by Bailey Dark
I close my eyes, a headache building in my temples. “Thal,” I growl.
“Yes?” He asks. I hear his chair scrape as he moves to my side.
“Go with Verity, keep an eye on her,” I grind out, anger coiling in my chest. “I’ll let a team know you’re joining them in the morning.”
When I open my eyes, I see Verity hiding a victorious smile. She turns away, marching down the hall to gods know where. I leave the dining hall without another word and head to my private office where I can sit in peace and quiet. There, at least, Erzur can’t torture me with her snide comments and arrogant flair. I glance over my shoulder towards Verity’s disappearing form.
For the rest of my life, I know this is a day I will always remember. The day we were well and truly torn apart.
Chapter 4
Verity
In the drab room of the cliff-side fortress, I stare at the leather armor on the stand beside my bed. It was left at dawn, before I had even risen. I finger the fine workmanship and my heart clenches in my chest. On the chest, the symbol of Altair’s family has been imprinted. It’s a subtle, painful reminder of the man who gave me the armor.
I slip into it, lacing it clumsily. Finished, I pull my brown hair back into a braid and study myself in an aging mirror. I'm leaner than I was before, almost Fae-like with their long, gently curving bodies and willowy limbs. Pale blue eyes stare back at me, but there's no light behind them. I sigh.
“Ready?” Serus asks, his voice a silken whisper.
I nod and reach for a long dagger on my nightstand. It’s plain and unassuming, but the blade is sharp. I know I won’t be of much help fighting demons, my strength doesn’t lie in swordplay. A laugh bubbles in my chest as I see myself dressed like a warrior-assassin in the mirror; like one of the heroines from the books in the library I loved so much. This girl isn’t me; I grin ludicrously at myself.
The smile slips from my lips as my memories are jogged. I don’t know who I am anymore. I came here just a school librarian, and then became the Curse-Breaker. Now, I’m a Bloodbane witch.
My eyes drift towards the red cloak draped across a rickety chair. The cloak is stained with mud and blood, ragged and torn at the edges. I swing it over my shoulders and clasp it around my neck, suddenly feeling more myself. I draw the hood and flinch back when I see Maaz’s reflection in the mirror. Pale skin, blue eyes, red hood. I could be the bitch and her sister, now Altair’s prisoner.
I tug the hood off and leave the room, Serus trailing behind me. The Fae in the halls give me a wide berth as they catch sight of me in the blood-red cloak. To them, I have been the Curse-Breaker and Altair’s fiancée. Now, I’m neither of those things. I’m just a witch in a red cloak.
I meet Thal beside the gates leading out of the fort. A small host of soldiers is ahead me and I see the Fae soldier who brought me here among them. Her brows raise appraisingly as she takes me in, and I imagine I see a smile quirk her lips. Thal holds two reins in his hand, one for his horse and the other for mine.
“Looking perky this morning,” he says, grinning, as he hands me the reins. I take them, looking up at my gray mount and twist my lips into a wry smile. Thal swings onto his horse effortlessly. “Red becomes you.”
I meet his gaze, noticing for the first time the deep pools of smoky grey in his irises. “You might be the only one to think so,” I mutter, trying awkwardly to climb into the saddle.
Thal slips off his horse and moves to my side. I bat him away but he merely grins. “Stand still,” he instructs as I finally give in to his help. He holds his hands out, laced together. I place my boot on one reluctantly and he heaves me upward.
Yelping, I manage to stop myself from being flung over the opposite side of the saddle. I settle onto my mount, slipping my boots in the stirrups. This is only the second time I’ve ridden a horse before, and the tall beasts are just as frightening as they were before. “Thanks,” I say, looking down at Thal’s grinning face.
“Have you ever ridden before?” He asks, already slipping back into the saddle.
“Once,” I admit, ignoring the snickers from the other mounted soldiers. “It didn’t go well.”
“How did you ever get anywhere?” The Fae woman asks.
I glance over my shoulder. “Cars.”
Their brows furrow and they mouth the word. “Metal beasts that spew black smoke,” Thal explains.
