Winterskin: A Dark Fantasy (Kindred Souls Book 1)

by C. M. Estopare

  And now...she smiled, her grin crooked...look at the strength of your wards now, sorceress.

  But, even though she was finally free, she had grown accustomed to the absolute power she ruled with here. She had grown accustomed to being worshiped. To being creator and destroyer. How could she give this all up now?

  She couldn't. And she'd take the life of her own child to come back into her power.

  Somehow, her soul was still glued to this place. Still sealed to the south.

  She had no choice but to make the ultimate sacrifice and rule as the Night Lady once more. She couldn't be human—not again—not after what she had been. Not after what power she had tasted as the Night Lady.

  She had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

  She had to.

  Closing her eyes, she felt the fingers of her left hand splay out. Tilting up her chin, she felt an icy chill grow beneath the skin of her face as the wind picked up around her. A howling funnel of wind exploding around her frozen form before tendrils of air split, the wind surging towards all four corners of the darkening forest as the air became heavy with frost.

  Air sucked raw Power from the forest, stealing life. Painting brown bark black, replacing green with gray. The forest seemed to buck against Seraphina's thievery as the roots of the trees cried out—screeches pelting her mind like sharp hail raining from an unforgiving sky. Grass blades withered to dust as dirt gave up its color for a chalky white. Creatures called for mercy, animals clawing at her mind as they too felt their life-forces being sucked away with the rest of the forest.

  “Solace Viale?” Seraphina chuckled, eyes shut tight as she felt raw Power ricochet through her. The invisible force poking like needles through her veins, as it gradually ate away at her insides. “You shall always be Baate Noir. Now, and forever.” she hissed as life left the forest. Auburn burning away to gray. Gray giving way to a stygian black. “Life shall never reside here unless by my bidding, and mine alone.”

  Her mother—the sun presence—had already trespassed once here. But, with it gone, the forest of gold gave way to a deathly black as it gave its life to its creator.

  With nothing left to take from the withered forest, the wind receded as Seraphina lowered her head and opened her eyes.

  A forest of death pervaded her vision, and she ignored the ominous black that surrounded her as she moved forward. The woman prowling through the wood until she emerged on the other side of the forest.

  Stepping out onto a field of yellow, she felt her heart crawl its way into her throat as her body trembled with heat. Sweat beading upon her forehead. Coolly, she whipped it away. A headache forming between her eyes splitting her vision in two as she eyed the Poudurac.

  The forest's raw Power would rip her apart. Humans weren't meant to harness raw, unpredictable, Power. It was only a matter of time until Ledora's body would be no more and Seraphina's soul would lack a host...therefore forcing it to either the Crux or the underworld.

  With a gasp, she clutched at her heart as it threw itself against the cage of her ribs. Her legs buckling at the sudden impact. Her headache exploding between her eyes.

  Calm...pace yourself. Find her...find her...then all will be well.

  With so much raw Power surging through her human body, she'd need to find Katell fast.

  FIFTY-SEVEN

  Kat woke with a start. Tangled in heavy satin covers with her dark hair tousled, tangled in the fingers of another.

  She thought she'd never see those sorrowful green eyes again, sunken into a face as pale as the moon. “Robin...” she murmured, half-asleep, half dreaming. “You're really here, aren't you?”

  She watched him chuckle silently, his thin lips twisting up into a crooked smile mimicking a half-crescent moon.

  Kat blinked, heat rushing to her face as she reached out to touch him. “As cold as you ever were,”

  “And always will be.” he finished, placing his hand over hers as it cupped his chin. “How did you get here?”

  Her mind was jumbled, as tangled and unsightly as her hair after an hour of lovemaking with this phantom. “What?” she blurted.

  “How did you get here?” he repeated, his words slower...sharper. “You and half of Montbereau will know my secret...my mother's secret...”

  Pale green eyes narrowed as they bore into hers. Kat returned his glare as her mind came back. “No—shouldn't I be asking you this?” shaking her head, she snatched her hand away from his scowling face and pulled the covers over her nakedness. “Where am I? What is the place, and what are you doing here?”

