It let her go. Amaya pulled herself to her feet. She stood all alone in the darkness of the Whispering Forest. She was looking around, aware of the danger lurking in the shadows. She didn't see anything. Only shadows and darkness. The cries of dying soldiers could be heard in the distance, but they were too far away. She didn't even see a glimmer of light. The cracking of branches and dry leaves told her that she was not so completely alone.
And there it was. Right there. The ghost stood directly in front of her, towering over her like a mighty veil of darkness. She felt its freezing coldness. Chill went down her spine by its presence. Amaya rolled up her sleeves and showed the ghost her signs.
"You know me," she comforted him with a gentle voice. "You know who I am. You know I won't hurt you. I'm not a threat."
The ghost came even closer to her until she felt like it was almost going to swallow her up. She didn't budge. She didn't even flinch. She felt its cool breath on her face. Its low growl resonated through her body.
"See?" she showed it her marks. "You know who I am. I know your master."
"Amaya." the ghost whispered almost inaudibly.
The darkness was illuminated by bright light. The frost was replaced by heat. The ghost fled with an ear-splitting wail. Prince Ciaran offered Amaya a hand, which she hesitated to accept. Not because she wanted to run away and get lost in the darkness of the Whispering Forest, but because she was hypnotized by the moment.
"Come!"
Prince Ciaran's voice snapped Amaya out of her daydream. She took his hand in hers and mounted behind him on the horse. The prince handed her the torch and firmly gripped the reins in both hands.
"Hold tight!" he told her.
Amaya gripped around his waist tightly with her free hand. She clung to him, even though it was against her will and nature. Her heart was wildly racing. She felt every beat of her heart throughout her body. It deafened her like the sound of bells. Her breath trembled. The prince urged his horse to run. They sped through the forest immersed in darkness. The wind blew in their hair. They sped away from there. Ghosts followed at their heels.
"Where's Zariah?" Amaya asked the prince, worrying about the high priestess.
"She is with General Marcellus," he replied.
There was already a faint line of light rising from above the distant horizon when they finally reached the shore. The Whispering Forest reached its edge. The sea revealed itself before them. Sharp rocks rose from the cold northern waters. The sound of waves lapping the shore filled the air. A fresh breeze blew. They looked behind them at the forest, the ghosts remained in it. That impenetrable darkness could be seen winding between the bodies of the trees standing at attention, but it did not pursue them.
"What happened, Your Highness?" asked the soldier who was supposed to be waiting for them.
They were supposed to be back before sunset and instead didn't come back until dawn. Their faces were filled with horror from what they had witnessed. Dark creatures are real. Out of a hundred and fifty men, barely ten returned. Those who survived could be glad that they were still breathing. Their clothes were torn and soaked in blood. They were hurt by ghosts trying to kill them. They will forever carry in their minds the memories of the friends they were unable to save. So much blood. Red oceans. Bodies torn apart beyond recognition. It was a massacre.
"There have been minor unforeseen surprises," said the prince.
A surprise in the form of Amaya, a girl blessed by the gods and bride of King Damon, who is not at all what he expected. And a surprise in the form of ghosts that unexpectedly attacked them and they had no way to defend themselves against them. It should have been a simple task; they sneak into Amorite, kidnap Amaya and return to Deira undetected. However, their own naivety complicated everything. They greatly underestimated the dangers of the country there.
⸸
The sun had already risen high into the blue sky. There wasn't even a cloud far and wide. The blue waters of the sea stretched into the distance. After the prince washed off the blood, he went to check on Amaya in her cabin.
"Have you come to make sure I don't jump into the sea and try to swim away from you, Your Highness?" she laughed to herself.
"I came to check on you and I brought you some food, Miss Amaya," said Prince Ciaran.
"Let's forget the formality, please. Just call me Amaya," she said.
"As you wish, Miss Amaya." He smiled mischievously. "You may call me Ciaran, as friends."
"Of course, Your Highness, Prince Ciaran." she grinned.
"Amaya, he's the enemy." Zariah warmed to her.
"We can be friends," Amaya said.
"We were kidnapped," she reminded her.
"We kidnapped Amaya. You went willingly." Ciaran remarked.
"Amaya."
"Sorry, Zariah, but he's right about that."
"You should not treat him as a friend. Don't forget who you are, Amaya. King Damon will free us soon." Zariah said and walked out into the fresh air.
The darkness defiling her purity was awakening very quickly in Amaya. They tried to tame it in her for years, they already thought they had succeeded, and at the first opportunity, it came to the surface again. It was just a tiny bud of what had once plagued her. She was worried it would take root in her again.
The speed with which it returned did not bode well. The blood was changing her.
Only Amaya and Ciaran remained in the cabin. Silence filled the room. Only the waves hitting the ship's hull and the orders on board could be heard.
"What do those markings on your body mean?" Ciaran cut through the silence hanging between them. "You were showing them to that ghost in the woods."
Amaya rolled up the sleeves of the large shirt they had given her because her clothing had torn as the ghost dragged her through the forest, revealing the symbols that adorned her skin.
"They talk about who I am," she told him.
Ciaran took her hand in his and carefully examined the marks forever immortalized on her skin. He outlined their contours with a gentle touch of his fingers.
"Have you had them since birth?" he wondered.
"No," Amaya admitted but didn't tell him more about them.
She sat on his lap. She ran her fingers through his raven hair. Looked deeply into the prince's eyes. He liked how tame she could be, but it was suspicious. However, he also liked her wildness. It was something new and unknown to him. Ciaran ran his fingertips gently over her thigh. He did not take his eyes off her enchanting eyes.
"You smell like death," Amaya said after a long pause.
"I've killed a lot of people," said Ciaran.
"Not like that," Amaya said. "I felt it already in the monastery. I knew you wouldn't die in the forest, your time hasn't come yet, but it's running out. No exact day or method isn't set, but Keres awaits at your back."
His gaze darkened. She didn't know if he believed in those things or not, but he definitely didn't like her words.
"What is Keres ?" he asked her.
"Keres are the daughters of Nyx, the goddess of the dark night. They are mortals. With each human birth, a new Keres is born, which accompanies him throughout his life. And when the time comes, she will take him to the other world."
⸸
They had been at sea for two days. It was not doing good to Amaya. At the mercy of the power of the sea.
Amaya came upper deck. A strong wind was blowing. It blew hair in her face. Turquoise skies shot dark clouds. Birds were flying low in the sky. The first drops began to fall. It was lightly drizzling. The stormy waves toyed with the ship. They were hitting into its hull. Amaya was tossed from side to side, barely keeping her balance.
"How long will it take us to arrive in Deira?" she asked Prince Ciaran.
"With favorable winds in two days," he replied.
Amaya felt sick. She leaned overboard and threw up. Ciaran immediately grabbed her so she don't fall over. He pushed her hair away from her face.
"You're dangerously leaning," he told her. "I won't jump into the sea for you."
"You need me, so you would," Amaya told him with a mischievous smile on her lips.
"Why do you think I need you?"
"Otherwise you wouldn't worried going all the way north to kidnap me. You even risked your life in the Whispering Forest for me, so I think you need me quite a lot," she said. "Or do you just want me that much?" her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Salt air don't do you good," Ciaran smiled.
"Waves don't do me any good," Amaya said.
Prince Ciaran took Amaya in his arms. She was surprised and giggled involuntarily. She couldn't hold back the sound that escaped her lips.
"First time on a ship?" the prince asked her.
"And believe the last one as well," she replied.