To Scale the Emerald Mountain (The Willowbane Saga #1)

30. CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY

ELLYA

E very morning since the night in the library, I wake to a fresh vase of flowers, a steaming cup of tea, and varying fruits and treats. All left next to a folded piece of paper with my name in slanting, elegant letters.

I never open them and destroy them the same as the note that came with my books.

Despite our more positive interaction that night, Alec has kept his distance. I haven’t seen him for nearly half a moons’ cycle, not even a passing shadow through the halls of the palace. I haven’t yet cracked into the book of myths again, terrified that when I do, more of my lingering questions will arise and that I’ll seek him out for answers again. But every day my thoughts stray to that cave, wondering if Dhystros’ emerald is still embedded in the rock.

Walking absentmindedly to the kitchen to make myself a second cup of tea, I let the numbness I’ve been desperately leaning in to guide my steps. Turning the corner with my eyes trailed to my feet, I bump into a tall woman with cropped black hair. She has kind brown eyes, dark skin the exact shade of Alec’s, and a silver stud in her nose.

Slender hands steady my shoulders as I bounce off her, being thrust back into reality .

“Shit, Elly. I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to come in here,” she says, her Quinndohsi accent tilting her words. I say nothing, giving her narrowed eyes. “Of course, you don’t remember me. Cescily—your favorite sister-in-law!”

Cescily grins and then pulls me into a bone breaking hug. “I have missed you so much,” she breathes into my neck and lets me go. “You smell different. In a good way. What do you want to eat? I’ll make you something. I’m told Locane is mean in the kitchen. I’m not that good, but I can put something together. Better than Alec anyways. Remember when he tried to make us cookies and set the kitchen on fire?”

Cescily is digging through the cupboards, pulling out sugar, oats, and spices. “What am I saying? Of course, you don’t.”

I’m glued to the spot, unable to speak as I watch her fluidly move through the kitchen, talking a mile a minute.

“I don’t actually know Locane. He started losing his grip long before I was born. Shortly before Father died, Mother took advantage of one of his rare moments of lucidity and so, me! Yay! I’m only a couple years older than you.”

Cescily is prattling away while pulling out a copper pot and filling it with water. She plops it loudly on the stove and a bit of water sloshes over the side.

“Locane was gone before I started forming memories, so I’m not even sad about him rotting away underground. I’m not mad about everyone else grieving him—I get it. They knew him when he was still loveable. Hard to imagine. I just never knew him and am completely detached and wholly on team ‘burn the fucker.’ As soon as you’re ready. Well, everyone is, but I’m not sad about it.”

She’s lit a fire on the range to boil the water and is now slicing a bright green apple with speed and precision, her knife glinting in the sunlight streaming through the windows while I try to keep up.

“I’ve been wanting to come see you, but Alec has been adamant that we all stay away while you adjust. I think it’s bullshit. We were best friends! I told him you would love me immediately again. Alec gets so weird and protective with you. Fucking mates. Really—you’re just as bad as he is, though.” Cescily stops her actions, cocking her head and touching a finger to her chin in thought. “Actually, you’re worse. But when I suggested that I might drop in and surprise you, he growled—literally growled at me!”

A satisfied warmth sparks in my chest, a smile threatening to overtake my face.

She laughs merrily and shakes her head, oblivious to my lift in mood. The water bubbles and she adds a dash of salt before the dry oats. She covers the pot with a matching copper lid.

“Ugh, Alec has been so pitiful lately. I hate it. I told him the best thing for you would be to spend time with someone your own age. But instead, he saddles you with Kraeston—fucking Kraeston—of all people! I get it, he’s a good guy and he cares and Alec trusts him and so on. But come on, he’s so ancient and boring ! Dreadful company.”

Cescily pulls the lid from the cooking oats to add the apples and cinnamon and covers it again with a clang!

“I was in the courtyard, smoking with Alec, when you threw your clothes off the balcony. Loved it. Then I saw again when you obviously sent Kraeston to fetch some back for you to wear. Loved it even more. I told Alec to let me take you shopping. He was so confused why you threw everything out in the first place. I told him, obviously you needed some change! But no. No, no, no!” Cescily walks around the kitchen, waving her wooden spoon in the air wildly.