They wrinkle their noses in disgust and I shrug. The woman moved to my side and held out a hand. "Syren," she says.
I take her hand and give it a firm shake. “Verity. Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?” She cocks a brow.
“Getting me here,” I say softly and wave my hand towards the fortress. “For giving me a chance.”
“Thank the gods I did, or it would have been my head,” she says bluntly.
I turn back to Thal as Syren returns to her place in the ranks. He smiles easily. “Making friends, already?”
I glance at the fierce Fae woman with sharp cheekbones and blazing gray eyes. “Perhaps.”
“Listen,” Thal murmurs, leaning closer. “Stay near me, I’ll protect you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I say coldly even though my nerves are already tingling.
"How about a friend?" He asks, cocking a brow. "It's going to be difficult out there and these demons aren't house cats like your little pet there."
Serus bristles, already settled on my horse’s rump. “Neither am I.”
“I’d like to hear about how you two met, someday,” Thal muses, amused eyes on Serus.
“Maybe I’ll just show you,” Serus counters, narrowing his eyes.
“Stop it,” I murmur to him.
Serus turns his head away, curled into a spiral in the sun. I look towards the gate, already open wide for us. I’m itching to leave, to get away from the traces of Erzur that are everywhere here. My stomach clenches thinking of dinner the night before, of the cruel way Altair let me learn about his new engagement. His new love. I feel a wave of nausea, like the ones I’ve been battling since the dinner, and tamp it down. Soon, I’ll be out of the fortress and in the clean, crisp air of the countryside. There will be nothing to remind me of the beautiful, ebony-skinned woman whose eyes I want to claw out.
A dark smile splits my lips as I relish in the anger and hate I feel towards her. A part of me whispers that it isn’t her fault; that my anger should be directed towards another. And it is. But my heart always seems to make that anger burn down to glowing ashes when I think of him.
“Heads up,” Thal murmurs and I know his words are just for me when I see Altair striding towards us, Erzur in tow.
I bite my lip, glancing towards the gate and wishing I could just gallop through it without a backward glance. Erzur’s dark brown eyes are on me and I feel a flash of rage. I know she would be pleased to see me run like that from her. So I stay, willing my shoulders and face to relax just to spite her.
Altair and Erzur stop in front of us and I try not to notice how well the tunic he wears clings to his chiseled chest. I look away when his hazel eyes gaze into mine, lit with fire. I can’t. I can’t bear the painful aching it starts in my chest or the way my body seems to lean towards him of its own accord. Instead, I stare at a small freckle on his cheek, just below his lower lashes.
“Ready?” He asks, eyes darting between the soldiers and me.
The soldiers answer enthusiastically, “Yes, Your Grace!”
I nod, still not bearing to meet his gaze. I watch his eyes rove over the armor and the Bloodbane cloak before settling on my fingers. I’ve left the gloves off so I can feel the wind and sun on my skin. I know he’s looking at the empty spot on my finger where the engagement ring used to sit. Sadal took it from me and its lost now. My heart pangs at the thought.
"I'm sure Thal has already filled you in on your purpose and where you'll be traveling," Altair continues, forcing his eyes away. "Spare them no mercy. And pile their stinking carcasses high to be burned
so our people may know what we do."
“Alright, maggots,” Thal jokes. “You heard your King.”
The soldiers laugh. Somehow familiar with Thal’s leadership. They turn as one towards the gates but Thal pauses beside me. I swallow thickly, my throat feels too tight. I don’t know when I’ll be back or when I’ll see Altair again. But I know that when I do, Erzur will still be by his side. My chest feels suddenly restricted by the armor and I try to hide my shaky, shallow breaths.
“Verity.” Altair’s voice echoes towards me, little more than a whisper. I flinch when his cool, elegant fingers close over mine. He passes something cold and small into my palm and I close my fist around it. Desire and pain flood through me as I finally meet his hazel eyes. I blink back any tears that threaten to spill; I will not cry in front of Erzur. “Be careful. Please.”
His last word sounds almost like a plea to me, his brows furrowed with worry. I nod mutely. I have no words, and even if I did, I know I would choke on them from the big ball of sorrow lodged in my throat. I pull my hand away, slipping it beneath my cloak. Thal tilts his head towards the gate and tosses a cold glance towards Altair.
