He grinned. “You’ve got troll blood on you too, you know.”
She looked at her blood-splattered dress. “Still not kissing you.”
“Later, then.” He winked and stood, then retrieved his sword. “We’d best keep going.”
On the other side of the meadow, the path turned into winding stone steps that climbed almost straight up into the darkness. They climbed for an hour before reaching the top. Adelaide kept pace behind him the whole way, and when they stepped into the wide clearing at the top of the steps, they were scarcely winded. At least their bond to the sorcerer gave them extra strength and stamina, not just pain and servitude. If only it would protect them against the cold. Regulus’ ears felt numb and his joints ached under the freezing armor.
The moonlight illuminated the rock wall some twenty feet ahead of them. Smooth, undisturbed snow glistened and crunched beneath their feet. Wind whistled in his ears and rustled in the pines. No other sounds filled the night. They stopped in the shadow at the base of the wall and stared up as it stretched toward the stars.
“I guess this is it.” Regulus looked at Adelaide. Her nose was red, and she clutched his cloak tighter about her. “This part is all you.”
“So I...” She looked at him and back at the wall. “What?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know how you do what you do.”
“Hm.” She placed her hand on the icy rock. Pale blue light shone under her palm. Nothing happened. He tucked his hands under his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to keep warm. She added her other hand. Still nothing. “All right.” She stepped back, and he moved back farther. She shone a bright beam of light from her hands to the wall. Still nothing. “Are we sure this is the right wall?”
“It lines up with his notes and description.”
Adelaide blasted the wall with fire. It warmed him for a moment, but had no impact on the stone. She threw daggers of light at it. Still nothing. “Why.” Another blast of fire. “Won’t.” Her voice rose as a glowing spear pinged off the wall. “It!” A torrent of flames. “OPEN!” She shoved her hands forward, throwing a blast of light at the wall.
A sharp crack like a lightning strike rent the air and rattled his bones. A fissure opened in the bottom of the wall and raced up some ten feet before spreading right and left. The rock in front of them crumbled and crashed to the ground. He covered his face as dust billowed. When he lowered his arm, a gaping hole in the wall opened into inky blackness. They looked at each other, then headed inside, an orb of blue light leading their way.
They stood inside a round stone room no more than six paces in diameter. In the center of the room stood a marble statue. They moved closer, and the light fell on the statue—a woman in flowing robes. The marble woman’s eyes were closed, and her head lowered. She held one hand over her face, hiding one eye. The stone beneath her visible eye was stained, making her look like she had been crying. Her other hand was cupped, palm up, in front of her stomach. In her palm glittered a huge opal of black and purple with flecks of orange and red. It was polished into an oval and about as long as a little finger. Adelaide reached out and curled her fingers around the opal. Regulus held his breath as she pulled her hand back.
The statue moved.
The marble woman blinked, her lids grating over pupil-less eyes with a rasping sound. She raised her head with a creak of stone. Adelaide stepped closer to Regulus, clutching the opal to her chest. The statue’s white lips parted.
“Do not seek to re-forge the Staff of Nightfall.” The statue’s cold voice filled the room. “The Staff brings only death and destruction. The sorceress who created it is dead, along with all her victims.” She reached out her hand, the marble groaning. “You are pure of heart to enter here. The Staff’s power cannot be used for good. Its desire is tainted. Return the opal and seal the door, or the Staff will bring endless night.”
His heart sank. Whatever the sorcerer wanted with a staff that brought death and destruction, it wasn’t good. Regardless of whether endless night was a metaphor, he didn’t like the sound of it. Etiros...forgive me.
“Who are you?” Adelaide’s voice sounded small in the stone chamber.
“I am the spirit of those who died by the power of the Staff of Nightfall.” The statue blinked again and tears—real tears—ran from her marble eyes. Regulus recoiled.
Adelaide’s fist moved from her chest. She cried out. In the same moment, a burning sensation spread from the mark on his own arm. She was considering leaving the opal. And the sorcerer knew.
