Troubled (The Binding Chronicles #4)

4. Silver Planes, Inconsolable Grief, and Headaches

Silver Planes, Inconsolable Grief, and Headaches

M arius’s new bodyguard wasn’t much of a conversationalist.

Five days had passed since they first started their journey, and Vivienne had barely spoken to him. Sometimes, he caught her muttering under her breath about this “ridiculous situation that would get them killed,” but she never said that to his face.

Right now, the vampire was sitting with her back against the opposite wall, one hand on her sword as she silently studied him.

He rested his head against the carriage, his eyes hooded as he listened to the clopping hoofbeats outside.

He was growing weary of this carriage, and each day seemed longer than the last.

On the second day, Marius had attempted to leave the carriage and sit with Felix, but that was where his bodyguard had drawn the line. She insisted on keeping an eye on him at all times, even while he was sleeping.

Since she couldn’t go in the sun, they sat silently and stared at each other .

The quiet didn’t bother Marius. After living with his studious sister for years, he was used to people getting lost in their heads.

Besides, he had enough on his plate without adding conversation to the mix. Between planning for their eventual arrival at Hoarfrost Hollow and hoping that Luna would forgive him for what he’d realized was essentially running away, he was constantly thinking.

Now that the initial buzz of freedom had worn off, Marius was slightly worried that he’d underestimated the devastation his sudden departure would cause.

Luna’s scream and Sebastian’s roars had just been so loud , and they’d been tinged with so much anger and anguish. Marius had borne witness to the king’s anger in the past. For Kydona’s sake, he’d been present in the hours before Sebastian and Luna had gone to fight the evil queen.

He’d never heard the king roar like that, though. It was a good reminder that his brother-in-law was a predator, first and foremost.

And he’d angered him.

Worse, Marius had hurt his sister. The memory of Luna’s scream had his stomach twisting, even now.

The sooner they reached Hoarfrost Hollow, the better.

The Tether was the only reason they’d gotten this far. Marius had never really appreciated the magic tying his sister to her husband until he realized it meant she couldn’t follow him during the day. There was no question in his mind; the vampires would be searching for him from dusk until dawn.

As soon as the sun set, they found shelter in abandoned buildings or caves. They kept to themselves since they couldn’t risk interacting with people who might report their presence to the vampires. Twice, they stopped to wash in streams that got colder as they journeyed north.

Yesterday, they crossed Needle Pass into the Northern Kingdom. The thin trail cut through the Koln Mountains, and the crossing had taken most of the day.

Today, Marius could taste the snow in the air. They were close. He couldn’t wait to see the looks on Luna and Sebastian’s faces when he told them there had been a threat, but he’d contained it.

Finally , they would have to understand that he could care for himself. They would be forced to loosen their hold on him when he proved that he was a help, not a hindrance, to the kingdom.

Marius exhaled and scrubbed a hand over his face. This had to work because he wasn’t sure what he would do if it didn’t.

His thoughts were heavy today, reflecting the air in the carriage. It had shifted tonight, and it was darker. Unsettled, almost. A sign they were drawing nearer to their destination, he thought.

A fist pounded on the carriage wall, pulling Marius from his thoughts.

“It’s almost sunset, Mar,” Felix called out.

Thank the gods, the groom had been able to join Marius on this journey. He wouldn’t have been able to do this without his friend’s help.

As soon as he’d Seen the messenger’s arrival, Marius had sought out Felix and explained his plan. Once the groom agreed to come, Marius called in a favor from Malcom, another friend of his who was a vampire. He agreed to shadow Felix and the carriage to Ithenmyr during the university opening.

He knocked back. “Got it.”

Vivienne still hadn’t moved, and her black eyes were trained on him. It should have unsettled him, but something about the vampire’s assessing gaze felt safe.

“I’m going to Look ahead,” he told her.

One of the first lessons Daegal, Marius’s Fortune Elf mentor, taught him was that quiet moments were perfect opportunities to walk the silver planes and See what was to come. Daegal was a full Fortune Elf, not a halfling, but he was kind and had spent countless hours tutoring Marius in his magic.

