Court of Aether and Shadows (Crowned Monster Trilogy #1)

10. Bleeding Veils Of Shattered Realities

Bleeding Veils Of Shattered Realities

~SPARROW~

“ I n position. Standby.”

The cool night air whipped around me as I lay prone on the rooftop, my sniper rifle a comforting weight against my shoulder. The distant sounds of the city seemed muffled as if the world was holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come.

Despite the tension roaring through the atmosphere, I felt calm during this lull of tranquility. This was when action would be executed and another villain on this grand earth would be rid of.

Free the women captured due to imbalanced sanity.

What I couldn’t figure out, despite the long ride here, was why.

Every action has intention. Every plot has a motive.

What’s the endgame with these women and why would it involve the government?

"Target in sight," I whispered into my intercom, my eye never leaving the scope. "Awaiting final confirmation."

"Copy that, Sparrow," Vincent's voice crackled in my ear. "Stand by for the go-ahead."

My finger rested lightly on the trigger, my breathing slow and steady. This was the calm in the eye of the storm, and the level of precision I executed now would change another course of history.

By this simple pull of the trigger.

Oddly enough, there was a dangerous heaviness to all of this.

That…maybe this was wrong?

Why though?

As if the daring thought triggered the world around me to shift, I noticed the edge of my vision began to blur — reality seeming to ripple like a heat haze on a summer day.

I blinked hard, attempting to clear my sight and get out of this peculiar bewilderment, but the distortion only intensified.

Suddenly, I wasn't just looking through my scope – I was seeing beyond it. The target, a man who had seemed so ordinary moments before, now appeared... different. Inhuman.

How he posed in dropped clothes of silk, raising his hands like he was praising some sort of hymn. His eyes bled darkness, and around him swirled tendrils of sickly light that connected to shadowy figures I could barely make out.

"What the hell?" I muttered, my heart racing.

This couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of hallucination, a delayed effect of something strange in the atmosphere. I wanted to warn the others that there may be some sort of chemical fuming in this place, but how about if there wasn’t?

I could be losing my fucking marbles and not realize it.

The annoying part of all of this was how my questionable insanity enjoyed coming out to play in dangerous situations.

"Sparrow? Status report." Liam's voice, tight with concern, cut through my confusion. Truthfully, I didn’t understand why he was speaking through the intercom and not Vincent.

It hadn’t been that long since they’d heard from me. Only a minute or two? Maybe three? Okay…I haven’t been paying attention to how long I’ve been silent, but surely I can’t be the only one seeing this madness.

I opened my mouth to respond, to tell them something was wrong, but no words came out. In fact, I realized rather quickly how frozen the world was around me.

A haunting stillness that made my heart beat faster against my chest, while my wide eyes burned with a form of energy I couldn’t quite grasp. The sensation was on the move, trailing down my arms and igniting an odd sense of power I couldn’t describe in simple words.

I felt the tightness begin to wrap around my neck, coiling with purpose as the warmth of foreign sizzle fought to escape. I dared try to cough — to plead for help — but my silence only continued, despite the fear of choking to death.

The target’s gaze soon fell upon mine — impossibly aware of my presence, despite the distance between us. Flickers of intrigue washed over his pale complexion, while he tilted his head to one side, an inhuman act that would have cracked one’s neck permanently.

A cruel smile curved upon his lips, just as I began to feel warmth drip from my nose. His gaze felt too strong. Too heavy for anyone to maintain for too long. That could have been why it felt like my eyes were dripping, but surely it wasn’t tears. The liquid was thicker. More vital for my survival, but what could I do to break the spell I was trapped under?

I needed help.

To fight for the salvation slipping out of my grasp.

I heard his voice in my mind as clearly as if he were standing next to me.

"You're next, little bird," he sneered with triumph. “I’ve awaited your rebirth. Been seeking far and wide for your redemption. Now look where you are,” he breathes so effortlessly while I’m struggling to not give in to the seeping pull of my unconscious.

Black spots are forming in my line of vision, and I hear someone calling to me desperately. A plea to breathe? A hymn of starlight and power ordering me to prevail. "Your power will be a fine addition to my collection."

Who…are…you?

The dared thought makes the glee in his gaze only further rise.

“Your beginning, little bird,” he praises. “Your beginning…and your end.”

Fear and rage warred within me as I realized I danced with Death in my grasp. But then a hiss of snarling scrutiny pierced through the barrier of stillness — the shite of a slithering white surface of scales shooting from between my eyes and biting forward in threatening force.

