Soul of Thorns (Wicked Fae Book 3)

by Stacey Trombley

  I shiver at the pleasure that washes through me.

  Killing feels good. That’s a truth I learned a long time ago. A truth that haunts me daily.

  I stretch my fingers, working to keep my mind in order. My power can unleash—it can rage on our enemies—but it will never own me.

  You are mine, I remind it.

  It doesn’t respond, though I hadn’t expected it to. Once, that foreign magic could speak to me, instruct me. But the moment I succeeded in my bargain with the Night Bringer, it quieted and submitted to my rule. It hasn’t spoken since that day.

  I lick my lips and then march toward the unknown enemies around the bend.

  Rev

  I pull in a breath as Caelynn marches forward. It was only days ago she was dying in my arms. Only days ago, she willingly allowed her life to end because she thought it would help us. Help me.

  Now, my stomach squeezes tightly as she rushes out into danger.

  Even without knowing what enemies lie before her, there is very little doubt that she can handle herself just fine. She’s powerful. Determined. Capable.

  To be perfectly honest, she’s stronger than I am. Though, admittedly, I have an advantage here. My magic works exceptionally well against the dark powers of the wraiths, the downside being it’s flashy and brings unwanted attention. But by simple raw strength, she has me beat.

  So, I shouldn’t be nervous watching her walk toward a fight on her own. But I can’t help it. Dread constricts my lungs, suffocating me.

  What if it’s a trap by the Night Terror? What if Caelynn purposefully allows herself to be harmed because she’s still convinced her death is the best way to aid this quest?

  Gravel and ash cover the uneven ground, with high, stone-covered mountains towering over the pathway. Shadows shift between the hills. My eyes dart around. I often notice a shift in the stone, but when I look there is nothing amiss.

  I inch forward, a few feet behind Caelynn as she disappears around the bend to our unknown adversary.

  A dull snarl rumbles. Caelynn’s footsteps crunch over the gravel.

  “Hello, beasty,” she says before I sight the beast she’s speaking to. A crunch, a crash, and a roar are followed by several more. Finally, the battle comes into full view and I see several wolves leaping at Caelynn, claws, and fangs first. Their rib bones are exposed, where slimy red patches of fur and flesh cling.

  She spins, effortlessly avoiding the attack. Her blond hair falls free of it’s binding behind her head and flings as she twists. Her iron knife slices through a white wolf’s chest. It falls to the ground in a heap. She lands on one knee, her blade glinting with shimmering black blood.

  Her eyebrow flicks, her expression smug and sexy as hell.

  Three other wolves prowl forward, now wearier of their assailant.

  “Run,” she whispers. “Or die.”

  One wolf is a deep black with red glowing eyes. The other two are varying shades of brown, their eyes black as night.

  These creatures are not wraiths. They are not even necessarily evil—though I suspect these lands corrupt anything living here for very long.

  The wolves bare their teeth, and Caelynn smirks, her eyes harsh and wicked. I stand back, now confident in her ability. In her willingness to win this fight. I can see it in her eyes. She’s enjoying this.

  My chest stirs with excitement watching her fight, watching her power and strength. Her slim body twisting with harsh yet elegant movements.

  Black magic ripples behind her as she stands and three magic wolves of shifting shadows appear at her side. They match the three undead wolves, crouching and snarling.

  “Go,” she whispers, and her shadows made from swirling black power leap at the undead wolves. They clash for only a moment, a mesh of claws and teeth, and then the undead wolves yelp, turn on their heels and flee down the mountainside, the shadow wolves nipping at their heels.

  I lick my lips, watching Caelynn watch them. The commotion of the fight fades away, and I approach the relaxed shadow fae. Her golden eyes dart to me, and she smiles.

  She lets out a long breath. “That was fun.”

  My eyebrows are still higher than usual as I move to stand beside her. “I’m glad. It was... impressive.” Although not at all unexpected.

  “Never underestimate a shadow fae.” She winks.

