by Bailey Dark
Willem commands my horse to continue, but the pace is slow. “When I saw how unfairly the Nephilim were treated when Kane came into power, I reached out to his brother. I don’t care about that anymore, however. All I know is that Kane should never get his hands on the crown. You don’t know him like I do, Briar.”
I pause again when I hear my name on Willem’s lips. I’ve grown so used to hearing him call me ‘mortal’ or ‘useless,’ or some other cruel moniker, that I never thought I’d hear him use my real name again.
He runs a hand through his hair as he exhales sharply. “With the crown he’ll be dangerous and unstoppable. Killing him will save the lives of many.”
“He can change,” I say, playing up the naivety that both Willem and Aiden expect.
Willem rolls his eyes. “He isn’t a good person. If he hasn’t changed yet, what makes you think it’s even possible? What makes you think that you can change him where everyone else has failed?”
I lower my head and tug my cowl over my face, trying to appear small and saddened by Willem’s words, but I’m anything but either of those things at the moment. In fact, I know for certain that I trust Kane far more than I trust Willem. Even if there is truth in what he says, Kane doesn’t deserve to die.
I’ve seen enough good in him to know that he has the ability to show compassion. “So, what happens after he dies?”
“Don’t you worry about that. Just do as you’re told. I won’t reveal your plan to Kane if you keep your mouth shut about our little conversation,” Willem says with a dark threat lacing his voice. “I don’t want to hurt you, Briar, but I will if I have to. I’ll run right to Kane and tell him all about your scheming. And who do you think he’ll believe? Me, his loyal second in command, or you? You know the answer, just look how you react over a simple disagreement.”
“I’m...I’m not sure. What if I’m too afraid?” The tremble in my voice is real. As is the sincerity of my question.
Willem reaches out and snatches the cowl from my head. I act on instinct, slicing open his arm with the sharp point of my dagger. He flinches back, shock evident on his face at the pain my blade inflicts.
“Do as I say and I won’t tell Kane,” he says once more. I sheath the dagger and follow him to where Kane waits for us at the end of the trail.
With a suspicious tone, Kane glares at the two of us. “Where were you?”
I speak without pause, knowing he will be looking for lies. “I had to relieve myself and Willem stayed behind to make sure I didn’t get lost.”
Kane eyes the healing cut on Willem’s arm.
“Elluine is a vicious lover. You know how vampire females can get,” the Reaper lies smoothly.
I never knew he could heal so quickly, but clearly Kane took him at his word. Within seconds we were back on the trail and heading toward the coast.
Here I am, once again stuck between my feelings for Kane and the plots against his life. Aside from Aiden, Willem, and myself, there appears to be far more players in this game of life and death than ever before. Someone sent those assassins after Kane. I need to find out who and I need to work quickly, but for now I must play along with whatever Willem has planned or else I risk exposing myself.
When my horse rides up beside Kane’s mount, I crane my neck up at him and say, “I’m sorry for losing my mind back in Phaendar. I just want you to know that I care.”
He shifts uncomfortably in his saddle. Is it so hard to believe that someone actually cares about him? I feel a twinge of pity mingle with the chaotic mixture of my emotions. Kane looks around for a moment and then places the quickest, sweetest peck on my lips. I can’t help but blush and smile. Though the kiss was not our most passionate, it was a kiss full of apology and that’s all I’ve ever wanted from Kane.
I don’t need the words ‘I’m sorry’ or an extravagant gesture. All I need is him and the knowledge that he feels remorse and empathy. No evil being can feel empathy.
Chapter 12
Kane
The coastline is a flat expansion of gray sands before the land fades into sharp, jagged rocks. All of the plants are covered in thorns and smell like a demon took off its boots after a long day of working in the mines. My stomach clenches in protest, but my sudden nausea is nothing in comparison to how Briar looks. Her skin is ashen, bereft of the pink flush I’ve grown to adore. Dark circles rest beneath her eyes and she seems more distant than normal.
