Sapphire Falls (The Lost Realm #2)

12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Rylo

T o say that Rylo was irritated to be dive-bombing through the crisp autumn air after some human girl was an understatement. He’d been enjoying a perfectly peaceful morning with a cup of tea and a decent book when his friend, Elio, had informed him that Morgan had been standing at the edge of Sapphire Falls for the better half of an hour.

He hadn’t put restrictions on the two witches, trying to keep a semblance of respect between himself and the Latian nation. After all, he gained what he had set out to do and now he wanted to keep his plans for restoring Nephel to greatness in motion. Further, his nation was substantially smaller and the last thing he needed was a war against those Latian brutes for upsetting Savine's soulmate. It was one thing to push Savine into accepting his crown, but it would be another matter to push him into war. He’d even avoided the witches and their small posse of women as much as possible. There was no reason for him to interact with them. Not as long as Avery was here. Once she was gone he would begin training his witch.

But he couldn’t have the one witch he had any interest in leaping off waterfalls. No, that just would not do. He knew he needed to make a power move as soon as he’d understood that these two unlikely foreign girls were the ones spoken of in the prophecy. He certainly had no interest in the whiny and weak Avery. Sure, she’d killed her guard, but she had made such a fuss about it. Plus her display in front of Jasper had nearly cost them all their lives. She would not be the sister to use to his advantage.

No, he wanted the scarred one with the billowing shadows. At least she had taken action with that odd weapon, ending that idiot Jasper’s reign for good. And now that fool was trying to jump off his waterfall.

Rylo deepened his dive, tucking his wings to gain speed. He made eye contact with the dark little figure standing precariously close to the edge of the cold waters of Sapphire Falls just as she turned and jumped off the precipice.

Oh, excellent . Now he was going to have to get his feathers wet and retrieve the soggy woman. He loathed getting his feathers wet. They always seemed to dry in such a way that made them look slightly tattered and less dignified, like he was some sort of damp pigeon. Rylo banked down, just in time to see the girl flailing in the air, plummeting toward the rocky ground below.

He reached out, wings hitting the mist, and grabbed her around the waist just before she broke on the rocks. What a foolish woman. Sapphire Falls was often driest in the autumn when last year’s spring snowmelt was long gone. The rocky basin was more exposed than usual, and she hadn’t a chance of surviving the fall. Not to mention, if she had managed to hit the water, like she apparently had the first time, she would have been exposed to frigid temperatures.

He heard the woman gasp in his arms before she let out a sorrowful moan. “Why didn’t you let me go?” she whined, writhing in his arms as he attempted to bank upwards on dampened feathers.

“Because I have use for you, and I don’t want to see you dead or returned to your realm,” Rylo said, trying to put as much sweet indolence into his voice as he spoke.

“Put me down!” the girl shrieked and Rylo tensed at the piercing sound. “I want to go home!”

“ Poor little Kingslayer . Not getting to go home,” Rylo mocked. “Unfortunately, we often do not get what we’d like in this world.” He tried his hardest to keep up his insolent demeanor, but the woman was acting insufferably. Shouldn’t at the very least, a thank you be in order for saving her life? “Now, if you try that again, I’ll let you spend some time in the Tower of Teeth. That will teach you a thing or two about being thankful for what you have.”

He felt the woman shake in his arms. He really should have paid better attention to her name, but her name seemed less consequential than getting her into his service.

Rylo landed on the balcony to his library and placed the Kingslayer firmly on the stone terrace. “Let me look at you, Kingslayer.” Rylo said, cupping her chin in his hand. He saw the goddess mark, distorted slightly by a hard ridge of dark red scar tissue. “What did this to you?” he asked curiously.

“A fucking fae bastard. On my side of the portal,” she said. A whisper of darkness bit at his ankles, cool to the touch.

“Interesting. Some sort of dark fae then? Must’ve had massive teeth or claws to do this damage,” Rylo assessed, still holding her chin firmly between his fingers.

She yanked her head out of his grasp as she said, “It was one of those Latians. He was a bear, and shifted into his fae form after he’d dragged me nearly to death. The monster looked a little like Kyla’s soulmate, with the fur tattoo.”

Rylo knew from experience that plenty of humans had found their way into Nephel through Sapphire Falls, but he’d never given much thought to fae crossing the portal into the human realm. Perhaps because he’d killed several weak and dying humans who were broken on the rocks of the falls. Only one had been strong enough to keep, but his panicked screams and indecipherable language had given Rylo such a headache that he’d spared the man and ordered Selene to put him down after a thorough analysis.

“Rather strange to think a fae could travel to the human realm, but if you can travel here I suppose we could travel to your land. Now, come inside. I have a warm fire in here and can order some hot tea.”

