by Ashley Nixon
Em was a Lyric.
Larkin kept repeating the sentence in her head. She was both thrilled and frightened. Here was someone who could help her understand what she was, teach her about the power rising within her, maybe even help her accept what she now hated about herself. But the fear came when she looked at Barren and Leaf. She knew they were angry, and they had not yet developed a complete opinion about magic. In fact, they were probably more conflicted. Em was someone they knew and trusted, but the magic within her…well, they’d all learned to hate it.
Em had said that magic took on different forms depending on intention. That meant not all magic was bad, that meant that she didn’t have to be evil, she didn’t even have to create evil. Maybe she could destroy it.
Larkin dared a glance at Em. The gaze was familiar, set within a face she didn’t really recognize. It was strange to see her as an Elf; she seemed harsher in some way. Perhaps it was from the burdens she carried.
Em’s eyes narrowed, and Larkin averted her gaze. There was no denying Em’s prying stare. She knew. But how? Did they share some strange connection because of their magic? She prayed Em could keep a secret.
But her magic was not her only concern. Barren’s compass had turned out to be just as important as she thought. It was one of five Relics, and Lord Alder had used it to control the magic running through Lyric veins. Ben had to know this, and Aethea, too. She already suspected Ben’s knowledge of the compass originated from Aethea, and if Aethea turned out to be a Lyric, she would be even more certain.
“Once we reach Aryndel Bridge, you will no longer have my aid,” said Em.
“Why?” Barren asked. “Where will you be going?”
“Nowhere,” she said. “But you’ll deliver me to Sabine as a weapon.”
“How is it to be believed that I have captured a Lyric?” asked Barren.
“There are ways. We are not above weakness,” said Em. “If we were, our history would not be as tragic. Magic is as great a weakness as it is a strength.”
“I will not put you in danger,” the words were even, unwavering. But Em wasn’t having it and it sort of made Larkin smile, though she agreed with Barren.
“I’m putting myself in danger. Besides, how else do you propose getting to Sabine? You cannot approach her without goods. She will not see you.”
“I suppose she can afford to be exclusive if she is in this business,” said Leaf.
“You’ve kidnapped before,” said Em, looking at Larkin. “So you can pretend you captured me. If she asks questions about where you found me, you can afford Leaf the credit. She’ll believe him, he’s the prince of the Elves.”
Leaf didn’t look happy, but he nodded.
“Where do we take you once we hit the bridge?” asked Barren. Larkin could tell by the way he spoke that he didn’t like this. “I do not know Sabine.”
“I don’t know,” Em admitted. “But in my experience in the Underground, if you wander around long enough, someone will ensure you get where you’re supposed to.”
That made Larkin shiver. She watched as Em stepped forward to place her hand on Barren’s face. “You are like your father. But you are also Barren Reed and there is much to love about that.”
But he doesn’t believe that, Larkin thought. Barren had spent most of his life trying to be his father. She wondered if he’d ever live for anyone other than Jess Reed.
***
They replaced their cloaks and secured their weapons. Em added to their supply. She’d given everyone small round balls which she said would explode and ignite everything in their path. She instructed them to aim for anything that looked like it could store weapons.
“Let’s head out,” she said.
They slid into the night, moving soundlessly through the shadows. The streets were all slick with the passing rain, causing an odor to rise from the cracks between the cobbles. Larkin tried hard to focus on Em, who moved so effortlessly before her. She found herself wondering what Em’s sacrifices had been. She already knew one. She’d had to make the decision to stay separated from Devon twice now, but it was clear that magic had not been her friend and had brought more burden than aid.
Why did it have to be like that? Something told her that Lyric didn’t start out as a burden; it had been a gift, but mortals and immortals alike had corrupted its purpose.
Larkin, struggling to move slyly, caught up to Em. “What was the purpose of Lyric? Why are there Lyrics?”
Em glanced at Larkin and then said, “In the Elvish race, Lyrics were supposed to be guardians on earth, our magic comes from the earth’s energy.”
“So what happened?”
Em paused. Larkin had a feeling it was because she knew Leaf could hear, but shouldn’t the Prince of Aurum already know this? Sometimes she wondered if Leaf had repressed everything he knew about the Elves to keep himself separate from them.
“Volos, Lord Alder’s father, began to believe he needed to keep the Lyrics controlled, so he gave them their own island and they were to be admired for their abilities, but also restrained by strict rules. When Lord Alder came to power, he took it a step further after meeting resistance to his rule from humans. He felt the magic held by the Lyrics was his only advantage and if the Lyrics were to be guardians on Earth, then he had free use of their magic.”
“So you became slaves to the will of the Elves,” said Larkin.
“Part of me can reason that Volos and Alder only believed they were doing what was right for the Elves,” Em said. “But their fear made them forget the purpose of the Lyrics. And instead of guardians, we became weapons. So what we would have done out of love was suddenly done from hate. Hence the birth of dark magic.”
Larkin didn’t ask any more questions, and she found that she suddenly moved slower, falling behind Em and even Leaf in the line heading for the bridge. She was half-Elf but she had not been raised among Elves. How was she supposed to begin to understand what it meant to be a Lyric?