His bodyguard dipped her head. “Go ahead, I’ll keep watch.”

Marius reached within himself, grabbing onto the threads of magic that were his Fortune Elf birthright.

Earth Elves had green, life-giving magic. Death Elves had red, life-stealing magic. Light Elf magic was purple, like the orb burning in the corner of the carriage. Witches had blue magic capable of healing and growing… or, if it was tinged in black, harming others.

His magic was silver, and it flooded his vision as the carriage faded away.

Marius released his breath, smiling as the magic settled around him.

The silver planes were beautiful in an otherworldly, ethereal fashion. This wasn’t a place, not really. There wasn’t a sky, nor were there walls. Shimmering light spread as far as the eye could see. The air was cool but not cold. A sense of safety permeated his bones.

Silver paths lay at his feet. Each contained a possible future, and they were as countless as the stars.

Marius had always loved this place. This was his heritage, and it was here that he felt connected to his mother. She’d Faded when he was born, but he swore he could feel her presence here. If coming to the silver planes didn’t drain him, he would visit daily.

Today, he was willing to risk the drain to See what was coming.

He bent, picking up the path resting closest to his feet. It ran through his fingers like water.

The future flashed through his mind, snapshots of what might come. He Saw himself running through the woods with Vivienne and Felix. Snarling, faceless vampires swarmed them, taking them by surprise. Pain. Screams .

No .

Marius threw that path away as though it burned him.

Rubbing his hands on his pants, he picked up the next one. It was similar, except it ended with a bloody Felix on his back in the snow, his throat torn to pieces.

Shuddering, he tossed that one aside, too. He wouldn’t risk harm coming to Felix. The Death Elf was one of his only friends.

Felix’s father worked in the stables at Castle Sanguis, and the two boys met soon after Luna and Sebastian took the throne. Felix never seemed to care that Marius’s sister was the queen, and they’d grown close over the years.

Marius selected a path that shone as though it was imbued with sunlight and ran his fingers over it.

At first, this one was the same as the others. Running. Vampires. Screaming.

But the end…

Marius’s hands trembled, and his legs shook. He wanted to throw the path away and never think of it again, but his gaze was locked onto the vision playing out before him in terrifying clarity.

Luna and Sebastian were on their matching obsidian thrones, holding court. Dozens of vampires were crowded in the moonlit throne room, facing the dais where the royals sat.

The king wore black, as always, and shadows swarmed his legs. His feet were planted on the ground, and his dark gaze stared straight ahead. Luna wore a crimson gown, the velvet fabric hugging her curves before sweeping out before her. That, in and of itself, wasn’t what caught Marius’s attention.

The grim expression on Sebastian’s face and the look of horror on Luna’s made Marius feel like he would throw up .

A messenger stood before the royals, his back to Marius. The man’s voice warbled, and the vision started as he spoke the last word. “… dead.”

The word was barely out of the messenger’s mouth before an ear-piercing, glass-shattering scream ripped from Luna’s throat.

She fell to her knees in front of her throne, hands clutching her crimson gown. The crown tumbled off her head, rolling away on the stone floor. Red tears streaked down her face. Shadows streamed from her hands.

The scream went on and on. It was never-ending. Gods, why wouldn’t it end?

The king leaped from his throne.

“Everybody out!” he roared, shadows darkening the space.

Vampires jumped into action, some shadowing away while others ran as fast as possible. Marius was there, but not, and no one touched him.

Within seconds, the messenger and the royals were the only ones who remained.

Sebastian crouched, his attention fully on his wife as he reached for her. “Luna?—”

Her scream morphed into a wail, and she trembled. “My brother!”

Her grief was a sharp sword, carving Marius’s heart out of his chest.

The vision wasn’t over, but he couldn’t bear to watch anymore. His heart galloped, and his breath came in heavy bursts. He threw the path to the side and crawled backward, shaking his head.

He couldn’t allow that future to come to pass.

Stupid .

He’d been so gods-damned stupid thinking that Luna would be okay with him leaving. Why did he think a note would help ease the pain of his disappearance?

He was officially the worst brother in the entire world.

