Troubled (The Binding Chronicles #4)

22. Ipothan Plains and Ancient Ruins

Ipothan Plains and Ancient Ruins

“ W e’ve arrived.” Luna squeezed Marius’s hand as they stepped out of the Void. Sebastian and Vivienne were a few feet away, the king having brought the other vampire with him.

Marius exhaled, cool air filling his lungs as he took stock of his surroundings. They definitely weren’t in Castle Sanguis anymore.

The sky was dark, clouds shrouded the stars from sight, and the moon’s silver glow was muted. It wasn’t snowing yet, but the frigid air and wailing wind spoke of a coming storm.

Marius bit back a shiver, the cold finding its way through the many layers he wore at Luna’s insistence. Even the temperature couldn’t dampen his mood, though.

They stood on the edge of a snowy plain on the other side of the Koln Mountains, the forests of Eleyta nowhere to be seen. Something about the flat landscape called to Marius’s heart.

He’d spent countless hours of his childhood wistfully watching children play on the Ipothan flatlands outside his bedroom window. He’d never been able to join them, even on his better days. The Wasting Illness had stolen that from him.

Now, he’d get his chance.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, eager to get going. Hoisting the pack on his back, which contained his supplies for the next several days, he took in the plains.

Their destination was barely more than a speck on the horizon. If Marius squinted, he could make out a massive stone arch standing in front of what appeared to be expansive ruins. Maybe once, they would’ve formed a beautiful structure. Now, they were remnants of times passed, dotting the horizon and beckoning him forward.

The House of Forgotten Shadows.

The name sounded like something pulled out of the books Marius had read when he was younger, dreaming about following Phyrra’s footsteps.

His magic thrummed excitedly in his veins.

This was why he’d begged Luna to let him explore the world. The feeling coursing through him chased away the cold, giving him life.

The air vibrated with ancient magic, and his Fortune Elf side felt closer to the surface than usual. He flexed his fingers, his brows raising as silver sparks ran along the back of his hand. That had never happened before.

“This is as close as we can take you,” Sebastian said, his voice drawing Marius out of his thoughts. “Wards prevent vampires from shadowing any closer to the House of Forgotten Shadows, but you should be able to walk through them.”

“We’ll make it,” Marius said confidently.

He’d walked the silver planes earlier, and even though he hadn’t been able to See what awaited them inside, every single path he’d traced had shown them arriving at the ruins .

“I believe in you.” Luna squeezed his hand before turning her attention to Vivienne. “You fed, right?”

“I did, Your Majesty.” Vivienne fanned out her wings and dipped her head. Fighting leathers hugged her curves, and her sword was sheathed behind her back. She looked every bit the warrior Marius knew her to be. “I’ve returned to my full strength, and I’m ready to protect the prince.”

The vampire standing before Marius was a far cry from the one he’d freed from in the prison cell four days ago. He’d never admit it, but when he first saw her in that cell, he scarcely believed she was the same person. There had been a pain in her eyes that he’d never seen before, and an aura of death had surrounded her.

Thank all the gods, both were gone now that Vivienne had fed, showered, and slept. Marius was happier about that than he should have been, considering that their relationship should’ve been purely platonic.

He was starting to accept that his bodyguard made him feel things that no one else did. Her annoyance with him and the way she grumbled beneath her breath was amusing. He would’ve been disappointed never to hear her curse him again.

“Miss Beaumont, a word?” Sebastian gestured for Vivienne to follow him.

She did as he asked, joining the king a few feet away.

Luna turned towards Marius. Her red gown flowed around her, the hem brushing the snow. Even without a crown, there was no doubting her royal status. She exuded strength and darkness.

“I hate that we can’t go with you,” Luna murmured.

This wasn’t the first time they’d had this discussion over the past few days, but it never seemed to get easier.

“I know, but it’s not safe.” The kingdom would be thrown into turmoil if anything happened to the royals. Marius couldn’t let that happen. “I’ll be alright, Lulu. ”

She frowned, and the sight nearly broke Marius’s heart. “You don’t know that. There are so many ways this could go wrong.”

“They won’t. We’ll be careful.”

Luna reached up, her cold hand cupping Marius’s cheek. Despite the temperature of her skin, he leaned into his sister’s touch.

