Ooo I was mean to end it there. I'm so sorry xD
Happy reading,
Love Daisy x
P.S Obsidian threw a fit after last week and demanded a chapter quote -shrugs-
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Chapter 41 | (In)capable
*
"Hello, Kitten."
- Obsidian Bones
(A Pirate's Kiss)
*
IRIS
The walk to the East Wing was understandably silent.
Iris did not attempt to speak to Gabriel. She would not blame him if he hated her after the way she had spoken to his King. So instead, she kept her head down, following him obediently, mind numb as she concentrated on walking, step by step to the East Wing.
The silence was not broken until they reached the door to her quarters.
"We are here, Princess." She was surprised to find that- instead of angry- Gabriel actually sounded slightly apologetic. Her fingernails dug into her palms, and she refused to look at him. Instead, she pushed the wood door open forcefully and stepped through without looking back. The last thing she needed was pity.
"Princess ..." Gabriel's tone made her falter, and stiffly, she turned to face him, staring at a spot on his shoulder rather than meet his calm green eyes. "About Prince Arlo, you should not worry about him too much. He is strong- I'm sure he will be fine."
"You don't know that" her reply was quiet, and vicious, "none of you do."
Gabriel did seem to know what to say to that. "The King will assign guards," he said awkwardly instead, "to the Princess's secret exits as well. His Majesty knows them all," he added- noting the flicker of surprise in Iris's blank gaze. "So, it would be best if my Lady does not try to escape and obeys the King's order."
Iris's jaw clenched. "Fine," she said rigidly, "I understand."
After Gabriel had left, Iris stood in her living room, looking out the window at the city below.
For a moment, she was still. Blank. Unfeeling.
Suddenly, it was as though everything hit her all at once. The nightmare, Darius's scorn, the injured lycan, the warning, and Arlo ... Arlo.
In a fit of rage, Iris turned, lashing out on everything within reach. The dining table was upturned and flung at the opposite wall where it connected with a bang, before dropping to the floor. Her lengthened claws tore through upholstery and cushions, stuffing spilling from the gutted divans like clouds of steaming innards.
She screamed in fury, as she hurled another chair at the door, watching in satisfaction as the fragile wood splintered and shattered completely from the force. She picked up another chair and repeated the action, her movements becoming increasingly feral as she worked her way through each dining room chair, and the pile of splintered wood in front of the door grew and grew.
Storming over to the pile she picked up the splintered pieces and flung them, one at a time, at the opposing wall, where they buried deep into the wood like knives, their sharp, exposed ends quivering from the force of impact.
Panting, Iris stared at the destruction she had wrought and then stormed to her room to stare out the window through red rimmed eyes.
Far below, the city was still alight with lanterns from her birthday celebration- the lycans of Aether still blissfully unaware of the threat that lurked around their borders, of the potential and immediate demise of their Prince.
Iris's fingers gripped the window frame so hard that the wood beneath her fingers splintered.
Slowly, her feral rage calmed into a simmer. She straightened with a jerk, lips pressed in a tight, thin line. But beneath the composed façade, her silver eyes burned.
Turning decisively, she strode back into the living room.
Without hesitation, she reached out and tore down the velvet curtains. They billowed outwards, whispering to the ground and pooling around her feet in a yellow heap. She leapt over them, up onto the window seat and opened the window.
The castle grounds loomed far below.
Iris narrowed her eyes. Glancing back into the room, she considered the splintered chair remains that she had thrown- still protruding from the wall.
Bounding across, she yanked one out, and buried it again in the wood of the window seat. She drove it in deep, before tying the end of the curtain around it quickly.
The rest of the curtain was thrown unceremoniously out the window and Iris followed soon after, clutching the fabric with white knuckled fingers.
She did not feel fear as she carefully descended downwards towards the gardens. Only a tight drumming of adrenaline in her chest, that seemed to squeeze viciously with every pulse of her heart.
