Sapphira fucking Maris.
As soon as I got word of her idiocy, that cunt immediately became dead to me. And if Caspian hadn’t killed her yet, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut her in half.
Palming my stomach, I rounded another corner, and the palace immediately fell into view.
It peered over the cliffs it sat on like a watchful predator, a solidification of the dark entities that loomed. Slender spires, woven with veins of a light-wash silver, floated in the fading daylight, as if they didn’t bear the weight of structure.The walls of the crowns’ standing empire had faded with the influence of precipitation, wind, and the splash of the sea. It almost seemed like the Goddess of the Sea had been attempting to rid our lands of it for centuries, but the paper-thin arched bridges and each pathway that bridged the various areas of the palace sat sturdy, as if her influence no longer mattered.
Even amidst its corrupted beauty, my eyes settled on the massive black column that rose above all those that stood with it. The jagged dark stone seemed to carry with it an otherworldly aura, whether crafted from somewhere beyond our realm or responsible for siphoning the pollution the others wrought, I wasn’t sure.
The windows on the eastern wing seemed far too barren, as if the king and the malicious beings residing within his home had deemed the guards’ attention a necessity in another location. It certainly hadn’t been the streets of Serevalen, because the minimal men I’d encountered, as well as their lacking ability, hinted at a vigilance required elsewhere or just a lack of concern over our arrival.
Keeping my body low to the ground, I followed the trimmed hedges. The continued stillness that clung to the air as I traversed the palace's established border made the hair on my arms stand on end. There was no mumbled conversation, no complaints uttered between varying guards. No, it was just…silent.So quiet that I could make out the music filtering out from the ballroom.
What the fuck was going on?
A near-manic laugh came from behind me, carrying with it the humor of thousands. Slowly settling, a lengthened exhale followed, the expulsion of air sounding far more feminine than masculine.
“Aw, did you come to save the esteemed Captain Vayne?”
Quickly turning, I drew my sword with the motion, tip pointed in the direction the voice came from. Blinking once, my jaw feathered as an emptiness greeted me. There was no sign or suggestion that anyone oranythinghad been standing there. Hell, there was nothing to indicate that a single soul lingered on this side of the palace whatsoever.
Lips brushed the side of my neck, and with it, a viscous liquid joined. “If you’re wondering where a majority of the king’s men are, I’m here to enlighten?—”
Tearing my dagger free, I pivoted and swung. A few strands of blonde hair quickly flitted to the earth below, and the irises that greeted me illuminated with such a vibrant scarlet that I thought I was staring at the two Eyes of Ellira. Kohl trailed from them, darkening her sockets to the point of no return, which only made her glare that much more intimidating.
Carved into the center of her forehead with a steady hand sat the royal crest. Not a scale was out of place on the serpentine creature, and its glare seemed far darker, far more intentional, than the original design. Relics joined it, dancing across her brows and down the sides of her face before continuing over her cheekbones. But where I expected them to continue to her chin, the sight that greeted me instead caused my stomach to twist.
Jagged lines carved a path through her flesh from the inside of each corner of her mouth all the way up to each ear. The gruesome lacerations lengthened her smile and highlighted it with coagulated blood, as if the wounds weren’t necessarily fresh but were far from healed. The lineage continued down her neck, bathing her in a near-black crimson that undoubtedly solidifiedwhatshe was.
An Other.
Porcelain skin gleaming beneath the slipping sun, she craned her head to the side, long blonde locks following. “Oh, don’t look so horrified.”
Before I could offer a retort of my own, she vanished from below my extended arm only to reappear a few feet away. Plucking a rose from one of the bushes with her black taloned hand, she brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply. Lids fluttering, a grin started to bloom, and with it, the sound of healing skin splitting open and tearing apart joined in a grotesque symphony.
“The scents in this plane are fascinating,” she hummed, her eyes slowly opening once more as her stare found mine. “Though there is nothing more enchanting than the smell offear.Tell me, Syoran Kao, what frightens you the most? Not knowing if Caspian Vayne is alive, or my rather candid appearance?”
“I do not believe either of those things is any of your concern,” I snarled, spinning the blade between my fingers. “But your suddencandid appearanceis far more of a hindrance than anything else.”
Feigning a pout, she batted her lashes. “Aw. That’s too bad. I had so many fun things to share with you.”
“What the fuck are you on about?”
She giggled. “Oh, now the captain’s right-hand is interested?”
Sword still in hand, I sheathed my dagger. “Are you going to talk circles or get to the fucking point? I have somewhere far more important to be.”
“Caspian Vayne is beyond salvation.”
The coldness of her utterance struck my core, ripping the air from my lungs. Throat bobbing, I shook my head. There were no words I was capable of formulating, no retort that I could offer as my mind immediately slipped to contemplate the worst possible outcome.
The squelch of flesh and blood drew me from my impending spiral, and I lifted my chin to watch as she took the sharpened tip of her nail to the right side of her face. Pushing it into the gaping wound, she traced its length with an unusual sluggishness, her glowing eyes locked with mine.
Once she slipped from the corner of her mouth, she ran her tongue along the leaking cut before bringing her hand out in front of her. Admiring the polluted essence she summoned, she flattened her tongue and gathered it before closing her mouth. With a swallow, she offered an open-mouthed grin, her canines glinting with the inky scarlet hue.
“Sorva owns him, don’t you know?”
“He is bound to the crown,” I forcefully hissed, trying to keep each syllable unwavering.
