Bright Wicked 3: Infernal Dark (A Fantasy Romance)

by Everly Frost

  Finally, I turn to Evander, not certain what he might have done to anger Imatra. The last time I saw them together, Imatra had declared her intention to marry him.

  “Brother?”

  A small smile softens Evander’s expression. “I helped heal your thunderbird. A decision I haven’t regretted for a second.” He shrugs. “I may also have declined Imatra’s offer of marriage.”

  “Forcefully.” Talsa gives Evander a smile that shines in her eyes, chasing away her appearance of fatigue. She and Evander are very reserved in their outward affection for each other, having concealed it for a long time, but I see their love shining in both of their smiles. “With a strong slap of ice.”

  Evander grins. “Imatra’s Frost power is not as strong as mine.”

  “Because she never had it,” I say, making them both startle. “She uses dark magic to make it look like she controls the other elements.”

  “How?” Evander asks.

  “She learned dark magic when she was a girl. The boys who died—she drained them. And probably many more before them. They would have been strategically chosen from families who didn’t have the power or status to speak up.”

  Talsa stares at me. “But how could she possibly get away with it?”

  “I’m guessing a few very public demonstrations of her power when she was younger,” I say. “Once she gained a reputation for controlling all of the elements, it would only take carefully staged uses of magic after that to maintain her status. I don’t know which power she was really born with.”

  “It has to be Solstice power,” Serena says, her thunderbird drawing closer. “Firelight is her strongest power, the one she calls most quickly, and I can absorb it into my body like normal.”

  Fae of the same class can’t hurt each other. Solstice fae simply absorb the heat of their brethren’s power. Firelight was the power Imatra instinctively used against Tobias in her moment of panic at the burn site when she missed cutting out my heart the first time.

  Nearby, Calida nods, confirming her agreement. She has dark rings under her marigold-colored eyes, as if she hasn’t slept since the fight with me. Her mane of dark blonde hair is tied back into lank braids and her shoulders sag. She would normally be preparing for sleep at this time of the evening.

  Serena clears her throat, suddenly stiff. She bites her lip, the only betrayal of her true regret as she inclines her head to both me and Nathaniel. “I apologize, Commander Lucidia, to you and the Fell for my actions the other day.”

  It’s impossible to say ‘that’s okay’ to someone who tried to kill the man I love, but I give her a firm nod and respond with the same formality. “Your apology is accepted, Serena of the Solstice.”

  Her thunderbird coasts away from us after she gives me a grateful nod.

  Nathaniel has remained silent during the interaction, but now he speaks up. “We need to free your father.”

  And get Nathaniel’s weapon at the same time.

  I nod before I turn back to Evander. “The next time I see you, our father will be free.”

  On impulse, I hug Evander again, but this time, he doesn’t let me go so easily.

  “We’re coming with you, Aura,” he says. “We saw Nadina and the Queen flying back to Bright before you arrived. You’ll need us to run interference. Otherwise, you’ll have to fight your way through Imatra’s entire Night Guard to get to her Inner Sanctuary.”

  I glance at Nathaniel. Each time we cross the border, the tables are turned on us. Now that we’re heading toward Bright, Nathaniel’s bound by the rule that he can’t hurt a fae. He won’t be able to help me fight Imatra’s guards if it comes to a battle between us.

  Tugging out of Evander’s hug, I leap back to Treble, sensing Evander assist my movement by manipulating the air around me. I arch my eyebrow at him when my landing is far more graceful than it would have been otherwise.

  Giving him a smile, I say, “Okay, then. But you’ll need to keep up.”

  Evander grins, and I sense a layer of tension break around us, as if he and the others just shrugged off a set of shackles.

  “Happily,” he says, his voice drowned in the sharp crackle of lightning as the six thunderbirds span out, and we soar toward Bright.

  Chapter 18

  Our thunderbirds fly across the snow-covered fields at the edge of Eteri City and over the tops of glistening orchards. The humid air of Fell country is far behind us now, and I shiver in the crisp cold.

