by Bailey Dark
“You feel her,” Sadal says as he watches me with appraising eyes.
“What is this?” I ask, taking a tentative step as power assails me again.
Sadal jerks his chin towards a glimmer of light in the distance. “Your query.”
Sadal turns, changing his path towards the strange light. I follow, feeling sickened with each step. The power rakes over me, running along my arms and chest and down my legs, as if searching for something. I close my eyes, calling on my own magic. I feel it flood through me, centered in my chest and pouring out to my fingertips. The power recoils as I explore it with my magic. Once more, it lashes out at me, making me wince.
“Form a barrier,” Serus whispers to me. “Protect your mind and soul.”
I throw up a wall in front of me and create a crown of magic as the mysterious power slithers towards me again. The tendrils of it reach my wall and pound against it. I grit my teeth and pour more of my magic and intent into the barrier. It comes for my thoughts next and I have to close my eyes to focus enough magic to resist it. The force slinks back but I can still feel traces of it on my magic. I shudder.
“Well done,” Serus says.
“What was that?” I ask as a sliver of fear slips down my spine.
“It was desperation,” Serus answers cryptically. “We must be very cautious.”
We climb out of the dry lakebed. The light in the distance isn't a light, I realize as we draw closer. It's a reflection of the sun off of a gleaming, white dome. The cobweb cage. Eagerly, I press forward. We made it. We actually made it. Serus hisses as my steps grow quicker, jostling him from his perch.
“Wait,” Sadal snaps, making a grab for me. He freezes, hands outstretched as Thal’s blade hovers over his wrists.
“Never touch her,” Thal says quietly.
Sadal narrows his eyes but pulls away from me. “I was trying to warn her, warn you all.” Sadal scowls. “We must be cautious when we approach. The creature in the cage is a trickster, one of the most vile and violent beings in existence.”
“Who is it?” Altair asks.
Sadal shakes his head. “You will see soon enough. The less you know, the better.”
Altair chuckles humorlessly and gives Sadal a withering look. “You really think we’ll accept that answer? Tell us who it is.”
“I won’t,” Sadal says. He lifts his chin in defiance. “The more you know, the more power she will have over you.”
I feel a thread of fear at Sadal’s words. “Then let’s do this quickly.”
“One more thing.” Sadal’s words stop us mid-step. “Leave the talking to me.”
“Why?” Altair scoffs. “So, you can stab us in the back the second you get the chance?”
“Because I’ve dealt with this being before,” Sadal snaps.
“Should we kill him?” Thal asks suddenly. He turns to Altair. “He’s brought us where we need to go. And if I recall, you have an undying hatred for this man, correct?”
Altair nods stiffly. “I do. But he may still have use.”
“Your call.” Thal shrugs.
Suddenly, a howl rends the air. I freeze, fear consuming me as the Shade shrieks again. Its call is echoed by more until I can’t tell if there are five or five hundred Shades at the portal. I step back, magic wavering as fear builds in my chest. “I thought you said the Shades wouldn’t come here,” I say, voice trembling.
Sadal is pale, looking equally frightened. "They won't come this close to her. They wouldn't dare." His words are weak as if he's simply trying to convince himself.
“Let’s go,” Altair growls. “We need to do this as quickly as we can.”
Sadal squares his shoulders and I see him paste a suave smile on his face. But I can see the fear in his eyes, in the space between his shoulder blades. We close the distance between the lake and the cage. My heart pounds quickly and loudly as we approach. The Shades are still howling in the distance, but as we move closer to the cage, suddenly, it’s not the Shades I’m afraid of. It’s the woman behind the gossamer bars of magic.
She’s tall and lithe, her figure curvy and sleek. She wears an angelic white gown that flows and pools at her ankles. Her blonde hair is wavy, practically glowing like a halo in the bright sun. I bite the inside of my cheek as I wear a mask of calm, hiding my trepidation. She smiles benevolently and my body warms. But this woman, despite her angelic looks, has an inky wickedness in her eyes that betrays her.