She drops her voice an octave and pinches her face to be serious in an impressive imitation of Alec. “‘Stay away, Cescily. Stay away or I will marry you off to some sad sack across the sea.’”

A wide smile cracks my face as I laugh.

“He’d never, of course. And all the good that staying away has done.” Cescily studies me, up and down. “Obviously no one has taken you shopping! And gods, I can’t blame you. I cannot imagine going shopping for clothes with Kraeston.”

She removes the pot from the heat and pulls down a ceramic bowl.

Cescily spins quickly, the loose fabric of her tan dress twirling around her. “Oh! Yes! Let’s go shopping today!” She jumps up and down and claps her hands excitedly. “Do you want to?”

This woman is so thrilled at the prospect, I can’t help but let her excitement bleed over to me. I offer her a weak smile and say, “Okay.”

She squeals and runs to me, giving me another hug. She grabs the pot of freshly cooked oats and pours the contents in the waste bin with a wet plop.

“Let’s go!” Cescily grabs my hand and starts running for the door. She stops abruptly and spins. “First, do us a massive favor.” She’s holding up her hand, halting me from walking any further.

“Okay.”

“I need you to look at me and ask—with as much enthusiasm as you can muster—to take you shopping. And make sure to say my name.”

“Why? ”

“If Kraeston can’t find you for your rigid routine that I’m stealing you from, Alec is likely to start burning down buildings to find you. I’m going to tell him what we’re doing. And he won’t try to stop me if you say you want it.” She beams and nods at me encouragingly.

“Cescily, please take me shopping,” I say blandly, and she cringes.

“Well, that was not at all enthusiastic.” I open my mouth to try again but she stops me. “It’s okay! I showed him how you smiled and laughed before. Alec has accepted the situation for what it is. Begrudgingly, but he’s accepted it. Let’s go!”

Cescily is pulling me towards the door again, holding my arm tight. Before we make it outside, she jumps, and we appear on a bustling street of a district I don’t recognize.

“Wait, you communicated all of that with each other that quickly?” I shout over the sudden noise of the city.

“Of course! We can mind speak to anyone. Except poor Mother. Very frustrating for her that we can say anything we want without her being able to answer back.”

The district we’re in is significantly louder and more crowded than everywhere I’ve been with Kraeston. The facades of the buildings are more colorful, and the air is thick with different fragrance of incense, savory meats, and fruity tobacco smoke.

Foot traffic bleeds into the street, moving around shoppers who have stopped to inspect the pop-up stalls of accessories and clothing. Two men argue angrily over a bartering deal for scarves. A street performer drumming beats through the air like a living pulse. A loud crack snaps and people cheer before streamers rain down on top of our heads from the balconies above.

The overall setup and energy is fast, loud, chaotic .

I love it.

Cescily grins at me as I take everything in. “I knew Kraeston hadn’t brought you anywhere good. This is our favorite place. It’s a little crazier than usual because of the weekend, and people are starting to get excited about Samhain, but I think it adds to the experience.”

Cescily hooks her arm through mine and pulls me to a street cart, ordering two ears of roasted corn. She thanks the owner and tips him heavily. “Come on, there’s a great park a few blocks over where we can eat.”

We weave through the crowds, Cescily holding me tight in one hand and our snack in the other. We round a couple corners, and the noise begins to diminish. There’s a large grassy area in the middle of the city, complete with a lake where people paddleboat in the hot sun. Lampposts line the sidewalk running around the outside square of the park, all boasting different colored flags with the Vahnsing crest of the dual faced sun.

“Alec is missing out, not being here to see you experience The Capital for the first time again.” I turn to Cescily, surprised to see her watching me with deep affection. “He was beside himself to see how much you loved our city, how excited you were knowing that it would be yours, too, one day.”

My heart squeezes, and I dig for those memories—for the first time wishing I could find them.

“He’ll be sad to know he missed out on reliving the magic with you. But it’s his own damn fault. Kraeston and I do agree that he’s being too gentle with you. You weren’t gentle even as a child. And you are not a child anymore.”

“No, I’m not,” I agree .