  We fly in silence but without deviating from our target: the center of Eteri City, where the palace rests on the crest of mountains that cut across Bright. As we pass across the orchards, Evander half-turns in his seat and curls his fingers in the air, a brief look of concentration passing across his face.

  I’m not sure what he’s doing until two cerulean-blue apples fly up out of the trees below us and land gently in my lap, carried by the wind. Two periwinkle-colored citrus fruits follow them, along with Evander’s water flask. Now that night has fallen, his power will become weaker with every use. It worries me, but I’m grateful for the food and hydration.

  I hand two pieces of fruit back to Nathaniel and we devour the food quickly before drinking as much sugar water as we need.

  Soon after, the thunderbirds arc toward the platform that is supported by the palace’s highest two towers.

  Evander’s voice whips back to me as we spear toward the landing, his magic carrying his speech directly to me. “Mia will keep the Night Guards busy. Once we’re inside, we’ll have to move quickly.”

  I’m not sure if Mia has retained her position as the Captain of the Queen’s Night Guard and whether or not the guards will take orders from her. Mia’s thunderbird soars ahead of us, the thunderbird’s white feathers bright in the dark, her orange tips glowing like flames when she cracks her wings as she alights on the platform.

  Four Night Guards run toward her, their indigo dresses swishing around their legs. They appear to be the only guards on duty. For now.

  “Mia of the Dusk!” the first woman shouts, reaching for the concealed weapon across her left hip. “You’re supposed to be at the border.”

  The way she and the other three take offensive stances confirms that Mia is no longer their captain.

  That doesn’t stop Mia.

  “I bring news for the Queen,” she shouts, leaping confidently from her thunderbird’s back and striding toward the guards, as if her status has not changed.

  I can’t stop the smile spreading across my face as Treble soars onto the platform, landing with the other thunderbirds in the wide space.

  Mia was always an expert at faking confidence.

  The moment Treble lands, Nathaniel runs down his wing, but I somersault from Treble’s back, ready to take on the guards.

  Ahead of me, Mia’s thunderbird spreads her beautiful wings to create a visual shield between us. When she cracks her wings again, the bright auburn lightning makes it look like the entire platform is on fire, which masks the glow from my skin.

  Even so, the guards crane their necks, trying to see around the bird’s feathers.

  Their distracted movement is enough for Mia to leap forward, grip the first woman around the neck, and pull her to the ground while Mia sweeps the legs out from under the next woman. The other two guards step into the fight, swords drawn, but Evander leaps from Cadence’s back, his outstretched hands pouring slippery ice beneath their feet. It’s not a snow storm like he could produce during the day, but they lose their footing and Mia’s quick punches knock them both out instantly.

  She stands over all four unconscious women with a cocky smile as I approach with Nathaniel and the others behind me.

  “We should kill them,” Serena says, pressing her boot to the chest of the nearest one. The gold highlights in her amber hair take on the fiery light that Mia’s thunderbird has created.

  I shake my head at her, but it’s a gentle movement. Serena was always straightforward, direct about her intentions and her feelings. She trained me
for five years while she was still the Queen’s champion, and I never once discovered her weakness. Beating her in the coliseum required nearly killing her.

  I lean down to the fallen women, focusing on the one who is already stirring.

  My power feels very different now. Before Nathaniel gave me back part of my heart, I would call my power from the deepest part of my chest, sometimes the depth of my mind. Now it fills my hands instantly, a well that threatens to overflow if I don’t control it.

  I force my power to calm, to glow softly in my hands as I press my palm to the woman’s forehead. Her eyes flicker open, wide and startled before they slowly close again.

  She sighs and the tension leaves her body.

  I do the same for the others, moving quickly between them.

  “They shouldn’t wake up for hours,” I say, rising to my feet.

  When I turn to my friends, I find Evander staring at me with a slightly vacant expression. Serena, Calida, Talsa, and Mia also blink slowly at me, each of them seeming overly subdued.

