Elorie
Sweat dripsdown the back of my neck. My head is swimming. The Fae wine has long left my system, but my fingers tremble as sickness sweeps through me again. Leaning over, I vomit on the ground.
“She’s done.” A guard steps forward.
I recognize him from the few times he’s come to retrieve me from my room, usually when Callum is busy elsewhere. His red hair is tied in a knot at the back of his head, and his purple eyes shimmer.
Even among the Fae, I’ve never seen eyes quite that color.
Alasdair glances to where I’m kneeling on the floor. “We’ll try again another time. Burn these ones.”
He turns and walks away, unfazed and unimpressed, while I try to collect myself. Greer’s training is brutal physically, but this is something else. For the past three nights, I’ve held my hands over these bodies, trying to summon something—anything. All that creeps through are cold, whispered warnings. Snakes of shadows and nightmares that sting my heart every time I getclose. All around are whispers of death and unburied secrets. But there is no life here.
Nothing to resurrect.
Still, Alasdair insists that I try. At least now it sounds like he’s finally letting go of any hope I can raise these corpses. While I’m thankful to see them gone, I’m more grateful to send their souls home.
“Can you walk?” The guard stands a few paces away, and when I look up at him, I almost think it’s sympathy in his gaze.
“Yes.” I push myself to standing, refusing to take his hand for help.
I’m swaying with every step as I follow the guard up the stairs. Goose bumps prickle my skin even as the air around us warms the higher we climb. There’s no more heat in my bones after hours of trying to summon a flicker of magic. The dark void within these bodies is too cold. Utterly endless.
“I think—” I catch myself on the wall, pulling away when the guard tries to help me. “I think I need some air.”
His mouth tightens, and he nods once, turning to lead me to the courtyard. The training ring is still the only outside space I’ve been allowed since coming to the palace. And while it’s beautiful, it makes me curious what’s beyond it.
The guard guides me to the courtyard, pausing at the door when he swings it open. I’m usually only allowed out here during the day, but since there’s no way past the barrier of branches and vines, he must trust me. He waits by the door while I step outside.
The breeze is slight, smelling of honeysuckle. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, letting the magic in the wind surround me.
The courtyard is dark at this time of night, and the stars are endless. Constellations upon constellations. Specks of distant realms. Alyssium was always too gloomy to see the depth of thenight. But here in the Ley Court, with no clouds dotting the sky, the edges of the night have no end.
I rub my palms over my bare arms, shivering when the breeze gusts. Stepping deeper into the courtyard, my pale-blue dress rustles around my legs. It sparkled when Isolde first helped me slip into it tonight. Now, it’s dulled from dirt and blood.
My eyes close again, and I dip my chin, centering myself. But the ground beneath my feet has never been so unsteady. The breeze, which was warm and welcoming, turns to a chilling whisper. When I lift my face to the sky, it’s darker now.
“Shouldn’t you be in your gilded cage?” A voice comes from behind me.
I spin, finding Wilder’s golden eyes glowing through the darkness. Whatever magic stirs inside Wilder Riven is infinite. Ancient.
“Shouldn’t you be finding your way home instead of bothering the rest of us with your presence?”
He smirks, but there’s no light in his eyes as his stare moves down to my bloodstained dress. “Where were you?”
I glance away. “Helping the king with something.”
“You smell like death.”
My forced smile tightens. “Are you always so charming with your compliments?”
“Where were you, Elorie?”
“None of your business,Wilder.”
I try to turn away from him entirely, but in a blink, he moves, blocking my path.
When he’s this close, I can’t breathe. His aura floods my lungs. His magic hums all around him, and he smells like the world waking up.