“Hello,” the woman purrs. She curls her fingers around the gossamer bars and shudders. “It’s been so long since I had visitors.”
Chapter 11
Altair
The woman in the cage radiates beauty with the same intensity as the sun radiates heat. She turns bright green eyes on us as we approach and I inhale sharply when they fall on me. I could look into those eyes forever. There’s a whisper of wickedness in the back of my mind, an urge to sate my more lustful needs with this woman. She appraises me, pouty lips pulled into a wry smile. What I would do with those lips.
“Ignore it, Altair,” Erzur says in my arms. She manages to open her swollen, bruised eye to study the mysterious being.
I furrow my brows. I know this feeling, these wild thoughts are my own. The woman cocks a perfect brow at me, teasing me. But perhaps there is some influence from this woman; whoever she is. I empty my mind of everything, keeping my face blank as we close in on the cage. It's light, the bars thin and made of the purest white. It stretches high into the sky and tapers into a dome. It's empty of everything but the woman.
“Hello,” the woman says, her voice sultry and wicked. “It’s been so long since I had visitors.”
Thal holds his sword in his hand, looking relaxed, but I know in a second's notice he could be wielding it against an enemy. Verity holds her hands behind her back, fingers twisting. My brows twitch together, wondering what she's doing. But I see a small ball of light form in her hand, growing more abundant with each twist of her fingers. She stops and holds it tightly. I feel pride swell in my chest at the realization that even Verity is willing and ready to defend us despite her lack of experience.
Sadal moves forward, separating himself from the group. He saunters towards the cage arrogantly, head tilted cockily. “Freia, I would have come sooner, but you made it quite clear last time you had grown tired of me,” he says, grinning.
I narrow my eyes. Freia, the Goddess of Vengeance. Questions swirl through my mind. Who could have imprisoned a God? And why? Thal and I exchange worried glances. Whatever we expected to find in this cage, it certainly wasn't this. Freia is more potent than most of the Gods, her special love for revenge encompasses love, war, wickedness, knowledge, and more. She has few worshippers, but the ones she has are particularly cruel—just like their Goddess.
Freia purses her lips at Sadal. “Perhaps I spoke too soon.” She drifts to the side so she can take in the rest of our party. Her eyes are bright, amused. “And look, you’ve brought friends.”
“I would hardly call them that,” Sadal says, frowning with distaste.
“Then are they toys? Minions?” Freia asks with a broad grin.
Sadal’s eyes flick over us, resting on me. “No.”
“Of course not,” Freia says. She giggles, lifting her hand to hide her cruel smile. “How could they be when you have no powers to speak of? You couldn’t even convince your own little demons to obey you anymore, could you?”
Sadal grits his teeth, jaw pulsing with anger. “How would you know anything about that?”
Freia waves a hand dismissively. “Word spread quickly through all the Gods. You know they’re already searching for someone to replace you?” She makes a tsking noise. “Of course, it didn’t take long for my friends above to let me know. It’s all very amusing and has helped me pass the time. I should thank you for that—all of you.”
“Someone to replace me?” Sadal asks, looking outraged.
Quietly, Verity slips away, drifting behind Sadal towards the cage. She studies it as Sa
dal and Freia bicker. Verity fingers the cage tentatively but hisses in pain, tugging her hand away. Freia looks away from Sadal to narrow her eyes at Verity. “It’s imbued with a pain spell,” she explains, “To keep me from ripping it apart and escaping. Cruel, wouldn’t you say?”
Verity meets her gaze, the hand behind her back holding her weapon shakes. “I think that depends,” she finally says.
"You can do away with that little spell you've been hiding." Freia lounges back, cushioned by the air. "It won't do you any good anyway, and I certainly can't harm you from in here."
“No one can replace me,” Sadal mutters furiously. “Clearly no one is worthy if it’s taken them this long.”
“You poor thing.” Freia looks sympathetically at Sadal as his shoulders curl in on himself. I watch as he fights another bout of madness. “Who could have known that losing your immortality would have eaten away at your mind?”
