Nocturne

by Natalya Capello

  The creature yanked one sword free from Arryn and raised it for a killing blow. She’d never make it in time.

  The song left her lips with barely a thought. It was all wind and violence that swirled into life in an instant. The wind hit the creature’s upper body in a thousand sharp cuts and sliced through her. She shuddered, standing over Arryn. Then, her head slid away from her neck and fell to the ground. The body followed it.

  Lorelei came to a stumbling halt over Arryn and collapsed next to him. Her gaze met Ilia’s from across the room.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have gone farther,” she said.

  With Arryn this wounded and Ilia already exhausted, how could they possibly deal with whatever else was in the citadel?

  7

  Ilia moved and knelt down beside Arryn who lay on the floor. He was gasping in short breaths and a sheen of sweat covered his face. Lorelei hovered over them, twisting the hem of her shirt in a bunch as she bit her lip.

  “Lie still,” Ilia said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “It hurts,” he moaned. “Holy Empress, I never knew something could hurt like this.”

  “You haven’t been wounded much, have you?” Ilia asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

  “A few cuts and scrapes.” His gaze fell on Lorelei. “Usually getting her out of trouble.”

  A sinking feeling filled Lorelei. Before had been different. He’d never been this injured. He was only down here because she’d gone searching for a guitar she thought could save her. What if she’d lost Arryn on her stupid quest? She gulped as tears sprang to her eyes.

  Ilia glanced back at Lorelei. “Can you give us some room?”

  Lorelei nodded and turned to the fallen body of the creature, moving to crouch beside it. Clear liquid leaked from its wounds, giving off an acrid, pungent odor that unsettled Lorelei’s stomach. At a closer look, the skin patches were different from each other. She really had been stitched together.

  Lorelei swallowed and focused on other details. The swords were exquisitely crafted, probably by a master sword smith. Their pommels were made of ebony and the top held the insignia of a bird with its wings spread like a shield around it.

  Arryn groaned and shifted from behind her. Ilia had bandaged his wounds and was helping him to his feet. Lorelei grabbed the swords and stood.

  “We should head back to the other room,” Ilia said. “I left Dae there.”

  Lorelei nodded and followed behind her as she helped Arryn through the hall with the swords of the creature still in her hands. He hadn’t said a word to her. His look had been clouded with pain, but had there been a tinge of resentment as well?

  She paused in the doorway of the small room after Ilia helped Arryn inside and closed her eyes for an instant before stepping in. She shut the door and leaned against it. Dae was awake and laying on her side on her bedroll. She blinked several times, watching as Ilia helped Arryn onto another bedroll that had been laid out. Most of the dust had been swept away from the center of the room.

  Lorelei’s own wounds ached, reminding her that Arryn wasn’t the only one subjected to the creature’s swords. She moved to her pack, dropping the swords beside it, and gingerly dug through it for a set of bandages.

  Dae tilted her head. “What are those?”

  “Weapons from the creature that attacked us,” Lorelei said. “I have no idea what it was. It looked like its skin was stitched together and it had this weird liquid leaking from it. Too little to be blood.”

  Dae pressed her lips together. “I’ve heard tales of necromancers using body parts of dead faerie to create mindless automatons. They’re made to act as guardians.”

  Lorelei grimaced. “That’s disgusting.”

  Arryn sat up with a wince. “If that is true, we must be catching up to the necromancer.”

  Lorelei pulled out the bandages from her bag and sat back on her knees. She hissed between her teeth at a burning pain as she slid her skirt down to reveal the cut on her hip. Ilia sat beside her and took the bandages from her.

  “Let me,” she said. “You don’t need to do it on your own.”

  Lorelei gave her a weak smile, then leaned over to slide one of the swords in Dae’s direction. “There’s some insignia on it of a bird. Maybe it can give us a clue.”

  With a soft groan, Dae got to her feet and shuffled to the sword. She leaned down to look at it. “It’s a black heron. You can tell by the way it’s holding its wings. It does that over water to make fish think it’s night. It’s an illusion.”

