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“Are we playing hide-and-seek? You’ve always been so good at that game. Remember when I would teach you to hide in small crevices so nobody would find you? I can’t find you now. Come to me, Araki. I want to see how you’ve grown.”
The magic of the Specter’s voice reverberated against my skin. I could feel it drumming against me and then bouncing off. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to indulge in the fantasy that my mother was calling me, that I was a child again playing a game like we used to. I was glad Reilyn was asleep. I did not want to explain that I was immune to the Specter’s call and illusions. They had magic in their appearance and voice, calling to a person much like their sea-bound cousins, the Siren. Any human or fae caught in their spell was doomed unless someone else broke them out. The spells of Spectres didn’t work on me. But I wasn’t wholly human or fae.
“Araki, sweet boy, where are you?”
Getting to my feet, I considered the situation. There were other creatures in the forest than the Specter. If I ran into them, I might not be so lucky. I wasn’t immune to all magical attacks, after all. On the other hand, the spectre had to be close. And I hated the thought of it using a person’s fondest hopes against them. Unlike the Cupiditas, there was no reason for its cruelty. Spectres didn’t have to kill to survive. They got nothing but sadistic joy from tormenting their victims. With one last glance at Reilyn, I stepped from the protective circle. It had stopped raining, and in its aftermath, it left a damp coldness. Silence filled the forest. I waited, keeping a keen eye out there. It didn’t take long for the Specter to find me. I could see its true form shimmering under the illusion it presented and my mother’s smiling face as she reached for me. Her violet eyes gleamed withfondness. Her white hair hung to her waist, and her body was clothed in a flowy red gown.
“Come with me,” she called.
“Mother,” I said, holding out my arms, playing the part it wanted me to. “Mother, it’s been so long.”
The Specter slithered closer. “Oh, my sweet boy. How you’ve grown. Have you done your father and I proud?”
“Yes, Mother. I avenged your deaths. I took his crown. I’m the King, now.”
“Sweet boy.” It stopped just in front of me, looking me up and down. Was it deciding how to kill me? It opened its arms, the rows of sharp teeth glinting behind my mother’s smile. “Come, give me a hug.”
I stepped forward and drew my sword before the Specter knew what was happening. Its enchantment flashed, the night flaring with purple light. The Specter’s eyes widened—and then my blade cut through it. Its body hit the forest floor, and all was still once more. I cleaned my sword and grimly picked up the body. I took it to the pit, still only a few meters away, and tossed it in with its victims. I returned to the camp, inhaled deeply to calm my emotions, and stepped through the barrier again.
Reilyn was curled into a tighter ball, her breathing unsteady. I sat across from the fire and stared into the flames, concentrating on my breathing. The emotions from seeing my mother’s face again, combined with the anger at the Specter for daring to take her face, created a storm inside me. My chest tightened, and my brows pulled into a frown. I needed to think of something else, to distract myself, or my agitation would wake Reilyn. A growl suddenly caught in my throat as somethingburned under my skin. Something angry, full of dark hatred. It had tasted blood with the Specter’s death and wanted to come out and play. It was as though a shadow had slipped into my skin when I wasn’t looking. It lurked just beneath the surface with sharp teeth and bloodied claws. Something restless, something animalistic. A beast that belonged here, in this forest of magic among the spirits and monsters. I’d had this feeling since we teleported into the forest until now. I’d been able to shove it aside, to pretend it wasn’t there. Now, that darkness slithered faster, a writhing mass of snakes that threatened to split my body open and transform into something else, something more terrifying than anything else the forest had to offer.
Reilyn whimpered, clutching at her stomach.
I ground my teeth, fighting for control. They felt too big. I tasted my blood as fangs cut into my gums. My hands tightened, and the fury only grew stronger. It wanted out. Wanted to attack. I turned my gaze to Reilyn's sleeping form. I studied the curve of her lips and traced the bridge of her nose and each curl in her hair. As I gazed at her, the emotions faded into the background. The crease between her brows smoothed out, and her breathing became even once more.
The tension inside my stomach eased, and my heartbeat slowed. Reilyn wasn’t going to kill me in my sleep. If she’d been willing to die to kill me, she would have leapt from the trees and killed herself. Perhaps she hadn’t been utterly corrupted by the Nightshade. Perhaps Reilyn had something besides their orders that she cared about. I thought again of the girl that the Specter had impersonated. The girl was too old to be a daughter. A younger sister, perhaps? The girl didn’t look anything like Reilyn, but that meant little. She could have a different mother or father. Perhaps she was adopted.
