Sapphire Falls (The Lost Realm #2)

36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Rylo

R ylo left the other Nepheli at the table as he and the Goldoth monarchs moved into a private room. He sat on the hard, stone bench as Maglar called for more refreshments. Rylo hid his grimace. He didn’t think he could stand another one of Goldoth’s refreshments.

“King Rylo, we need to continue discussing the terms of our alliance,” Mara said with a smirk as she slid onto the bench next to him. Her glimmering skin sparkled in the fae lights and her dress dipped low enough that as she leaned in, Rylo could see her breasts. He had no doubt this was all part of her strategy, but it disgusted him nonetheless.

“And what are your terms?” Rylo asked, scooting away from Mara’s leering face.

Maglar took a seat on Rylo’s other side. His large frame shifted the stones as Rylo found himself wedged between the two monarchs. Goddess above. He hoped Morgan could find that relic quickly so he could make an escape. Now that she was free of the collar, there was no reason to linger in this putrid tunnel.

“As we said, you will secure the northern border. Once we have finished our campaign to the south we will bypass your territory. In exchange, we will save your folk from a bloody war that you could never win, but you will become a vassal to Goldoth.”

Rylo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They expected him to give up his nation, his folks’ freedom, in exchange for the privilege of being bypassed in their war? He couldn’t stand being near them for another moment. He stood, walking away from the two sneering fae.

“I’ll never agree to such terms,” Rylo snarled.

Mara let out a cold, cruel laugh. “Then perhaps we should demonstrate what you are refusing to agree to.” She motioned to a guard in the doorway. “Send for Tyranny and Calamity. I believe a demonstration is in order.”

Maglar looked at Rylo with such vitriol that he could feel the King of the Cavern’s essence seeking him out. “You need to think carefully about what you are denying your nation by refusing our alliance. They will not survive this war if we do not get what we want. That will be on you, Sun King.”

Once again, Rylo heard the terrifying shriek of the witches as they were dragged into the room. The cowering sister flinched at Maglar and the other hissed in their direction.

“I didn’t want to have to do this. I thought you would share our enthusiasm for the direction we want to take this realm, but I believe Mara is right. A demonstration must be in order,” Marglar said, shaking his head at Rylo.

Rylo walked near the wall, giving himself space from the twin witches. “There’s no need. I’ll return to my rooms and we can continue this discussion tomorrow. Surely we can come to a true alliance.”

Mara stood, taking the witches’ chains from the guard. “Stand against the wall,” she said to the guard. He let out a stifled cry, but didn’t resist the order. Maglar stood and walked over to the guard. The silver traces of his essence coiled under his skin as he struck the guard, turning his body stiff.

“Thank you, dear,” Mara said as she turned to Rylo. “Tyranny is much easier to manage when we’ve incapacitated her victim, you see?” Mara unlocked the wilder sister’s collar. The girl lunged from Mara in a snap and jumped on the guard against the wall. With a piercing scream, she slashed at the man and sunk her teeth into his neck. The guard fell to the floor and Tyranny moved over him, clawing and biting the man until his blood poured out across the stone floor.

Rylo stood, shocked against the wall, unsure whether he should flee or try to keep a sense of calm. Inside, he wanted to run from the room and warn his folk before going after Morgan and Elio. But how would they complete their task if he failed them now? He needed to keep up a sense of composure, even as the woman tore into the flesh of the guard.

The other sister, Calamity, let out small shrieks as she watched her sister claw into the dead guard.

“King Rylo, you are looking a bit pale. Would you like to sit down?” Mara chided.

Rylo shook his head. “Not at all. However, I do not see the purpose of your little display. Is this supposed to convince me to hand over my nation to you?”

Maglar let out a cold laugh. “Go ahead, Tyranny.”

The tiny woman stood up, blood dripping from her chin. She seemed calmer than she was when she entered the room, more at ease, and that realization chilled Rylo’s blood. The woman looked at Rylo before she rolled her eyes back in her head, exposing only the whites. She lifted her arms up over her head and began to mutter something Rylo couldn’t understand.

The corpse on the floor convulsed then jerkily began to stand, turning toward him in a shaky gait.

“What is this thing?” Rylo muttered as he moved across the room to stand nearer to Maglar and Mara. Surely their close proximity would keep this act of dark magic away from attacking him.