The curtain did not carry her all the way to the ground and Iris had to manoeuvre sideways to find footing on a piece of tiled rooftop. Her feet skittered across the slight decline as she landed, the tiles a little slippery from the damp night air, but she righted herself quickly and- setting her sights on the city below- began her descent in earnest.
With a stealth that was telling of her many months of training, Iris managed to pass unseen and unheard, as she swiftly balanced, jumped, and climbed her way down to solid ground. She was cautious of the windows and those who might be watching beyond them, and every now and then she would check the location of the guards Darius had left to watch her. They were all guarding the exits to the different secret passageways that left from the East Wing, although Iris supposed she could hardly call them a 'secret' anymore.
She had concealed herself since she had left her room in the hope that it would provide sufficient cover as she made her escape, but she knew that in order to leave Aether, she would need to employ something much stronger.
Cloaking. She remember the horrible emptiness she had experienced last time and shuddered at the thought. Silver eyes narrowing, she crouched on the edge of the roof and eyed the sloping ground, some six meters or so below. Readying herself, she jumped.
There was barely any sound as she landed, but Iris waited in place just to be sure. Her hands splayed across the ground as she stilled, her whole body on alert for the first sign of approach. There was none. Slowly, she unfolded into standing.
Immediately, she set out at a quick jog towards the boundary fence. In order to pass the guards stationed there, she would have to cloak herself fully- they would be on high alert after the arrival of that solider.
It was ironic that the person she was the most furious at, was the one she recalled now, as she tried to calm her jittery mind enough to go through the motions.
'What makes you a presence in a room, Princess?'
Darius's deep, powerful voice resonated through her memories, asking a question that she still did not know the answer to.
'If you do not know the answer, imagine yourself as me.'
Imagine yourself as me. Perhaps that was why his command for her to remain in the East Wing had been so easy for her to break. But then, now that she thought about it, it had been a long time since Darius's commands had held any true power over her. It wasn't that he was issuing them lightly- Iris could tell that his commands held enough power to bend any other lycan to his will completely.
But Iris was not any other lycan. And perhaps his command was never meant to be used on her in the first place.
In the shadow of the treeline, Iris waited, keen eyes surveying the stone wall that bordered the perimeter of the palace. She had scaled it once; she would do it again.
Her fears were pushed to the wayside as she recalled Darius's instructions before she lost her nerve. This time it was more difficult though. She had to ensure she was not lost in the blank world like she had been before- if that happened- then there would be no chance of escape.
"Only the body remains," Iris breathed quietly, her eyes slipping closed as she concentrated. Only my body remains.
As a body, Iris lacked the presence of a lycan. She was a hollowed-out form, a shape without a soul. Her eyes flickered open, and she knew that it had worked. She felt disembodied, as though she was watching her body from the outside.
Forwards, she thought, compelling herself to move. Forwards and over the wall.
Her movements were slow at first, slow and a little sluggish- as though she was wading through water. The air rippled around her strangely, the light from the lanterns that lined the wall flaring brightly, as though she were viewing it through a stained-glass window.
Without pause, Iris crouched and in one great bound, leaped to the top of the wall.
Immediately, she came face to face with a guard. She sucked in a breath, preparing to knock him out cold, but at that moment the guard stepped forward, passing right through her.
Iris gasped, stumbling back a step as she whirled around to look at the guard. He seemed not to notice anything amiss- continuing down the wall on his patrol. Dumfounded, Iris watched him go. Surely that wasn't right, was it? She had known that cloaking was more powerful than merely hiding her scent, but that lycan had walked right through Iris as though she wasn't even there!
Such a thing had not happened when Darius had demonstrated, had it?
Had it?
Now that she was placed under pressure, Iris couldn't recall.
Raising one hand, she pressed it over her furiously beating heart. She did not have time to think about such things- what was important was that the technique had undoubtably worked. Better than she had expect in fact. And this meant that perhaps leaving Aether would not be so difficult after all.