If Marius returned to Castle Sanguis a failure, he would deserve the queen’s scolding. He was certain she would force a contingent of guards to follow him for the remainder of his life. Forget three bodyguards—he’d never know a minute of solitude again.

Frantically, he grabbed another path. This one ended like the others. He threw it away, already reaching for another.

There had to be a future that didn’t end in violence, failure, and death.

Time had no meaning as he sifted through the paths. His vision blurred, and his head throbbed as he kept Looking ahead. Exhaustion slowed his movements, and his well of magic was nearly depleted when he picked up yet another iteration of the future.

Bracing himself for more visions of pain and death, he traced the path. His heart caught in his throat, and he could barely believe what the path contained.

The future it foretold was still dangerous, but that was nothing new. Marius had been in danger ever since the Council of Lords sold his sister to the vampires.

It was the lack of death and grieving that gave Marius hope. This was the path they needed to follow. Even though it was malleable and the smallest decision could alter its course, it was better than nothing.

He was about to release the path and leave the silver planes when the future shifted. A new vision replaced the first, and a bolt of fear ran through his heart.

Oh, gods.

He cursed and dropped the path. There was no time to waste. They were all in danger, and he needed to warn the others.

Relinquishing his grip on his magic, Marius fled the silver planes. He swayed as the magic released him back into his body, his head throbbing against the confines of his skull.

Pain held him in its grip. Everything hurt, and breathing took all his concentration. His lungs felt like they were on fire, and every part of him ached.

He needed to speak and tell them what he’d Seen, but he felt like he was moments away from the Fade.

Too long.

He should have come back from the silver planes long ago.

“Well?” Vivienne asked from across the carriage. “What did you…”

Her voice trailed off. In a movement too quick for him to follow in his current state, she sheathed her sword and crouched in front of him.

Her hands cupped his cheeks, her touch cool but not cold, and her eyes searched his. “What’s wrong?”

He breathed in as deeply as he could manage.

“Might have… overdone it.” Each word tasted like chalk, and his tongue was heavy. “Halfling.”

He should’ve been more careful. Moved more slowly. Used less magic.

This was the story of his life. No matter how much he wished it wasn’t true, he wasn’t as strong as other Fortune Elves.

Vivienne frowned, still cupping his cheeks.

Marius couldn’t help but study the vampire before him. She’d been so frustrated with him, not that he blamed her, but now that they were so close, he couldn’t ignore her beauty. Blazing red hair curtained her face as she studied him; her cheekbones were strong, and her eyes burned with a fierceness he rarely saw in others.

Removing her right hand from his cheek, she pressed the back of it against his forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”

He shook his head, wincing at the pain the movement caused.

“It’ll pass,” he said with difficulty.

The bodyguard stared at him for another long moment before she nodded and returned to the other bench. She was closer this time, and their knees nearly touched.

“What do you need?”

He rubbed his hand across his brow. “Water would help. And just… time.”

Usually, that was all he needed to recover from magical exertion. Hopefully, even though he’d pushed himself too far today, he’d recover quickly.

Vivienne reached under the bench, pulling out the bag with provisions Felix had brought. She handed him a bottle of water and watched as he drank the entire thing.

Marius replaced the cap and nodded.

“Thank you.” His words came more easily, and he exhaled a sigh of relief. “We need to warn Fe?—”

The carriage jerked to a sudden stop.

Marius jolted, careening off the bench. Before he could slam into the opposing wall, strong arms caught him.

“Careful,” Vivienne warned.

A bump came from outside, followed by a shout of alarm. One of the horses whinnied.

Too late.

His stomach churned, but he ignored it. He should’ve moved faster and warned them sooner. He shouldn’t have taken the time to drink.

Rising from the bench, Marius stood on wobbly legs as he drew a dagger sheathed on his thigh. Felix needed his help. He couldn’t stay here.

Vivienne exclaimed, “Prince, what are you?—”

Marius flung open the carriage door, careful not to let the last rays of sunlight touch the vampire, before he jumped to the ground, letting the door slam shut behind him .

The moment he got his bearings, he groaned.

Kydona help them all, this was worse than what he’d Seen.