chapter eighteen
LUNA
When I woke, I went outside and quickly bathed in the stream, putting on britches and a black tunic, and tucking my knives into their sheaths on my belt. While lacing my boots on the porch, Malex sat down beside me.
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked.
“No, but will you stay here with him?”
“Of course, but at dawn, I do need to go prepare a few things. We’ll try to make the spell tomorrow night. Bring Ember and Phillip. You can all stay with me during the day. I’ll have a bed ready for him.”
“Thank you,” I croaked, tears threatening to well in my eyes.
He pursed his lips and nodded. “Terigon will have men with him, and they will be heavily armed.”
“They can’t kill me, Malex,” I scoffed.
“No, but they can hurt you and take you back to the castle.”
I didn’t want to think about that. The castle of Ringsted wasn’t like other palaces with their gilded decorations, marble floors, and proud columns. It was built to keep enemies out. Terigon’s castle was a fortress, equipped with every torture device imaginable. Even as far away as it was, sometimes when I flew at night, I could hear the screams radiating from their dungeons.
No, they wouldn’t kill me. But they would have fun trying, and I shuddered at the thought. Steeling my shoulders, I looked Malex in the eye. I wasn’t going to let them have the upper hand. “They won’t have the chance,” I said defiantly. “I’m going to do this quickly.”
He nodded and stood when I did. “Once, a century or so ago, a human bit me,” he said off-handedly. “When he ingested my blood, it changed him. He became fae.”
My heart stopped before it began to thunder. Does that mean Phillip could be turned into a fae? Would he even want that?
I didn’t know how much of Phillip’s current personality Aura had influenced. Did she give him new memories to make him hate us, and me, less so he could get close to me? Or was he just not as prejudiced as his brother was? William had told me about the superstitions of Grithim and how his father loathed the fae and forbid anyone from entering the dark forest.
“He grew up hating the fae. I don’t know if he’d want to become one, even if it would save his life.”
“The toxin seems to be taking him down and then letting him up for air. He isn’t drowning, so maybe you should let him decide. But know that if he takes a sudden turn for the worse, you or I will have to make the decision for him.”
“Are you sure he’ll be okay for tonight?”
“With Aura one can never be sure, but if he gets sick again tonight, I can tell him and let him decide for himself. My blood would likely work better than yours, anyway. No offense.”
“None taken.” Would it work? Was Malex lying? I was skeptical since I’d never heard any rumors of a fae turning a human into their kind, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t hopeful. This would be a pivotal decision in Phillip’s life. Choosing to become the thing his parents and countrymen hated was no easy choice. If Phillip became fae, he could never return home. The prejudice in Grithim would be too much to overcome.
I took my broom, swung my leg over the handle, and flew up and into the night air. The sky was clear, save for the smiling crescent moon. I flew fast to the forest west of Ringsted. It took longer than I expected, but I finally found Terigon’s hunting party. And to my luck, they were in pursuit of a wild boar. Their horses whinnied, galloping after the crazed, squealing animal. Their torches dripped fire onto the forest floor, igniting small clumps of leaves in their wake.
Tsk. Tsk. They should be more responsible in autumn. The whole forest could become cinders due to their carelessness.
Weaving recklessly through the forest, Terigon’s horse suddenly faltered and fell. Terigon was thrown to the ground and rolled down a small embankment, only stopping when his stomach wrapped around a boulder. I jumped off my broom and threw him onto his back, straddling him and holding him still with my broom and thighs.
“What the hell are you…? Witch,” he breathed. “What do you want?” he asked venomously.
I removed my knife and smiled. “I want your tongue.”
“Why?” he gritted, trying to buck me off.
“I need one for a spell, but Malex specifically suggested I take yours.” His eyes widened as I whispered in his ear. “You must have really pissed him off.”
I used a spell to keep him quiet, and then held his arms, legs, and jaw open with magic until I was finished slicing. By the time I tucked his thick tongue into my bag, Terigon was gagging on his blood, tears running into his cropped blond hair.
Hatred radiated from every inch of him and he flashed me a look that promised retribution. I stole his memory of the event just in case he decided to lash out once I was untethered from Aura.
I took to the air just as his men came to his aid. A few moments too late for their liege, unfortunately.
Leaving him there, bleeding on the ground, felt good. Hurting him made me feel strong and untouchable in a time when everything in my life was bad, and when I felt powerless to stop the darkness I knew would come with Phillip’s death.
And then I began to cry, because the good feeling was gone; in its place was something horrific. I was a monster, just like Aura, just like our mysterious father. Who could attack someone, cut out their tongue, and then feel good about it? A beast, that’s who.
A savage.
Someone not worthy of the love of a prince, or a man like Phillip.
I should have known better than to let my heart feel anything again. This was William’s younger brother. Only a beast could fall for their first love’s flesh and blood.
Everyone who loved me died. Aura made sure of it. I knew that if she found him she would punish him, but she’d found him first and punished him anyway, simply because she was a demon dressed in fine gowns who lived in a palace of blood and bone, hidden just beneath the soil.
Curses, I hated her.
Phillip would never want to become fae, and I wouldn’t blame him for not wanting to be like us. This was all Aura’s fault. Wiping my tears away, I began to laugh. Hers was one death I would revel in. I would end her and not feel an ounce of guilt for doing so.
The only problem was the last ingredient. Malex said I had to get a rose from her garden during the daytime, but how? I couldn’t pluck it while sleepwalking, and I couldn’t drag it from the dream into reality.
But I could send Ember.
