Page 14 of Shadows of Air and Earth
Riley pulled me into him from behind and I sighed, sinking into his warm embrace. His chin rested on the top of my head and his arms squeezed me tightly. I could feel his own frown at the blasted river, likely thinking the same thing I had. It was mocking us. "They are gone now, Xi, and we are under the protection of the General, isn’t that right shadow fae?"
Turning in his arms, I studied his gorgeous profile. Wavy green hair fell into his eyes, a strong jaw set determinedly with full pouty lips. Lips I could still feel on my skin from the night before, wishing with every fiber of my being that we were back at the inn, staring up at fake stars, ignoring the world outside.
Remnant shot me a look over Riley’s shoulder. "Will it soothe you to know that their deaths are already marked?"
My thudding heart stilled, and Riley's hand squeezed my upper arm, my deep seated hatred hissing through my teeth, "Their deaths aremineto deliver, shadow fae."
Dark hair blew across her face, the sun catching the blue sheen amongst the black strands. She smirked, "Excellent, then all will go according to plan." Swiping her hair back, she glanced at the sun, "We should really get moving. Even though Rory isas brilliant as a dust high pixie, with Xizi and Fuchai, he has an edge."
"What kind of edge?" I snapped, brushing off Riley’s hand and sending him a sharp look. It was rare for him to show so much affection towards me in public and rare for me to accept it so wholly, something I hadn’t realized I was doing until now.
He sighed, giving me a full on pout, hurt flashing in those hazel eyes, and a part of me wanted to fix it. But Riley Dragoon never once claimed me as his and I wasn't about to fall at his feet just because I had the greatest orgy of my life last night. Never mind that it was a one person orgy because with Riley Dragoon that was all you needed.
Shivering with rekindled desire just thinking about what he was capable of, Riley stood taller, his pout gone, knowing exactly where my mind had gone.
I rolled my eyes, tugging my hair again.
"The seal is made of a very specific stone." Remnant answered me at last, seemingly lost in her own thoughts just as Riley and I were lost in each other.
"It's firestone, isn't it?" I shook my head, berating myself for dismissing that thought last night. "There are only three earth elementals that can detect firestone and wield it."
"Yes," she answered simply, arching her back, and stretching her face up to the sun, soaking in its rays. It was such a contrast to see a creature of darkness bask in the glow of the sun but even more so to see it respond. Every bit of the environment around us seemed to worship her. The sparkling river shifted to flow in her direction, the blades of grass bent with her body, the air swirled playfully with the shadows around her. I could even detect the earth reach upwards, the stubborn energy holding her solidly in its steady presence.
The entire world bowed to her darkness as if she were the goddess Faerie herself.
I narrowed my one uncovered eye at her, "Then you know I am one of those three."
Completing her stretching, she grinned at me, "Of course."
Riley whistled in awe and I shot him a look of annoyance.
"So you just want to use me?" I stated simply, feeling bereft. For the briefest of moments, watching our world honor her, I almost allowed myself to forget that she was first and foremost a clever and deadly general to the throne. It was foolish to think I could have ever leaned into her quiet safety of darkness.
Intense eyes firmly held mine and her feet whispered lightly on the green path as she approached me. I stood my ground, my face raised high. "Use you? No, Xi Chin. I need you. You and Riley. This is more than just the retrieval of the seal. This is about the long game…the survival of all our people."
Shocked by her confession, I licked at my bottom lip, "Ourpeople?"
Her hand reached out to grasp my shoulder, and despite her short stature, I felt small under her firm grip, "Yes Xi, our people." She looked between us, her tone suddenly light and cheerful. "Alright, so what is the quickest and least conspicuous way to Lacail?"
I glanced at Riley, and his brow raised. She couldn’t know? Could she? "I might know a route we can take."
"Good," she said, falling away, then frowned at the glittering river as if something dangerous lurked beneath the surface, "I'd rather avoid my quickest route."
Tracking her pensive gaze towards the water, I saw nothing that seemed out of place despite the fact that the flow of it fucking changed direction wherever she walked. The water’s reflected light dancing across her musing profile.
I sighed, hoping we weren’t going to regret this, "Why Lacail? My bastard parents and that Commander with his cronies went north, Lacail is south."
Shaking her head, Remnant Dark hummed. "You don't win the game by following others, Xi Chin. You win by making your own rules."
Riley snorted, "I believe that is called cheating."
The shadow fae war general laughed and walked away, waving for us both to follow, "A fae’s favorite past time…or do you call it deceiving. In any case you’d be foolish to trust that any fae would not cheat, and I believe that isexactlywhat we need to do," she replied impishly, delight sparkling in her eyes when she glanced back over her shoulder.
"I have a bad feeling about this…that tone, did you hear it this time Ri?" I hissed, when more space grew between us and the general, my head leaning into Riley while we followed the shadow fae down the mossy lane, untouched by the brutal fire that destroyed a quarter of the town. It would be a ghost town for a few more days, before any fae felt safe enough to return here. As such, Riley and I rarely ever stayed in one place. Faerie was vast, and so were its adventures and its woes. Since the wars, we had done everything in our power to experience one and assist with the other.
Shadows popping in our faces brought us both to a stuttering halt. Wide eyed, I held my breath, watching them swirl and shimmer, circling around our legs like a cat purring for a scratch. Except they were no feline housepet, these were deadly entities, made even more terrifying by their sentient nature.
Remnant looked back over her shoulder, her mouth stretched into a knowing grin. "They like you. Give them a pet, they love it," she called out to us.