  What color Arryn had in his face drained away as he sat up straighter. “What did you say?”

  “A black heron,” Dae said. “Why?”

  He shook his head. “There are rumors of a Shadow Court that is intent on overthrowing the Quorum. Supposedly, their legion of spies and mercenaries is known as the Black Heron.”

  Lorelei gaped at him. “I’ve never heard of these rumors.”

  “Neither have I,” Ilia said.

  “Your House doesn’t control the part of the Empire’s navy,” he said.

  “No, but Mouras have control of several legions of the army,” Lorelei shot back.

  Arryn shrugged, which was immediately followed by a wince and a groan. “I don’t know what to tell you. I heard of it from one of my cousins, who said he heard his father speak of it.”

  “But it’s just a rumor,” Lorelei said. “Nothing is proven.”

  He gestured to the sword. “This seems like proof. If this is who we are dealing with, we need to withdraw and alert the closest outpost.”

  Lorelei bit the inside of her cheek and stared at the pale faces of her companions. Ilia looked exhausted. Arryn and Dae wore constant expressions of pain and winced whenever they shifted positions.

  The guitar wasn’t worth all of this.

  Lorelei’s lip quivered as she stared down at the floor. “All right.”

  Ilia finished bandaging Lorelei’s hip and moved to her arm. “We’re not leaving until we’ve had some rest. I don’t trust Dae’s spell casting in her current condition.”

  “I’m perfectly fine,” Dae said. “Just a little woozy.”

  Ilia raised a brow at her with a soft chuckle. “How about we wait until morning? I’ll have time to refill my Aether enough to heal everyone. Then we can decide what to do.”

  Lorelei blinked at her. “You want to stay?”

  She swallowed. “I’m not sure. I know this group is dangerous, but we’ve come this far. This will be the epic that will make me Illume.”

  “This isn’t a game,” Arryn said. “There are a lot of people better equipped to deal with this group than us.”

  Ilia glared at him. “You don’t know what I’m equipped to deal with. This isn’t my first adventure. And remember, I saved you from getting stabbed.”

  He bristled, his eye narrowing.

  Lorelei cleared her throat. “I think getting some sleep is a good idea. We can continue this discussion with clearer heads.”

  Ilia sent her a relieved look. “Yes, that’s a good idea.”

  “Yeah…” Dae let out a huge yawn and settled into her bedroll. “I could use a few winks.”

  Arryn glared at them with his lips pressed in a thin line. He lay down, turning on his side with his back to them. Lorelei stared down at her hands, her chest tightening as Ilia continued to bandage her arm.

  “There,” Ilia said. “That should hold for tomorrow. You should get some rest.”

  “Shouldn’t someone keep watch?” Lorelei asked.

  “I’ll be up, reading.” Ilia smiled. “It’s what I enjoy, so it should help replenish my Aether. I’ll wake you in a few hours.”

  “All right.”

  Lorelei laid out her own bedroll and curled up. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered if the vampires and the stitched female would be enough to invade her dreams on an endless fall.

  The chords of a guitar woke Lorelei from her restless sleep. She sat up with a groan and scanned the room wi
th bleary eyes. Dae lay on her stomach, her wings twitching with each breath she exhaled. Arryn hadn’t moved from his position with his back to her. Ilia leaned against the wall with a book laying open in her lap. She must have fallen asleep while reading.

  Lorelei turned her head towards the door, her hand moving to her sword. The guitar music was coming from the hallway. Was something approaching? After several tension-filled moments of waiting, the music never grew closer.

  She stood, grabbed her lantern, and walked to the door. She paused and glanced back at the sleepers, biting the inside of her cheek. This was probably a trap. Still, she couldn’t push aside the need to find the source. It was a guitar after all. She would be careful and quiet. At the first sign of trouble she would run back.

  She stepped out in the hall and stopped. The music drifted from the direction of the throne room. She doused her lantern, pulled her sword out, and crept down the hall, using the right wall as a guide.