  Robin smirked, his eyes laughing. “'A human in a hetaera feeding hall?' I thought to myself. Half of the guild smelt you and wandered around looking. Most were curious, some hungry—then I saw you—,”

  “A hetaera feeding hall?” What had Vidonia lead her to? “Those...exist?”

  Robin shrugged. “This is a very exclusive 'arts guild'.” he told her, throwing up his hands as he threw himself back into bed. “Exclusive, exclusive. Matron Clara often brings humans here for...feeding, and so we thought...”

  Kat sighed. “I never knew you were hetaera.”

  “It's something you don't go casually talking about. Half the world believes we don't exist,” turning on his side, he propped his head up as he winked at her, “and we'd like to keep it that way.”

  Even more questions buzzed in her mind—Robin Bereau-Vanja, the same man who broke her during training. The same man who fought to have her put back in—who forced the duchy's guard to give her a second chance once she'd healed.

  The same man who took her virginity. The duke's own son.

  Why was he here? Was he truly hetaera?

  There were rumors as to how his mother, a woman deemed barren years ago, had had a son. But now was not the time to question his true lineage.

  “Why are you here?” she asked him, staring into those pale green eyes. “Why aren't you in Montbereau?”

  Immediately, his face fell. Cutting his gaze from hers, he frowned as his nails dug into the linen beneath him. “Do you really need to ask, Katty?”

  She wasn't sure. The sky was black, the sun refused to rise. Baate Noir was auburn and the Night Lady—she sacrificed a soul to the Crux, cutting everyone from its Power. Making anyone who practiced magic absolutely powerless unless they sacrificed souls to the Crux as well.

  “Yes,” she decided, watching his eyes fall. “tell me the state of the south.”

  “Montbereau was set alight the moment Baate Noir went gold. Most of the south went up in flames, Katty. And the rest—overrun by monsters...beasts...inhabitable. The creatures cannot stand the light of the forest, and so they trek to the south. Montbereau is gone, Katty.” he breathed, shaking his head. “Most of the townspeople disappeared through Baate Noir, some left for the Brandy's. Even less made for Remicourt. Any place where monsters and beasts aren't, is where most of the town has gone.”

  “When you left,” Kat begin, pacing herself as her breath hitched in her throat, “did you catch any Maevas? My Gran? Maddy? Eva?”

  For a moment he met her gaze, green eyes were even more sorrowful. Swimming in unshed tears before he fell to his back and stared up at the ceiling. “No.” he snapped, his breath hissing out between clenched teeth. “I'm sorry, Katell. I came here, alone.”

  “And so you left your own family to die? Just—just left them to suffer?” she all but screamed—she knew it wasn't right but as the tears came, she couldn't help herself. “Your father and mother—if they even are your kin—you just left them to rot? To burn in flame or be eaten alive by monsters?!”

  Gran's dead. Eva's dead. Maddy's dead.

  Damn—she wanted to get up. Wanted to fling herself from a window.

  “It can't be true.” she whispered to herself as he sighed heavily beside her. “You're lying—why would a forest cause a town to go up in flames? The beasts—I know that much is true—but how? How could Montbereau just burn?!”

  “You want to know?” he s
napped, shooting her a scathing look. “Then, fine. They willingly burned the town. Winter left, the cold left, and autumn—for the first time in decades—came. They thought it was the work of the Fates—a warning. A bad thing. They thought Montbereau was cursed because of all the witch burnings and that a gold Baate Noir meant they needed to purge the town using fire.” Turning towards her, Robin snapped, “Is this enough for you? Are you happy with this knowledge, Katell?” Throwing himself upon his back once more, he crossed his arms. “You think it's enjoyable knowing that I left my mother and father to die in the flame? They chose to burn the town, not I. Why give my life for a belief I know to be false? I told my father that burning women wouldn't stop another Cataclysm—if a witch even caused it at all. He never listened—no one ever listened. They brought the flame upon themselves!” he spat, “Willingly!” Robin added, throwing his hands to the air. “Are you happy, now?!”

