‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
After the river incident, life moved quickly and slowly all at once. In fact, two months passed. Two months since I was taken from Camp Caligo. Two months since Tellie died. And I felt nothing.
It was simply a strange blur to me, sometimes I'd blink and an hour would pass by. I'd remember nothing of it. Other times I'd feel trapped in a second, watching everything move slowly around me. I didn't care though, time moved around me but I stayed wrapped in my own bubble of nothingness. I didn't speak unless spoken to, and even then it was short, one-worded answers. My voice was actually changing because of it, growing weaker and more quiet.
"You need to eat," Gray said, pushing a thing of bread towards me. I stared down at the basket, willing it to disappear. I couldn't stomach anything anymore. Any food made me want to puke and I was never hungry either. If I was, I wouldn't have been able to tell. That hollow ache was everywhere.
"I ate earlier," I said, pushing the bread towards him. We were sitting on the ground of his room, on the plush carpet. It had become a ritual for us, eating dinner together. Gray had a bottle of dessert wine on the ground between us and I reached a hand out towards it, running a finger down its side, beads of water formed on it as I cooled the bottle.
"Whatcha doing over there?" he asked, popping a slice of apple into his mouth. Gray and I had gotten closer over the past months, he no longer kept his weapons away, trusting me not to touch them. Rookie mistake. If that boy thought I still wasn't plotting my escape at every second of every day, he was gravely mistaken.
"It's desert wine. It tastes better cold," I said. As if to prove the theory, I brought the bottle to my lips and drank deeply. Chocolate. The burn of the alcohol slipping down my throat felt warm and comforting but disappeared quickly...as it always did.
"Easy, Eira," Gray said. He still acted like the charming, flirting boy I had first met in my cell, but I could see concern in his gold-black eyes now. He noticed the change in me. I hardly fucking cared.
"Do fae get drunk?" I asked, wiping my mouth on my sleeve. As soon as I said it I realized my mistake. Gray eyed me strangely. "We were too poor to afford alcohol in my village and I've never gotten drunk."
"Yes," he chuckled, he took the bottle from my hand. "We do get drunk. In fact, I was quite the drunkard when I was younger, before I stopped aging. I'd go out with Sable." He said it casually, tipping the bottle back and taking a long sip. A longer sip than I had taken. Sable had his own issues as well, I'd be blind not to notice them. He liked to hide them, but I couldn't ignore the way no one respected him in the palace. No one bowed like they did to Sable, everyone either sneered or openly ignored him. Not to mention he got drunk every night.
"Sable went out with you?" I scoffed. "Liar."
"No, I know right?" Gray sighed, leaning back against the wall and tipping his head back. A sly grin played on his lips. "He'd never get drunk, he saved that for his cadre. But he'd have a few drinks with me. Normally, the king would call him back and he'd have to leave, but he'd have fun for a few hours."
"His cadre?" I asked. I had heard of the cadre before, the monsters that worked under the king. They were led by Sable, they were all brutal and cold. Merciless. No one wanted to meet the cadre. If you did, you were likely already dead.
"Yes, they'd have some fun nights when they had time off." Gray smiled at the ground, taking another swig of wine. I reached over for the bottle, and took a sip. I wished the burn lasted for longer.
"We're not talking about the same Sable then," I said, running a hand through my hair. It had gotten longer, nearly reaching my ass. It was still white, and whenever I looked in the mirror I was still surprised by it. The surprise was quickly chased away by disappointment. I missed being human.
"No we are. He used to be fun." Gray raised his eyebrows at the word 'fun'.
"So what changed him?" I asked, leaning back against the bed. I could never see him as anything more than the cold asshole he was to me. We didn't speak much anymore, he simply gave me commands for training and I'd conduct them. I was growing a lot more comfortable with my powers, and while I still had a few slip ups, I was a lot better than I had been before. Sable had also been training me in combat as well. I learned better technique and was becoming a trained fighter. I was still a long ways away from being a weapon for the king, but I was getting closer. And that thought kept chills going down my spine and sleep away from me at night.
"That's not my story to tell," Gray said. His eyes were dark now, his facial expression stiff. He spun the ring on his finger, eventually ripping it off. He honed it into different shapes, lifting it into the air and spinning it gently.
"Gray-"
"Eira don't," he said. "Really. It isn't." I snapped my mouth shut, the interest that had briefly been stirred in me slowly fizzled away, being smothered by that all-consuming numbness. That numbness seemed to take away everything now.