I felt something snap, a well of power I couldn’t think someone like me would possess, but its outbreak burst all around, shattering bonds of glimmering black glass, awakening twinkles of cyan and red petals of loose tranquility.

My vision sharpened with preternatural clarity as I was suddenly back in my body. Time seemed to slow as I exhaled nervously, my ears picking up the strained sound that seemed like it took eons to execute.

I couldn’t dare delay as my finger squeezed the trigger with absolute certainty.

The crack of the rifle was lost in the sudden cacophony of alarms and shouts. Through my intercom, I heard Vincent barking orders as our allied forces stormed the building. But I remained frozen in place, trying to process what I had just experienced.

The beginning and the end? Power…evil…that snake. The snake saved me.

I dared wish to return to the world I once was in. The shattering masterpiece of crafted artistry, woven in secrets and tested uncertainty. I held my breath at that moment, waiting like a ticking time bomb as the world around me shifted once more.

There was my target, screaming in agony as tendrils of shadows scurried to wrap around the endless flow of red that seeped intricately out of the single wound.

As if sensing my return, more than one entity looked my way, but my focus was on the creature of protection that had wrapped around my neck. The slithering beast further extended forward, just as the entities far in the distance shot outward — heading straight for us.

A barrier of red followed by glass tiles of shadows emerged before us, creating a barrier before the roof I was perched upon. The shadowed creatures crashed into the surface, screeching inhuman sounds that could surely pierce one’s eardrums with the heightened pitch of their outcries.

The snake’s body twisted until those eyes of precision landed on me.

At first, they were as black as the night, small and curious like any harmless creature. Then, they began to shift, a mix of hibiscus red and cyan turquoise.

Mismatched and yet the same, a balance of innocence and merciless agony. When our eyes locked, for a few seconds, everything made sense.

Its presence, its protection, its urgency to steal the sacred breath I needed to breathe.

It wanted me here.

Needed me to kill the beast in the realm it bloomed from.

Suddenly, it made so much sense, despite it not making sense at all.

Like riddles, desperate to be solved, but missing all the pieces needed for its completion.

But I’d cracked the code.

That’s why I’m back.

I don’t need to move because I’m already in position. All I need is to pull the trigger that will hit the very man who dared wish for my end.

The beginning and the end?

Suddenly his words were but mockery in this realm.

You should take your own advice, oh wise one.

If I had the ability to smile, I’d be grinning and showing my white set of teeth.

The snake hissed, a warning of what was to come — the sound triggering a reaction that shattered the glass in one go. The creatures of darkness were forced back, and there was my vision, forcing me to take sight of the man as he struggled to rise on his knees.

He peered at the triumphant sound — hands rising, like a man desperate to pray for one last drop of salvation. It was a pleasant sight that ignited a sense of Deja vu.

This has happened before. We have met…in another life.

A shame.

I end up thinking to myself because it is.

You let the past repeat itself a second time…wise one.

One of them.

There are more.

Which is why I need to slay them all.

Before they dare ruin what was destined to be mine.

A second time.

The sound of the trigger follows with the cloaked man falling backward. The screeches of dismay went up an octave, as if to mourn what was now destroyed and would soon be forgotten.

The snake hissed in triumph, brushing along my cheek as if to praise me for my efforts.

Like a flick, I’m gasping for breath once more, back in the present where everything seems to be going haywire.

"Sparrow! Report!" Liam's voice edged with panic now, finally broke through my daze. It takes me a second to answer because the world is spinning and I feel like I could throw up any second.

"Target... neutralized," I managed to say, my own voice sounding distant and strange to my ears. Then I’m doing my best to mute the intercom as I vomit whatever I’d eaten a while ago.

Couldn’t even remember what I stuffed in my face when doing all that research.

"Sparrow?” Liam’s worry is getting on my nerves, which is a bit amusing in this odd state of mind because isn’t it supposed to be romantic that the man who’s had a crush on you for eons is seriously concerned for your safety?

Okay…maybe I’m losing my mind.

I manage to sit up, needing to take a few seconds to breathe as I realize how my body is trembling. I feel winded like I’d been running for hours, but also excited. Buzzing with energy. Alive?

Well…no shit Sparrow. Of course, you’re alive.

“God, I’m going to need an Advil after this,” I end up grumbling while I try to stand.

“Sparrow! Can you talk to me already?!” Liam snaps.

“I’m fine!” I snap right back. “Jesus. Who put you on the fucking inter?—”

A massive explosion rocked the building I was perched on, igniting a screech as I dared to lose my balance. I gasp when I’m falling forward, which will be right off the ledge — only for something to crash into me, forcing me to fall right back.