“Come back, Mar-mar,” she whispered. “I need you to come back.”

He’d sworn he wouldn’t cry, but pressure built behind his eyes. He shouldn’t be sad about this—he’d been craving an adventure like this for years. But he hated that his leaving was hurting his sister again.

“I will.” He hugged her, whispering against her hair, “I promise.”

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, embracing each other. Eventually, a throat cleared behind them.

“It’s time, darling. We need to leave.” Sebastian touched Luna’s shoulder, handing her a black handkerchief.

With a sniffle, she stepped back, wiping her eyes.

“We won’t say goodbye,” she declared, lacing her hand through her husband’s. The authoritative tone of her voice made Marius want to bend a knee and bow to her. “It would be too final. Instead, we wish you both the best of luck. Keep each other safe and listen to your instincts. The magic here is old and dangerous, and it might be unpredictable.”

“Once you have the vial, head west to Marshwood Tower,” Sebastian added. “We’ve arranged a ride to bring you back to Eleyta.”

Running a hand reassuringly over the hilt of the dagger sheathed at his hip, Marius nodded and promised his sister again that everything would be fine.

It took another round of hugs, and a few more crimson tears were shed, but eventually, the royals stepped back. Shadows gathered around the two vampires, and moments later, darkness swallowed them whole.

The wards must have been playing with time and space because the ruins were much further away than Marius initially thought. They had crossed the first ward several hours ago, the magic sweeping over them like buzzing bees, but they had yet to reach their destination.

Marius didn’t mind. He and Vivienne were walking side by side and passing the time by talking, exchanging stories of everything and nothing.

Marius told his bodyguard about how he’d befriended Felix as a child, and she shared about her life before she was Made. He explained that he used to hate all the reading Luna made him do, the itch for adventure making concentrating on even one page nearly impossible. Vivienne shared about her love for painting, but she explained that she hadn’t had the chance to sit down and create art for several years.

Now, they’d moved on to childhood fears. The ruins were drawing near, but they had a way to go.

“When I was a child, one of my nursemaids hailed from the western shore of Ipotha.” Brina had always been kind to Marius, even when illness caused him to be short-tempered. “She would tell me stories of great sea monsters with wings like dragons that inhabited the Rose Ocean. According to her, the monsters would roam the land at night, looking for children out of their beds and devouring them whole.”

Vivienne chuckled, raising a brow. “And you… believed her?”

Her tone of voice made it clear she thought it was ridiculous.

“At the time, absolutely.” Marius scoffed, his cheeks warming as he recalled hiding beneath his covers, scared to make a sound, let alone get up. “Those sea monsters were my greatest fear for years.”

“I can imagine,” she said dryly.

“Now I’m beginning to suspect that Brina wanted me to stay in bed and not bother her during the night hours.”

Vivienne snickered and elbowed him in the side. “I can see that.”

Marius snorted, reaching into his pack and pulling out an apple. The fruit never grew very large in Eleyta since the cold weather kept apples small and bite-sized. Rubbing the ruby flesh on his cloak, he raised it to his lips before frowning.

“Does it bother you if I eat in front of you?” he asked, the apple frozen midway to his mouth.

Vampires couldn’t taste food, but they could consume it. According to his sister, everything turned to ash in their mouths.

His bodyguard raised a red brow. “Does it bother you that vampires need to drink blood?”

“No, of course not. That’s how you survive.”

Any strangeness he might’ve had about vampires and blood had left him long ago.

“That’s exactly how I feel.” Vivienne’s smile was gentle. “Go ahead, prince. Eat. It doesn’t bother me. I used to love food, once.”

With her blessing, he bit into the apple, letting the sweet juices fill his mouth. It was delicious, and he devoured it in four bites. Tossing the core to the side, he wiped his hand on his cloak.

They walked silently for a few minutes, the ruins drawing steadily closer.

“Do you miss it?” he asked, the lingering flavor of the apple still coating his tongue. “Food, I mean.”

Vivienne played with the hilt of her sword. “Sometimes. Mostly just bread at this point. Warm, fresh out of the oven.” She moaned, and Marius’s heart almost stopped at the sound. “It was my favorite, and I used to eat it daily.”