“You two have been endlessly entertaining. It’s been so fun watching Alec cater to you like he’s your own personal servant all these years. I thought he was going to kill me the first time you came to the palace. I couldn’t stop laughing at how the great, feared King of Quinndohs was beside himself trying to make this little girl happy. Accommodating your every whim. I couldn’t believe it when he rearranged the king’s chambers because you said the lighting in the bedchamber was better for reading, and that it needed a reading nook.”

Cescily laughs merrily at the memory and continues.

“I lost it the next morning when Alec just gave you the rooms and moved into his childhood bedroom because you liked the overnight changes so much. Not even a thought. Just ‘Oh, you like it? It is yours!’ Hilarious. Hilarious!”

She shakes her head and nibbles her corn with a sly smile. “You know, he hasn’t been clean shaven in twenty years? You once told your father that he needed a beard like Alec’s. Alec assumed that meant you liked it and has kept it since. He definitely wanted to kill me when I pulled that memory from him while my powers were manifesting.“ Cescily shrugs her shoulders innocently. “He had his guard down. He was so embarrassed when I told you.”

Beaming, I imagine Alec bickering with his younger sister. I can practically hear Cescily laughing over learning something so personal, like a nosey sibling digging into thoughts recorded in a diary.

“Alec’s always so broody. But any time you come around, he becomes this giant, walking, bleeding heart. Desperate to make you happy.” Cescily pauses, giving me an interested look before continuing. “Women do like that type, don’t they? And they especially like your broody man. ”

My head snaps in her direction, and I inexplicably see splashes of crimson.

Cescily laughs fondly.

“See, you’re just as bad as Alec. Only you get all murderous rage. Also, hilarious. Oh! Can I please tell you about the first time you killed someone?”

My mouth drops open with shock. “I’ve killed someone?”

Cescily laughs. “Yes, Elly. Just the one.”

I’m surprisingly unbothered by the idea and smile to myself. I nod at her, encouraging her to go on.

“Not long ago, you were here to visit, and you were different. Your maturing was nearing completion, and your moods were nothing short of unstable. Alec took you out to lunch, and some woman there kept giving Alec inviting looks. I’m talking crazy bedroom eyes—the exact same bedroom eyes you were giving him.”

My cheeks heat. It’s odd to hear someone I don’t know tell me about a version of myself that I don’t remember in such an uninhibited way. Cescily throws her head back and laughs.

“You kept getting more and more angry, and then finally, you threatened her. She left, but you were too far gone at that point. You followed her out into the street, I mean a busy street, and fucking zapped her from the ground up. Burned a hole straight through the center of her.” Cescily laughs hysterically at the memory.

“The damage control was insane! Alec shut down the whole block and called every single family member in the city to come wipe memories. The first-row seat from every vantage point was well worth the days of recovery. And you just kept shrugging your shoulders over and over—saying she deserved it. Ate a fucking ice cream while her still smoking body was carried away. Alec refuses to admit it, but we all wager that was the day the mating bond truly woke for him.”

She laughs again and studies me lovingly.

As Cescily finishes her story a tiny drop of dark fluid pounds against the glass barrier blocking my memories, much more insistent than before, and quickly breaks through.

The sun shines through the white umbrella shading our outdoor table at a cafe. We sit in a bustling portion of the city, eating from a tray of decadent cardamom cream puffs and drinking dessert wine.

I laugh hard as Alec finishes telling me about how he and Father used to fight as boys, getting into physical altercations as often as he did with his brothers. Alec tells me they often abandoned their powers in favor of throwing their fists. Given their attitudes towards each other now, I’m not surprised.

“You men. All you want to do is fight.”

Alec looks at me indignantly, but his dark eyes dance with playful light. “All you want to do is fight.”

My shoulders shrug. “Fair point.”

Alec smiles at me while I twirl a finger in my long hair and gaze at him through my lashes with doe eyes.

My skin is buzzing after our long walk around the city. I hung on Alec’s arm through The Capital without him wearing a glamour for the first time; a king proudly displaying his future queen. Our mate bond is no secret, but our relationship has been kept out of the public eye until recently. I’ve just turned twenty-three, and Alec has officially begun courting me. Our time together is different lately, shifting towards something more intimate than the friendship we’ve known all these years .