“I’m sure she’s just lost in thought,” Willem supplies. “She’s used to servants taking care of her and people to keep her entertained. It’s probably boredom.”
I shake my head. “I’ve never seen her like this. Not even when she’s angry.”
He pats my shoulder with a smile. “Don’t think too hard about it. She’ll come around.”
My eyes bore into the side of Willem’s face. “Since when are you so encouraging?”
“I’m not, alright,” the Reaper snorts. “Just tired of you two going back and forth about who hurt whose feelings the worst and overthink everything. I did it to save my poor ears. Nothing more.”
Willem shrugs and I shake my head to clear my mind.
I can’t allow Briar to distract me anymore than she already is. The map rustles in the wind as I search for the small fishing village visited long before I became Death. Briar stares down at the sand and I can hear her counting the seashells as we pass. It brings a smile to my face until I realize just how exhausted she appears. “Briar, what’s wrong?”
“I can see the village up ahead,” she replies, thoroughly changing the subject.
I follow her gaze, seeing the small weathered buildings in the distance. Nodding, I click my tongue, moving both our horses faster down the beach. We reach the small settlement soon after. Willem tends to the horses while Briar and I search for the overseer of Frothvein Port. It’s easy enough considering the village doesn’t house many and he’s hard to miss.
The small, overweight man has a full beard and hair that reaches the center of his back.
“Oi! What bring ya ‘round ‘ere?” he asks with a heavy accent weaving around his every word.
I stand tall, but not intimidatingly so. “I’m looking to acquire a boat.”
“Got yerself a crew?” the man questions skeptically while eyeing Briar. “She looks a bit ill, there. Might not want to be takin’ her out to sea.”
I glance at Briar but ignore the comment. “We don’t need a large vessel. There's another man with us. He’s quite skilled at sailing and so am I. We’ll take whatever you have.”
The man scratches at his beard for a moment. “Falcon Mgiru. I’m the port overseer. ‘Ol Meizer over there be the harbormaster. I’d suggest gettin’ yerselves someone who knows how to navigate these waters or a few extra hands, but do whatever ya like.”
We follow Mr. Mgiru out to the docks where several boats bob on the waters. Just the sight of it turns Briar’s face a bit green. She tugs on her cloak and squares her shoulder, pride not allowing her to show weakness for too long. I feel pride and...something else as I watch her. My thoughts are interrupted by the port overseer.
“What ya got to trade for the boat?” he inquires. “Can’t let ya have one without somethin’ in exchange.”
Briar digs around in her bag, but she didn’t pack anything of value and neither did Willem or me.
“We have three horses. I didn’t see many when we rode into town,” I reply. “Having them on hand will make it easier to trade with Phaendar.”
Willem joins us at the docks as we wait for Mr. Mgiru’s decision. In the end he relents and we throw in a few gold coins for his discretion. No need to tip off whoever sent the assassins after me. Willem gets on board the small vessel first. Briar follows, with me bringing up the rear. I’m there to catch her about the waist as she nearly falls into the water. Her legs are weak from riding the horses, and she is exhausted from the constant ride. She thanks me quietly and hurries to find her footing. I lead her to the cabin at the bottom of the boa
t to rest while Willem and I prepare for our voyage at sea.
As I join Willem topside he gives me a double take as he wraps up one of the long thick ropes. “You’ve got that look again. The one that says you’re thinking too hard about things.”
I shake my head, picking up another. “I can’t help it. Something seems off.”
The rope rubs my hands raw by the time we leave the docks. Briar emerges from the cabin in time to watch the sunset. She looks like a goddess out here on the sea. Black hair streams behind her as the wind blows. Her eyes scan the crystal clear waters of the Ahildr Sea. I hear a soft gasp as her eyes widen with pure, uninhibited wonder.
My feet carry me to her as they always do. “Careful, we might attract some unwanted attention.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her gaze is riveted to the clusters of brightly colored fish beneath us. We can see right through to the bottom where the vibrant coral across the ocean floor sways with the circulating tides. The boat rocks violently as the waves crash into the side. Briar grips the railing until her knuckles turn white. I pry her fingers off and hold them in my hands.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know,” she whispers. “I trust you.”
The words mean more than she knows. We look down at the water just in time to see an enormous squid swim right under us. Willem heads into the cabin to rest while Briar and I watch the creatures of the sea together. She points out turtles and fish of all shapes and sizes. When a whale approaches, I grip Briar’s hips and lift her out far enough to touch it. She laughs happily, hand brushing along the smooth texture of the whale’s back. I set Briar back onto her feet as the moon replaces the sun. The stars are much brighter at sea.
“They’re mirrored.” A small twisted smile pulls at her lips.
“What?”
“The constellations,” she answers. “Back home, they face the other direction.”
A loud roar erupts from somewhere in the water before I can reply. Briar clings to me. She stares out at the sea with so much fear in her heart that it nearly brings me to my knees. In the distance I see a creature only rumored to be the guardian of Archech.
“The Leviathan!” Willem shouts, throwing open the door as he spreads his wings.
Storm clouds form overhead and I force Briar into the cabin. If anything happens to her, then both of us will be useless when we arrive on the island. Elluine warned me this would happen. I shove the regret aside along with Briar’s emotions that assault my concentration. If Willem and I are to survive this fight, it will take all I have in me. I call forth the shadows. They wrythe and churn all around me, needing the fight and the violence as much as I do.
A bloodlust courses through my veins. This is the side of me that I hide from Briar. Her sweet, loving disposition is too light for the darkness I carry. For her, I believe I can change for the better, but not now. Not when our lives depend on my cruel thirst for the Leviathan’s head. Willem leaps into the sky as lightning streaks across the indigo sky. He swoops down, but narrowly misses the quick slash of claws. The Reaper angers the Leviathan and I question whether Willem is brilliant or absolutely mad.
The creature lifts up out of the water, towering over everything in sight only rivaled by the Behemoth that lurks in the obsidian mountains. These are the dangers I wish to keep Briar from, the things I protect souls from. The devourers. Leviathan, Behemoth, and the Manticore command the areas of the underworld that even I fear to venture through. The Leviathan wears the head of a great serpent that rests on a humanoid, demonic torso tinged with hues of emerald and Sapphire. Its lower body is comprised entirely out of tentacles that seem to reach to the bottom of the sea.
A thick exoskeleton covers most of its body, which means the Leviathan’s weaknesses are heavily protected. Rain begins to fall from the sky as the boat heaves and lurches upon the water. Willem drops down beside me.
“We can’t kill it,” he shouts above the screaming winds.
Drops of water batter the side of my face as I raise my arms toward the creature. “I know, but we can hurt it long enough to sail towards the island.”
Willem shakes his head dramatically, swaying his hands back and forth. “It’s too dangerous! We can get Briar and fly back, return to Frothvein-”
“Just be ready!” I bark, cutting off the rest of his protest. “When I give the signal, get behind the ship and use all of your strength to propel it forward. Don’t stop until I say. We’re not turning back now that we’re so close.”
Willem snaps his mouth shut and flies over the back of the boat. Cold fills me up inside as if the frigid waters of the Northern Tundra suddenly found its way into my body. Over the roaring waves, I hear the sound of Briar sniveling in the cabin. I block it out. The Leviathan screeches up towards the raging storm. My shadows surge forward. They swarm the massive creature, disorienting it for a moment as I jump from the deck of the ship and fly straight through the cloud of darkness. With all of the force of my power and that of my bodily strength, I shove the shadow blade through the Leviathan’s belly.
“Now!” I shout to Willem.
The boat shoots across the water like a stone skipping upon the surface of a placid lake. I turn to retreat, but the Leviathan’s hand comes down on my back with a force that knocks the air from my lungs. That enormous hand forces me into the water. My eyes bulge as hundreds of tentacles slither through the current. I claw towards the surface, but the waves hurl me about like a ragdoll.