Spurred on by her success, Iris hurriedly ran along the top of the jade wall until she reached the main entrance. She could take a less conspicuous route, but any other way would take more time and Iris had already wasted enough. Besides, with her newfound skill, she did not attract any attention at all, moving unseen amongst the guards until she was able to slip through the gates and out onto the main street.
Manoeuvring through the crowded streets was even easier. Although she passed unseen, the majority of lycans seemed to instinctively part to let her through. There were the odd few unescapable collisions though, and Iris shivered as another person accidently walked straight through her. The feeling was difficult to describe, but Iris found it uncomfortable, as though the centre of her chest was being tugged backwards by some unseen force.
She reached the bridge into Aether, and hastened across, eager to leave the majority of the crowd behind her. There were no more guards than usual at the gates, obviously Darius was yet to fully alert the pack to potential attack.
Reaching the fork in the road, Iris paused for a moment to catch her breath. She was tiring now- the stamina required to main the cloaking was draining her more than she had thought it would and she was desperately aware that she would still need to employ the technique again in order to scout out Arlo's situation.
With this in mind, she plunged down the deserted road that led away from Lunex. Eventually, she recognised the cobblestones beneath her feet and followed the path into the forest. Only once she had determined she was alone, did she let her cloaking drop with a relieved sigh.
The forest was quiet around her, the sounds of Aether far off in the distance. As she adjusted to the silence, the night gradually came to life- the roar of the river, muffled by the dense trees, the occasional chirp of a cricket, yet to give up on the previous day, and the shuffle of night-time creatures in the forest's undergrowth.
There was no sign that any one was following her – a small miracle.
Suddenly, the enormity of what she had just done hit her.
Alone.
She was doing this alone.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed the thought aside, instead turning to search for the landmark she had passed through upon her arrival at Aether. It did not take her long to find it.
The archway that guarded Aether, and led to the half-way realm, was still as beautiful as Iris remembered.
Lit by the thousands of fireflies, nestling within the creeping vines, eternal blossoms bloomed beautifully across the emerald arch; their colours muted in the warm firefly glow.
If one should stray from the path, they will wander for eternity.
Iris remembered all too well the warning Ezekiel had so casually given as they passed beneath the pair of archways the first time. Iris did not take this warning lightly. The elegant advisor took his job far too serious to ever exaggerate such a detail, and Iris could not afford to lose her way. Not now.
She glanced over her shoulder. Through the trees, she thought she could just make out the lights from Aether. They beckoned her faintly, promising the warmth and safety that she had grown to love.
Swallowing, she turned back around and walked through the archway. She did not look back again.
-
There was nothing in particular that guided Iris forwards through the forest. Nothing but a feeling, a hunch, that was hard to put into words. She had wandered forwards for a while before gradually picking up on it; noticing it the first time when she had thought to correct her path slightly, fearing that she may have strayed off course.
A gentle weight had pressed down on her, and it seemed as though the air around her grew thicker. She had frowned, stopped in her tracks, and retraced her steps backwards. Gradually, the pressure had lifted.
Pondering this, she had paused for a moment, looking forward through the forest. The longer she looked, the more she felt as though she could make out a barely discernible path through the undergrowth. A gentle shimmer seemed to hang in the air there – as though someone had passed through with a lantern, and Iris was seeing the afterglow.
Deciding that this was her best bet, she followed it forward slowly. She felt the gentle pressure twice more, and each time it guided her back to the soft glow of the path that she had momentarily lost.
Her progress was slow, and it was difficult to remain patient when she considered the lives that could be at stake, but her fear of becoming lost and subsequently wasting precious time was greater.
Iris was uncertain how long she walked for, but just when she was beginning to worry that the guiding signs she had noticed were false- a stronger, yet still gentle glow could be seen through the trees ahead.
Iris paused for a split second, her breath catching in her throat. Then she was running, dashing through the greenery until a familiar archway came into view. Iris could have cried in relief.