Alec’s stare briefly cuts to something behind me, his shoulders tensing. I narrow my eyes at him, and he gives me a loving smile.

“What’s wrong?” I ask about his change in demeanor.

“Nothing, my clove.”

Turning my head, I search for what caught his eye. He grabs my hand on the table, lacing his long fingers through mine and squeezes, trying to turn my attention back to him.

I ignore it.

Glancing over my shoulder, I find a beautiful woman in a low-cut dress at a table behind me. She averts her eyes when I turn; but not before I catch the coy smile she’s attempting to give Alec.

Now I’m tense.

Turning back to Alec, he squeezes my hand again.

“Does she keep looking at you like that?” My tone holds a hint of accusation.

“It does not matter, Ellya.”

Alec moves his chair closer to mine and drapes an arm around my shoulders. He begins running the pads of his fingers down my bare arm, my flesh pebbling as I fail to suppress a shudder. If I wasn’t standing so close to the brink of something hideous, I would melt into the touch. I get the impression that was Alec’s intention.

My want for him only fuels the growing inferno within me.

“Yes, it does Alec. Everyone can sense our bond.”

She’s staring at him now—it’s as if her eyes are boring into my own skin with her lust.

My teeth grind hard as I close my eyes, trying to push down this dark sea brewing inside me. I turn around and give her a death glare when I find her desire drenched gaze directed at my mate.

She’s not even trying to hide her intentions.

My hands ball into tight fists, my fingernails digging deep crescents into my palms and breaking the skin. My face contorts angrily as red splotches across my cheeks.

“I’m going to kill her,” I growl and begin to rise.

Alec pulls me back down, his handsome face holding endless amusement. “You cannot kill her, Ellya.”

“Why?” My death stare turns onto him. I suddenly think maybe I should kill Alec too, if he’s so adamant on her being alive.

Alec’s smile grows as he takes in my reaction. “Because we are in the middle of a crowded street.” His eyes are alive with a light I’ve never seen before, roving over my face and greedily taking me in.

It just makes me want to stake my claim over him more.

“In case I have not told you before, you are stunningly beautiful. If we kill everyone who looks at us with desire, there will be no one left.”

My fire eases with Alec’s compliment, his words soothing me away from the edge of a cliff.

But I can’t ignore that unwanted stare lingering where it doesn’t belong.

Turning to the woman again, Alec catches my cheek with his fingers and guides me back to him. He affectionately kisses the tip of my nose, then my brow, taking me by surprise. I practically swoon, my eyes shining with glee.

Alec leans in close to me, barely brushing his lips against my hair. I let out a soft sigh and nearly combust when his warm breath tickles my ear.

“But it turns out, I do love how jealousy looks on you,” he whispers. The words are laced with a tone I’ve never heard from him before, turning the faint glow around my heart into a burning sun. Alec drops my chin and gives me a soft, dark smirk.

Leaping to my feet, m y chair falls backwards with a loud crash against the stone.

Several heads scattered throughout the cafe patio turn as I stalk over to the woman.

Her eyes have gone wide with alarm.

Grabbing her fork, I stab it straight into the table beside her hand, barely scraping against her flesh to create a small, jagged cut. She jumps, yelping in pain and surprise.

“If you look at my fucking mate one more time, I will rip your throat out with my teeth,” I snarl in her face.

She doesn’t say anything and runs away, tripping over her chair in her haste to leave.

My body swivels back towards Alec; his expression is alive and hungry as he drinks in my show of possession.

It fuels me further.

Euphoria and fury course through me as I follow the woman onto the crowded sidewalk, determined to slay my prey. My skin is crackling with power, increasing with each step forward.

A crowd of people have stopped to watch the scene unfolding.

“Hey!” I scream, and she looks back.

Pure, undiluted terror is painted across her lovely face. I give her a feral grin and place my hand on the sidewalk, pulling loose my spool of power and sending an electric shock of white-gold veins from the ground, straight through her core. Raw power and satisfaction rips through my being when I see the realization in her eyes—knowing that her life is about to end.

My wild smile grows as my beam of electric light exits the top of her head in a plume of smoke and her blood and innards splat on the sidewalk through the hole I created before her lifeless body crumples to the ground.