  A pale blue light glowed from in between the wide pillars, lighting her path once she entered the throne room. Her heart raced as she stepped on the tattered red carpet that led to the dais that held the throne.

  The light and music came from a figure standing on the steps of the dais. He was a sidhe male with pale hair flowing around him as if blown by wind even though the air was still. He wore a sky-blue tunic, and a matching cape draped around his shoulders. He was entirely translucent.

  A ghost.

  First vampires, then the stitched female. Now a ghost.

  Lorelei took a step back, ready to sprint back to the others. She needed to barricade the room somehow. Would it do any good? Ghosts could travel through walls.

  He held his hand up.

  “Wait, please.” His voice was soft, musical. Like it was made for singing. “I’m not going to attack you. I just wish to speak.”

  Lorelei stopped. As she took in his pale eyes, something clicked in her mind. The music she’d heard was a guitar melody.

  “Are you Elys?” she asked.

  He smiled. “It’s nice to know I’m not forgotten, even now.”

  “Well,” Lorelei said, “by some you are remembered.”

  “That is something at least.” He lifted his head to stare at the ceiling. “I used to dream of becoming famous. A world renown performer who could sing for the Empress herself. Other events got in the way of that.”

  “You were around in the Empress’s time?” Lorelei asked.

  He tilted his head and gave her a confused look. “She no longer rules?”

  “She disappeared centuries ago,” Lorelei said.

  He took a step back, his eyes wide. “How long have I lingered in this forsaken citadel?”

  “It’s been a while,” Lorelei said. “This place is mostly forgotten.”

  He sighed, which was strange since ghosts didn’t need to breathe. “I wish it had remained forgotten. Alas, it has been found and all I sacrificed for is in danger. There is one that traverses through the halls intent awakening this citadel’s master.”

  “I thought the general died when the citadel sank,” Lorelei said.

  “You’ve seen the creatures in the sarcophagi,” Elys said. “Do you believe they were the only ones? Oh, no. The general was their creator. He and they plague the countryside in their thirst for life.”

  A chill ran up her spine. “I thought he’d been a Fomorian. Tainted by the Miasma.”

  “Close.” Elys held one finger up. “Itham was once a great general of the Empress’s army who ruled over his own House. He was turned by an old and powerful vampire, intent on destroying the Empress and watching everything she built crumble to ashes. Itham in kind turned his entire House. Some spread through the world while other remained here with him at his stronghold.”

  His head bowed and he stared at the floor. Lorelei held her breath as she waited for him to continue.

  “I did the only thing I could to stop him,” Elys said. “I came under the guise of a traveling minstrel and performed for him, but as I sang, I constructed my song to bury this citadel in the earth. Little did I know that such creatures thrived in the dark. He survived, and I died.”

  “But he didn’t get out,” Lorelei said. “I mean, I think I would have heard of such a monster.”

  “No.” Elys smiled. “With my dying breaths, I commanded my music to fill the citadel and trap him and his minions here. Even now, my guitar plays a lullaby that holds him in sleep. And with it, I am forced to remain…until the music ends or he is slain.”

  “That sounds like a terrible existence,” Lorelei said. “Being trapped here.”

  “If it will save the lives of the people of the Empire, it is something I gladly do.” His gaze shifted in the direction to Lorelei’s right. “Already those who wish to release him are passing my traps.”

  “The Black Herons.” Lorelei’s voice came out breathy.

  “If that’s what they call themselves. They are led by a powerful necromancer. I fear he would enslave me if I confronted him myself.”

  “I’ll stop him.” The words left Lorelei’s lips before she even though about them. She paused and twisted her shirt in her hands. “Though my magic is troublesome. I have these visions that interfere with it.”

  Elys floated forward and raised his hand to her forehead. A chill trailed along where his fingers touched.

  “You are haunted by a past you don’t remember,” he said. “If you let me, I can grant a respite for your waking hours. However, it will still haunt your dreams and you will eventually have to face your past.”

  Lorelei’s shoulders trembled. This was what she’d wanted. “Please.”