“I told you Tyranny was a necromancer. She is quite capable of raising an army of the dead,” Maglar replied.

Rylo shook his head, not able to comprehend the horror he was witnessing.

“Now, if you do not agree to the terms, you have had a taste of what your folk will face,” Mara said with a saccharine smile.

The creature moved closer to Rylo. So close, he could see the insides of the former warrior.

“I won’t do it,” Rylo said, letting his essence gleam under his skin.

Mara shook her head. “Then you leave us no choice. At this moment, a group of warriors are on their way to confiscate your witch. We will be happy to add her to our collection of slaves.”

Rylo couldn’t let them get Morgan. She was his and his alone, and he’d damn all of Onyx Cavern to the Abyss before he allowed them to touch her. His essence pooled inside of him, a molten well of sunlight and heat until it burst forth, striking the King and Queen of Goldoth and incinerating the jerking corpse of the guard.

Morgan

The acrid scent in the tunnel was building. It was so terrible that it was beginning to burn Morgan’s nose. Although she couldn’t see Elio as they blindly followed the pull of the necklace, she felt his strong presence close behind her. It was a little unnerving to be alone with a fae other than Rylo. In all her time here, her contact with other fae had been so limited that she still felt like she didn’t really know much about them, other than what she’d read in the library.

“I think the smell is getting worse,” Morgan whispered.

Elio didn’t respond and Morgan let her mind try to connect to Rylo. It was fuzzy from this distance, his mind a blur of light. We’re going into the mines. Be safe.

She didn’t know why she added that last part. Between the two of them, he was much more likely to be able to handle his present situation. Morgan wished he could reply, but that seemed to be a witch’s power that he lacked as a fae.

Morgan focused her mind back on the necklace, its strength fading while she connected to Rylo’s mind. The heavy pull that she experienced toppled her forward, but Morgan didn’t hit the ground. She let out a shriek as she plunged into the air. Her body was falling so quickly, she would never survive the impact from the crash. Her shadows plunged with her, and she tried to make herself float, to control the fall in some way, but her efforts weren’t working. The necklace strained at her, increasing her speed as she plummeted into an abyss.

Bright bronze light filled the mine shaft and Elio’s strong arms wrapped around her. “I have you,” Elio said, tugging her close. Morgan shook against his chest, thankful for this strong fae and his unwavering loyalty to Rylo.

They landed with a graceful swoop and Elio helped Morgan steady herself back on the ground. The rotten smell consumed them both and Morgan watched Elio heave up his supper as she followed. The sting of her vomit burned her throat and she tried to clean herself up as much as possible.

“Let me fly us out of here. We need to leave,” Elio said through dry heaves.

Morgan could only shake her head and point at the necklace. The heavy draw of it was stronger than ever, penetrating her mind as she struggled to walk forward. “What is that smell?” Morgan asked.

“It’s—No offense, but it’s faintly like you,” Elio said through gags.

Morgan flipped herself around and looked into Elio’s eyes as best as she could in the darkness. “ Excuse me? I do not smell like that!”

“No, not really. You’re more scented with orange, but under that there’s this earthy, salty scent to you that fae don’t have.”

Morgan just shook her head. “It’s because I’m human. I stink, that’s what you’re saying. Humans sweat and smell bad. Are you trying to say that you think this is a human scent?”

“That’s what I suspect. This place is dark and these fae are hiding something.”

As he spoke, Morgan felt cold, clammy hands cover her face and tug her back. Elio let out a strangled shout. The tunnel was blasted with his essence, illuminating the corridor with light and heat. Morgan sent her shadows forth, wrapping around her attacker. With a snap, she felt the attacker’s hands release her, the body made a heavy thump on the ground.

“Can you light this space up with your essence?” Morgan asked.

Elio didn’t answer, but his skin illuminated in warm, coppery light. On the ground lay half a dozen creatures. Morgan crouched down to get a better look at the things on the ground. They were small, ranging in size from Morgan’s height to around five foot six inches. Their closed eyes were unusually huge, taking up most of the upper half of their face. But it was their ears that caught Morgan off guard. They were rounded, just like hers. Their skin was so pale she thought she could see the veins and organs underneath. Morgan shivered in revulsion as she stepped away from the humanoid creatures.

“Are they human? They smell like the stories of human scent.”