  Nathaniel is the only one who appears normal and alert. His gaze meets mine for a moment before he inclines his head toward the doorway into the third tower that leads down into the palace. He’s right: We need to keep moving.

  “Brother?” I ask, reaching for Evander, not sure why he’s so quiet.

  As soon as my hand closes around his arm, he shakes himself as if he’s waking up, triggering the same movement among the others.

  He draws himself upright, taking deep, waking breaths. “Let’s keep moving.”

  Mia clears her throat, remaining where she is. “I’ll stay and stand guard over these women. Talsa, will you join me? We can keep watch while we use our power to keep the thunderbirds calm. They need to be ready to fly when Aura returns.”

  Talsa quickly agrees. I admire the way she gives Evander a firm nod even when he casts her a questioning glance. She doesn’t need him to protect her.

  We exit the platform through the stone door and proceed down the stairs. At a steady walk, it normally takes ten minutes, but we make it in five before we prowl through the quiet hallways toward the Inner Sanctuary. The halls are a little too quiet, which sets my nerves on edge.

  Nathaniel draws close to me along the way. “Your power is much stronger now. You need to be careful when you use it.”

  I nod. He’s right. I sent my friends into a stupor when I used my power to calm the guards. If I did that at a moment when they were vulnerable, my friends might not be able to defend themselves.

  We slow down before we reach the large entrance room outside the Inner Sanctuary. The corridor ahead is well lit, but there is a shadowy alcove before the final corner that we can huddle inside.

  I remain behind Evander, staying well away from the corner so my glow doesn’t give us away. I reach for Nathaniel, my hand resting on his shoulder so that I can maintain contact with his body and know where he is at all times.

  “Damn,” Evander whispers, drawing back into the shadows of the alcove. “The entrance is full of Night Guards. The Queen must be inside the Inner Sanctuary. We’ll have to get past her, as well as all of her guards, to get to my father.”

  The Night Guard is made up of Dusk and Dawn fae. They are all trained in combat—even more skilled in battle than the Queen’s Day Guard because the Night Guard can’t use the elements as weapons.

  Evander sinks to a crouch, rubbing his forehead in thought before Calida creeps up to him and taps him on the shoulder.

  “Serena and I can take care of this,” she says. “We each have a small reservoir of firelight left. If we create a fire as a diversion, the guards will evacuate the Queen from the Inner Sanctuary.”

  “By setting the room on fire?” Evander shakes his head. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t have enough power to extinguish the flames if it gets out of control.”

  “It’s a real risk,” Serena says, her forehead creased with worry as she joins the discussion. “But so is fighting our way through the guards. Believe me, I’d love nothing more than to kill most of them. But with a fire, they will evacuate Imatra and make sure she’s safe first before they return to apprehend us.”

  Evander’s forbidding frown deepens. “How do I know you won’t seek to burn the very cage where my father is being held?”

  Serena jolts as if he slapped her.

  “Evander of the Frost,” she says sternly. “You and I have never trusted or even liked each other, but you saved my life countless times above the crystal peaks today. My queen betrayed me. She asked me to kill for her in the name of loyalty. I will never do what she wants again. Now I ask you to trust me. My allegiance lies with you. So does Calida’s. We won’t betray you.”

  Evander casts a quick glance back to me, seeking my permission. I have greater reason to distrust both Serena and Calida than he does. This could all be a ploy to betray us. But I also hear pain and truth in Serena’s voice. Imatra asked Serena to kill Nathaniel—even though Serena would die because of the Law of Champions. When Serena failed, Imatra sent her to the border to fight off glitter bulbs and die on the crystal peaks instead.

  I give Evander a nod. At the back of my mind, I consider whether I could try to use my power to get us past the guards, but it would run the risk of affecting Evander, Calida, and Serena too. It would also require Nathaniel to reveal himself with me because I can’t leave his sight—he couldn’t stay hiding in the alcove where it’s safe. I won’t take that risk.

  “Okay then,” Evander whispers to Serena and Calida.