She knew one thing: she had to protect people. She had this magic for a reason. Whether people believed it to be good or evil, well, that didn’t matter. All that mattered was what she chose to do with it.
***
At last the space between the buildings grew farther apart, and the streets widened. They emerged from the thicket of stone to find the Aryndel Bridge. It rose like a tower with several houses stacked on either side, some three stories tall, others five. Lights illuminated windows, but most were dark, and even the starry sky above couldn’t make this place any less foreboding. It was almost like its own town, suspended over the river that separated Aryndel, but Larkin realized it meant more than that. The Underground had infiltrated this place. It had set itself up so that it could control what moved, and if it had done that here, it had done that everywhere else it existed.
Larkin shivered. So many times over the months she’d spent with Barren, she’d had this feeling. It was the knowledge that if she’d stayed in Maris and never been kidnapped, she’d never know the truth of Mariana, the truth of the world.
“So it will begin,” said Em. She turned and took out a black hood and a piece of rope. She turned to Barren. “Once we reach the bridge, I cannot help you and there is no turning back.”
She eyed them all, as if she were waiting for them to bow out. She shoved the hood and rope into Barren’s hands and Larkin watched him as he hesitated to follow Em’s orders. Surprisingly, it was Leaf who retrieved the hood and rope. He placed the hood over Em’s head and tied her wrists together before her. Then he grabbed her arm like she was a prisoner.
“If we cannot convince them, we will not make it out of here alive,” said Leaf. “Let’s go.”
And they moved toward the bridge, dragging Em along as if she were a stranger whose life they did not value. Sadly, Larkin had a moment to think that Cove might be better suited to play captor than Leaf.
The bridge was wide and the houses that rose up on either side of them were encroaching. Ragged tents lined the stre
ets, and there were few lanterns to illuminate the goods within, but light wasn’t needed to buy what these people sold. Men and women moved about inside and outside the tents.
Barren kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, and though Leaf directed Em through the streets, he, too, kept his hand hovering over his blade.
A bent man ran up beside them holding a wooden box in his hands. “I got what you need…poisons, untraceable. All you gotta decide is how you want them to die.”
Larkin shuddered.
“Away with you, scum,” she almost didn’t recognize Barren’s voice.
“The lady might fancy priceless gems, rarest in the world,” a woman ran beside Larkin.
“Or fine silk,” said another.
Larkin ignored them and moved on. There were more, though. Sellers ran up beside them, walked backward in front of them, tempting them with various goods.
A man came up to Barren and showed him a set of knives. Larkin was surprised when he took one and examined it, but after a moment, she realized what was happening. Barren twisted the blade in his hand and pointed the tip at the man’s neck.
“I’m looking for Sabine.”
There was a strange light in the man’s eyes and he pointed across the street to a tent. Barren pushed the man away and tossed the blade on the ground.
As they crossed the street, Larkin tried to keep her eyes forward, but she knew everyone they’d passed on the way here was watching them.
The tent the man had directed them to was much nicer than the others—blue with jeweled trim. Behind it, a three-story building was illuminated, spreading light into the tent. A man reclined in a chair, whittling away at a piece of wood. He didn’t look up as they approached. On the table before them, there were crates of strawberries. The sweet smell made Larkin’s stomach turn.
“I’m looking for Sabine,” Barren repeated his statement to the man.
The man did not stop cutting at the wood and he didn’t look up.
“Sabine does not accept meetings with pirates of Silver Crest,” said the man, his accent was thick.
Did that mean Aethea had reached her already?
“I’ve brought her a gift,” Barren said.
The man paused and looked up from his work. “A gift?”
“A powerful one. One that will make her a queen.”
The man’s features did not change. After a moment, he leaned forward, setting the trinket he’d made out wood on the table, then he stood, folding his knife. It disappeared somewhere in his robes.
“Follow me.”
Larkin did not like this. She watched as Leaf and Em moved first, then Barren. She reached out for him, grabbing his arm. He twisted, expecting it to be someone else and she backed up a little. “Barren,” she whispered. “What if this is a trap?”
She already knew he’d considered that, but this is what it was like to have no options.
“I will fight for you,” he said.
And then he reached for her, and she felt his hand hook around her neck. He kissed her hard and heat race through her. How could he do this? Fight for her, kiss her, touch her when all she had done since Arcarum was lie?
He broke the kiss too soon, and her lips pulsed. He said nothing else and turned, entering the house. She followed.
The house was elegant, which was contrary to everything outside. The floors were wood, the walls white and lined with gold. There were wrought-iron chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, draped with crystals and alight with candles. Music even managed to resonate from somewhere in the house. But they weren’t really going into the house. No, the man took them down a spiraled set of steps that lead deep into the abyss of the bridge.
The farther down they went, the less she was able to breath. She’d heard Barren say it before, and believed it was true now. Higher ground was always in their favor, and if they were to burn this place to the ground, wouldn’t they trap themselves?
The man opened the door to what seemed like a large storeroom. There were crates lining the walls, and at the very end of the room, a large burlap curtain hung. The sound of the river was faint, but the rancid smell and the cold were strong.