Morgan grimaced again at his accusation of humans being stinky. She certainly didn’t smell like this.

“Their ears are rounded, but that’s the extent of the similarities to my species,” Morgan replied. “Come on, we need to get the relic and get out of here.”

“No more noise. With those eyes, they’ll see us through the darkness before we see them. Wrap us tightly in your shadows.”

Morgan wordlessly followed his directions and returned to following the call of the relic.

They walked for what felt like hours, and her exhausted feet ached. Every muscle was tired from the long day she’d had, but she didn’t suggest a break or a stop. At last she heard harsh, cruel voices and a scream of pain pierce the air. Morgan paused, grabbing Elio’s arm.

“What was that?” she whispered.

Elio’s eyes looked like saucers, the source of the sound was ahead of them. Her shadows wrapped tighter around them and she continued walking.

The tunnel took a sharp turn and Morgan found herself in a well-lit, open cavern. They didn’t step out of the shadows, hugging close to the mouth of the tunnel. Morgan’s stomach churned at the sight before her. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of those creatures, dressed in rags and covered in filth, were working to extract a shimmering, glowing ore. That was the source of the light in the vast cavern, filling the space in luminescence.

Muscled fae stood by, whips in hand. Morgan heard a curse across the cavern and the crack of a whip. She watched in disbelief as an elderly woman was struck repeatedly. None of the other workers reacted as they continued digging the ore and loading it into carts. The woman fell to the ground in a breathy cry, but still nobody reached out to help her.

Morgan’s eyes stung and she turned away from the scene. She couldn’t do anything to help the woman. If she did, she’d only get herself killed. As she turned, she bumped into Elio’s chest.

“The relic,” he hissed, reminding her of the purpose of this little adventure. Morgan nodded as she let herself connect back to the call of the necklace. To her horror, the tug was leading her deeper into the illuminated cavern.

She shook her head, trying to pull Elio back. She needed to retreat. Going in there would get her killed. Elio pointed into the open space before them. Morgan’s eyes could hardly make out what it was that Elio saw.

“There, on the spire. That must be it,” Elio said in a voice so quiet Morgan could hardly hear what he said over the ringing in her ears. She squinted, wishing she had the superior fae vision Elio seemed to have. She saw it too. A jewel-encrusted scepter was on top of a spire, nearly forty feet into the air.

Morgan tried connecting to Elio’s mind, searching for him in the darkness, but she couldn’t reach him. She couldn’t find that connection that she could slide so easily into with Rylo, not even the clunky connection with Susan was there. Maybe she couldn’t speak to him mind to mind since she didn’t know him as well as Rylo and Susan.

This wasn’t the time to experiment with her magic. She needed to convince this man that going into that cavern would be suicide.

“We can’t go in there. They’ll kill us,” Morgan protested.

Elio let out a harsh huff. “I saw you kill one of the most powerful fae in all Aeritis. You took out at least twenty Latians according to Rylo when you chose to flee Orofine. If anyone can do this, it’s you.”

Morgan pursed her lips and observed the happenings in the cavern. There were at least fifty Goldoth guards, overseeing hundreds of creatures mining the ore. The creatures were small, weak, and didn’t show any indication of having an essence or magic. She looked up the cavern and saw a small tunnel cut out of the stone near the ceiling of the massive cave.

“You can fly me over?” Morgan whispered.

Elio nodded. “You grab the scepter and I’ll fly us up to the tunnel near the top.”

So he noticed it too. Observant man.

“What about the fae down there?” Morgan asked.

“On appearance, they don’t look like they’d be as powerful as myself or you. Use those shadows for the ones behind us, and I’ll use my essence against the attackers ahead of us. Is there a spell you can use?”

Morgan thought through the spells she’d read about. She’d use the spell to enhance his essence. “There’s one, but I haven’t tried it. I may not get the words correct. It uses your essence. Is that okay?”

“How so?” Elio whispered, trepidation in his voice.

“I’m not sure. It sounded like I could enhance your essence in an attack. I don’t know if it will harm you though. I don’t have to do it if you don’t want me to.”

He nodded. “I trust you. Try it.”