The kingslayer bit her lip and furrowed her brow. The tight, scarred skin hardly moved with the gesture, only giving her a hardened look to her already injured face.

“Why should I do that?” she asked. Ah, the girl was no fool. She already knew about Rylo’s ability to pull uncomfortable secrets and truths from her through food and drink.

“You may pour your own tea. What is your name, pet?”

The tightness in her face grew. “I’m not your pet! You haven’t even bothered to learn my name, King Rylo?” Her tone was sharp, like a knife’s blade.

Rylo shrugged and turned to his library. “It was of little consequence to me what your name was, and I haven’t had reason to learn it until you unceremoniously launched yourself off a cliff. Come inside and warm up, or stay out in the cold. The choice is yours, although I’d rather not make a servant nurse you back to health when you’re sick.”

He heard her slight footsteps behind him as she followed him into the room. She sat across from him in the same seat that her sister occupied only a little over a week ago. He gave an amused grin when the teapot appeared on the table. One of the greatest perks of his home was the way the Tower responded to his needs. The look of surprise on the girl’s face delighted him.

“Your name, witch,” Rylo said as he poured himself a cup of tea.

“It’s strange being called a witch when less than a week ago I’d thought witches were only things in stories and Halloween costumes. I once dressed up like a witch for Halloween in college.” She shook her head, lost in her own thoughts, before turning to pour herself a cup of tea.

“I’m beginning to wonder if you even have a name. Should I call you ‘Avery’s sister’ or perhaps ‘pet’ would do.”

She rattled the tea cup as he called her that. He loved to see her composure slide a bit. “Kingslayer has a nice ring to it. Maybe you’ll be next,” she said in mock sweetness.

“Perhaps I should pour a bit of that tea for you so I can learn all your little secrets, Kingslayer. Like why you had that weapon on you. I had it delivered to the Tower of Teeth and used on a particularly vexing prisoner. It was an interesting way to learn how it worked, with the brains and bits of bone of the prisoner splattering the wall. How did you come into possession of such a weapon?”

The woman just looked around the room, not answering him. She didn’t even seem particularly phased by his description of the death of the prisoner. But no matter, he didn’t need to know any of this. She’d already interrupted a perfectly relaxing morning and he may as well have a bit of fun seeing how far he could push this woman.

Finally she said in a soft, cool voice. “It’s a gun and I’d like it back. Now, take me back to my room. Avery’s probably panicking by now.”

“You are much more interesting than your sister,” Rylo said with a laugh.

“I think you’re the first person to say that to me.” She stood and headed toward the door, but Rylo stopped her.

“I’ll fly you down,” Rylo said as he grasped her wrist.

“I’d rather walk,” she said, tugging herself from his reach.

“I insist, pet.” He pulled her into his arms. She was all skin and bones, nearly no muscle to her and he briefly wondered if she was getting enough to eat. They leapt into the air as she continued to struggle in his arms.

Once they were airborne, he felt the tendrils of her dark shadows snake around his wings. The pressure of the shadows grew tighter as the woman’s expression hardened.

“I didn’t want to go with you!” she shouted.

Rylo felt a mounting panic in his chest as he pressed against the tethers on his wings, but still they wouldn’t be released.

Down they plummeted toward the ground, picking up speed as the darkness entangled his wings. “Stop woman!” he shouted, real panic like he hadn’t experienced in years began to build. She was going to smash him into the ground. He’d been a fool to think this kingslayer would stop at Jasper.

The rocky outcropping along the side of the Tower of the Moon was quickly approaching, and yet he could do nothing to uncoil her dark tendrils or slow their speed. His back muscles screamed in effort as he tried to work her magical bindings off him. The entire time the woman smiled at him like a cat toying with a mouse, delighted with herself.

Morgan. The damn woman was named Morgan.

“Now Morgan! Release me now.” He put a honey-coated glamour into his voice and his wings sprang outward, slowing their speed merely feet from the rocky earth.

She began laughing with hysterics that made his heart speed up as he set her feet on the ground. On and on she laughed, shaking through what must be mild shock.

“Stop!” Rylo shouted, but the laughter continued. Putting glamour back into his voice, he ordered Morgan to stop laughing, but the small woman seemed to be beyond reason.

He couldn’t stand the shrill sound of it and he struck her hard in the face. Immediately, her lip began to swell and bleed. The laughter ceased, and Rylo saw a strange gleam in her green eyes.

She grinned up at him, blood dripping across straight teeth. “Don’t forget my name next time, asshole.”

Avery

By the time Avery had run back up the stairs to Rylo’s library, the only place she thought to look for him, her sister was gone. Rylo sat back in his chair, casually drinking a steaming cup of tea.