The air is practically punched out of me as I’m soaring to the ground and skidding until I’m seemingly in the middle of the roof.

“What in the fuck?” I gasp, and quickly sit up, my eyes landing on the thing that just crashed into me.

A…fox?

I’m staring at the fox, that’s as white as snow. Its tail is hauntingly beautiful as it sways from side to side, almost hypnotically. Its eyes flow the perfect shade of red — that hibiscus shade that calms my heart almost instantly. Then it’s shifting to that cyan turquoise, like a shade of shifting oceans that glimmer with hope and promise.

Dust and debris rained down on us, but it’s so slow now, like the rest of the world that has suddenly come to a standstill. I immediately think of the snake from the other realm, and now I realize who this creature is.

“You,” I dare to whisper. “You saved me.”

I watch it slowly nod before innocently looking my way.

“Again,” I continue and allow myself to smile weakly. I suddenly feel drained, which has the creature suddenly shrinking. It’s so tiny, I can barely see it, but I feel a lot more energized now.

A spike of life.

“Thank you,” I breathe, piecing together that the creature must have shrunk in size to help me feel less exhausted.

Why…is a question for another day.

Maybe with a shot or two.

I scrambled to my feet, knowing I needed to get to safety fast as the building began to rock. I look to the fox, outstretching my hand.

“We need to go,” I urge, watching its head tilt one way in curiosity. “The building is going to collapse.”

The creature simply jumps on the edge, waving its tail and seemingly disappearing as the smoke consumes its glowing presence.

“Or…you can just be a figment of my imagination,” I whine. “God, I’m insane. Insanity decided to choose me today!”

I raced for the roof access door, only to find my path blocked by a group of masked figures.

“OH SHIT!” I curse, immediately running backward back to where I’d just been, only I’m scurrying to get my rifle. It seems pointless because this is going to become a close-range battle, but fuck, I can’t be weaponless.

I watch as they emerge from the shadows like wraiths, weapons trained on me with deadly intent. There are only so many red dots that can be pointed at one person, but I guess today was the day to test that wild theory.

By the time I’m nearing the edge of the roof, I’m surrounded.

"Nowhere to run, little bird," one of them called out, his voice chillingly familiar. Little bird… "Be a good girl and surrender. We have such plans for you."

Plans. Plans for me?

I’m beginning to realize how the parallels are blending.

How the veil is fading.

These have to be the tendrils that surround their leader. Those creatures desperately fought to destroy the glass wall that protected me before I sniped the target in the spiritual aspect.

Now they have to come attempt to kill me in the physical realms.

I backed away, my mind racing. There had to be a way out of this.

As I neared the edge of the roof, a flicker of movement caught my eye. On a neighboring building, barely visible in the darkness, sat the white fox.

Its amber eyes seemed to glow as it watched me, utterly still amidst the chaos. It didn’t seem distressed in the slightest. It was so calm, as though I was in the right place at the right time.

With a blink, I’m pulled into watching how the world shifts so intricately — the chaos falling around us, only becoming petals of red and blue that fall all around while a little home sits among a lake of twinkling equilibrium.

It was as though this vision was my next destination.

Which meant, there was only one way of getting there.

I turned back to face the approaching leader of the stealth group; a humorless smile tugging at my lips. I knew that particular walk. Their stances.

Heck, their disgusting scent made me want to vomit all over again.

“Why am I not surprised?” I whisper to myself and dare to even laugh. Now I could accept that I was losing my mind because all of this was a brilliant catastrophe waiting to untangle.

"You know," I said conversationally, "for someone who's supposed to be so smart, you really are an idiot, Marco."

There was a beat of stunned silence, then a low chuckle as the leader removed his mask. Marco's rat-like features twisted into a sneer.

"Well, well. Aren't you the clever one? It's almost a shame to end you."

Through my earpiece, I could hear the shocked exclamations of Vincent and Liam. To my surprise, this intercom shit was still working, and I guess they could hear the revelation as clear as day.

Their voices overlapped, demanding explanations, and issuing threats, but I tuned them out, focusing solely on Marco. He was doing the same because his attention was solely on me.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious despite the dire situation. "Why betray us? Was it for the billions? Nah. The money wouldn’t have interested you enough to betray us now after all the shit we’ve gone through,” I speak with intrigue. “Why all of this?" I gesture to our surroundings. “At this striking moment where I have nowhere to run.”

Marco shrugged his casual demeanor at odds with the gun still trained on me.