  “Never again.”

  She smiles. We march farther down the path wordlessly, watching for the possible return of the wolves, but the mountainside remains silent and unmoving.

  We stop at the edge of a precipice, looking out over the lonely road we’ve left to reach our next obstacle. Caelynn’s blond hair rustles in the wind gently, her eyes cast out on the open lands.

  This is her new homeland.

  I remember when watching her reunion with the Shadow Lands. The pure bliss and utter pleasure that crossed her usually stoic expression.

  Even the pleasure she shows now is a dull version of that moment.

  My stomach sinks, and I swallow, looking away from her lack of emotion. She’s at peace with her self-inflicted punishment. But I am not. I cannot stand the thought of leaving her here. How do I move on with my life, knowing she’s here? Alone.

  I shake my head and remind myself that I’m getting too far ahead of myself. First, we have to complete the impossible task. If one or both of us die, there will be no decision to make.

  My chest tightens.

  Focus on the task at hand, Rev. Your job is to get the book. After that...

  I take in a long, deep breath. After that, I’ll find a way to save her. I have to.

  Caelynn

  After our short-lived battle with a few undead wolves, we wordlessly pick up the pace toward the main roads. Rev is the first to begin a jog. I casually press past him, and a simple smirk is all it takes to turn our journey into a race.

  I don’t dare use my shadow walking power this time, so it’s just basic running. We pace each other, pushing each other. Yep, Prince Reveln of the Luminescent Court and I, practically frolic through the black mountains of fae hell.

  What even is my life right now?

  It’s dark in the alleys below the looming mountains made of what looks to be solid black rock with a sprinkling of red stones. Some splotches are so covered in the red stones it appears like a splattering of blood. Part of me wonders if this was some wraiths art project once upon a time or if the terrain is just that morbid by nature.

  The air becomes thicker the farther we run, the heat rising. The sky grows redder and redder until it’s nearly glowing.

  “Wow,” I finally say through quick breaths as we slow to a walk. The smoke is thick here, making it even harder to see than usual.

  There is a small precipice at the end of our current trail. Only around twenty feet below us is the flat ground of a smooth gravel path.

  “You think that’s the main trail through the mountain range?” I ask.

  “I’m guessing that red glow up ahead is the flame wall. So yes, that’s a fair guess.”

  “So, we should climb down, yes?”

  Rev glances over his shoulder and then pauses. His eyebrows pull down.

  “What?”

  “I think one of the wolves may be following us.”

  I groan. Of course they are. “All the more reason to change paths, then.”

  I shrug. It doesn’t make too much of a difference if those undead wolves decide to try for a little revenge. We can beat them easily. I’m more concerned with spies keeping an eye on us. If someone is following us, it very well may be a Night Terror lackey.

  I don’t like that we’re moving exactly the way the Night Terror wants us to. I hate that she anticipates our every move. But I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how to continue with the quest but not fall into her clutches.

  Rev nods somberly, and I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing. The climb down only takes a few seconds, and we’re finally on the flat ground between two major mountains

 
; We walk slowly now, knowing that if this is the main roadway, even the sunlight may not keep all wraiths from traveling here, and we are in open territory with walls of sloping stone on either side of us, where any manner of creatures could see us without us seeing them.

  We keep close to the rocky edge of the mountain to our right, which limits our vision moving forward but also cuts potential sight of us.

  Soon, it’s hard to breathe through the thick blanket of smoke covering the mountain range.

  Sweat drips down my back. Heat presses down on the both of us, and soon, the sounds of a flickering fire catch my attention. Through the smokescreen, the flickering red flames shift and pop. I stop, breaths heavy.

  We knew the next obstacle was called the wall of flames, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite so... literal.

  The wall of flame stretches up into the sky at least a hundred feet high, and even beyond that, the plumes of black smoke rise farther than I could possibly see.

  “What the hell?”

  “Literally,” I murmur.