  As soon as they have his permission, both women draw to their feet, preparing to step out of the shadows, but a commotion beyond us makes them pause.

  I reach for Serena’s hand, grabbing hold tightly before she can move. “Wait. Don’t go out there…”

  Beyond us, I sense a rapidly approaching squadron of thunderbirds swooping directly toward the side of the palace.

  A gust of wind suddenly billows through the corridor between us and the entrance room. At the same time, the echoes of cracking wings shrieks through the hall.

  Evander leans around the corner before he darts back into the shadows.

  “Imatra just opened up the south wall,” he says. “I can’t see much through the entrance room, but there’s thunderbird lightning beyond it.”

  The wall on the south side of the Inner Sanctuary can be opened like it was on the night of the Ball. That side of the Sanctuary leads down to the Spinning Lake and then to the city that rests beyond the palace.

  “A squadron just landed,” I whisper. “Imatra must have opened the room to let them in.”

  It’s very unusual for her to do that. Normally, all thunderbirds land on the platform where we first arrived. That they’ve flown directly to her indicates that she was expecting them.

  A shout rises up from within the entrance room and one of the guards cries, “All Night Guards to your thunderbirds! Wake the Day Guards. The Fell King approaches the border! We must defend Bright!”

  My eyes widen with surprise. Beside me, the stern line of Nathaniel’s lips tells me he’s unsettled by this news. We left Cyrian and his hunters at the Ditch this morning. It shouldn’t surprise me that Cyrian hasn’t spent the day idly waiting for the final fight, but it seems reckless for him to approach the border so soon.

  Despite that, my first fears are for Talsa and Mia. The Night Guards will head directly up to the platform to summon their thunderbirds.

  I grab Evander’s arm. “Talsa and Mia are up on the platform. We need to warn them—”

  “I’ll go,” Calida says, her face filling with determination. “I’m a fast runner. We can fly our thunderbirds off the platform and stay out of sight until the guards are gone.”

  Evander doesn’t hesitate. “Go! Run as fast as you can!”

  Calida disappears, a lithe form moving as quietly as a ghost as she vanishes back the way we came.

  Moments later, the corridors flood with guards. They’re running quickly, but even so, the
glow around my body will be a problem. I’m going to give us away. Nathaniel seems to sense my fear as I sink into the back corner of the alcove, his gaze flicking instantly to mine.

  “Cover Aura!” he whispers as he closes the small gap between us, bundles me into his arms, drops to a kneeling position, and covers my body with his. I end up in a ball, my knees to my chest, and my head pressed beneath his chin.

  A second later, the pressure around me increases as Evander and Serena pile onto me, wrapping their arms around Nathaniel and me, covering the gaps around us.

  Suddenly, we are all hugging each other, a situation I never thought would be possible. Fae hugging Fell, protecting each other.

  Everyone holds their breath.

  Running feet race along the corridor beyond us as I think dark thoughts, wishing for my light to extinguish and not betray us.

  The sound of running feet finally disappears into the distance and then there’s silence.

  Some of the weight lifts off me as Evander peels himself away from our hug first. Through a gap between his body and Serena’s, I can just see Evander tilt his head to check the corridor. “They’re gone.”

  Evander tugs on his arm, which is caught between Nathaniel’s back and Serena’s chest as he awkwardly attempts to extricate himself from our hug.

  Serena blinks her eyes rapidly, slowly slipping away from Nathaniel and releasing Evander’s arm.

  Her gaze runs intently across Nathaniel’s face and shoulders. “Dear stars, you smell good.”

  Nathaniel gives her a blank stare as he straightens, pulling me with him while he rises to his full height. He towers over Serena with a coldly disinterested glare.

  She shakes herself, a fierce blush filling her cheeks before she clears her throat and backs away. She may have changed her allegiance, but I guess she can’t fight her inner nature so easily. Fae are open about their appreciation of beautiful things and Nathaniel is more than beautiful, he is fiercely powerful.