I follow Thal, knowing that leaving is for the best even if it makes me feel like my heart is spooling out like bare thread for all to see. I know he still loves me. I know he does. And it only makes this all the more painful. Regret and shame hides in his powerful eyes, but I shouldn’t be surprised. I take a shaky breath. Thal told me before that Altair would always put his duties as King first. He told me I could never be happy with him. And he was right. Because my hopes and happiness were shattered last night.
“Safe travels,” Erzur calls.
Her honeyed voice grates on my nerves and I feel a flash of anger. This woman who chose to humiliate me in front of the man I love, is testing my last nerve. She’s almost as infuriating as Sadal and I wonder if she’s even more cruel. He at least was cruel as the dark god. He played with his worshippers and me when it best suited him. But he was evil inside and out. This woman plays that she isn’t, and I don’t know if there’s anything worse.
Without thinking, I lift my hand over my head and fist every finger but one. I hear an audible gasp behind me and a smile tugs at my lips. Satisfied, I urge my horse faster, passing Thal. I hear him chuckle behind me.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Serus murmurs sleepily.
I let my anger seep through me until I can feel it pricking at even my fingertips. “I don’t care,” I say softly. “I’ve been abducted - more than once - preyed upon, toyed with, and abandoned. I’m no one’s puppet any longer and I certainly won’t be her toy.”
“She’s dangerous,” he says, voice bouncing from the horse’s movements.
“So am I,” I breathe.
Chapter 5
Altair
I can hardly breathe as I watch Verity disappear outside the gates of the fortress. The pale opal ring I slipped into her hand leaves with her and I can only hope she knows what I mean by it. My feelings haven’t changed, and they never will. The gates close slowly, shutting her out and effectively slamming the door on what we had. I expected my heart to be racing with anger and sorrow, but instead an icy chill settles over me. A chill that leaves only two names in my mind. Two names for the people that have torn us apart.
Erzur slinks to my side and attempts to wrap a hand around my forearm. I slip away from her with casual ease. With my Fae hearing I hear her breath catch with surprise and I hide the satisfied smirk that threatens to split my lips. Erzur has been a blessing and a curse. Her sun soldiers did what the remnants of my forces could not. Even now, they’re scouring the countryside for rogue demons.
I pivot away from her and from the love riding away from me now and head towards the fortress. Suddenly, my heart clenches painfully in my chest. It feels as if someone has torn into my chest and is squeezing my heart with their bare hands. I double over, wheezing. It feels like Maaz’s curse.
My eyes widen and I turn sharply towards the gates. Verity is gone from me; our covenant no longer stands and Maaz’s curse is returning. I breathe raggedly, hand pressed over my heart as if I can quell the pain. I close my eyes, thinking of a night a thousand years ago when Maaz stood in my throne room and pointed an elegant finger at me with malice. When they fly open again, Erzur is beside me, a smirk on her lips. She sweeps away from me and into the fort, leaving me to ride through the pain.
When it passes, my heart feels so tender even the regular rhythm is painful and sore. I straighten, walking with purpose to hide the pain from the soldiers mingling in the fort’s courtyard. I head for the dungeons, panic welling in the pit of my stomach. I know what comes next with the curse, but I have no way of knowing when the next attack will be. I could have hours, days, or even weeks. I close my eyes, wondering if perhaps I was foolish to ignore the gods for so long. They wouldn’t come to my aid anyway.
Inside the dungeon, my eyes dart towards Cleo’s former cell. She’s in more comfortable room in the upper levels now, far away from Sadal. I find Sadal pressed against the bars of his cells, rust painting his fair skin. His sharp jawline seems even leaner in the shadows, his black eyes looking haggard. I cock my head at him. He seems even older than he was only a day before.
“Altair,” Sadal sneers. “What a pleasure.”
“Let’s forget the niceties,” I say coldly, eyes flashing. “You’re alive for one reason and one reason only. If not for this, I would have stabbed a sword in your gut for what you did to Verity.”