“Return the opal.” Tears dripped over the polished marble of the statue’s face and splashed on the stone floor.
Adelaide screamed and Regulus groaned as they both fell to their knees. Regulus knew what she was feeling, because the same slicing, burning pain cut up his arm and across his chest. But he had experienced it before. Adelaide shook beside him, sobbing. He wrapped his arm around her as the pain made his head pound. She whimpered and rocked back and forth. His eyes watered—not from his own pain as much as for hers.
“Adelaide.” He placed a trembling hand against her cheek.
She shook her head. “We can’t, we—” She arched backward and screamed. A stifled scream ground up his own throat as it felt like his heart was being wound round and round with hot wire. The opal slipped from Adelaide’s fingers and clattered across the stone.
“We don’t have a choice,” Regulus whispered, holding her shoulders. “He controls us.”
She nodded, tears running down her cheeks and neck. “All right. All right.”
The pain rushed out of his chest, down his arm, and disappeared. Adelaide leaned against him, breathing hard. After a moment, Regulus scooped the opal off the ground and put it in his saddlebag before helping her to her feet. The marble statue creaked as they walked toward the entrance, and he looked over his shoulder.
Both her stone hands covered her face.
Chapter 47
THE WALL CLOSED WITH a rumble behind them. Adelaide’s feet dragged as they stepped into the moonlight. She was too physically and emotionally exhausted to climb back down tonight. She still believed bringing the sorcerer the opal was wrong, but what could she do? He would either torture them into submission or take control of one of them. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. And she had promised Regulus she would do what the sorcerer wanted so he could be free.
They walked over to a small spruce tree several yards away from the path. The branches had kept the ground around the trunk free of snow. Adelaide used her magic to push snow off the lower boughs. They made a little pile of dead branches and needles near the edge of the dry ground so the smoke wouldn’t get trapped, and she lit them on fire. She helped Regulus out of his armor, and they held each other for warmth and comfort, his cloak wrapped around them. Even the troll blood in his hair couldn’t stop her from pressing as close to him as possible.
She slept fitfully, dreaming of crying statues, screaming men, women, and children, and glassy-eyed corpses. Regulus still had his arms around her when she awoke in the morning. Soft grayish light glittered on the icy surface of the snow and her breath fogged in the air. Somewhere a jay trilled a song. She buried her icy face in his shoulder, not wanting to move. Too cold.
“As much as I enjoy this,” Regulus said, his voice scratchy, “how about a fire? I can barely feel my face.”
Adelaide groaned as they separated and sat up. She held her hands between them and conjured a flame. It was more draining to maintain the flame than to start a fire, but she was too stiff to get up and look for kindling. Feeling crept back to her feet and nose. Regulus scooted over until his shoulder pressed against hers.
“You know what might help chase the cold away?” he whispered, his voice husky and his breath warm on her ear.
She smirked at the small fire hovering above her hands. “What’s that?” He kissed her cheek, then brushed gentle kisses along her jawline. Warmth tingled over her skin and spread through her torso
. “You still stink like troll,” she said.
But she turned her head and kissed him. The fire faded away, and she clenched the front of his shirt. He held her close, his arms strong against her back as he gripped the back of her neck. They separated, their mouths still close.
“Warmer now?” she murmured.
“Mm, almost.” He kissed her again and flames seemed to dance over her skin. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head. Tremors of joy ran down her back as she relaxed, relishing him. “Better.”
She laughed at the smile in his voice. They held each other a moment longer, ignoring the rest of the world. Savoring this moment of quiet. Of being together. A slight tingle pricked the mark, making Adelaide wince. She pulled back, her hands slipping down his arms.
“Don’t.” He held her arms, his eyes pleading. “Not yet.”
“We have to go.”
His shoulders fell. “I know.” He pushed her sleeve back and ran his thumb over the mark on her arm. “Let’s go get rid of this.”