His stomach rumbled, and he groaned. “I love warm bread. When I was young, my diet consisted of bland foods that wouldn’t upset my stomach. Now, the richer, the better.”

She chuckled. “Do you have a favorite food?”

He didn’t have to think about the answer. After being cured, he’d tried hundreds of foods, and many were delicious. One stood out among them, though.

“Warm maple taffy.” Marius smacked his lips, the ghost of the treat sweet on the back of his tongue. “Janis, one of the cooks in Castle Sanguis, makes it using syrup imported from Ithenmyr. It’s to die for.”

When he was fourteen, he’d eaten so much taffy that his stomach had hurt for days. He hadn’t told anyone, scared that Luna would be upset and forbid him from ever eating it again, so he suffered in silence.

It had been worth it.

She hummed. “It sounds delicious.”

“It is.” He’d have to ask Janis to make more when they returned.

The conversation ebbed, and a comfortable silence settled between them. It wasn’t awkward, solidifying that Marius had made a good choice in bringing Vivienne with him.

By the time they reached the black arches in front of the ruins, they’d been walking for hours. They stopped in unison, tilting up their heads and staring at the imposing structure.

“Something’s carved along the top,” Vivienne remarked.

The sprawling text must have been centuries old, faded in parts, and battered by wind and time.

Marius stepped closer, tapping his fingers on his thigh. For the first time in his life, he was grateful for his sister’s insistence that he spend hours studying with his tutors. He’d hated it as a child, but now…

He reached for the stone.

“Careful, Marius,” his bodyguard hissed. “It might not be safe.”

He frowned. She had a point. Who knew what kind of old spells lingered here?

Moving slowly, he tested the air and waited for the familiar buzz of magic to creep over his skin. His Fortune Elf side was silent, and he didn’t feel anything strange in the air .

“I don’t think it’s enchanted,” he told her over his shoulder.

“You don’t think?” Vivienne sounded a touch frantic, and her black eyes widened. “It could be. We should exercise caution and?—”

He reached out, touching the stone.

“Damn you,” Vivienne cursed as his fingers made contact with the shale.

When the cold stone turned out to be just that—cold stone and nothing else—he exhaled. “See? No magic.”

Vivienne grumbled under her breath as he traced his index finger along the smooth grooves in the stone. The lettering was old, the language an ancient variation of the Common Tongue that had gone out of use a thousand years ago.

Marius’s brows furrowed, and he murmured, “To all who come… no, enter.” He shook his head and started again. “To all who enter these gates, beware.”

A shiver crawled down his spine, and goosebumps peppered his flesh. The air shifted, and he swallowed. His heart pounded as he retraced the message, confirming that his translation was accurate.

Beware.

“Well, this is absolutely delightful.” Scowling, Vivienne crossed her arms and stared at him. “Nothing like a little warning etched onto an ancient gate to infuse you with confidence about the quest you’ve embarked on.”

Marius raised a brow. “Regretting your decision to come with me?”

Even with the warning, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret this.

She seemed to mull it over for a moment before shaking her head. “Not yet. Ask me again if we survive this.”

“I’ll do that.” He gestured to the arch, and despite the ominous warning, he grinned. They were really doing this “Shall we? ”

Even his bodyguard’s grumpiness couldn’t put a damper on his mood.

Vivienne grumbled, “We might as well get this over with.”

She took his hand, and they stepped through the arch at the same time, crossing an invisible threshold.

Magic crawled over Marius’s skin, his ears popped, and for a long moment, it felt like he was suspended in time. His foot froze midair, his heart stopped beating for one long, never-ending second, and he could’ve sworn the wind carried the echo of a thousand whispers to his ears.

Before he could question it too deeply, time resumed. His foot fell on the snow on the other side of the arch, and he glanced at Vivienne.

“Did you feel that?” he asked as a shiver crawled down his spine.

She licked her lips and nodded. “I certainly did.”

This was an ancient place. It didn’t have a heaviness to it like Hoarfrost Hollow, and Marius’s magic wasn’t warning him away with every step, but the air felt different here.

Deeper. Heavier.

It wasn’t wrong, though. If anything, his magic urged him forward.

This was the right path, and he was here with the right person.

He was sure of it.