A vicious current sweeps me lower. I fight. Not for myself, but for Briar and those under my protection. The underworld isn’t ready for a new leader. Especially one that might be more monstrous than even Drogaem and I. Somehow, by the way of a miracle or my own determination, I break through the surface. I’m further away from the ship and the Leviathan than I thought. My limbs ache as I pull myself out of the water.
The wings on my back flap in an uneven way. One is dislocated. I lean more towards the right, but I don’t give up. I keep flying toward the direction the ship went in, using my bond with Briar to sense her presence even if I can’t hear her thoughts or read her emotions. When the storm scatters, and the sun begins to rise once more, I see the ship in the distance.
Briar runs out of the cabin the moment I hit the deck. My chest burns from exertion. Willem stands over us as her hands scramble along my body in search of injuries. “Your spine is bruised, but not badly. And your wing…”
She grows quiet once more. I feel her warm hands slide over the dislocated wing. Her face pinches in concentration and a brilliant light surrounds her. I don’t think she’s aware of what she’s doing, but the pain in my body lessens.
When I say nothing to give away what happened, she frowns in disappointment. Willem says nothing. He reaches behind me and wrenches the wing back into place. I roar loudly even as the shadows begin to recede to where they belong. Except one. I send it to Briar as she leans over the railing to expel the contents of her stomach. I move beside her as my shadow seeks to give her comfort.
Fog floats above the water and a faint mist clings to the air. I squint as something appears on the horizon. And, as if by magic, the Archech materializes out of the mist just like the legends say.
“We’re here,” I whisper.
Briar gasps and clutches my arm.
Chapter 13
Briar
“We did it,” I say quietly as I turn to face Kane. “We made it here, but…”
“But what?” Concern simmers in Kane, and something deeper lies just out of reach.
I feel it radiating off of him as much as I feel the wind on my face. My hand gives his arm another squeeze to assure myself that I’m standing here with him. This isn’t a dream. We’re nearly there.
“I can’t feel happy about it,” I confess. “There’s so much inside of me. I feel like I’m going to burst at any minute. I feel you. I feel the island. I feel something at the core of my being, but I don’t understand why. I keep asking questions and you
never give me an answer.”
“You’ll get your answers soon enough.” He is mysterious in his answer, and it makes me uneasy.
“Why am I here, Kane?” I ask for what feels like the hundredth time since yesterday. “I’m not strong like you. Willem’s a Reaper, a warrior. I’m nothing.”
“You’re mine.” He runs his finger down my cheek before turning his attention back to the encroaching island.
My eyes return there as well. Even from this far away I can sense the evil that surrounds it. We’ll reach the shore soon and I won’t be able to turn back. I need to know the truth. “Will that be enough? Will being your bride keep me alive?”
He turns to me, water dripping down his face. “You said you trust me, Briar.”
I grab his wrist, yelling over the crashing waves against the side of the boat. “How can I hold on to that trust when you haven’t been honest with me since the moment you brought me to the underworld?”
“Have you been honest with me?” he asks accusingly.
He can’t know about my plan to kill him. Kane would never have allowed me to live this long if he did. He’s referring to something else, then.
“You shut me out, Briar. I can reach out and touch you, but you’re still so far away. There are walls built up where there were none before.”
My voice lowers and I release him. “I’m scared.”
“I don’t expect you to be fearless,” he says.
I shake my head, tears fighting to come through, but I hold them back. “That’s what hurts the most. It’s bad enough that I know how useless I am in all of this, but knowing that you see it too is worse. You don’t expect me to be fearless, but you don’t expect me to be brave either.”
He shakes his head, matching my tone of voice. “But you are brave.”
I snort humorlessly and shake my head. “No. I’m not.”
He put his hands on both sides of my face. “How many mortals can stand up to a Nephilim and say they’ve lived? How many ladies of noble bloodlines have slept in seedy hovels and killed demons? You are so brave, Briar. Only someone as brave as you can sleep next to Death himself with a smile curling on your lips.”