  He doesn’t react to my cheesy joke, and I don’t blame him. Now, I understand why the maker of our cottage never traveled past this particular obstacle... I’m fairly certain no living being could pass through a scorching wall of fire uninjured. Unless you’re a fire fae, I suppose. Maybe they should have picked Brielle as champion just by default.

  I’ve run through flame before and come out with only minor burns but that... well, this is different. That was a wall erected in a quick moment by an out of breath fae of average magical ability.

  We are five hundred feet from the wall, and I’m already sweating. Heat radiates off of it. We won’t be able to get within a dozen feet before it starts literally cooking us.

  I stop, staring at the glowing red and orange flames.

  “Think there is a way around?” Rev asks.

  Shadows drift in and out of the flames, crackling and popping.

  “This wasn’t part of your research?” We’d talked about the wall of flame, but I hadn’t thought to ask much about it, assuming it would be something like the Black Gates. To pass through, it uses its magic to mentally and emotionally torture the individual, and then they’re good to go. But I’m not so sure about passing through this big guy.

  “Not in detail. They certainly never mentioned a wall so thick no living being could pass through without becoming literal ash. That would certainly put a damper on this mission.”

  “Not to mention passing back through with a book in hand.”

  Rev narrows his eyes. “True. There has to be more to this.”

  A flash of shadow catches my attention in the corner of my eye. I spin to the place I swear I saw a prowling wolf, but there is nothing. The shadows beneath the mountain range remain perfectly still.

  “What is it?” Rev asks.

  “I thought I saw that wolf again. But I don’t think those creatures could move that fast.”

  “Wraith?”

  I bite my lip. “Maybe,” I whisper. “We should find a place to hide for a bit. Catch our breaths and think this through.”

  Rev nods, and we slink to the other side of the pathway, away from where I’d seen the shadow shifting. Not far off, there’s a narrow pass between two mountains. Single file, we walk into the narrow crevice of the black mountain. The heat dissipates gradually, aided by the shade cast by the cliffside. I can just barely see the smoke-covered sky from here.

  We come to a sharp edge jutting out from the cliffside, creating a dark nook behind it. We’re covered just enough we can settle in for a few minutes, confident we’re not currently being watched. I drop my backpack and lean against the cool stone.

  “So...” I drawl.

  Rev chuckles. “I’d really like to get this stupid quest over with.”

  I pull in a breath. I know he meant to express his frustration with how difficult every step of this mission is, but my stomach sinks because I know the end of it for him doesn’t mean the end for me.

  I’m going to live the rest of my life here. I’ll never see the clear sky. The bright sun. I’ll never breathe fresh air or drink clean and cool water. I’ll never see my homeland. I’ll never redeem myself. I’ll never get to thank the shadow sprites or tell the phantoms they were right about me and Rev.

  “Cae...” Rev whispers. “I—”

  I wave him off, knowing he must have noticed the tears welling in my eyes. “I’m fine. Just hits me sometimes.” I shrug it off quickly with one shaky breath.

  “Will you tell me?” he whispers then drops his bag at his feet and crosses his arms. “You’re never open about what you’re feeling. I just wish... I wish I understood more.”

  I swallow. “I was... just thinking about all the things I’ll never see again.” I shrug like it doesn’t matter, even though we both know it does.

  Rev’s lips scrunch up as he considers his next words. “I don’t know what the right thing is here, Cae. I don’t know what the right thing to say is, but...”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I don’t blame you. Not for one second.”

  “I know that.” Rev steps forward, and his eyes flicker to my lips.

  I blink back my surprise and my heart races.

  “I don’t want to say the right thing to make myself feel better, Cae. I want to give you hope. I want... I want you to know that I’m fighting for you now. Okay? You’re not alone.”

  I pause, examining him. “What does that mean exactly?” My voice is hoarse as the breath leaves my lungs.

  One side of his mouth turns up in a sad smile. “Cae, I do not intend to leave you here.”

  My mouth falls open. He... doesn’t intend to leave me here...