Catching her breath under the warm light of the second archway, Iris peered into the forest beyond. The night beyond the arch seemed darker than the one she had left behind in Aether- more solid somehow.
Iris shivered, the reality of her situation settling in. She had left Aether alone, directly disobeying the King's command. She did not know what awaited her ahead- only what she had seen on the map that had been laid out flat on the table in the meeting room when she had barged in, unannounced earlier.
In all of the disarray, the map had been left out in the open- Balthazar had only hastily folded it away when the Gabriel had entered with the wounded solider. That had given Iris more than enough time to memorise what she had seen.
The shifters- for whatever reason- had made their base in the woods surrounding Iris's old home. The map had detailed as much- the small red pins clustered around where Iris knew her home to be- surely marking out the enemy.
The woods around her home were as familiar to Iris as Arlo's smile. She had not forgotten the familiar paths she had traversed since childhood; in the short months she had been away.
Gathering her courage, she stepped out of the protection of the archway and felt the beast inside her tear its way forth. Her skin prickled as silver fur sprouted, racing to cover every inch of her body, even as she swelled upwards, face distorting and rearranging into her elegant, lycanthropic form.
She fell down onto all fours, her heavy paws connecting with the earth. It was a new moon tonight, and the darkness was absolute. Without the reflection of the moon above, Iris's silver coat was nothing more than a sleek glint in gloom- a mere suggestion of her presence, nothing more.
Her lycanthrope form gave her confidence, her previous fears dimming somewhat. It was hard to be scared when she could feel the power she had cultivated over the last year thrumming through her body.
It would take her an entire day to reach her old home, in which time she could formulate a plan. She would have to be cautious- on alert for shifter scouts. It was also doubtful that- in that time- Darius would remain oblivious to her leaving. So, she would just have to make sure she had reached Arlo before it got to that point.
It's going to be fine, she willed herself. It's going to be alright.
But the horrible words from the wounded solider lingered in her memory- unwilling to let her forget. And so, with a growing sense of trepidation, Iris set off alone.
-
DARIUS
It was late morning, by the time Darius received an answer as to how the lycan guard had died.
He had not slept- there had been no time- only in the last hour had the council retreated to complete the separate tasks he had given them, in preparation for the impending war. This had left Vandor, Ezekiel, and himself, alone to stew over the finer details until the time in which a knock on the door announced Balthazar's arrival.
"Disintegration," Balthazar had announced upon entering Darius's office. The smell of blood was strong on the old lycan – no doubt he had come directly from performing the autopsy to report his findings. His voice was grim. "The spine was destroyed from the inside. No wonder his wounds weren't healing."
Darius's jaw clenched, his hands- originally splayed flat on the desk- curled into fists. At the other end of the desk, Vandor leaned forward in shock, his light green eyes darting to meet Darius's hardened gaze.
"You don't think-" he began.
"That's exactly what I think," Darius said coldly. "There is only one being capable of such a feat. Does Neithreal know of this?"
Balthazar nodded. "Yes, she was with me." He replied curtly.
"And?"
"She agrees with your Majesty – that the wounds could have only been inflicted by a Faerie."
Vandor hissed, the noise sharp with disgust. "They have been hiding for so long, and now they finally choose to re-emerge?" He glanced at Darius, "This changes everything."
"Only if they are working together," Darius said coldly, but his mind was numb.
"This is no coincidence, Majesty!" Vandor rose from his seat in anger. "I thought that the shifters were unusually prepared in their advances- but if there is a faerie leading them, then suddenly their actions become more plausible."
Darius's eyes were hard as he looked towards Ezekiel, who was standing silently to the side, awaiting his King's decision.
"Contact Zephyr." He instructed his advisor. "Let him know that we may have evidence of a faerie re-emergence. Mostly likely one from the Unseelie Court- if they are using disintegrative magic. He and Airocei have suspected for some time ..." Having glanced out the window, Darius trailed off lost in thought "... have suspected for some time that the fae might be working quietly behind the scenes," he continued slowly, still looking at the gardens below.
