Crown of Flames and Ash (Courts of Aetheria #2)

Chapter 48

Chapter Forty-Eight

A elia

My legs compelled me forward of their own accord and before I knew what had happened, I was sprinting through the darkness, gnarled branches reaching out and lashing across my face.

“ Estellira , you’re almost there…”

I followed the ethereal voice, blindly, heart thrashing at my ribs. A voice in the far corners of my mind warned me of my stupidity, but I ignored it, that oddly familiar voice drowning all logic and leaving it behind. Tears burned, blurring the edges of my vision, but still I kept going, running deeper into the heart of the forest. “Mother, where are you?”

Rais surged to the surface, that well of power in my core building and bathing my skin in radiant light. Illuminating the woods as I ran, I kept my gaze trained ahead, guided by an invisible tether. I vaguely registered Ruhl’s shouts echoing behind me, but I’d lost all control of my limbs. I had no choice but to run toward the haunting, melodic tone.

The ancient grove parted into another clearing with dew-kissed grass and moonlight shimmering overhead. In the center, a spectral form appeared, wisps of midnight hovering just over the ground.

My pulse hammered in my ears like a relentless drum as I regarded the ghostly form wavering on an invisible breeze. “ Estellira , you found me.”

“Mother, is it really you?” I crept closer, my breaths coming fast and uneven.

“It is, my child.” The apparition pulsed with shadows and something more. An unfamiliar suffocating energy floated in the air, thickening the atmosphere.

“Why did you abandon me?” The question fled my lips before I could stop it.

A warm chuckle set my frazzled nerves at ease. “Oh, silly girl, I never abandoned you. I only did what was necessary to save you. Believe me when I say that leaving you truly broke my heart.”

Tears pricked my eyes, tightening my throat. I moved closer still, my hands twitching at my sides, desperate to touch, to confirm this insane illusion. “Save me from what?”

“From that cursed prophecy, estellira… ”

A gasp pursed my lips, and my head began to spin. “It’s true, then? I am this child of twilight?”

“You are, my love, but no one else can ever know the truth. It is why we fought so hard to keep you hidden.”

“Well, that sort of went to shit,” I hissed. “The goddess marked me. Everyone knows I’m Light Fae, Mother, and Reign thinks I’m Shadow Fae, and then Melisara, a Spellbinder, said my powers were bound by zar . How is that even possible? And Reign says we’re cuoré and he’s the catalyst in all of this, but I love him and—” All my fears spilled out, a torrent of all the crushing anxieties I’ve held at bay for months. “What am I supposed to do?” A sob wracked my shoulders, my voice trembling. “Help me, please.”

The cloud of pure obsidian brightened with specks of starlight and surged closer. “Oh, my dear, estellira , I am so sorry. I wish I could be here for you.”

“What happened to you? What will happen to me?”

The dark form wavered, then sputtered out, and the flicker of hope in my chest was snuffed out.

“Mother!” I cried.

“Curses, Aelia, never run off like that again!” That deep timbre squeezed the remaining air from my lungs.

I spun around to find the clearing dark once more, with the exception of the furious Shadow Fae looming at the edge of the woods.

“What in the realms made you take off like that?” Ruhl stalked closer, dark brows furrowed. “For a second, it was as if you’d completely vanished…”

Banishing all thoughts of the apparition, I swallowed hard. “I—I thought I heard something.”

“Of course you did. This is the Veil of Echoes, or did you forget already? None of it is real, duskling. They are only voices meant to deceive.”

But goddess, she seemed so real.

My shoulders rolled, caving in on me as Ruhl glared down at me like I was some disobedient child. A tear threatened to spill over, and mortification heated my cheeks. Oh, gods, please don’t let him see .

His jaw twitched as his hard gaze tracked over the traitorous gleam in my eyes. I waited for him to say something, but he never did. Instead, he only whirled on his heel back toward the forest. Once he was a few steps ahead of me, he cocked his head over his shoulder. “Are you coming or not? I believe I’ve found a way to find those damned relics.”

Drawing in a steadying breath, I forced my feet forward.

“I know you and my brother have a secret…” Ruhl’s quiet voice sent my heart on a rampage as we strolled through the murky forest.