"It's simple economics, darling,” he doesn’t try to hide a new accent that is deemed British. To even think he’s been hiding his native tongue all these years is a mind fuck, to say the least. “To move up in this world, you have to be willing to sacrifice the little fish. And you, my dear Sparrow, are the juiciest little fish of all."

“Juiciest?” I giggle at the word. “A shame I don’t even see my own value, but I guess you’re a smart ass, so surely you’re right in this instance.

I have to shake my head in dismay, giving off the impression Marco has truly made an error of judgment.

“Oh, Marco,” I begin and shake my head. “You have no idea what I am. Or really who I am.”

“Neither do you,” he snaps back, getting impatient. “You don’t remember your sins. The vile individual you were who enjoyed to set ablaze innocent lives who didn’t deserve to perish!”

“If that’s the case, how would your actions deliver you any sort of satisfaction?” I ponder, using his intelligence against him. “If a sinner doesn’t confess their sins, they can’t be forgiven, nor can they be saved. So…how can one say they sinned if they don’t recall the very deed they committed? Seems like a waste of time if you ask me.”

“NO!” He shouts at the top of his lungs, taking a single step forward as he points my way. “You…don’t understand. YOU. DON’T. GET. IT!”

“And at this rate, I never will,” I state the obvious and put my hands up in defeat. “Everyone enjoys speaking in riddles, but no one wants to confront the elephant in the room!”

I sound like I’ve lost my mind, as I laugh and shake my head — taking steps back before I feel the ledge of the roof. I dare lift my foot onto the thin surface and enjoy rising upon my imbalanced leg that quivers at my added weight.

“What are you doing?!” Marco sneers and points my way, making those behind him aim their guns in my direction. “DON’T!” He snaps more at his comrades than me, but I smile as sweetly as I can while I take a few breaths.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure him. “I just like seeing you work up a sweat.”

“You’d be a coward if you ran away from facing your destiny!” Marco snaps and dares to smile.

“You’re correct,” I agree. “But realistically, who said I was a coward?”

“Y-You!! DAMMIT! Stop trying to confuse me!”

“A shame. You never the brightest bulb in the box,” I whine. “That’s why you’re pulling this operation of ‘Let’s Get Back At Sparrow’ for apparently ruining your life I know nothing about?”

“YOU killed my family. You destroyed the village. We were deemed commoners while you ruled in the Starlight city with your humbled husband of a monster and that traitorous sinner of a fae who’d rather betray his entire court just to be at your side!”

“Hmm. Sounds kind of romantic if you ask me,” I dare say, and maybe being so close to death is bringing out this odd side of me.

More daring…and dangerous…and risky. Ballsy in all areas of uncertainty. I wasn’t acting like the Sparrow who’d grown up in the Underground, just trying to make it day and night.

Right now…I was someone else.

Just like Marco was portraying a past that didn’t resonate with the present before our eyes.

“YOU’RE A MURDERER!”

“If it makes you sleep at night, Marco, sure,” I end up agreeing because fuck. I’m suddenly tired. “But let me ask you one thing?”

“What?!”

“How does it feel?”

“How does what feel?” he snaps in confusion.

“Losing,” I whisper with a grin as I take one final deep breath and dare take a glimpse of the sky above.

One that looked so familiar to the mesmerizing stars of the starlit sky from my dreams.

“What goes up,” I whisper sinisterly as my gaze lowers so I can meet his wide eyes. “Must come down.”

“Don’t you dare?—”

“Goodbye, Marco.”

I took one final step backward, feeling the edge of the roof beneath my heels only disappear, leaving me no choice but to fall back.

Marco's eyes widened as he realized what was unfolding before him.

"NO!" he shouted, lunging forward.

But it was too late.

With a jaunty salute and a decidedly unladylike gesture, I let myself fall backward into the open air. Marco's panicked cry followed me as I plummeted, the wind rushing past my ears, and I was blessed with a glimpse of his dismay — watching him grip the edge as his flabbergasted expression sought to see my end.

Or beginning?

I’d begun to hold my breath after my last words, and how the stinging burn of my lungs only made this fall more agonizingly painful. It made me pick up on the sight following me — a creature, following my descent with what I could have sworn was a look of approval in its gleaming eyes.

Pushed me to endure it, feeling the sudden shift in the spiraling atmosphere. The stirring power, the whispers of the wind, and the droplets of uncertainty created frost across my flushed cheeks.

It took biting my bottom lip to realize this was all real and happening, but I began to grasp the change in worlds.

The veils between my plummeting reality and the enchanting beauty of color shifting and blending.

Until they were one.