Virtue - a Fairy Tale

by Amanda Hocking

  “You took me out to the woods on a whim?” Lily looked at him with disbelief. “You abandoned me here in the middle of the night only to come rescue me the next night, and you don’t know why?”

  “Your friend Wick, she senses things?” Lux grasped at anything, looking for any explanation that would keep her from discovering the truth. “I can do that too. I sensed something horrible and…” He trailed off, knowing how empty his words sounded. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes,” Lily said.

  “Everything I’ve done has been to protect you,” Lux said, and he felt better knowing he was being honest. “Since I’ve met you, I’ve only tried to make sure that you were safe and happy. And I can’t explain the things that are happening, but… I need you to just trust me.”

  “I believe you,” Lily looked up at him, her eyes searching his. “But why can’t you tell me? If something dangerous is going on, I should know about it.”

  “Please,” he pleaded with her. “Just trust me for now. I promise you’ll understand everything later. But for now, can you just trust me?”

  “Fine,” Lily relented, but only because he looked so pained. “But we should go to the cottage to see if Wick is alright.” Lux looked in the direction she pointed and shook his head.

  Wick’s cottage was closer to the palace, and Lux didn’t want to head that way. He wasn’t sure how powerful Scelestus really was, but he didn’t want to deal with her. More importantly, something had found her at the cottage last night, and while he wasn’t certain it was Valefor or another of the peccati, the canu had found her too. They needed to get away from here, fast.

  “We need to keep going,” Lux looked at her apologetically.

  “But she helped me survive until you got here,” Lily insisted, and guilt stung through him. He never should’ve left her alone, and he’d never forgive himself for that. “The least I can do is make sure she’s fine or see if she needs any help.”

  “She sent you away last night while she stayed behind to fight?” Lux asked, and she nodded. “She didn’t sacrifice herself so you could go back and get yourself killed today. Whatever happened back there, it’s not safe for you, and she’d want you to go on.”

  “Maybe,” Lily said, her face scrunching up. “But I don’t feel right leaving her like that.”

  “We need to go, Lily.” Lux looked at her seriously and squeezed her hand. “Please.”

  “Once you’re sure we’re safe and this – whatever this is – is over, I’m going back to repay my debt to her,” Lily said firmly.

  “I will be more than happy to take you,” Lux said, but he wasn’t sure that this would all be over. He didn’t know if Lily could ever be truly safe.

  Once they started walking again, Lux felt better. Moving quickly through the trees felt like he was actually doing something, although he wasn’t sure how much it would really accomplish. At first, Lily seemed upset. She felt guilty for abandoning her friend, but her mood lightened the longer they walked. He couldn’t be sure, but he had a feeling it had to do with him holding her hand.

  They walked most of the morning saying very little. Lux would’ve loved to talk with her, but he was afraid she’d press him for information. The Necrosilvam seemed to stretch on forever, but soon they’d be reaching the edge of it.

  A swamp lay just on the other side of the forest, called the Weeping Waters. A mixture of filthy water and thick mud like quicksand, it was filled with sea dragons and flesh eating fish. Unlike land animals, the fish did not listen to anyone, even peccati like Lux.

  A log had fallen across their path, and Lux helped Lily over it. His thoughts were on how they would get past the swamp, not on the log, and the rotted wood gave out under Lily’s foot. He caught her just before she fell to the ground, and he held her in his arms for a second before setting her gently on her feet.

  “Sorry,” Lily said.

  Lux shook his head. “I should’ve been paying more attention.”

  “I’m not a complete invalid, you know.” Lily smiled demurely at him. “I can manage walking without a guide.” She amended her statement with a laugh. “Usually.”

  Lux laughed and took her hand, preparing to lead her forward, but she stopped short. He heard a mewing sound, similar to a kitten or a frightened rabbit, and Lily had heard it too. He tried to keep going, but she pulled away from him and went back to the log, to the source of the sound.

  “Oh my!” Lily gasped, peering into the fragmented wood.

  Lux looked over her shoulder and saw what he’d already suspected. A giant furball surrounded by three smaller furballs sat inside the rotted log. They were almost perfectly round and covered in plush, golden fur with small round ears like a squirrel, a tuft of a tail like a rabbit, big sad eyes like a puppy, and a pink nose like a chipmunk. Their feet were hidden entirely under their fluff, pressed close to their chubby bellies.

  “Auratus,” Lux sighed.

  “It’s a mama and her babies,” Lily said.

  The auratus had made a nest in blue moss inside the log, until they’d come along and disrupted it. The mother tried to stand in front of her babies, but they kept running around her, mewing. Lily reached in and scooped up a baby in her hands. The mother barked but didn’t bite or snap at her.

  “What are you doing?” Lux asked and watched as Lily sat down on the sturdier part of the log, cradling the baby auratus in her hand.

  “Checking to make sure they’re alright.” Lily carefully petted and inspected the baby. “It’s my fault if any of them are hurt.”

  “So you just stick your hand in a tree filled with wild animals?” Lux tried to sound exasperated, but watching her coddle the auratus made it hard for him to be.

  “You wouldn’t let me do anything to get hurt,” Lily said, then held the baby out to him. “They’re so soft! Feel!” Lux reached out and tentatively petted the top of its head, and its fur did feel like downy silk under his hand.

  “They sure are,” he said. They also tasted really good, but he didn’t think that was the kind of information Lily would want to hear. “Are they checking out okay?”

  “I think so.” She put that one back in the log and picked up another. This one sat timidly in her hand, not moving around like the first one, and it didn’t seem to be mewing at all. She stroked its back, hoping to illicit some kind of response, but it just sat quietly in her hand. “Oh no. I think something’s wrong with this one.”

  Lux wanted to tell her to just put it back, let nature take its course so they could get on their way, but when he saw her face, he couldn’t. She looked utterly destitute thinking she had hurt such a creature. He crouched down in front of her.

  “Let me see.” He held out his hand, and gingerly, she gave it to him.

  Lux had no tricks for this. What little power he had had never been used for healing, or good of any kind. He only hoped that he could coax the little guy into feeling better. He pet it gently, and within a few moments, it started rubbing against his hand and purring. And Lux, despite himself, felt happy and relieved, and not just because he knew it would make Lily feel better. He hadn’t wanted to see the auratus suffer.

  “How did you do that?” Lily looked awestruck.

  “He must’ve been in shock,” Lux smiled, handing it back to her.

  “But how do you do the things you do?” Lily stared at him, trying to understand him.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He straightened up, not thrilled by her line of questioning.

  “The canu last night, you chased them away.” The auratus ran around her lap, and Lily played with it absently. “Without even touching them.”

  “I used a big stick, remember?” Lux shifted uncomfortably and stepped away from her. “Until you made me stop.” He tried to change the subject. “Why did you want me to spare that canu? He was going to kill you.”

  “Maybe, but he didn’t.” She shrugged and switched out the auratus on her lap for the last one, to make sure they were all okay.

&
nbsp; “But he would’ve.” He said it with more conviction than he really had. The canu could kill her, but he had a feeling that Valefor wanted her brought back alive.

  “Maybe. But he’s just an animal.” She inspected the last auratus, and it licked her hand. Satisfied that they were all fine, she turned her full attention on him. “He can’t be held to a moral code. But I can.”

  “Well, I didn’t kill him.” Lux didn’t like when she looked at him that way, like she could see through him, and he refused to meet her gaze.

  “And I thank you for that,” Lily said, letting the auratus run about her lap. “But that doesn’t explain how you made the rest of the canu leave. Or how come those awful charun bird-goblins never come out when you’re around, or why the trees don’t reach out for you like they do me. Nothing comes out or bothers you.”

  “Maybe the canu scared them away.” Lux rubbed the back of his neck, and for a moment, as Lily mulled it over, he thought she’d bought it.

  “They smelled strongly of brimstone,” she said thoughtfully. “Wick told me that the forest and the creatures hate the smell of brimstone.”