“There’s no secret, Ruhl.” I kept my gaze steady, focusing on the cluster of shadows we were walking toward. I was impressed with the calmness in my tone given my insides were a raging mess.

His footfalls suddenly stopped, and he whirled on me, a blanket of shadows descending over us. I sucked in a breath and reached for the blade at my hip, clenching it in my fist, poised to strike.

The corner of his lip tipped up as he regarded the knife. “Relax, duskling. I’m not going to kill you. As I said before, my brother clearly harbors feelings for you beyond what he’s letting on. I’ve known the male my entire life, and I’ve never seen him like this. He tries to hide behind this false bravado, but anyone with eyes can tell he’s completely taken by you.” His eyes narrowed as if he were trying to discern the truth from the darkest depths of my soul. “The question is why ?”

“I’m incredible in bed.”

A deep chuckle broke the uneasy silence, and a flock of garblers took flight overhead, their wing flaps echoing the drumming of my wild pulse. “I don’t doubt that.” He smirked, eyeing my blade. “The violent ones always are.”

“Why are you so interested in Reign’s love life, anyway?” I sheathed the knife but propped my hand on my hip at the ready.

“You just answered your own question. Love life, duskling. He’s never had one, never been remotely interested in a female beyond the carnal urges.”

I couldn’t deny the thrill of satisfaction that admission brought along with it. It wasn’t that I questioned Reign’s feelings, but a little reassurance was always nice. Instead of continuing this conversation—which had nowhere good to go—I deflected. “Why do you keep calling me duskling?”

He clucked his tongue, striding closer so that I staggered back into the trunk of a particularly large darkwood. “Duskling, a creature of the dusk, neither fully in the light nor completely in the dark.”

A chill slithered up my spine and goosebumps cascaded down my arms. Crossing them over my chest, I rubbed away the damning evidence. “Cute,” I retorted.

“I suppose it makes sense, given your upbringing in Feywood.” His eyes searched mine, searching for a kink in my armor.

I would give him no such victory. “I’ve never believed anyone to be truly good or evil, light or dark, Ruhl. Even you must have some redeeming qualities. So, you’re right, duskling does suit me.”

His lips curved into a smile, and gods, if he wasn’t such a bastard, I might admit how handsome he was, how much he resembled Reign.

I pushed off the tree and put some distance between us. “Not that I’m not enjoying this getting-to-know-you bit, but you said you had a way to find the relics?”

He ticked his head at the cloud of shadows hovering only a few yards away. “When you abandoned me earlier, I got to thinking. Why would Draven and Malakar force us to work together unless we needed both rais and nox to find the relics?”

“You know, you’re smarter than you look, prince.”

Ruhl grinned, the mirth actually seeping into his icy obsidian irises. “Just because I’m pretty doesn’t mean there’s not more behind the handsome mask.”

“I’m beginning to see that.”

“And I’m glad you agree I’m handsome.” Now the smirk turned purely wicked.

With a dramatic roll of my eyes, I hissed, “You were saying…”

He motioned toward the murky swirling shadows. “I suggest we combine our energy and send it out as one. Perhaps then, the ancient artifacts will reveal themselves to us.”

I nodded despite the hint of unease. Would Ruhl be able to feel something different in my rais ? Reign never had, but we had never used our combined powers like this. I had only siphoned from his nox to bolster my rais .

“Ready?” He dipped his head at the buzzing midnight cloud.

“Right.” Summoning the radiant light deep within my core, I urged it to the surface until my fingertips glowed with power. Casting it toward the coiling shadows, the opposing energies hissed and crackled as they danced around each other. A swirling vortex of light and dark whipped and twirled into a tornado of power expanding to the treetops.

“Impressive…” Ruhl rasped. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen or felt anything like that before.”

“Neither have I.” My head tipped back, taking in the storm of shadows and light as it spread across the forest. But it was nothing compared to the tempest roiling within.

Not more than a few seconds later, a satisfied smile curved Ruhl’s lips, and he turned toward the south. Wrapping his hand around my forearm, he tugged me forward. “Come on, duskling, we’ve got something.”