’s red cloak whips behind him furiously. He glances at me. “It means death is coming… A lot of it.” He returns his gaze straight ahead, eyes sweeping the highlands, searching for the way we came in.

A sinking sensation fills my stomach as I look up. Thick clouds have formed, hugging the ground and making the air dense with moisture.

I try not to entertain the thought that we might be lost or that the sun will be setting very shortly.

My stomach twists with dread. “Death? That can’t be. We ended the war.” Vivid imagery of the battle I fought for twenty time loops and all the death that followed grips my heart tightly.

Kalel’s teeth are gnashed and his features betray his guilt. He knows something about why the gates are open. And I would bet that it’s why he’s been so stressed and why Tessa was acting weird when she was my guard.

I knew it.

“We ended the war, didn’t we?” I ask, holding my breath as he finally looks at me.

“I will explain when we get back to the palace, but for now we need to get across the bridge before dusk.” His eyes trace the darkening sky. With all the clouds, there’s no telling when dusk is, but it’s very close.

I open my mouth to grill him until he answers my question, but Nikolai and Tessa pick up their pace until they’re riding beside us.

“Please don’t tell me we’re fucking lost,” Nikolai says with a wavering tone.

Tessa’s brows pinch together with worry, but she stays silent, focused.

Kalel doesn’t say anything. He continues in the direction opposite the gates.

“That’s reassuring. Gods. Alira, stay close to us. This storm is only getting thicker the farther we go.” Nikolai’s voice is low with distrust for what might be lingering in the snow and fog. He guides his horse closer to mine, and I’m glad for it.

My hands are clasped tightly around my mare’s reins. I keep my eyes peeled over the gray fields we traverse that seem to go on and on forever each way.

The only thing that could bring so much death would be a war…or a natural disaster, perhaps. I swallow the knot in my throat and try to remain calm. The moisture from the fog collects beads of water on my forehead and makes the clothes beneath my armor feel wet. I shudder, whether from the cold or from fear, I’m not sure.

If our marriage did not end the war, then what was the point of this? Why am I here? What was the point of any of my sacrifices? There is no way I could fight the demons, not after learning that they are not truly monsters. But if I do not fight them, will I be forced into combat alongside them against Alzhor?

I can’t.

Drops of water trickle down my brow and I start to feel sick. Please, gods, don’t let this happen. Please let there be another way.