  “There you go.” Lux rushed to agree with her, but she hadn’t gotten it exactly right. The smell itself didn’t bother the forest or the creatures, but rather the things that smelled like brimstone, they knew of the powers they had and who they worked for.

  “You smell of brimstone.” Lily looked at him evenly, and he faltered.

  “You … you can smell that?”

  “No.” She shook her head and set the auratus back in the log, reuniting it with its mother, and then she stood up. “It’s too faint for me. But Wick noticed the scent on your jacket, and she told me not trust you.”

  “But you do.” He met her eyes and knew that she did, but his heart raced nervously.

  “I do.” She took a step to him. “But should I?”

  “Yes,” he nodded emphatically.

  “Then tell me why all the terrible things in the Necrosilvam are afraid of you.” She stood in front of him, staring into his eyes, and it felt hard for him to breathe.

  “Not all the terrible things are afraid of him,” a voice taunted from a tree behind them, and Lux whirled around, moving in front of Lily.

  It’d been awhile since Lux had seen him, and Ira looked bigger than he remembered. He sat perched on a branch of one of the dead wood, one leg dangling off carelessly and the long tails of his purple velvet jacket hanging behind him. His black hair hung just past his shoulders, and he had a hard face, like it’d been made of stone. But then again, maybe it had. Ira had always been more powerful than Lux, more powerful than everyone, except Valefor.

  “How did you find us?” Lux asked, unable to think of a better question.

  “You didn’t exactly cover your tracks,” Ira smirked. “The canu led me right to you.”

  “Ira, this isn’t what you think.” Lux tried smiling cockily, hoping to buy himself some time, and Ira just threw back his head and laughed.

  “Oh, I highly doubt that.” Ira swung down, landing on the ground effortlessly, and on a level playing field, he looked even more imposing. He stood a foot taller than Lux, and his broad shoulders were all but busting out the inseams of his tailored suit. “Don’t tell me you sent off the canu so you could bring her to him yourself.”

  “What is he talking about?” Lily asked nervously, and Lux couldn’t bring himself to look back at her. “Bring me to who?” He wanted to calm her, but right now, he had to ignore her and deal with Ira.

  “Ira, I can make you a deal.” Lux had always been a good salesman, and Ira had never been that bright. He grinned and stepped forward, hoping that he could outwit him somehow.

  “What could you possibly have to offer me?” Ira smiled, revealing long, sharp incisors, and his black glinted.

  “I’ve always had things you wanted,” Lux said.

  While that was true, the things he had that Ira wanted were almost exclusively women, which didn’t make this situation any different. Except that this time, Ira planned on taking the girl by force, and Lux had no other woman to offer him in exchange.

  “Not this time,” Ira replied coolly. “Valefor wants her now, and he’s willing to give almost anything.”

  “Why?” Lux asked, genuinely exasperated. “Why does he want her?”

  “You could ask yourself the same question.” Ira nodded to Lily standing behind Lux. “It’s cute what you’re doing here, giving her your jacket like that. I don’t know what you’re playing, but I’ve always known that you were soft. You’ve never had the passion for this like I have.”

  “If by ‘this’ you mean torture and destruction, then no, I’ve never had a passion for that,” Lux admitted. “But that doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of it.”

  “Are you threatening me, little man?” Ira took another step toward him, his eyes blazing and his fists clenched at his sides. It took very little to set him off, and he’d never liked Lux.

  “You can’t take her,” Lux told him evenly. “I can make a deal with you, but I won’t let you leave with her.”

  “Like you can stop me.” Ira raised an eyebrow. Lux had gotten into fights with Ira before, and he never came out on top. But this time, he had to.

  “Lux, no!” Lily moved in toward him. “I’ll go with him!”

  “Lily!” Lux snapped without looking back at her.

  “Lux, no.” Lily grabbed his arm, and he finally looked down at her. “I won’t let you get killed over me.” Her eyes were scared and wide, but she meant what she said. She’d sooner die than see harm come to him.

  “Why don’t you listen to the girl?” Ira said. “Sounds like she wants to go with me. She knows a real man when she sees one.”