Elio didn’t give her time to respond before he scooped her into his arms and they were exposed to the creatures in the cavern. Morgan heard the surprised outcry around them. She closed her eyes and said the words of the incantation she’d memorized, just in case. Despite her eyes being closed, she could make out the explosion of bright light bursting out of Elio. Screams of pain filled the room as Elio’s essence ripped through the room, blinding everyone in their wake.

Elio didn’t even pause his flight as he shouted, “Morgan, open your eyes, now!” Morgan did as he commanded and saw the scepter just in front of them. She reached her hand out, grabbing it just as Elio banked to the right and rose up the tunnel.

Below them, the creatures cried out in stunned panic. She didn’t know if she’d permanently blinded an entire cave of workers, or if it was only temporary, but their cries made her feel horrible. She’d done this to these folk, just to get some stupid relic.

They landed with a thud as Elio hit the ground. His breath came out in a heavy rasp.

She crawled out from under him, rolling him onto his side as well as she could.

“Elio! What can I do to help you?” The words came out louder than she meant, but it probably made no difference with the screams of the cavern.

“You… You drained me,” he panted. “That was all I had.”

“What do you mean?” Morgan asked. She had to shout over the wails of the folk below in the tunnels.

Elio’s tan skin began to fade to a pallid ashen shade. “My essence is gone. I’m not getting out of here. Get to Rylo before they realize what we’ve done. Save my king.”

“No!” Morgan cried out.

“Tell Susan she is my bright star.” His words faded to a gasp as hot tears stung her eyes.

His breathing slowed, and Morgan pressed a hand to his chest. Elio’s heart beat faded and ceased under her hand.

She’d killed him, killed a man that was trying to help her, killed whom she thought might be Rylo’s only friend. She wanted to lay down and cry, to take back the spell she’d so carelessly cast. Instead, she picked herself up off the ground, lifted the scepter, and let out a piercing scream. If she was going to survive this cavern she’d need to flee now.

The scepter responded like it was made for her, singing in her ear. Something within that contact snapped and magic flooded into her body. She started shaking uncontrollably as pure, deep magic flooded her system.

She let the magic flow through her, glowing across her skin. Her vision was clearer, even in the dark, and she could make out details she hadn’t seen before. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Elio’s forehead.

“Thank you for helping me,” she said as she began running down the tunnel on swift feet, her shadows pushing her gait faster as she soared through the darkness.

If she couldn’t bring Elio back, then she had to get Rylo and the other Nepheli out of here. She reached her mind out and felt his presence immediately, clear and bright, as if he’d been connected to her this whole time.

Rylo! You have to get out of here. We have to leave now. Elio’s dead and I have the relic. Meet me outside Onyx Caverns.

A force pushed on her mind that she hadn’t experienced before, unrestrained and powerful, and she welcomed its presence, because she knew who that power belonged to. Knew who was on the other side, demanding entrance into her mind. She let the power push back her own swirling, deep magic as brightness filled her mind. Still, her feet kept to the path, her shadows helping as her mind succumbed to the intrusion.

What did you do? Rylo. He was speaking into her mind. His typically bored tone held a panic that she’d never heard from him before.

I did what I needed to do. Are you safe? Where are you?

Possession seeped into his tone and it echoed through her bones. Waiting for you. I’m not leaving you. Hurry.

She let the deep magic pulse through her veins as the ground shifted above her, releasing her magic against Aeritis itself, the deep magic shot up, cutting through the thin rock layer above. Her shadows circled around her, protectively cocooning her from the falling rocks and dirt. The shadows twisted and lifted her up, up, up, through the depths of the earth and out of the rubble. Her eyes burned as she adjusted to the watery light of dawn.

She wanted to scream, to rage, and to cry. She wanted to burst out of her skin from the magic burning through her veins. Before she could do anything, sweet golden light descended in front of her and Rylo tugged her into a tight embrace, his wings sweeping around them, brushing against her shoulders and the back of her head. With the scepter in one hand, she wrapped her free arm around his neck and tugged him to her.

His lips pressed against hers with an urgency that made her heart pound in her chest. She responded and succumbed to her own need to feel him, taste him, and know he was okay. Slowly, their kiss changed from urgent and demanding to soft and tender as Rylo stroked her mouth and she returned with her own tongue making deep, languishing kisses.

He lifted her up without even breaking their kiss and took flight.

At last he pulled back and his lips brushed the tears that had leaked out of her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you in there,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion.