Page 22 of Shadows of Air and Earth
Tilting my head up to the warmth of the sun, I breathed in deep. Its rays most assuredly mocked me this time, for its gentle heat had no effect on the chill that laid a new layer of ice upon my heart.
This was who I was and who I would always be. There were no tears that could thaw this frost and no light that could possibly live within my darkness.
Plastering on a look of indifference, I turned to the weary elementals silently watching me. "Let us hope the rest of our travels are uneventful."
Both of them snorted in unison and I smiled, feeling lighter just in their presence.
Chapter 14
Never in all thegoddess's dreams and wishes would I have ever expected to see the most deadly fae living amongst us mourn over trolls. But she did, her dark hair blew gently with the comforting breeze, the sun poured over her figure to chase the darkness, and the lapping waves stretchedtowards her to wash away the sadness. From where she stood, her bitter grief soaked into the earth, I did not need to see her face, nor hear her and Riley's exchange to know that her decision had caused her great anguish.
I swallowed down the solemn heaviness upon the air, my emotions still reeling from the loss of the tunnels, the dark secrets Riley harbored, and even more so from the bright flame of his declared love for me.Everythingabout Riley Dragoon felt like he was mine and I was his but still I said…no. I denied my heart the one thing it always wanted and as such, it shattered like glass upon stone, and I wasn’t sure if we would ever be able to pick up the pieces.
When Remnant moved towards the jungle, I halted her with an outstretched hand. "Wait," I commanded, wincing at my tone.
Her brows rose at my audacity, before gazing steadily down at her arm where my hand gripped her.
Slowly, I released the smooth, pale skin etched with black ink. "Please wait, I'd like to…" I looked up at Riley out of instinct, his mouth twitching with a small, knowing smile despite our discourse. Damn it to fucking Faerie and back, that fae loved it when I went soft but I had no goddess damn time for it. My softness was beaten out of me as a faeling. The rigorous training and lonely nights locked in a dungeon to see how long I could withstandtheirtorture was enough to make any fae harden to stone. It was either that or break. My parents held very little sympathy or remorse when I did break for it was all part of my training, skills I needed to survive in this world, traits I needed to become unrivaled. If I did not bleed enough, if I was not quiet enough, if I did not stay conscious long enough, then I was not powerful enough and the torture would begin anew. I would have to endure it all again, each day a new routine, alwaysfinding more and more sadistic ways totrainme, toimproveme.
I was my parents’ prodigy, even if my eye color was a blasphemy upon their name. With the seraphic beauty of my mother, the might of my father, and the combined power of our family’s legacy to wield firestone, I would make up for it above all else to carry on the good and regal name of Chin.
Fuck that. If I could strip my name from my soul I would. But for the fae, names held power and even I still believed them to be sacred, even if it had come fromthem.
An emerald gaze gave me another pointed look.
Scowling, I sighed exasperatedly, "Before we leave, I'd like to pay my respects to the trolls. You are right, they were innocent in all of this and I would like to honor that."
The shadow fae general's stare took on that of bright curiosity, the sadness suddenly morphing into gratitude. "Of course, if that is what you wish."
I nodded, shooting Riley an annoyed glance at his knowing smile and the pride in his eyes. Rolling my own, I strolled to just a few feet from the water’s edge. Breathing deep, I summoned the earth, knowing exactly how I wanted to honor the trolls who perished upon these shores. Churning beneath the lac’s surface, there was rich sediment, full of minerals of calcium, magnesium, and even iron. Diffusing the sediment from the water, I filled six perfect spheres, for six imperfect trolls, with the precious composites of citrine—a stone that no fae would be able to ignore and not pay reverence to. We were often caught by its soothing power to comfort the harsh savage within. We were but cultured monsters after all.
Pulling my creation from Lac Asrai, the stone swirled around the precious crystals, sealing them inside before I lowered them upon the watery shore. The soft waves welcomed each stone with a gentle caress of its glittering waters. Smallsplits within the large round boulders, the height of an average fae, revealed the warm golden and orange glow of the citrine crystals within. Shifting them until they were laid perfectly in a staggered row, they would be a sight to behold for anyone who ever passed these shores.
“They are calledmoeraki,” I said softly, trying to ignore the wondrous stares directed my way. I hid more of my face with my hair, their awe-struck gazes making me uncomfortable. "The fae of Faerie may not know why thesemoerakihave been placed but they will not be able to pass without honoring them. The citrine inside will influence peace and healing should any choose to stay awhile."
"Moeraki, a place to sleep during the day," Remnant breathed, her smile wide with gratitude that beamed on her beautiful face. "A perfect way to honor our troll brethren."
I grunted and inhaled sharply when suddenly her dark beauty was wrapped around me in a strong hug, her tattooed arms squeezing me tightly.
Riley choked on a laugh when I gave him a horrified look over her shoulder imploring him to save me. Surely he wouldn’t leave me in her arms, even as furious as I was with him.
"Thank you, Xi Chin," she whispered.
Patting her back awkwardly, I stammered, "Yeah…ummm don't mention it. Please."
She pulled away just as quickly and set a respectable distance between us before swiping back her dark hair. Passing one last lingering look on themoerakiboulders behind me, she turned without looking back, her stride confident and swift. “We can linger no longer, we must get moving into the Saltu if we are to reach Lacail in time.”
"Into the Saltu? Are you serious?" Ancient fae for jungle—the Saltu was where fae disappeared and never came back, no doubt caused by the Faerie rings hidden deep within and alsobecause of its borders with the spirit realm of The Veil. The elementals of the plains knew this and avoided it at all cost. I wasn’t about to go anywhere near that place.
The stillness of the air and lack of sunlight within the jungle had every instinct of mine on high alert. I never even dared to tunnel under the damn thing because of its ancient roots that seemed to stretch to Sheol itself. As a fae prone to survival, I was not about to disturb the death god even if the challenge of it did make me more than curious to try.
Cocking her hand on her hip, Remnant pursed her lips. "What would you suggest then?"
"Not risking death and avoiding the anthousai as much as possible," I said dryly, suppressing the shudder brought on by just thinking about the flower nymphs of the rings. Their siren abilities coaxed even the strongest of minds into their realm. They stole your pleasure and your vitality until you were nothing but dancing bones. "Follow the lac’s edge until we reach the plains."
Remnant looked beyond my shoulder wrinkling her nose. "We would lose a whole day taking that route, besides I'd rather stay away from the water."
"You were more than happy to swim in it a few moments ago," I snapped.