  “No—of course not! No!”

  Throwing herself upon the mattress, she curled herself up into a tight ball of flesh as she choked away tears of anger and sadness.

  Here she was—flinging herself at her desires...blissfully unaware that her Gran was gone. That Maddy and Eva were...gone.

  She bit her lip. Hiccuped.

  How dare she indulge when she had an important decision to make? How dare she be happy when her entire family was dead?

  Not entire.

  Her mother still existed—but if she didn't sacrifice her mother's soul to the Crux, humans would be forever powerless. Magic could cease to exist.

  Why did this fall upon her?

  “This isn't fair.” she whimpered to herself, holding herself as she cried. “Why can't things be fair?”

  Beside her, Robin sighed. “Such is life.” he murmured, the bed creaking as he shifted his weight. “You said you had a decision to make? That you needed help?” he asked, trying to take her mind away from Montbereau. “I'm still here. At the very least, I could help.”

  Could he? Kat felt the need to roll her eyes. “They want to make me into a hetaera—,”

  “It's a curse—it'll make you immortal...unless someone bashes your skull in and the like.”

  “—I'm not finished.” Kat snapped, turning towards him. “The Power's Crux, have you heard of it? Humans are cut off from it.”

  At that, he sat up abruptly. “And, why?”

  She swallowed. “The Night Lady sacrificed a soul to it, and now it hungers for more. Instead of offering up natural Power to it, now it only accepts souls in exchange for Power...”

  “Then, your plan is...?”

  She sat up completely, crossing her arms over her bare breasts. “I have to kill her. Give her soul to the Crux and hopefully that'll right the balance of things.”

  “Hopefully.” Robin repeated, rolling his pale eyes. “Only give up your humanity if you're sure about this.”

  She wasn't sure it would work. Something told her to doubt. Something told her to worry. “I'm not sure.” she whispered, her voice barely loud enough to hear. “I don't know if this will fix things.”

  Robin shrugged, the curve of his lips as sorrowful as his pale eyes. “On one hand,” lifting up his right hand he showed her his palm, “you have a leap of faith to take. Undergoing the Change will turn your world on its head, and may cure the Crux of its lust if you can take out the Night Lady. But...on the other,” lowering his right hand, he lifted his other, “you run the risk of succumbing to a hetaera's lust—a craving for blood...live meat,” she shivered at his words as his eyes slowly roved over her, “even if you manage to take out the Night Lady as a hetaera—the Crux may not be fixed, and you'll be stuck—stuck as a monster forever.” bringing up both his hands, he showed her his palms and inclined his head. “The choice is yours to make.”

  “Neither seem very promising.”

  He winked. “Such is life, c'est la vie.”

  “C'est la vie.” she repeated, “My life.” she mused, pulling the covers towards her chest. Mulling over the words with the slight tilt of her head. “And it is time I took it into my own hands.”

  Outside, the sky shook as a peel of thunder boomed.

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  Clara Vidonia glowered at her sister as she leaned against the armrest of her chair. “Nothing will fix it.” she hissed, sharp eyes narrowed as she stared at her sister's hunched form. “The tainting of the Power's Crux has been foretold—you, of all people, know this! You are only trying to stave off the inevitable, sister! Sacrificing Seraphina to the Crux will only cleanse it for a short while—and then we will be back in this mess all over again! You know it happens—,”

  “Every ten years.” Vidonia snapped, clasping her hands together tighter. “But if we lose our ability to command the Power through use of the Crux...”

  “It doesn't matter.” Clara snapped, jumping to standing. “Isn't this right for us? For our kind? Damn the Confrerie—the other races—damn them! Who needs the sun?!”

  “The Monarchy.” Vidonia griped, digging her nails into the skin between her knuckles as she glared harshly at the crackling fire before her. “The Scyllah, the Sonants—all life needs it, sister. Don't be daft—how else will we survive if they all die out?”

  Clara opened her mouth to retort but promptly shut it before nodding.