A cluster of cherry trees, bushy and green, lined the edges of the garden boundary. They grew close together, forming an unbreakable chain of emerald when viewed from above. "But there was no evidence of their magic anywhere." Darius's eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the broken link in chain- one cherry tree, branches wizened and blackened, as though it had been burnt. "Until now."
Vandor was quick to catch on, turning to look in the same direction as Darius. Upon noticing the blackened tree, he cursed loudly.
"They've already entered the city?! Fuck!"
"It must have been during our trip to Lilura," Darius stated coldly, "they would not have dared otherwise."
Vandor sneered. "A Faerie that has long forgotten the fear of being crushed between lycan jaws would dare to do a great many things."
His General was not wrong. Darius's expression darkened.
Thoughts that he had been suppressing all night and all morning suddenly came knocking. If Arlo had been ambushed, not by Shifters, but by Faeries ...
Darius rested his elbows on the desk, one hand concealing his eyes as he fought to compose himself. Arlo had been confident when he had left- but that was because they had been certain of the enemy. To suddenly be blindsided by the arrival of a creature that had not been seen in a century ... and what was worse, was that Darius initially hadn't wanted to send Arlo- a gut instinct warning him against assigning the mission to his brother. But he had squashed it, believing it to be lingering weakness from the previous war. And then he had let his brother go anyway.
You are just going to sit here and let him die.
A pair of condemning silver eyes, blinding in their intensity, filled Darius's mind. Under his hand, his jaw clenched.
Coward.
Darius jerked upright.
"Majesty?" Vandor leaned forward, concerned by the expression he saw on his King's face.
"The Princess," Darius said roughly. "Where is she?"
Ezekiel and Balthazar exchanged a look.
"I believe Gabriel escorted the Princess back to the East Wing as you commanded." Ezekiel said slowly. "There have been guards stationed ..."
Scowling, Darius waved a hand of dismissal, pressing a hand to his forehead as he mentally searched the palace himself. There was a horrible feeling lodged firmly in his chest. As though someone had reached in and clenched their hand around his heart. It felt something like dread.
When he did not find what he was looking for, the feeling worsened- even more so when he realised that Gabriel was currently running through the halls of the West Wing- mere seconds away from reaching his office.
He stood to receive him. When his General burst into the room, Darius already knew the words that would fall from his lips and he cursed himself fiercely. Cursed himself for being so blind, and so foolish to just expect that she would have followed his command. But he cursed her too- her stubbornness, her nativity, and her inflated confidence in her own capabilities. It was that confidence that would get her killed.
"Majesty," Gabriel's usually composed countenance was haggard, and Darius thought he had never seen his General look quite so panicked. "The Princess- she is missing."
-
IRIS
Iris reached the outer boundary of her old home just as dusk was falling. She had remained carefully on alert as she had travelled, cautious of retaining her strength, but also wary of any scouting parties that may be circling the perimeter.
As she had neared her old residence, she had expected to begin hearing things – noises, or signs of a large force gathering- sounds that one would expect to hear from an army preparing for war.
But all was quiet. If anything, the silence made her more wary.
Upon reaching the outer boundary, Iris ran alongside it for a time, heading in the direction of the river. It was the same river in which she had spent many sun filled afternoons fishing for dinner, and she knew the area well. She searched for inconsistences as she ran- but came up blank.
She had supposed that one of the reasons why the shifter pack had chosen to settle near her old home was due to the river – fresh water and perfect for sustaining a large group. So, she had expected to see paths traversed through the undergrowth, or at least some sign of damaged vegetation- shifters were still large wolves after all- their presence should not have gone so easily unnoticed.
And yet, as the bubbling sound of the river entered her ears, the forest still appear largely untouched.
Reaching the spot where the riverbank dipped downwards, Iris scoured the familiar path down to the water with a critical eye. She scented the area but found nothing amiss. Decisively, she shifted back into her human form, reaching down to untie the bundle of cloth at her ankle.
Swiftly dressing, she ran over her plan once more in her mind, using it to steady her breathing. Once she had calmed, she forced herself to endure the discomfort as she cloaked herself once more.
This time, for whatever reason, the horrible emptiness that she had experienced the first time lingered on the edges of her vision, as though waiting to consume her whole. Her own stubbornness forced it back- although barely.
But she could not do without it- she was only one person and could not afford to be seen so early on in the game. Neither could she afford to be complacent and wait until she drew closer to the house. Just because she could not hear them, did not mean that they were not there.
Iris plan was simple. Locate Arlo's whereabouts without being discovered, wait for the right moment, and then free him. If she was found, she would need to free Arlo first, and then fight alongside him.
Iris was not so naïve to imagine that she might possibly pull this off without getting her hands dirty. She had hardened herself to the thought that she might be required to kill a shifter or two when she had left Aether. If that happened, she had told herself she would not hesitate. It was her life, or theirs. This was the way of their world.
The forest remained silent, as Iris ventured down the familiar track that she had traversed so many times when she was younger. Everything was familiar now- she recognised the old landmarks easily- and yet at the same time, it all felt distinctly unfamiliar. As though the space had shifted slightly, or perhaps overgrown in her absence. The thick fog of dusk lay heavily across the forest, curling over the top of the undergrowth like a misty silver veil. Iris waded through it, her steps growing increasingly cautious as she neared the inner perimeter of her house.
And still there was no sign that anyone other than herself, occupied the forest.
Another five minutes passed, and Iris reached the forest's edge. She lingered for a moment, within the hazy shadows of the trees, her heart beating ridiculously fast in her chest.
Just ahead of her, across a stretch of overgrown grass, sat her old home.
The two storied house was exactly the same as Iris remembered it being- although its prolonged period on inhabitation made it appear a little forlorn, its hollow black windows gaping and still.
Iris felt an abrupt ache in her heart, as she gazed on the nostalgic landscape. She had mourned so much upon leaving, but now she could barely imagine how she had once managed to fit into such a small house. Aether, the palace, the surrounding city, had opened her world immeasurably and Iris thought that- if she had to return to the type of isolation she had lived in before- she might even feel suffocated.
Without realising, Iris had walked halfway across the clearing, and was steadily approaching the house. She was still cloaked- still moving without being seen- but as she reached the front porch she shivered suddenly, whipping back around to gaze across the treeline. For a moment, it had felt as though she was being watched.
Her hand hovered over the door handle, as she carefully and methodically assessed her surroundings. She had been on alert during her approach, all of her senses opened fully in order to catch the slightest movement. Another sweep- including the interior of the house- confirmed that yes, she was completely alone.
So then, had Darius been wrong in thinking that the shifter rebels had settled here? Iris pondered this critically as she leaned on the door handle.
It didn't open immediately, and Iris blanched. She hadn't thought it would be locked- she didn't remember locking it when they had left- after all, there had been nothing left in the house that was worth stealing.
She leaned on the handle a little harder and pressed her shoulder against the door. After a moment, it jerked open and she relaxed, relieved. It must have been sticky from unuse.
The house was hollow and empty. Iris held back a sneeze as she entered, disturbing the dust that hung in the air around her. Gazing upon the familiar kitchen and living room, she felt that burn of nostalgia in her chest once more.
How many meals, conversations, and birthdays had she had at this table? How many times had she sat with Arlo in front of the fire, passing by the cold winter nights as she listened to stories of their history and the world she lived in?
She had danced across these floors in the summer, as Arlo had laughed and accompanied her on his worn, wooden violin. She had painted the kitchen a different colour each year, hiding the fact that the house was getting older under bright swathes of cornflower blue, violet, and emerald, green. Arlo had documented her growth against the side of the kitchen door, the pencil marked increments slowly creeping up to match Iris's current height.