Rylo saw her walk in the room and shouted, “No! No more humans for me today. Go find your wretched sister and take care of her yourself!”

Avery stood aghast, not sure what to make of Rylo’s loss of composure. “But—you caught her! Where is she?”

“I disposed of the nuisance down along the rocks at the base of the tower. Where she’s gone from there, you know as well as I do,” Rylo drawled, turning back to the book in his hand. He seemed to glow faintly, or maybe it was just the damp and dreary weather that brought out a brighter gleam to his skin.

“Why would you do that? She could throw herself off the falls again!”

Rylo let out a dry laugh. “I was trying to show a modicum of kindness to your injured sister by bringing her back to her room, and she was very ungrateful for my hospitality. Now go. As I have already said, I do not want to see another human again today.”

“Um… Okay,” Avery mumbled as she walked out the door. She shouldn’t have taken his order. It wasn’t very queenly of her to just go along with what a bully like Rylo said, but she was already in the long, dark passageway through the center of the tower that led to Rylo’s private library. It would be best to just go to her room and see if Morgan made it back. Plus by now she was absolutely exhausted from all the stairs she’d climbed down and up and now down again. Her calves burned and she realized that she was losing some of her previous endurance with this life of comfort and luxury in the Towers. She’d need to start getting outside again, and if she was being honest with herself, Avery had been feeling increasingly restless with all her inactivity.

When she finally made it back to her room, she found her sister asleep in the bed, still in her clothes. Her lip was swollen and there was a bit of blood at the corner of her mouth.

Avery tried not to disturb her, but Morgan sat up and stared at her sister. “I’m not okay, Ave,” she muttered before she sank back into the bed.

Avery stood by her side, gently touching her sister on the arm. “Morgan, what’s happened?”

“All of this, starting from the attack. I’ve lost myself. And that magic that I have feels like a wild animal. It’s like it’s feeding on my fear. I almost killed Rylo and myself, and do you know how I responded? I laughed! I fucking laughed and there was no way of stopping.”

“What do you mean?” Avery asked. She kept her tone soft, like the voice she’d use for an injured animal.

“My magic came pouring out of me, or whatever those smoky shadows are. They wrapped themselves around Rylo and the feel of his panic rising was—it was intoxicating, like I could just swallow his fear and feast on it. Dammit, look at what this place and these creatures are doing to me! I’m already turning into a monster!”

Avery could see what her sister meant. Ever since arriving here, probably further back to the attack at Quartz Mountain, Morgan had become so far removed from herself that Avery hardly recognized her steady, thoughtful sister. Her sister who thrived on order was replaced with this woman who was letting herself sink deeper into a darkness that seemed to fester like a wound.

“And you tried to go home without saying goodbye?” Avery’s voice cracked as she asked.

Morgan nodded, closing her eyes. “I can’t stay here, Ave.” She opened her eyes, shaking as she continued, “Every time I see the fae, I feel sick or full of rage. I’m not okay here, and I need to get home. I can sort of understand why you might choose to stay, but I can’t do that. I’m not an angry or violent person! I’m helpful and practical and all of that has been turned upside down in this world. I just can’t keep doing it. Please, help me get home.”

Avery’s stomach clenched. Her sister was hurting, and was desperate to get home. Just like she’d been. When she arrived in Aeritis she’d been alone and scared, desperate to get home. She remembered how broken she’d been when she couldn’t get through the portal at Quartz Mountain, how she even begged Savine to end her suffering.

Now she knew returning home wasn’t what she actually wanted. The thought of helping rule an entire country terrified her—she was not qualified to be a monarch. But, Savine had offered to let her play a smaller part on the sidelines, and she owed it to both of them to explore what was between them.

But Morgan didn’t have a Savine here, and she had experienced trauma at the hands of the fae that Avery hadn’t—not even being kidnapped and forced to kill Weston had been as horrible as what Morgan had experienced. To be trapped in Aeritis, experiencing the unwieldy magic that her sister possessed must be terrifying. Avery had no interest in seeing her sister die at Sapphire Falls, but she also couldn’t let her suffer here if there was even a chance that she could get through the portal.

She nodded to Morgan. “Yeah, okay. We’ll try and get you through tonight. Kyla and Rue have that crazy good fae vision and can keep a lookout, plus can see if you go through the portal. Susan can control water, so maybe she can direct you into the flow of the falls.”

Morgan sprang up and wrapped her arms around her sister. Tears flowed between them, but Morgan wouldn’t let go. Finally, she sank back onto her pillow, grief and exhaustion etched onto her face.

“Thank you,” she whispered before she closed her eyes.