  “Exactly.” Vidonia said, shaking her head. “We have no choice. If Katell can kill her, it will ultimately set things right again. Meaning, the sun would come back. Our source of sustenance won't die out and the Power would be back in our hands.”

  “But what are we doing?” Clara whimpered, holding her head in her hands. “Every ten years...over and over...the cycle continues—rebirths itself on another poor family. Rips mothers and daughters apart and pits them against each other. Can this curse ever be lifted? Will this world ever know peace?”

  Smirking, Vidonia rolled her eyes. “When did you grow so caring? You, who said we should just let the sun continue to hide?” she chuckled, her laughter dark and dry. “You know the answer as well as I.” sighing, Vidonia shook her head once more. “Never. Until the magic leaves—until the Crux is destroyed—never.”

  “Do you believe she will make the right choice?”

  “There is only one choice she can make.” Vidonia told her matter-of-factly. “The same choice thousands of others have made before her in order to right the world and breathe new life into the race.” outside, a rumble of thunder speared through the sky, “There is only one choice she can make.”

  ~~~

  But, Vidonia couldn't be too sure.

  Standing outside of her sister's guild with her arms strongly crossed, she watched an old peddler make his way up the cobblestone road and approach the iron fence separating the large castle-like structure from the rest of the sunless world.

  Bringing his hands to the thick iron railing, Vidonia watched him wrench the fence open with a haphazard swing of wiry arms.

  “Why have you come?” she called out to the cloaked peddler as he made his way towards the structure's white stone steps. “I knew the thunder was you!” shifting her weight from foot to foot, she craned her neck as she screamed, “No one has called you here! No one would call you here, much less know your name!”

  He stalked towards her with his head stooped, his arms linked together beneath a heavy robe of black cotton. A heavy hood hid the features of his face, the hood drooping low as he lowered his head towards the ground as if bowing. The peddler came to a halt before Vidonia, the man ominously silent as she waited for some sort of answer.

  All she got was a chuckle, an old and dry laughter that made the hairs upon the back of her neck stand at attention.

  She hated his laugh—his presence.

  “What are you doing here, Riche?”

  The man looked up, his face still hidden. Only his lopsided grin showed. “Like an obedient dog, I only come when I am called, Rosetta Vidonia.”

  “No one here has anything to offer you, devil. Leave. Go away!”

  Hi
s grin became sharp. Cruel. “Ah, you know my rules.”

  “No one has called you here!”

  Vidonia tightened her grip upon her forearms as Riche threw back his hood, revealing those unwavering eyes of mismatched glass she despised so much. “I only come when a willing soul has called me, Rosetta.”

  “There are no souls here.” Vidonia hissed through clenched teeth. “We are all hetaera.”

  “All but one.” Riche singsonged, grinning mischievously as he tilted his head. “Now, move so that I may meet her.”

  Vidonia froze—Katell! Katell must have called this beast. Unknowingly, of course.

  “She is ours, devil. She will be giving up her soul to us on the morrow.”

  “To fix the Crux?” Riche plucked up an eyebrow, “I've come to offer her another choice. Now—move.”

  And without a word, she did. Her body following the force of his palm as he threw it to the right, her body tumbling down the stone white steps and careening into the grass.

  FIFTY-NINE

  Katell rolled from the bed, startled by a soft knock at Robin's door.

  “Here, pull this on.” Robin said, throwing her a long white tunic. “I wasn't expecting company.”

  “It's probably Clara.” Kat told him, catching the tunic in her right hand before throwing it over her head. It shimmied down her form, hiding her curves, the fabric almost reaching the floor. “I told her I'd speak to her in the morning about this...dilemma.” But how would Clara know her whereabouts? Unless...

  “Hey,” holding his hands up, Robin met Kat's accusatory glare with a twisted grin. “don't look at me as if I've turned traitor. Clara and I hold no love for each other.”

  “Then how would she know to find me here?” Kat growled. “Of all places?”

  Robin approached the door in nothing but trouser bottoms, showing off the chiseled curve of his back. “Perhaps it isn't her?”

  Kat pressed her lips into a thin line. “Right.”