“Wait here,” said the man and he left, shutting the door behind him.
The four were silent for a long moment, and they looked around them.
“Why bring us exactly where we want to be?” asked Larkin.
“Because they think we will not win,” said Barren.
A door opened, and they whirled around to find a tall woman dressed as if she’d just returned from a ball. Or made an important sell. Her gown was white, crafted with silk and lace, and she wore pearl and diamond jewelry. Her hair was dark and pulled away from her face, but not in a severe manner. No, the curls were soft. She had a lovely face, too, with dark eyes and blood-red lips.
When she saw them, her eyes lit up and those blood red lips curled into a smile. “My, it is a rare thing to see pirates of Silver Crest here in Aryndel, especially former Runners,” she said, her voice calm and soothing. She could probably sell anything, and it was clear Barren and Leaf had made a name for themselves in the Underground.
“We’ve brought you stock,” said Barren and he looked at Leaf, who pushed Em forward.
“Stock?” she asked, raising her brow. “That looks like a woman.”
“If it is your wish to call her a woman, you can,” said Barren. “We call her a Lyric.”
This was the first time Larkin realized just how well Barren could play pretend. Minutes before he’d been concerned about Em’s safety, on the brink of refusing anything she suggested, but now he’d dropped all of that and became cold and calculating. This was how he survived.
“And you brought her to me?” she asked. “In exchange for what?”
Larkin looked to Barren who hesitated, but it was Leaf who saved them with a sarcastic laugh. “We have many reasons, but I’ll give you the top two. Money and revenge.”
Sabine seemed to consider this for a moment, but she held the elegant purse in her hands tighter. She moved toward Em and when she stood before her, she said, “Take off the hood.”
Leaf obeyed.
Sabine studied Em for a long moment. She kept her eyes narrow, her lips parted. “Hmm, she is pretty,” she said. “And powerful, you say? Well, I cannot very well purchase her if I have not seen her magic.”
“And I cannot very well conduct magic with ropes around my wrists,” she said.
“I cannot see that they would hinder your magic,” said Sabine. “To my knowledge, only iron will do that.”
The two had a moment, and it seemed that Sabine finally gave in. “Fine,” her voice was sharp. “Cut the ropes.”
Barren stepped forward to cut the ropes, but laughter interrupted him. Familiar laughter. They all drew their weapons as Aethea stepped from behind a set of crates. She was dressed in black velvet robes, and she drew back her hood. In her hand she held a sterling blade and tapped it against her palm.
“Dear, dear Sabine,” Aethea said. “So beautiful, but so gullible.”
Sabine’s features became hard and she turned toward Aethea. “You know nothing of this market, Miss Moore. I suggest you let me handle this transaction.”
Aethea arched her brows, but her amusement evaporated. As quick as a viper, she struck, her silver blade sliding into Sabine’s stomach. Crimson spilled down her white dress. “But I know more of dark magic.” Sabine’s dark eyes went wide and she fell with a final breath to the floor.
The pirates were left to lift their weapons and Em drew back, trying to free her hands from the binds.
“So it is you,” said Em. A sudden burst of energy exploded from Em’s hands. Moving in colors of green and blue, it raced toward the woman they knew as Aethea. She raised her hands to block it, but as she straightened from the blow, they saw that the block hadn’t protected her.
“You look just like your mother, Halya,” Em said.
Aethea had changed as Em had changed. Once she’d been
human, and now she was an Elf. Unlike Em, there was something dark about her presence. Larkin remembered feeling it upon meeting her, but now it was stronger, and she imagined it was because her illusion had been lifted.
“Ah,” Aethea stretched her arms out wide. “It is so much better being in my true form.”
“So you are a Lyric,” said Barren. “Why did you let us capture you? Surely you could have escaped.”
“I could have,” she agreed. “And I did. Ask your lover.” Larkin’s heart beat fast in her chest. Barren looked at her, but there was not enough time for an explanation. “I let you lead me here so I could carry out my orders,” she said. “A kiss of death was issued for Emmalyn Levianth per King Tetherion’s orders.”
“But… you tried to kill him!” Barren argued.
“No,” she whispered and smiled. “I hit my target.”
Then chaos ensued. Power radiated between Em and Aethea and men suddenly emerged from behind the crates inside the storeroom. They attacked fiercely, carrying all-too familiar swords. They were long, black and curved. Made so their victims would bleed out, that’s what Leaf had said. They were Estrellas prisoners, the same men they had all encountered not four months ago, and they lusted for blood.
Larkin’s sword hit hard against their blades, but this was a different kind of fight. It was harsher, it was something she hadn’t yet learned how to adapt to, and she could feel the magic in her body welling up inside her. It wanted to protect her, but that couldn’t happen now. She couldn’t expose herself now, so she gritted her teeth and fought as hard as she could, hoping she could repress it long enough to get through this, but the more Em and Aethea fought with magic, the more her body wished to use it.
Em and Aethea were zoned in on each other. They circled one another as animals fighting for dominance.
“I’m surprised you’d choose to serve Tetherion,” said Em. “When you could just kill him and take his crown.”