Not that it mattered much. Reilyn wasn’t going to tell me about her, and I wasn’t going to ask. Not yet at least. Not until I had gained some of the assassin’s trust. Tired from the long day, I laid down. At least the rain had stopped, so only the occasional extra drip leaked through our lean-to. The fire was getting low, so I added a little more wood from where I lay, then turned onto my stomach. I rested my cheek against my arms, wondering what my general, Klaus, was doing. No doubt I would get an earful when I returned to the palace. I couldn’t help but smile at that. Even though I was King, my oldest friend still found it appropriate to tell me, ‘I told you so.’ And in this case, I would tolerate it. If our positions were reversed, I would be ill with worry. It earned him some grace, I thought.
As my eyes drifted shut, I once more thought about the Union spell. And, at this moment hovering between wakefulness and sleep, I could admit that there were other, entirely selfish reasons I didn’t want to remove the spell between us. It had been utterly intoxicating when we cast the protection spell together. I had never felt that powerful before, had never seen the world so clearly, nor felt so alive. My hands still tingled from where her skin had pressed into mine. I wanted to experience that again. And maybe, just maybe…
The Creatures of the Forest
Reilyn
I woke suddenly, my senses on high alert. I shot to my feet, and my dagger clutched in hand before I was aware of my movements. My heart slammed into my ribs, my throat feeling dry. Fear slithered in my veins. My eyes swept around the camp. Nothing looked out of place. The fire had burned low, not quite out, casting a dim, warm glow. My clothing had almost dried, and the protective spell kept me in the heat; thus, the cold didn’t wake me. Araki lay on the other side of the fire. His expression was harsh and cold, even in sleep. The chiselled lines of his cheekbones and jaw seemed harder in the shadow. His eyes moved rapidly behind his lids. Whatever he was dreaming about, it wasn’t good. Outside of our barrier was silent and still. Not even a breath of wind stirred the leaves. I rocked back on my heels, breathing deeply to steady my heart. As I did, I became aware that my bladder was full of bursting. I shimmied out of the lean-to completely. Araki’s presence must have triggered my danger response while my bladder woke me. With a quiet sigh, I marked a bush outside the circle for my bathroom. I didn’t want to contaminate our sleeping area and certainly didn’t want to risk Araki waking.
The light blinded me as soon as I turned around. It stabbed through my eyes, and I threw my hands up to shield my face. In horror, I stepped back from the barrier. From the outside, it was lit up like a beacon fire. It cast such a bright light I couldn’t look at it directly. A chittering sort of noise followed by a grunt had me tensing in fear. The light spots burned into my eyes and still blinded me. I strained my other senses. The smell of vinegar, wet dog, and a rotting stench. The sound ofgiant creatures moving through the brush. A wisp of air, like a bird, overhead. I yanked my dagger and stabbed upward as the sound dropped toward me. An inhuman screech filled the forest as my hand sunk into something sticky and warm. The blind spots faded, and I stared at the creature I’d just skewered. Viscera trailed after a woman's decapitated head, her long red hair wafting behind her. My dagger had pierced through her lungs. A penanggal.
I yanked the dagger out and sliced across her intestines. The creature fell to the earth, howling. Damn it! I thought angrily as I whirled on the spot, avoiding looking directly at the barrier. I should have known it was too easy to cast that spell together. Nothing happened in the Forest of Shadows without consequences! Another penanggal flew at my face. I ducked under it to avoid the guts hanging from it. A pale, wispy shade appeared between two trees. A wight.
The penanggal swooped at me again, and I threw myself back into the barrier. It was silent and warm inside the dome. No sign of the blinding light or monsters on the other side.
“Wake up!” I yelled, backing away. “We’re under attack!”
Araki jerked upright. His sword in hand as he leapt to his feet and looked around. “What—?”
“The spell is useless,” I hissed. “There’s penanggals and wights out there.”
Araki opened his mouth, but a light shot through the camp before he could speak. Not as bright as it was on the outside, but enough to see by. A face pressed into the barrier, mouth stretched wide with a row of snake-like fangs lining its gums. The barrier sparked brighter, and the face disappeared.
“I also smelled wet dog,” I told Araki.
His jaw tightened as he held his sword with both hands. “Werewolf.”
“Maybe more than one,” I agreed grimly.
Then a howl broke the stillness. Sharp claws on an otherwise humanlike hand smashed into the barrier. It stretched like a soap bubble. Then it popped. Shards of light blasted in every way. I had no time to speak, no time to formulate a plan. I sliced it at a penanggal that screeched toward me. My blade severed its stomach, and the contents, smelling of vinegar, spilt out. A Werewolf went for Araki at once. Araki growled as he swung the heavy sword. I spared enough time to ensure he covered my back before I did the same, standing on his blind side as I fought off the penanggals that kept coming. There were dozens of the floating, disembodied heads. As their vile blood soaked me, I curled my lips back over my teeth. The wights flickered in and out in a circle around us, humming their strange songs. I tried to ignore them, focusing on the physical creatures I could fight. Araki needed to take them out with his sword. The Werewolf howled, and Araki stumbled into my back. I pressed my back to his, feeling his wings twitch against me for a second.
