Page 96 of Marked By the Enemy
The tether stretched towards the area under the Keep, where a red fissure in the earth was held shut by a magical sealant. It looked like Caldaen itself had been wounded, and that sticky crimson substance was all that held it together, preventing a catastrophic release.
The closer one got, the more obvious the raw, untamed power emanating from the sealed wound became, a pressure that pressed against the mind as much as the body.
Darian’s steps broke the frost behind me. “Good morning.”
I didn’t turn. “It’s not like before.”
“No.” Dampness clung to his hair; his collar stayed wrinkled. But his eyes were clear. The crescent mark of the Moon Court on his palm was skin-colored now. It had set.
“At least the Bone Seat has gone.”
Hid cloak brushed mine as he stood beside me. “The Bone Seat didn’t retreat. He circled.”
“To where?”
“I don’t know. But he’s waiting.”
“We’ll gather tonight,” I said.
“Why?”
“To speak.”
“We haven’t done that in days.”
“Exactly.” I wanted to hear him say my name, like it meant something more than strategy.
We gathered at dusk without being called. The courtyard was too small to fit three-hundred, so we met in the largest fighting ring instead, around the memory stones.
Willow and Rainer arrived first, cloaks wrapped tightly. Branwen and Lina came next, sleeves dusted with flour, hair pinned back like they’d come straight from kneading dough. Nessa Tidehook. Then Astrid, Jack, and Ruen in heavy conversation. The smugglers came with Lord Jeyin and Lord Fen. Ulric and Lymseia had become more friendly with time. The twins never came. They were already ash.
Jack, Ruen and Ulric were discussing the fact their iron seats may have been twin sisters, for they had both looked identical, despite one being from the Verdant Court and the Storm Court. Ruen said he’d seen a flash of her memory, where she and a twin sister had been torn apart in a cave and taken away by the fae Royal Guard. They noticed everyone else was standing silently, and stopped talking, too.
They formed a rough circle. Darian stood at the edge, arms folded, his gaze sweeping over them as if counting what couldn’t be counted—each memory, each vow, each name.
I stepped into the center, but I didn’t raise my voice. The bond had already done that for me. Every body was listening. “I saw a crack in the earth under the keep, sealed by something magic. I think it’s a doorway to another realm, not only the corridor.”
They didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink.
“Where did it lead?” the blind boy, Ben, called out.
“I didn’t step through.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t know if it was mine.”
Lina exhaled loudly and rubbed her hands on her apron. “Was it the Bone Seat’s?”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t open doors. He breaks them.” I paced the circle. The frost had melted in the courtyard, but the air still held that strangequiet that came before thunder. “Something’s changed,” I said. “Here and beyond.”
Nessa Tidehook combed fat fingers through her thin, grey hair. “The corridor ain’t called in days.”
Branwen nodded. “The bond perceives still.”
Willow nodded. “It’s wound tight and waiting.”
“It’s counting on us to break apart,” Darian grumbled.