“Let’s get what we came for,” Erzur murmurs. She has been watching the bickering between the two Gods closely, but I can feel her temper flaring. She’s right. We don’t have time to waste. And although Verity has already started picking her way around the cage, all of our efforts should be focused.
“We need to replicate your prison,” I say, stepping forward. Freia’s eyes snap towards me with frightening speed.
“Go ahead.” She sneers. “I could use the company.”
My arms are beginning to ache from holding Erzur for hours. I know she needs a place to rest so she can heal quickly. I hold Verity’s gaze for an instant, trying to reassure her that I am not leaving her—that I never will leave her. Her pale blue eyes waver but then she drops them back to the prison. As I move away from Freia to a safe distance from her, my thoughts turn back to the first nights I met Verity. She was fiery and stubborn and drove me out of my mind. She was quick to laugh and quick to anger. Now, she’s morose and trapped in a plot to save the world from darkness. She should be in my library, reading in the sunlight. Not here, baking in the heat and studying a complex, ancient spell.
Guilt washes through me. Guilt and disappointment. It's my fault Verity is here. I should have protected her, I could have protected her better. Hiding a frown, I lay Erzur onto the baked earth carefully. She winces in pain and I grimace sympathetically. Sadal's little creatures were not kind to her in the tunnels. Erzur sighs when she lays flat on her back. She tosses an arm over her eyes to block out the sun, and I leave a bladder of water beside her. She'll need it more than any of us, except perhaps Verity when she begins weaving the spell.
“I don’t trust her,” Erzur murmurs.
“I don’t either,” I say. I glance over my shoulder towards the Goddess of Vengeance. “And I don’t trust Sadal.”
“It would be wise to keep an eye on both of them. And perhaps keep them separated.” Erzur lifts her arm to meet my gaze.
I nod. “Agreed.”
“For once, we see eye to eye.” Erzur smiles.
“Don’t get used to it,” I murmur. “Will you be alright here?”
She waves a bloodied hand. “Go.”
I rise, turning back to Freia and the cage. She watches me approach with bright, intense eyes and I feel a strange, unnatural stroke of awareness in my mind. I flinch back and Freia grins. “Don’t,” I snarl, hand on the hilt of my blade.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Freia says innocently.
“He means your burrowing into our minds,” Verity murmurs, circling back around the cage.
Freia scowls at Verity. “You witches are really so tiring. Boring, even.” I open my mouth to snap at Freia but she pins me with her stare. “And don’t you jump to her defense. This little witch is more than capable of defending herself.”
“Verity?” I flick my eyes towards her, searching her stony face.
She fiddles with the ring on her finger, my promise to her. “Just give me some time here. I don’t understand the spell yet.”
Verity busies herself near the cage, touching it here and there and wincing each time as she subjects herself to pain. Serus trails behind her, and they sometimes exchange a questioning glance as if they’re communicating silently with one another. I cross my arms over my chest, legs splayed, as Freia and I glower at each other.
“Thal,” I say without breaking her gaze. “Take Sadal near Erzur. Watch him closely.”
“You’re afraid I might pollute your mad little dog?” Freia cocks a brow.
“I brought you here,” Sadal hisses. “Leave me be.”
“Shut up,” Thal says, gripping Sadal’s shoulder tightly. He forces the Dark God away from Freia and I feel a wave of relief knowing that the two Gods can’t conspire against us.
“So, you’re the one in charge, then,” Freia muses. “I wasn’t sure, you know. You don’t really give off that air of authority I’ve come to expect in Fae kings.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” I say.
“And her.” She lifts her chin towards Verity. “Is she your lover? Or perhaps the dark-skinned warrior over there?”
I press my lips into a thin line at Freia's probing. The questions seem innocent enough, but there's a warning voice in the back of my mind. The more this Goddess knows the more danger we are in. "Tell me," I say, intent on changing the subject. "How long have you been imprisoned here?"
“Oh,” she sighs. “So long I can hardly remember the sensation of a cool breeze, or the rain, or why I was trapped here in the first place.”
“What did you do?” I ask, curiosity piqued.