Regulus left the armor behind, to Adelaide’s relief. If the sorcerer kept his word, he wouldn’t need it anymore. He kept the sword, just in case. Nothing bothered them on the way down the mountain, although she thought she saw shadows moving in the trees. She finally mentioned them to Regulus.
“Yes, I noticed. Whatever is out there probably smells the troll blood and are keeping their distance. We’re either trolls, which are difficult to kill, or we killed a troll, making us more dangerous.”
Once they returned to their horses, they rode straight to the sorcerer’s tower, late into the night. They crossed from vibrant, living trees to blackened, lifeless trees, then naked, bark-barren trees with wood like bone. Had the decay spread further?
As they dismounted, she looked at Regulus. “The decay...was it this bad two years ago?”
He shook his head. “No. Only the vines on the tower and the trees closest to the tower were dead then.”
The tower door creaked open. “Yes, well.” The sorcerer strode toward them, a torch in hand. “It takes a lot of energy, keeping you alive. I have to get that energy from somewhere.” He held out his hand. “Where is it?”
Regulus reached into the saddlebag and pulled out the opal. The light of the torch made the stone sparkle black, blue, purple, red, and orange. Regulus clutched the stone. “You’ll release us? Both of us? And let us leave alive?”
“Yes, yes. Hand it over!”
“Now?” Adelaide confirmed.
“Yes. I’m a man of my word. Now give it here!” The sorcerer snatched the opal. He turned it over in his hand and held it up, inspecting it. Nerves and anticipation knotted Adelaide’s stomach as the sorcerer rubbed his fingers across the stone. Apparently satisfied, he slipped it into his belt. “Give me your arm.”
She watched as Regulus pushed up his sleeve and held out his right arm. The sorcerer pressed his hand over the mark. “I release you.”
Regulus winced. When the sorcerer pulled his hand away, the mark was gone. Regulus stared at his arm, now marred only by faded scars. Adelaide pushed her sleeve up as the sorcerer approached her.
“I know you considered betraying me,” the sorcerer said as he put his hand over the mark on her arm. “But you didn’t. So I release you.” A burning, ripping sensation coursed over her skin. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out. The feeling faded and she relaxed. “But I need a little more from you.” His hand encircled her wrist.
“Wh—” Her vision went white. All the air was sucked from her lungs. She collapsed to her knees, but still the sorcerer held her wrist. Her energy drained, like when she used a lot of magic, but this felt different. Like it was being drawn out; like she was a rapidly emptying well. Regulus screamed her name, but he sounded distant.
The sorcerer’s muffled voice said, “Touch me or her and I’ll kill her.”
Her mouth hung open, but she couldn’t draw in a breath. His grip released and her hand dropped. She gasped as if she had been drowning and crumpled to the side. Muscular arms caught her before she hit the ground. She saw shadows and then smudged colors.
“Adelaide? Adelaide!” Regulus’ voice sounded strange and muted. “What did you do?”
“She’ll be fine in a moment. Now leave. If I see either of you here again, I’ll kill you.”
“Adelaide?” Regulus shook her shoulders. “Adelaide, please.” His voice cut through the fog in her mind, and she blinked. With every blink, her vision cleared until she saw Regulus’ deathly pale face hovering above her.
She clutched his sleeves and curled into his chest. He pulled her closer, his heart hammering against her ear. The tower door was closed, the sorcerer gone. Regulus rubbed her back.
“You’re okay,” he said, almost as if trying to assure himself. “It’s over, we’re safe. You’re all right.”
But she wasn’t all right.
She couldn’t get her thick tongue to work. She tried to speak, but only a broken sob emerged. Above them, green and yellow light flashed from the tower window. Regulus guided her arm over his shoulders, picked her up, and stumbled to his feet. He put her on Sieger, then tied Zephyr’s reins to the pommel of his saddle. Regulus mounted behind her, his arms around her waist, and they rode away from the tower and the ominous flashes of light.
