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“Apparently Cirian asked the lieutenant to keep tabs not only on her, but on you as well. You need to stay focused, or it’ll be your head that decorates the gate next.”
“Shit.” I ran a hand through my hair. I thought Harlow was a bastard, but the good kind. Had I been wrong? My instincts were typically correct, a trait that had benefited me many times in the past.
“Shit, indeed,” Isiah agreed. “I know you hate emotional crap, but I care about you.”
I gritted my teeth, unable to look him in the eyes.
“I just don’t want to see you hurt. Or worse. You still have time to be your own man, a good one too. But you’ve got to figure out what’s truly important, and Cirian…he’s not going to let you go until you complete this mission.” Isiah pushed off from the tree and sauntered to the camp, leaving me to ruminate over his words. Hiswarning.
Until the world was rid of Cirian, I couldn’t become who Isiah thought I could be.
Even though he knew full well what I did for the king, he believed I was meant for more. He didn’t know that while I typically waved off his words in the past, I’d secretly collected them like seeds, hoping one day his hopes would take root.
“Gather around!” Isiah bellowed at the recruits from beside the fire.
I groaned as I followed him, taking a seat on a gnarled stump. The others fell into place around the flames, Isiah dropping to the ground at my side.
Since sunfires died out once we hit the cursed lands, we didn’t bring any. Whatever magic powered the yellow gems was no match against the Mist.
I shoved another log into the fire, watching as it caught and sputtered.
Kiara took a seat between Patrick and Jake, Nic and Alec beside them. I noted how her dainty face contorted into a scowl when her eyes landed on the cup in my hands.
“Morning, recruits,” I said, pausing only to stare each and every one of them down. I eyed Kiara last, lifting the mug to my lips with a shrewd smirk.
She huffed in envy. She had a weakness after all—coffee.
“You know little about the Mist, don’t you?” I rested my arms on my knees. “Most know nothing about it other than to stay away. That there are beasts and creatures in the cursed lands who crave human blood.”
I took another sip, a rogue breeze wafting the delectable aroma across the fire. Again, I tipped my head in Kiara’s direction before I hardened my features and got down to business.
“But what you don’t know is that beasts are not the only things you will face out there. There are things much, much worse than claws and teeth.”
A few murmurs were silenced by my raised hand. “Yes, there are bears the size of five men, and snakes that can swallow you whole. But the Mistitselfis just as deadly a foe. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. At first, you might see a former friend or neighbor, someone who isn’t there. It begins as flickers and images that last but a second, gone so fast, you fear you’re losing your mind.” I snapped my fingers for emphasis.
“But eventually, these visions become more intense.” I squeezed my hands into fists to stop their shaking. Even talking about it brought back those horrific final moments when I’d slaughtered my brothers. Bile burned my throat.
“You relive your worst memories. See the ghosts that haunt your dreams. Act out your deepest desires and most depraved wishes. And then, you lose control. There is only the hallucination that becomes your reality. And after a while, you can no longer tell what is true and what is the nightmare.”
No one had words. The crackling of the fire was the only sound besides the roar of blood in my ears.
Broken limbs.
Unseeing eyes.
Bloodied hands.
Grisly images of my former Knights flashed through my head—Ashton’s severed and flayed legs, Jeremiah’s gutted torso, Will’s dripping eye sockets. Obscene amounts of blood decorating torn and shredded skin…
I cleared my throat, digging my nails into my palms until the stinging brought me back to the present. “This is why many of our brothers succumbed to the Mist. Why so many never returned. And because our food reserves are all but gone, and the Dark Winter approaches, time is running out to bring back the sun. Meaning we have no choice but to send out you recruits. You’re being tested by the king. An experiment.”
“How so?” Kiara blurted out, and I was shocked by the gravity of her voice.
I met her gaze, holding it. “Because never before have we entered from this side of the kingdom. We’ve made a point to avoid the labyrinth of caves we are headed for now. No one has been foolish enough to explore them.”
“Then what changed?” This time I was stunned as Patrick raised his voice. It wavered, but he held firm. “Did he come across new information?”
“Cirian never shares his secrets, claiming he is in tune with the gods themselves.” I gritted my teeth, sucking in a forceful inhale. The more likely explanation was that he’d run out of options, and the rebel uprising in the south and north was growing. “Cirian is under the impression there is something divine to be found out there, specifically in the northwest lands. Something sacred that could be used to restore the sun to the skies.”