  Lux didn’t think. He just turned and blitzed at Ira, hoping that the element of surprise would give him a leg up. Unfortunately, his attack wasn’t that surprising. His fist never even connected with Ira’s stony frame. Ira swung at him, sending Lux flying backwards into a tree. Lily screamed, but he tried to block out as pain shot through him.

  He was on his feet instantly, charging back at Ira. Ira caught his arm and bent it backwards. Lux heard it snap, but he wouldn’t drop to his knees, not the way Ira wanted. He kicked and punched at Ira, but it felt as if his opponent was made of granite. All of his blows that landed did nothing to Ira, but when Ira hit him, it sent exploding pain all over.

  “I’d love to stay and finish this, hand to hand,” Ira grinned at him. “You know I always loved a good round on a punching bag. But Valefor is waiting, and I need to finish this.”

  Lux wiped the blood from his nose on the back of his arm and tried to think of something to stop Ira. Before Lux could do anything, Ira held his hand palm out to him, and Lux remembered too late that Ira always had the better powers.

  Purple light streamed out of Ira’s palm, hitting Lux right in the chest, but the pain didn’t even radiate from there. It was everywhere, all at once, scorching through him. Lux doubled over and collapsed on his knees. His blood literally boiled inside of him, and he smelled his own searing flesh. He couldn’t burn, not with flames, but with magic, he was just as susceptible as anyone else.

  Lux tried to fight it off. Lily cried, and he could vaguely hear her, like her voice was coming from underwater. But the pain was too intense. He would’ve greeted death gladly just to make the agony stop. Then finally, his body gave up, and he passed out.

  10

  Before Lux opened his eyes, he felt a lingering burn in his chest and muscles. He tried to move, but his arms felt weighted down, shackled at his wrists. Then, with excruciating clarity, he remembered what had happened, that Ira had taken Lily, and his eyes flew open and he struggled to sit up.

  “Oy!” a woman snapped. “Settle down, unless you want to get hurt.”

  He couldn’t sit up completely, thanks to thin strings of silver that lay over his wrists and ankles, but he stopped fighting enough that he could take in his surroundings.

 
The cottage was tiny, and it appeared to have weathered a small battle recently. Everything had been thrown about, and part of one wall and the roof were missing. Lux lay pinned in a bed, his shirt removed. His bare chest revealed a large dark circle over his heart, the mark left from Ira’s magic scorching through him.

  “What’s going on?” Lux demanded.

  “Why don’t you tell me?” Wick asked. She stood in front of the damaged wall, a tub of wet clay and a pile of thatched roofing by her feet.

  “You’re the one that’s holding me captive!” Lux growled and pulled at his wrists again, but they refused to budge. A piece of thread managed to immobilize him. “What is this? Why can’t I move?”

  “It’s irin hair.” Wick brushed a lock of her hair from her forehead, leaving a muddy trail behind on her skin. Her dress and skin were stained with clay and dirt from the work she was doing. “That particular strand came from Sofiel. Have you been acquainted with her?”

  “No, I’ve never met an irin.” Lux lay back on the bed, growing frustrated. “Can you please let me go? I don’t have time to waste.”

  “You’re peccati, aren’t you?” Wick put her hands on her hips and stared at him. “There’s no point in lying. Your reaction to the irin hair confirms it.”

  “If you know what I am, then why are you asking?” Lux asked.

  Instead of answering, Wick stepped closer, inspecting him. She still wasn’t sure she’d made the right choice bringing him back here, but she thought he might be the only key to finding Lily.

  After she heard the canu howling, Wick had tried going after Lily, but she’d been too weak. As soon as she’d been able, she’d gone out, but all she had found was Lux. He’d been lying on the ground, the front of his shirt burned open with the mark on his chest.

  Peccati couldn’t be burned by flames, so the only thing that could’ve left that kind of mark was one of his own. Wick didn’t know what that meant, but she brought him back to her cottage in hopes that he could tell her something about Lily.

  She pinned him to the bed and tended to his wounds. He’d been heavily battered when she found him – broken bones, bloodied nose – but he’d already started healing. Peccati had rapid healing rates, but she used potions to help speed things along.