She lingered on the staircase that led to the upper level, her fingers skittering lightly across the worn walnut banisters- the wood smooth and polished from the amount of times she had slid down them to avoid the creaky stairs- and Arlo's notice.
The stairs did not creak beneath her feet now however, as she progressed silently to the second level. Her footsteps were lighter than they had ever been, her movements fluid and sure, after months and months of training.
Still on high alert, Iris headed down the hallway and slowly peeked into her old room. Like the rest of the house, it was empty and still.
Her old bed remained; mattress propped up against the wall. Her chest of drawers stood against the far wall; the top drawer pulled slightly ajar- as though it had only just been vacated. Iris moved over to close it, the wood squeaking in protest as it slotted back into place.
She drifted from her room to Arlo's and found it much the same. Her fingers grazed along the bedframe as she stared vacantly at the empty bed. She had slept in this bed almost as much as she had slept in her own- Arlo's presence the only constant that was sure to chase her nightmares away.
The bathroom too, was blank and empty. Iris was uncertain why she was even bothering to check each room- it wasn't as though she would find anything she hadn't seen before. And yet something compelled her to walk each of her old rooms, slowly and carefully, assessing each detail as though reminiscing on a previous life. And she supposed, in a way, that was what she was doing.
Eventually she found herself back in her own room, looking out at the wildly tangled meadow below, and the forest beyond. There was still no sign of life, and Iris was now certain that Darius's intel had been incorrect.
Her fingers gripped the windowsill tightly as she considered what that might mean. Undoubtably, Arlo was still missing- his group of elites vanished into thin air.
Unless ... and Iris's blood ran cold, unless the injured lycan had been commanded to lie, and Arlo's group had arrived back at the castle after Iris's departure.
But no, that didn't make sense either. Iris was certain she had taken the most direct route from the palace to this current location. If Arlo had been heading back to Aether with his lycans, they would have crossed paths.
And Darius too- could not have been so easily fooled. That injured lycan had been one of the elites sent out with Arlo, Darius's reaction had confirmed that fact.
It was possible that the lycan who had infiltrated the shifter pack had actually turned traitor, and therefore leaked false information about their whereabouts- if anything, that was the most plausible theory. But even if that was true, it still did not help Iris to locate Arlo.
Frustration rising, she ran her hands through her dark hair as she stared out the window.
Night had fallen during her time in the house, and the new moon meant that visibility was still low. A light wind swept through the open-door downstairs, curling up the stairs and whispering around Iris's ankles.
She shivered, pulling away from the window with a sigh. It was being to look like she would have no choice but return to Aether – and that was the last thing she wanted. Darius would be waiting for her, there was no doubt. And when she returned, she would be lucky to avoid being locked up in a dungeon. He would be furious.
Iris had just stepped out into the hallway, when suddenly she heard a creak from the lower level. More specifically, it was a creak that came from the third step from the bottom of the staircase- the one she always slid down the banister to avoid.
She froze, her heart leaping into her throat.
After a moment of silence, she tentatively extended her senses outwards, sweeping the ground floor.
Nothing.
Outside too- nothing. Yet Iris found herself glancing back through the doorway to the window, just in case. The tall grass in the empty meadow swayed in the moonless night, barely discernible- even with her lycan eyesight.
And yet ...
She could not stay here forever, dithering in the middle of the hallway like a bird frozen under the gaze of a predator. She was still cloaked- she knew she was- and while the technique had slowly become more familiar to her, she was still unaccustomed to using it for long periods. It was taxing. She had to move.
Slowly, Iris crept down the hallway until the top of the staircase came into view. Holding her breath tightly, she took the last step forward.
And as her gaze landed on the third step from the bottom, something in the shadows seemed to shift, unfolding away from the wall with a low laugh.
"Ah, finally," the disembodied voice was soft, yet cruelty wove a wicked thread between the words. "The brave little Princess has come out of hiding."
*