Undying Hate | Book Three

Twenty-three | Coralie

 When Sylvie decided she was brave enough to exit the carriage, Kerensa wasn't even around. Kian couldn't sense her either. "She must've gone ahead of us."

"Foolish," Elias remarked, unbuttoning his shirt around the wrists and rolling the sleeves up.

"Let's go then," Sylvie said, swallowing as her voice seemed to echo off the imposing stone pillars around the castle. Besides them, it was silent. Just like the time she walked through Trion's horrible forest, it seemed all sound ceased to exist.

Walking briskly, they made their way to the main entrance, the imposing doors hovering over them in dark stillness. Sylvie knocked, but when nothing stirred behind it, she gave the handle a hard pull. The door didn't budge, even when Elias tried. Kian muttered some magical words and tried next, but still, the doors stayed sealed.

"Something powerful warded these doors."

"Can you sense anyone inside?" Sylvie asked.

Kian's swallow and concerned face answered her long before his words did. "No. There are no signs of life."

He paused and looked over at Elias before finishing. "But there are bodies in there."

Sylvie's heart sunk as flashes of her visions appeared in her mind. "All of them?"

"I don't think so. There are old energy signatures leading away from the doors. Lots of them. Maybe they found other courts to live."

"Evergreen is the closest. Why wouldn't they tell the central kingdom if they were alive?" Elias asked.

Kian clicked his tongue against his teeth, and Sylvie realised his intention. He was lying.

"Don't lie to me, Kian."

"I didn't. I made an assumption, doesn't mean I think it's true."

"Do we think the Vampires did this?" she asked, turning to jog down the steps. Then, without knowing why, she headed to the hedge maze gardens as Kian and Elias followed behind her.

"Seems likely. But it doesn't explain the warded doors."

She picked up her pace, rounding the castle and froze dead in her tracks. It was gone. Every living thing. Dead. The green foliage of the maze had disappeared, the fine brown coating around the wiry branches likely the last remnants of it. 

Walking again, she took Kian's hand, breathing deeply when a calming wave ran between their hands. Though she preferred he didn't manipulate her emotions, right then, she appreciated it. The nerves from what they were about to see didn't need to trigger her into a psycho mate-killing lycan.

They cut straight through the maze, the hedges skeleton crumbling as they pushed it aside, and eventually, they came across the only living thing left in the whole court: Milena's willow and the magic crow perched atop the lowest branch.

"Hey, little guy."

It opened its mouth as if to caw, but as expected, nothing came out.

"What happened here?" She asked it as if it would respond, and it tilted its head at her before flying down and scratching at the exposed roots.

"You want me to go in?"

"No." Elias pulled her back, but she shook her head at him.

"I'll be fine." She stepped towards it and looked back at her mates. Their identical expressions— dark eyes, clenched jaws and fists made her bite her lip. "You'll pull me out if I get stuck in there, right?"

Elias' face darkened even more, and before he could whisk her away into the safety of his arms, she turned away. Cracking her knuckles, she shook the jitters from her fingertips. "It's been a while."