  He rested his hands at her temples and began to sing. Lorelei closed her eyes and his song filled her mind. It drove away the lingering darkness at the edges of her consciousness. Despite the cold he radiated, his voice filled her with a sense of warmth and security. The last chords died away and he stepped back.

  “You have the potential to be a great bard, Lorelei ap Moura,” he said. “I hope you fulfill that potential.”

  “I never told you my name,” Lorelei said.

  “You didn’t need to.” His gaze drifted back to the right. “You have what you came here for. You can choose to leave or stop this necromancer. You should make your choice soon. There isn’t much time left.”

  “My friends and I are wounded,” Lorelei said. “We need to rest before we can conceivably fight anyone.”

  “Come.” He moved behind her and gestured for her to follow.

  Elys floated on the air through the throne room and to the hall with the thin pillars. Lorelei trailed behind him, gazing up at the entwining dragons carved into the marble of the pillars. Time had chipped and cracked most of them, but they must have been truly exquisite in the citadel’s height.

  “There are a lot of depictions of dragons here,” Lorelei murmured.

  “Itham’s House crest was a dragon,” Elys said.

  “What House?”

  “Dunatis.”

  “I haven’t heard of it,” Lorelei said.

  “Hmm, tell me. Does House Lugus still exist?”

  “Oh.” Lorelei’s shoulders straightened. “Yes. In fact, two of my friends here are from the House.”

  He smiled. “It is a boon on my heart to know such.” He stopped at a mound of rubble that piled nearly to the ceiling. “Behind this is a source that could heal your friends. It has been hidden and forgotten for so long.”

  “How do I get through?” Lorelei gazed up at the rubble.

  “Use your song,” he said. “You have the power and the control. Command the earth to move.”

  Lorelei drew in a quick breath. It was time to see if Elys had truly helped her. She closed her eyes and began to sing. The song was deep and slow with a heavy melody. A testament to the earth. As she sang, she imagined the rocks and rubble rolling from her path and stacking neatly between the walls and the columns.

  The rocks shifted and moved with the soft clack of hi
tting the floor. It grew into a rumble that shook the walls. Lorelei spread her hands out to her sides with her fingers wide. She could feel the rocks grumbling under her control. Just a little longer.

  “Lorelei!” Arryn’s voice echoed down the hall.

  She didn’t turn. She couldn’t stop now. Any distraction and she would lose her grasp. Her voice raised in pitch and slammed into the stalwart will of the earth. It cracked and shattered. She let out a long breath and opened her eyes, watching the stones roll and stack atop one another along the walls.

  “Very good,” Elys said with a smile.

  Lorelei beamed at him as a pleasant warmth filled her. She’d never been complimented for using her magic before. Even the simple spells had just been satisfactory for her professors.

  Arryn, Ilia, and Dae rushed down the hall toward her with wide eyes. They stopped a few feet away. Arryn’s gaze fell on Elys and his eyes narrowed. Ilia stared up at the stone piles with a look of awe. Dae moved up towards them for a closer inspection.

  “You did this?” Ilia asked.

  Lorelei nodded. “Elys helped.”

  Ilia slowly turned in the direction of the ghost. “This is Elys?”

  He gave a quick bow to them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Ilia ap Lugus.” Ilia said with a lilt in her voice. “It is an honor to meet you. My House has the story of you and your sacrifice passed down through generations.”

  “I told you, you are remembered.” Lorelei grinned at him.

  “It appears so,” Elys said.

  Dae lowered herself to hover next to Ilia and waved. “Hi. I’m Dae of House Lugus. Adopted, of course.”

  Elys nodded. “Miss Dae.”

  “Arryn ap Nemain.” Arryn’s gaze flicked at Lorelei. “So, this ghost helped you gain control somehow.”

  Lorelei raised her chin and met Arryn’s eyes. “Yes. And I am staying to help him stop the necromancer from awakening General Itham.”

  “What? You can’t be serious,” Arryn said with a nervous laugh. “This is for the Empire to deal with, not us.”