"So Sable wasn't always the cold-hearted dick I know him to be?" I asked, grabbing a cracker from the platter. I broke it in half, then broke that half in half. Soon, I had only crumbs in my hand. I emptied them into a napkin while Gray looked on disapprovingly.
"Careful, he might step through the shadows," Gray said, wiggling his brows.
I rolled my eyes. "Let him, I'm used to his behavior by now. And I already know how much he hates me."
Gray sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "To answer your earlier question...no, no he wasn't always so...dark." Something awfully sad passed over his face, and if it had been another time I might have reached over and hugged him, or asked him to talk to me. But I didn't, instead I took another sip of wine. Comforting words were foreign on my tongue now. My fae tongue simply didn't know how to form them.
Gray was showing me how to turn a piece of pencil lead into a little bullet, when suddenly something moved at the corner of my eye. I was immediately on my feet, ice flying, as I saw someone emerge from behind the curtain at the window.
A wall of black was thrown up and my ice shattered against it, the pieces scattered to the floor. The shadow wall dropped and a very angry looking Sable was revealed behind it. "Eira," he growled.
"Sable," I said, with a curtsy. I had been living in the palace for two months, I had been around enough nobility to know how to vaguely curtsy. Sable kept me away from the important people. He probably thought I was too much of a savage to be on public display. Which was fine by me considering I didn't feel like being put on display.
Sable stared down at me, the intensity of his gaze was something I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to. There was a cough behind us. "Well hello there, cousin." Sable didn't stop looking at me and I didn't stop looking at him. Another cough. "Come to tell us you're engaged to be married? Or that you've gotten a puppy?" Sable finally turned his gaze to his cousin.
"I'm leaving," he said simply. It was in that moment that I realized just how spectacular two words could be.
"Leaving to where?" Gray asked. He stood and leaned against the table that was in the little sitting area of his bedroom.
Sable looked uncomfortable in the bedroom, his eyes kept darting around and his shoulders looked stiff. I wasn't sure I had ever seen Sable uncomfortable before. "The King has sent me to interrogate two spies found in the outer parts of Aurora." Alarms blared inside my head and I found my knees beginning to shake. Spies? He couldn't mean spies of Elda could he? The Killers of Kings? I prayed I was wrong.
"Spies?" Gray chuckled, running a thumb along his brow. "Hiraeth always seems to have an abundance of those. Know who they work for?"
"Mirk, I think," Sable said. "I'll find out quickly, spies always have the most fun minds to shatter." I swallowed hard, feeling nauseous. I felt like I had the words, 'I'm a spy!' branded on my own forehead. I knew what Sable was capable of, after the river incident I had asked Gray about it. Sable was like a mindreader of sorts. People kept their secrets in the dark parts of their minds. Sable, being able to manipulate darkness, was able to reach into those crevices and pull them out. It was what made him the best interrogator in the kingdom.
"Well, good luck. Not that you need it," Gray said, crossing his arms over his chest. Sable didn't even crack a smile. Harsh. I leaned against the wall, trying to shove down that nauseous feeling forming in my gut. I was the apprentice of the best spy interrogator Hiraeth had. But of course that happened considering my fucking luck...
"I'm leaving for two days, you don't have to babysit her, but keep her locked in here. She's not allowed to roam the halls, understand?" He was speaking to Gray as if I wasn't in the room. Bastard.
"Of course, Eira will be under the best supervision in the palace," Gray said, flashing him a smile. The shadows in the room pulsed.
"Be good," Sable said, glaring at me. I had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping at him. I was not a dog to be commanded. But to him I was. I was nothing to him, he had made that quite clear.
"Of course, master." I said as I watched him turn back to the pooling shadows on the wall. He could step through shadows as well, another power quirk. I wondered if he could spy through shadows as well. Well...I'd never shower in peace ever again.
Sable growled at the remark as he stepped through the shadows. "You have a death sentence, girl." Gray said.
"I think I'm already dead. Maybe this is my hell," I said, walking past him. A plan was already forming in my mind, I could feel the seed now, ready to bloom into a bouquet of a plan. I just needed time to think about it.
"Oh don't be such a pessimist," Gray said. "Now, what do you want to do now that Sable is leaving and I'm in charge."
"Sleep," I said, already crawling under the covers.
"That's awfully boring." I was already shucking off my boots and my outershirt, slipping under the blankets of his canopy bed. Gray stayed on the chair while I took the bed, he was a gentleman in that way.
"Already sleeping," I said, closing my eyes tightly.
"Air-uh." He said my name like a groan. But I had already turned my back to him, and was plotting out my plan for tomorrow. "Ugh fine, be that way." Grey muttered. I heard him walk around the room, blowing out the candles before settling into his chair.