Sadal laughs, tossing his head back. “You think she didn’t enjoy it? Oh, Altair. Your little Bloodbane witch is a savage at heart. She enjoyed herself more in my company than the months she was with you breaking your pathetic little curse.”
White-hot rage crashes into me like one of the waves against the cliffs outside the dungeon. I move before I can even think, fingers curling around Sadal's neck. I squeeze, lips twisted into a snarl. Sadal wheezes out a laugh. I know he's simply goading me but the mere mention of him with Verity – a woman I can no longer have – is enough to drive me mad.
“Touchy,” he rasps, eyes bulging.
I toss him aside and he stumbles before righting himself. He rubs at the bruises on his neck and all I can see are the bruises on Verity’s body. “Don’t test me,” I breathe, voice dangerously soft. “I have little patience for you.”
“Little patience?” Sadal quirks a brow. “You think I care? I have the rest of my life to spend in your dungeon, Altair. Imagine the breadth of my patience.”
We stare at each other, waiting for the other to break. Sadal is the first to speak again, picking at his nails with disinterest. “Where is Cleo? I can smell her.”
“You’ll never touch her or Verity again,” I growl.
“Cleo? No, I doubt I ever will,” Sadal agrees easily. His wicked eyes gleam in the darkness. “Verity is another matter. You’re too foolish to realize this yet, but Verity is special. Her ancestry makes her the most powerful Bloodbane in history, although she doesn’t know it yet. I won’t give her up so easily. They won’t give her up so easily. Least not because of the word of a Fae.”
“They?” I narrow my eyes at his words, ignoring his snide insults.
Sadal cuts his eyes towards me, turning away as if he’s divulged too much. “Don’t you have something more important to be doing?” He huffs.
“The reason you’re still alive and sitting in my dungeon is because one of your own has given us information,” I say, stepping back so I don’t strike him again.
“Oh? What might that be?” Sadal asks lazily.
“The Shades.” I stare intently at the dark god.
His eyes flare for an instant and he stiffens at the word. I watch his reaction carefully, judging the way his shoulders hunch imperceptibly and his mouth pinches. He’s afraid. A smile ghosts across my lips at the pleasure of seeing my enemy afraid. The smile quickly vanishes when I consider what horror could put the dark god to fear.
“
What do you know of them?” I demand.
“They,” he says, stressing the word as he did earlier, “Were made in the ether.”
My thoughts flash to Verity’s familiar. “Are they dangerous?”
“Dangerous?” He laughs. “You think I posed a threat? I’m nothing in comparison to these creatures. The Shades were born from the raw power of the ether. They were nothing for a time, but they watched, and they waited until they went mad. And then that madness became something else entirely. They’re evil, Altair. Pure evil.”
“You say that is if you aren’t,” I say, curling my lip.
“I’m a different sort of evil,” Sadal snaps. “Evil that makes sense. Evil that comes from Fae hearts and minds.”
I feel a chill slip up my spine. “What do they want?”
“To get out. To leave the ether,” Sadal explains. “They can’t leave without help. There were only two people in this realm who could help them accomplish this. And now there’s only one.”
My eyes widen at his words and my mind flashes to the fluttering red cloak I watched disappear through the gates. “Verity.”
Sadal grins. “The Shades have been pressuring me for eons now to set them free. I held off as long as I could. I let Maaz play her little games. But now that I’m out of the picture, where do you think they’ll turn their sights?”
I curse silently, wishing I had never let Verity out of my sight. My gut clenches when I think of Verity, ignorant to the dangers. I chew the inside of my cheek, debating whether or not I should send for her. She would resist. I know exactly why she left the fortress. Why she left me.
“Little cats come out to play, make the mice all run away,” Sadal sings under his breath.
I glance at him, brows furrowed. He meets my gaze, but his eyes are faded and empty. “Sadal?”
He laughs under his breath. “Far, far away when the shadows lay.”
Nerves taut, I try once more to get his attention, but he doesn’t respond. I back away, feeling guilty when I know I have no reason to. Whatever is happening to him now, surely the dark god deserved it for what he did to my people and what he did to Verity.