Freia grins. “Something terribly wicked.”
“Altair,” Thal calls.
I turn to him and he lifts a hand, gesturing for me to go to him. I scowl, eyes flicking back to Verity who seems focused on the cage. I don’t like the idea of leaving her alone with Freia. “Go,” Freia says, watching Thal. “I won’t hurt your little witch.”
My frown deepens and I turn my gaze to Verity. “I’ll be right back.”
I’m not sure if Verity heard, enraptured as she is by the spell. I stride towards the others, feeling Freia’s gaze drift away from me like a physical sensation. A shiver trails down my spine. I stomp over the dried earth and it crunches beneath my feet. Thal is crouched beside Erzur, already her skin is looking less ashen and I know she’s healing well. Sadal sits cross-legged nearby, looking bored.
“What?” I snap.
Thal lifts his chin towards Sadal. “The former Dark God has decided to share some information about Freia.”
I eye Sadal and notice a bruise blossoming on his chin. “You hit him?” I look disapprovingly at Thal.
“Only a little.” He shrugs. He pins Sadal with a glare. “Tell him what you told us.”
Sadal sighs, pursing his lips. His black eyes are locked on Sadal, bright with hatred. “Freia, the Goddess of Vengeance as you may have surmised, is a bit of a bitch. She’s also terribly wicked and cruel.”
“I gathered this,” I say.
“The reason she’s locked in the Third Stratum of the Ether, the very deepest depths of it, is because of an unspeakable crime she committed against the God of Light.” Sadal shudders and I suddenly have an awful feeling. "Freia and the God of Light had a short affair, and when she learned he had betrayed her, she was furious. She planned for years how to get her revenge. When it suited her, she killed all of his children in cold blood and placed them throughout his realm like puppets—moving their corpses with strings."
A wave of nausea hits me, roiling my stomach. I look over my shoulder towards the beautiful woman, dressed angelically in the cobweb cage. She lifts her fingers in a small, flirtatious wave. My blood has run cold with fear and trepidation. I don’t want any of us around her for more than is necessary—especially not Verity. A Goddess like Freia could find many uses for a witch.
“It makes you wonder if Sadal was truly deserving of his title,” Thal murmurs.
Sadal bristles. “Wickedness comes in many forms. Consider the fact that I got to keep her as one of my trophies. Sh
e was mine. Still is.”
Chapter 12
Verity
I circle the cage, staring at the iridescent, gossamer tendrils. Altair sits a few paces away, cross-legged on the ground with his arms folded over his chest. He glowers at Freia suspiciously while I work. Warmth and happiness spreads through my chest at his silent vigil. I smile wryly to myself. I don’t think it’s necessary, but it’s a nice gesture from a man who has given me very little to demonstrate he still has any sort of affection for me.
My gaze wanders towards the make-shift camp the others have set up. A fire is burning, and Erzur is laid out next to it, warming herself. From here, I can see that the purple bruising around her eye has faded somewhat. Thal sits between Erzur and Sadal, sharpening his blade. His green eyes stray towards Sadal from time to time, as if ensuring he hasn’t wandered off.
“Pay attention,” Serus hisses, batting at me with a paw.
I eye him irritably but turn back to the prison. The spell is complex, more so than any I’ve ever seen. But the first Bloodbane warned me it would be. It’s even more challenging because touching it, feeling the magic, stings me. I brush my fingers over the bottom of the enchanted prison and grimace. It feels like painful thorns are digging into my fingertips, though no blood pools on my hands. I try to push past the spell that causes pain and to the foundational enchantment.
The spell is elusive as if it doesn't want me to understand it. I clench my eyes closed, biting my lip as I search for it, chasing the magic. My brain throbs with the effort. I hiss, loosing a long breath through my teeth and falling back from the cage. The pain in my fingers ebbs, but the headache remains.
“What are you doing?” Serus asks. “Continue.”
“It hurts,” I sigh, rubbing my temples.
“Being ripped apart by the Shades will be even more painful, at least for a short moment. And then you won’t feel anything at all,” Serus says sarcastically.