  That doesn’t make any sense at all. “Of course you’re going to leave me here.”

  He shakes his head. “You’re not going to change my mind, so there’s no point in trying. You’re not the only one that can be stubborn as hell.”

  “But there isn’t any way...”

  A low, sinister chuckle echoes from the stone alleyway. I flinch and press closer to Rev, my thoughts flying from my mind and our conversation entirely forgotten.

  I fling my shadows over us both, knowing Rev can’t be entirely hidden by my magic. I can veil him, but the shadows will not dig deep enough into his essence. If someone is nearby and knows we’re here, they’ll see him. I’d been so distracted by Rev’s declaration that I hadn’t kept up our cover or kept watch for creatures following us.

  “The humans have tricks, do they?” the voice calls with another cackle laugh. A form steps into view—white-grey smoke swirls and shimmers, holding the form of a prowling wolf.

  My heart pounds, but I hold my breath. The wraith wolf’s eyes dart around in the area he must have known we’ve been hiding, but he can’t see us. Somehow, my shadows have done better than I’d thought they could under the circumstances.

  I take a moment to examine our new adversary. He’s nearly twice the size of the wolves I fought earlier today, but not as large as the bear we faced in the valley. I’m sure he’s equally as formidable. He’s speaking, which means he’s more intelligent than the others. And the rippling smoke suggests he is not a simple animal—he’s a wraith. He has magic.

  The wraith-wolf prowls forward, his nose low to the ground, sniffing, his tail wagging slowly. Well, it appears my shadows hide us from wraiths well enough.

  “Worry not, children. I am not your enemy.” His voice is smooth, unconcerned, but the look in his eyes tells me he’s eager to find us. He’s not a simply curious wraith.

  He wants something.

  His smoke billows up, making it appear like his fur is furrowing. Not exactly comforting.

  Rev’s hand settles on my lower back, pulling me in close.

  “Still don’t trust me?” he pouts, exposing a row of very real-looking sharp teeth. He chuckles again. “I just came down to help you through the wall, you see. It’s quite easy.”

  I purse my lips, not even conside
ring the possibility of trusting the wraith. For one—he’s a wraith. I’ve done my fair share of trusting those creatures. Two, he came looking for us, and he’s still searching, based on his movements. I grip Rev’s forearm tighter, and we stand dead still.

  Sweat drips down my nose.

  “You don’t want to know how?” the wraith says sweetly. His head lifts, ears perked curiously. “Very well, I’ll let you walk right into the Night Terror’s waiting claws by your own fruition—if you don’t incinerate yourselves first, of course.”

  He turns, making his way back down the narrow walkway when Rev jerks forward. “Wait,” he says quietly.

  “Rev,” I hiss through my teeth, pulling him back.

  The wraith streaks in our direction, quick as lightening, his feet don’t even move as he flies at us. I blast out acid, slamming into his snout. He yelps and skids to a stop, pressing his side to the cliffside opposite our hiding place. Teeth exposed; he licks at the minor wound on his nose.

  The magical smoke making up his body dances causally, an eager expression on his inhuman face. “My humans have many tricks, I see!”

  “We aren’t humans,” Rev mutters.

  “Dammit, Rev, stop talking to him.”

  He knows where we are, but he still can’t see us, and I don’t intend to change that. The more Rev talks, the harder it is to remain hidden.

  “You befriended a wraith just days ago,” Rev complains. “And he helped you through several obstacles.”

  “That was different.”

  “We need to cross this insidious wall of flame, and he apparently knows how.”

  “Yeah, and he’s also very interested in uncovering our hiding place. He wants something from us.”

  “Are you two finished with your bickering?” The wraith sits, chest puffed out. His shadowed head tilts back and forth like he’s more doll than sentient being.

  “No,” I say. “But you may as well fulfill your apparent worth before I kill you.”

  “Not very friendly humans.” He tsks.

  “We aren’t humans,” Rev says again. “We are fae.”