It took several more tries to speak past her taut vocal cords. “Regulus.”
“You’re safe,” he repeated, his voice wavering. “It’s over. We did it. I’m free. We’re both free. Praise Etiros, we’re free.” He kissed her temple. “He won’t hurt you again.” His arms tightened around her middle. “I won’t let him near you again.”
Even with the jostling of Sieger’s gallop, Regulus’ racing heartbeat and deep, shaky breaths vibrated against her back. She didn’t want to ruin his joy at being freed. But she couldn’t keep any more secrets from him.
“He took it.” Her voice cracked. “My magic. It’s gone.”
THE STORY CONTINUES
in
STAFF OF NIGHTFALL
July 15, 2020
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Acknowledgements
I WANT TO THANK MY mom first and foremost. Thank you for reading everything I write since the beginning, often multiple times. Best Proofreader Mom award goes to you—as does Best Mom in general for your constant support and belief and your investments in my learning and life. For reading to me when I was little. For supporting this crazy idea that I could write. For reading my books even though fantasy isn’t your favorite genre. I wouldn’t be an author without your help.
Thank you to my dad, who is always proud of me even when I haven’t been proud of myself, and whose sacrifices have allowed me the education and time to make being an author possible. I can chase my dreams because of you.
Thank you to Rebecca for always being there for me and believing in me—even if you kinda stopped reading my writing after I killed your fictional boyfriend something like NINE YEARS AGO. (Let it go!) Thank you for letting me rant to you to figure out plot holes and dead ends, for humoring me and asking questions, even when you weren’t entirely sure what on earth was going on. For encouraging me when I was low or metaphorically slapping me with a newspaper and telling me to “pull yourself together!” when I needed it. For all the laughter and ups and downs and adventures. Four years apart or not, I think you’re my twin. Thank you for being half of the inspiration for Regulus and Dresden’s friendship.
Thank you to Alexis, my soul-sister time zones away and the other half of the inspiration for Regulus and Dresden’s friendship. Thank you for understanding me even when I’m barely making sense, for laughing through the hard times, for always being down when I need to vent, for not getting annoyed when I decide to bombard you with memes and nonsense or send you the most random questions or have a breakdown, and for reading and being excited about this book and helping me make it even stronger.
Jessica, thank you for devouring my books and being my
#1 fan. Thank you for the fan art and squealing, and for your support and words of encouragement and love when I’ve been down.
Sylvia, thank you for always enthusiastically supporting me even though you’re not a big reader.
To my extended family, thank you for your enthusiastic support of my dreams—from dances to plays to Oxford to novels.
Mr. E, thank you for being one of my most faithful and helpful early readers and encouraging me to write more vivid descriptions.
Thank you to Kinsey for reading my writing attempts in high school. That early support was so important.
Thank you to Becky for loving my characters and always being willing to talk about life or writing and editing and publishing frus-trations and ideas. Our conversations are the stabbiest.
Thank you, Jenni, for all the screaming and late-night convos and helping me make decisions and making me laugh and cry and supporting me, even when I’m being an irrational overthinker.
Thank you to my early readers: Heather, Verity, Janice, Claire, Cathi, Alexandra, and Becky. I am so grateful to you!
Thank you to everyone in my FB reader group—lots of love!
To everyone who has supported me and cheered me on, especially all the lovely, supportive individuals on bookstagram: thank you. I can’t possibly list you all, but you are the BOMB and all your love and support makes me cry happy tears.
Thank YOU, lovely reader! Thank you for taking a chance on me and this book. Thank you for giving Regulus and Adelaide a chance. Thank you for helping me live my dream of being a published author.
Finally, to the God who gave me life, who made me creative in His image, who placed all these people in my life, who gave me stories and words to tell them with, and who is giving me a spirit of peace not of fear—who has been there comforting me and placing people in my life even in the midst of anxious thoughts and depressive episodes—all gratitude, praise, and glory.
About the Author
Prince of Shadow and Ash Page 33