AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pieces of a dry brown leaf flaked from Shelby’s cheeks as he sat himself up on his knees. Ace counted his breaths as he sat there. One, two, three, four…
A sweeping of angry eyes washed over the group as the king took his time letting his gaze pass over each and every one of them. Ace held that stare as she lowered to Margo’s side and pulled her close to her body. Every tremble that passed through the young witch made Ace’s blood burn a little hotter.
Shelby rose from the ground. He looked down at the king with the subtle tilt of his head. Fae were still smirking when Shelby trudged the few feet back to his sister. While he looked Margo over, Ace held her tight and memorized each face before her. All these faces, all the men who found humor in the dark thing that lived within their king, she would not forget.
The king straightened the jacket buttoned all the way up to his throat and looked at Rehan. “We move tomorrow. None of them can live.”
Idalia
The grin that graced Idalia’s lips was one that felt oddly genuine. She walked quickly, her movements small as she led Ambrose. Idalia could feel Ambrose’s suspicion even though she managed to look a little bored. Or maybe she was busy in her head again? No, there were too many questions behind that gaze.
Without talking they made their way through the familiar corridors until they were back at the queen’s sitting room. Idalia spun, her fingers itching to reach for the knob. The crystal globe of her staff nearly collided with Ambrose who stepped out of the way at the very last second.
“We are…back at your sitting room? Are we expecting more guests?” Her vines had settled into the moss at the bottom of the glass, resting like snakes taking a slumber.
Queen Idalia noted how odd it was seeing the small bit of nature unmoving when they normally twitched, slithered, and spread themselves to take up every single inch of space they could. Her own fire was light, but it flickered with growing excitement.
She had done it. Well, nearly done it. However, her parents were bound to wake up soon, and what an even better reunion that would be! The mental image of her parents taking in everything she’d built and exclaiming how proud they were of her was part of her long awaited reward.
“Yes, and I think you’ll beverypleased.” The look Ambrose gave her though suggested that perhaps she was not convinced. She continued, “I want you to go in first.”
Ambrose held her staff a little tighter. Idalia beamed as she stepped aside to let her sister go before her. Anticipation was eating away at her stomach. There was something else there too. Something that felt a little bitter and scary but she tried her best to ignore it.
She was bouncing on her toes. Her eyes were pinned on the doorknob and everything began to move in slow motion. Ambrose’s warm hands reached, fingers touching the shiny gold knob. Queen Idalia sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to hold back her squeal of delight.
Keep your composure, Idalia, she told herself. But the promise of being reunited and the joy her sisters would soon feel did something else to her too. Idalia was proud. Proud of her hard work, proud of her ability to come up with this entire plan—with the help of the book of Invictus—she was proud of herself, truly and deeply, for the first time in perhaps her entire life.
As a family, they would be stronger. Not just in physical strength but in status. Her parents would have the chance to get to know them now as adults rather than the young women they had left years and years ago.
Ambrose turned the knob. Placing both hands on her staff, Idalia used it to keep her standing. Slowly she forced herself to release her lip that surely had marks in it from how deeply she dug her teeth into it. Her cheeks were warm and her heart threatened to burst from its cage.
Stay calm, she reminded herself.
The voice at the back of her head, that voice made of shadow, that felt like spiders crawling over her skin, spoke.They will need death to sustain them soon. More lives.
Blood, they will need blood.
His voice reminded her of the responsibilities that still lingered. Idalia was made to carry these burdens for her family. She would take it all on for them, shehadtaken it all on for them, and she would continue to do so. Even if they weren’t fully aware of how hard she worked for them.
The sound of the lock sliding out of place sent goosebumps over Idalia’s arms. Ambrose pushed the door open gently taking the slightest step inside the room before coming to a sudden stop. Idalia touched her heart, her chest was about to burst with love, however, that nagging feeling was already beginning to weigh her down. The excitement inside of her was slowly draining away as the terribly dark voice continued to speak.
You’ve done so much, but there’s so much left to be done.
The breath that was caught within her chest seemed to be shared with Ambrose as she froze in place. Sitting delicately on the edge of her couch, Farah and Sienna looked up. Sienna’s skin still looked like broken glass, slender dashes of marbling ran through her entire body. Her long hair was carefully brushed, her loose curls put back in place the way she always liked them. Her crown rested on top of her head but she had no staff to hold onto and her hands fidgeted in her lap.
Both her sisters were still in the dresses they had woken up in. Though they’d apparently cleaned themselves up the rest of the way.
Farrah had swept her hair up into a tight ponytail that was full of volume behind her head. She had painted red over her lips and Idalia had almost forgotten to roll her eyes. Ambrose very carefully set her staff in the corner of the room. Farah put her famous, wide, dazzling smile on display as she stood. Sienna was not far behind. Then they were rushing toward each other. Ambrose shook, her arms wrapping tightly around Farah. Even from where Idalia stood in the doorway she could still tell they were breathing each other in. This is the reunion she’d always pictured in her head.
Sienna let out a little cry as she joined the other two in the group hug that only broke apart when they began examining each other and the differences in how they looked since they returned from their deaths.
Mocking her, that deadly voice came.They were not so excited to see you. Where is your hug? Where is your recognition? You saved them, you saved them all, and yet they have not even hardly looked your way.
Closing the door behind her, Idalia clasped her hands in front of her. Shouldn’t this be enough? But it wasn’t. The god she followed knew it just as well as she did. Idalia craved the affection that her sisters showed one another, the affection they gave each other but never gave to her. Just as her mother taught her though, she trained her spine and reminded herself not to show that weakness.
She could afford to look weak in front of men, just weak enough for them to think that they might be able to ‘save her,’ but that weakness could nevereverbe shown in front of other women. The very first ball, if you could even call it that, that Idalia’s mother had brought her to, had taught her that lesson rather quickly.
Memories came rushing back to her of the old barn, the one that Old Man Ravis owned down the street from her childhood home. Once it had been painted a lovely color of red, but when she’d entered to attend their ball, the walls were shedding their paint. Idalia had tried her best to look impressed by the size of the space and the simple decorations that had been hung—mostly sunlight lanterns so that no corner was left dark. A single chandelier had been tied up in the center of the pitched ceiling casting light on what was supposed to be the dance floor. Most of the hay had been swept to the sides but a few pieces still hid amongst the dirt.