He was fast asleep before I finally finished my plan. And when I did, I turned onto my back and opened my eyes in excitement. I felt my heart flutter and the first real emotion flurry in my chest. Tomorrow I was going to escape.
I awoke to the sound of a lock clicking into place.
My eyes fluttered open and I sat up, hearing the sound of boots echoing down the hall and away from me. I couldn't stop the slow grin that spread across my lips at that. Just as I had planned. It was nighttime, one day after Sable had left for his little King's Killer mission. Gray, as he did every three days, slipped out of the room late at night. Judging by how he came back smelling thickly of booze, I figured he went out drinking. Whatever he did, it was buying me time for escape.
I whipped the covers off of myself and practically danced over to the wardrobe. I quickly got dressed into a practical outfit. A white shirt and brown pants with black boots. Inconspicuous clothes. I tied my hair into a braid that went straight down my spine, making sure it was out of my face and put away.
Then, I walked over to Grays weapon wall. "Gray, you stupid idiot," I muttered. I went onto my toes and reached over to grab a dagger that was hanging from a hook. My fingers wrapped around the hilt but when I tugged on it, nothing happened. It didn't move.
"What in the blazing hells?" I yanked on it, but it seemed to be glued into place. I moved to the other weapons but they all seemed stuck in place as well, unmovable. Unstealable. "Gods damn him." Gray had enchanted the weapons. He hadn't been careless when he decided to put them back up. His magic probably made it so that only he could use them. The stupid idiot was smart.
"Alright, fine. No weapon." With a sigh, I moved away from the weapon wall and over to the bed. I grabbed the pillows from the front of the bed and tucked them under the covers. I fluffed them up until they relatively resembled a body. There, it'd buy me a little time. If Gray came back drunk and didn't bother checking in on me, it'd buy me even more time. I prayed he'd come back totally trashed.
I tip-toed over to the door and knelt down to get a better look at the handle. I tried turning it but it was locked into place. Figures. I knew this would happen, but I had come prepared. Raising my hand, I placed my fingers on the keyhole, covering the space. Closing my eyes, I let out a little bit of my power. I froze the inner-workings of the lock, and then, with a little more power, I commanded that ice to grow colder, more brutal. With a crack and a pop, the lock completely shattered and the door knob fell off the door. I snatched it in the air before it could clater to the ground. The knob was covered in white frost.
"Don't underestimate the snow queen," I muttered. I hid the door knob under the bed before scurrying back to the door. I nudged it open, glad that Gray was meticulous about the metal hinges on the door. Nothing squeaked in his room.
The door opened and I quickly walked out into the hall. I knew the palace decently now, having to walk around it so many times with Sable. Gray had shown me around as well, saying how this palace was disappointing compared to the Spring Palace in Aurora. I prayed that I'd never see the Aurora palace in person. If I escaped, I never would. The thought urged mt to walk faster.
I kept in the middle of the hall, my pace casual, my facial expression relaxed. I wanted to hide and duck into the shadows, but if anyone saw that it'd be even more suspicious, so instead I had to hide in plain sight. I hoped that if it looked like I belonged then no one would question it. And besides, I didn't have to do too much walking, most of my escape had to do with climbing...
"The princess has been away for months and yet she's still getting suitors," a voice sounded from down the hall and I hissed, looking around for hiding options. There was nowhere for me to go. I was forced to continue walking.
I let out a sigh of relief as I saw that it was only two female servants coming out of the servants hallway. The taller one spoke up. "I know, remember what she did to that other boy? The girl is a wicked thing." They both shook their heads before finally seeing me. I gave them a curt nod before continuing on my way. They both gave me a strange look, but I doubted they'd rat me out. Well...I prayed they wouldn't rat me out.
"That's that ice girl," I heard one of them whisper harshly.
"Sickly looking thing. She looks ready to drop dead." In another time, I might have found that comment offensive, but now I found I agreed with them. I felt like I could've dropped dead. I wished I could've dropped dead.
I continued on until I went up the familiar staircase that led to the kitchen. I went there with Gray a few times when he was craving chocolate. I had tried some for the first time too, and all I could think about while eating it was that I wished Tellie was there with me to try some too. She always spoke of how much she wanted to try the delicacy. Chocolate didn't taste so sweet when overshadowed by sour memories.
I got into the hallway with the window that was always ajar and let out a breathless laugh. Everything was working out. I pushed against the window until it was opened fully. Cold, night air fluttered over my cheeks and I sighed. I was ready. I quickly lifted a leg and hooked it over the lip of the window. I then hauled the rest of my body through the tight opening. It took a bit of maneuvering, but eventually I slipped through.