Alec is beside me, yanking me up by my elbow.

Most everyone on the street has stopped to witness the gruesome exchange. I tilt my head up at Alec as his eyes dart to the people around us. A mixture of amusement and disbelief—but mostly shock and horror—ripples through the crowd who just watched their future queen slaughter an innocent woman in the street.

Alec reads the energy of the onlookers and wraps his arms protectively around me, pulling me close to his body. His concern is noxious when he finally screams at the top of his lungs, “STOP!”

The bustling street freezes before my eyes. Everyone is as still and silent as statues while Alec holds their minds, the sudden silence buzzing around me.

Chancing a glance at Alec, I expect to see anger or disappointment, but his face shows nothing but a crazed joy that matches exactly what I’m experiencing, a drop of blood running from his nose with his exertion of power. He pulls me in tight to his side, tucking me possessively under his arm. He repeatedly kisses my temple as his siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins start appearing before us, preparing to erase the crowd’s memories.

Pulling free from the memory, I find Cescily eyeing me curiously. “You really are my favorite person, Elly.”

I gulp, trying to swallow down my sudden giddiness with that memory; the crashing heaviness of how drastically everything has changed.

“Maybe I once was, but I’m not that person anymore.” My voice is shaky.

Cescily puts an arm around my shoulder and kisses my cheek. “You may have evolved into something a little different, but you are still my favorite person. Now, let’s go find you a new wardrobe to match. ”

A spontaneous idea pops into my head. “I want to do something else, first.”

When I relay to Cescily what I want to do, she jumps to her feet clapping and exclaiming, “I know just the person!”

Cescily’s friend Makhoi welcomes her with open arms and sits me down swiftly when I explain what I want. He turns the chair to face away from the mirror and drapes a long golden cape over my front.

“Alright, lovely. Let’s get rid of this dull mess and bring you back to life.” Makhoi smiles. His dark eyes, lined with winged gold, crinkle happily. I think I like him. And Cescily was right, I immediately liked her too.

Cescily sits on a cushion in the salon’s bay window, smoking the same black cigarettes as Alec. “Your brother smokes those.”

She looks down at the burning ember and smiles. “Only recently. He woke me up to ask me for one the first time you threw him on his ass out of your room.” Cescily takes a deep drag and smiles at me, waggling her eyebrows. “ Clove .”

Makhoi laughs while he rubs a sweet-smelling oil in my hair and Cescily lets out a lilting chime with him.

“And Alec’s now got vases of jasmine sitting around everywhere.” Cescily grimaces at me. “It’s kind of sad, Elly.”

“Trouble with the king?” Makhoi asks, running shears through the first section of hair, cutting off a long rope that flutters to the floor.

I wrinkle my nose. “Something like that.”

Cescily and Makhoi chatter happily while I close my eyes, enjoying the weight leaving my neck with each snip—like I’m being freed from undesirable parts of myself that I’m desperate to shed. I’ve had long hair for my entire life and I crave to drop the youthful innocence that I now associate with the length; to let go of this old part of myself that is no longer relevant, no longer feels like me.

Perhaps Cescily is right. Perhaps I can be the same person, just a little different.

Two hours later, my hair is done and Makhoi is lining my eyes with a dark kohl, holding ready in his hand a golden tube of wine-red lipstick. “You are divine,” he whispers proudly.

When he’s finished, he turns the chair to face the mirror. I stare into it, taking in my new reflection. My hair is much shorter, barely brushing the swell of my breasts. Without the extra weight, it’s bouncier, fuller. The color is no longer chestnut, but a light shade of lilac. With my new hair and mature makeup, I’ve lost the last vestiges of childishness to my appearance, like I’ve stepped through a veil and emerged on the other side as something new.

Cescily beams while Makhoi watches my reaction with silent apprehension. My face breaks into an ear-splitting grin and he relaxes noticeably. He pats my shoulder and hands me a paper bag filled with the makeup he used.

“This is why you’re my favorite, Makhoi. Thank you, so much, for taking us on no notice,” Cescily says.

“Like you’d ever let me say no.”

“Come on, Elly. Let’s go find something to show off your tits!” Cescily says with contagious enthusiasm.