Malex was chatting with Phillip when I returned, both men chuckling at something they’d shared. I smiled as they stood up. Phillip’s eyes raked over my form-fitting britches and lit a fire beneath my skin.
“Did you get it?” Malex asked excitedly, eyes glittering. His eyes flicked to my neck, which was sticky with blood.
“Have I failed you yet?” I answered dryly.
“No, you haven’t.”
I took off my bag and belt and dropped both in my spell room, locking it behind me. “One final ingredient.”
Malex nodded. “One final ingredient.”
I toyed with the idea of telling Malex my plan to get the rose. He’d helped me thus far. Surely I could trust him. My battle with Aura was only making me cynical and paranoid. He would find out soon enough, anyway. I would soon be at the entrance to his cave, ingredients in hand, ready for him to help with this spell.
“I’m sending Ember to retrieve it.”
“She’s your familiar, but that doesn’t make her immune to death, Luna. Her life isn’t tied to yours.”
That’s what he thinks, I inwardly scoffed. That was the first thing I did when I took her as my own, in case Aura caught her somehow, although I was wary enough not to share that little tidbit. Ember could retrieve the rose and return it to me. It was the perfect plan. She was small and nimble, fast as lightning. She could slip into the garden and back out before anyone even knew she was there. And if the toxin sprayed her, she might get sick, but she wouldn’t die.
I gasped. Maybe I could do the same with Phillip! If it worked, it would stop the toxin from further poisoning his body. “Can I bind my life with Phillip’s?” I asked hurriedly.
“A human cannot be bound to a fae,” Malex said pointedly. But the message was loud and clear. If Phillip became fae, it would be possible to bind our life forces and save him. Assuming that killing my sister didn’t remove the toxin from his body. Maybe we needed a plan B, though...
“I hope you have a backup plan, Luna,” Malex added, seeming to read my thoughts. “If the toxin harms your familiar, she might fail you. I would get it for you,” Malex said, “but I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?”
“I can’t cross into Virosa. When you sprinkled the binding dust to hold Aura in the palace yard, that dust bound all fae from crossing it.”
“But I’m fae and I can cross it,” I quickly argued.
He grinned and continued, “Except for the one who did the binding. You’re the only fae who can get into the yard and into the palace now.”
Damn it.
Magic always demanded too steep a price.
I looked at Phillip. He seemed fine now, but I knew what darkness was spreading through his body.
“It’s almost dawn, and I need to go,” Malex said abruptly. “Phillip seems to be feeling fine, so don’t worry about him when you sleep. Hopefully, I’ll see you three tonight at the cave,” he said, petting Ember on the head. She rewarded him with an angry hiss and stalked into my bedroom.
We would definitely be there. Ember would retrieve the rose and meet us back at the house. Even if she got sick from doing so, she’d bring it back. She wouldn’t let me down. Not now, when we were so close to being free.
Once Malex strode out the door, Phillip and I stared at each other, silent words tumbling in the air between us.
“I need to get cleaned up,” I finally said. As I started toward the bedroom to get a change of clothes, my feet stalled when I noticed Phillip looking at me in the strangest way. “Are you okay? Did you and Malex get along?”
Did he tell him about his blood? I wondered.
“It was fine. We talked about you, mostly.”
My face heated. “I’m not sure I want to know what you were saying.”
He just grinned and my heart broke. It confirmed the resolve in my heart that I didn’t want to live a single day without seeing his smile. Fighting the thick knot in my throat, I told him, “I’ll be right back.” Walking stiffly to my room, I grabbed a dress and underclothes and went outside to wash up.
The sun was about to lodge itself between the eastern mountains. I’d scrubbed the blood from my hair, skin, and clothes, and was walking back to the house when I saw Pieces perched on the sill. “What do you want?” I asked crossly. “Aura will be awake any moment, and she already has a better spy than you’ll ever be.”
Pieces squawked and then took to the air, dropping a single petal from her beak before flying toward Virosa.
“I need a whole rose, not part of one, you blasted bird!”
I hated Aura.
She thought this was funny.
I hated to ask my familiar, because more than likely, she would be sickened from the toxin, but it was the only way. “Ember?” My heart dropped as she came to me. “I need a favor, but please know I would never ask you if I didn’t need it so badly.”
A tear fell from my eye when she rubbed her face in my palm, ready to do whatever I asked without hesitation. “I need you to bring me one of Aura’s roses.” I picked her up and held her to my chest. She knew that if there was any other way to accomplish this task, I wouldn’t send her. There was an unavoidable chance Aura would see her and capture her. I couldn’t go, Malex couldn’t retrieve it, and Phillip was sick; although I wouldn’t risk Aura getting her hands on Phillip, even if he was perfectly well.
Of all of us, Ember had the best chance of getting in and out of the garden without Aura knowing. Now, if I could only find a way to keep Pieces busy...
I called for a fox, stroking Ember’s fur. The fox came and laid down beside me. “Keep the bird of Virosa, the dove they call Peace, busy for a time.”
He nodded and leapt away.
This could work.
Phillip saw me petting my familiar and took her from my arms. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You seem out of sorts.”
“I’m tired,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. The sun was almost up and I was tired. Tired of fighting so hard, tired of sacrificing, tired of feeling hopeless and helpless.
More than that, I was terrified that when I woke up, Phillip would already be dead.
He helped me to the bedroom and darkness fell over my vision. I could feel his lips on mine. “Goodbye, Luna,” I thought he said.
Inwardly, I clawed for him, screaming for him not to leave me yet.