The night around me was freezing, but I didn't shiver, I only felt my power shudder in response. It felt like it was awakening. I was currently on the east side of the palace, on the roof, which dropped down dangerously at least three hundred feet to the ground. If I fell...I'd die, or just get gravely injured...But most likely death.
I walked steadily, keeping my arms out at my sides for balance. I was on the lip of the roof that jutted out only a couple inches before disappearing into nothingness. The roof itself was damp from the rain earlier today, but I kept my footsteps steady, unwilling to slip.
I had been plotting this escape for two months, every time I'd walk out of Gray's room I'd be observing. Little things like turns, windows, and hallways, I'd keep them stored in my mind for later use. I had just been waiting for the perfect moment to execute my escape, and now that Sable was gone, it was the perfect time.
I knew what I was going to do after I escaped. I'd run back to Elda, I'd tell her everything I had learned in the palace, confirming her beliefs that the king was cruel and Sable was wicked. I'd say I was sorry for being such a disappointing spy, and then I'd demand to become human again. I couldn't stand being a fae anymore. I was so...invincible now. Fae didn't die easily. But humans did.
I had gotten halfway across the lip when I heard voices. I froze, my spine going ramrod straight as I glanced over to the pipe that I'd shimmy down to get to the ground. I was so close. "They're saying the spies belonged to some rebel group." I would have continued had those words not floated up to me from the ground.
"Shit," I wheezed. I crouched down on the little bit of roof I had and peered down at the ground. With my advanced sight I saw that there were two dark figures standing down on the ground, behind a cart that had boxes of kitchen supplies in it.
"There are lots of rebel groups in Hiraeth, you idiot." Both people had deep voices. Men. "Blazing hells, there's probably a hundred in each of the four kingdoms. But none of them survive, Sable's too skilled."
"The little shadow boy?" One of the men, the shorter one, chuckled. "I really don't see how he's so intimidating, all he does is brood. And did you see that ice bitch he keeps glued to his hip now? Ten silvers say they're fucking."
"Gods above," I whispered, rolling my eyes as far back into my head as they could.
"No really, Daniel, the spy groups are dying off. More and more are getting caught," the taller man said.
"Really, Shamus?" Daniel asked. "They're Hiraeths only hope, without them we're going to be forced to live under Gabriel until all the land and people are dead." I felt something flutter where my heart used to be. Did people living in the palace have conflicting thoughts about their king? I'd understand people suffering in the villages...but in the palace? I wondered how many of Gabriel's "loyal" subjects actually despised him and his crown. Did Sable? The thought made me snicker. Of course he didn't. The King's Killer was much too loyal.
"Did you hear something?" Shamus asked. I froze. Gods damn it, they heard the snicker. I quickly stood and began racing towards the pipe that would bring me to freedom. I prayed that the darkness would hide me enough, but with my white hair-
"Look, there's someone up there!" Daniel shouted. I groaned. So much for a peaceful escape. I practically launched myself to the pipe, closing off the rest of the distance quickly. My body slammed into the metal but I hardly cared. I needed to climb.
"There she goes! Like a rat!" Shamus said. A rat! Rude. I shimmied down the pipe, my boots slipping and sliding on the sleek metal. I wished I was Gray. If I was, I would've converted the pipe into a slide and skidded down it.
"Woah, no way! Is that Sable's girl?" I swore again, trying to climb faster, but my foot slipped suddenly and I screamed as the pipe was ripped from my grip and I plummeted downwards. Air whooshed up around me before I was slamming into solid, hard ground. I wheezed as the air was knocked out of my lungs.
"The apprentice is escaping!" Daniel was shouting, probably waking up the entire palace. "She's escaping!"
"Oh, shut up." I rose into a sitting position to see the two of them running towards me, swords blazing. They looked to be lowly knights, like the ones assigned to patrolling the hallways and keeping the doors guarded.
I lifted my hand and sent out two things of ice at them. They hollered as it plastered over their legs and kept them stuck in place, glued to the ground. "I told you to shut up." I said, glaring at them. But they only stared at me, trembling, eyes wide. I probably looked like a monster to them. Good. I felt like one. I had for a while.
"There she is!" I heard someone shout. I whipped my head to the side to see a group of knights in armor charging at me. "Don't let her escape! Sable gave us orders!" Of course he fucking did.
I scrambled to my feet and ran in the other direction, sprinting as fast as my legs would let me. I was running towards that part where the mountain dropped off and a great canyon opened up. I'd create a bridge of ice like I did before and shatter it so that no one else could pass. I'd make it into the mountains and keep going after that.
"STOP HER!" More men and women shouted. The sound of their armor clanking sounded behind me and I growled, pushing myself harder. The cold air was like an energy surge as it filled my lungs. I was surrounded by ice and snow. They had made a mistake bringing me to the place where I'd be most powerful.
I shot my hands out and felt the mountain tremble around me. I whipped my hand to the side and forced the snow to fall down onto the group of knights trailing me. I only looked back once to see the mass of white coming at them. I didn't watch to see it fall on them.
"Grab her before she gets to the canyon!" another shouted. Ah, so they weren't complete idiots. They knew what I was doing. I didn't shoot my hands out again, instead I let an ice trail form everywhere my feet fell, starting a trail of sleek ice behind me. I clenched my hands together and let the ice spread out over the cobblestones. I heard screams as they slid on it. I did my best to ignore them.
I finally got to the canyon and I didn't hesitate as I crouched down and placed my hands right on the edge of the mountain. A bridge of crystal clear ice spread out before me and I let out a hysterical laugh. Maybe this was actually going to work out.
I brushed my hands on my pants before running across it. The cold wind, now furious, pushed against me, tugging my hair out of its braid, but I didn't let it stop me. I was too desperate now. Too close.
"Eira stop." A deep voice somehow carried over the howling wind and the pounding in my ears. My feet faltered and I stumbled to a stop. I knew that voice, I would've known it anywhere. I would've known it waking or dreaming. No...not dreaming, this voice was the voice of my nightmares.
"No, no, no," I whispered. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. It couldn't be. I turned slowly to see that I wasn't alone on my ice bridge any longer. A tall, dark figure was a hundred feet away.
"You were supposed to be away," I said, taking a shaky step backwards. I was already twitching my fingers behind my back, readying for what was to come next.
"Plans got interrupted when I heard my apprentice was fleeing the palace," he said. He was wearing something I had never seen before. Black armor that clung to him, as if each plate had been melted onto him. A large sword hung at his hip and his shadows were swirling around him, some reached out to me, as if they wanted to come to me.
"Please," I gasped out. I knew I sounded desperate but I couldn't stop now. "You don't want me here as much as I don't want to be here. Let me go." Sable's eyes snapped up to mine and I saw his brows raise slightly.
"We both know I can't do that," he said, and I might've just imagined it, but I could've sworn I saw his eyes flash with...disappointment? A gloved finger at his hand twitched and I gasped as I saw a shadow come hurtling towards me. Sable had been fast, but I knew what he was going to do. I had been prepared. I had been getting to know this man for two months...
Clenching my hand into a fist, I shattered the bridge under his feet. Sable's eyes widened only slightly before he hurtled down into the canyon below. He fell in nothing but a blur of black. It had almost been too easy.
There was an awful silence as I gaped at what I had done, the sound of my breath scraping against my throat was the only sound in the too-silent night. I killed him. I killed the King's Killer. I wished I could've been happy, been proud that I eliminated the threat, but there was a strange feeling of guilt bubbling in my stomach. I hated it. I hated how even though the rest of me was fae, my heart and soul were human. No matter how hard I tried, the ice wouldn't freeze away the humanity.
I shook my head and turned, forcing myself to stop trembling. I began a slow run towards the other end, my boots slapping into the ice. My body felt weak, my legs were shaking, and my heart wouldn't stop pounding. I killed him. I killed Sable Deidre. I couldn't believe it. Was I a monster like him now?
I was so close to the other mountain that I could see the glimmer of the sparkling snow, when there was a sudden rush of air around me. I heard something like a birds wing flap above me, except it sounded...louder, like it came from a very large animal. What in the blazing hells could've made that sound? I skidded to a stop only to see a large shadow float above me, reflecting onto the moon-lit slow beneath me. Fear stirred in my chest. What in the blazing hells was above me?
I would have craned my neck to see, had something not slammed onto the bridge before me. I lifted my gaze to see Sable crouched onto the ice a few feet ahead, he was glaring straight at me, but I couldn't focus on him. Instead, I was staring at the two massive wings that were jutting out of his back. Made of pure black, they swirled and shifted very much like his shadows. It was in that moment that I realized his wings were in fact made of shadows. Shadow wings.
My gasp seemed to echo in the open space around us. He was dead. He fell down into the canyon, his body was supposed to be sprawled onto the jagged rocks below us. And yet...he was there in front of me. It was impossible.
"Surprise," Sable said, and then he flapped his wings and descended upon me. I was too terrified to scream.