Page 53 of Rising Out of the Darkness
“So, what will happen now?” Clara tilted her head toward the open balcony door, toward the direction of the sleeping Light Phoenix.
“You know my father and Alastor are going to want to parade her around. However, we’re going to teach her to understand and strengthen her dynamis…teach her how powerful she really can be. After that, no one should be able to stand in her way.”
Something mischievous flickered in her eyes for a moment before she rested her elbows on the smooth, white stone of the ledge. “Sounds like a good plan.” Silence passed between us. “I’m close, Declan. By the end of the month, I really think… I—I think I’ll have a cure.”
Emotion swelled inside my chest as I imagined what it would feel like to be free of this leash that Alastor had put on me years ago. Clara had been working herself into the ground day and night trying to find a cure ever since. She and I were no strangers to the feeling of being caged inside this castle.
Wind whipped around the thin white curtain of the open balcony door, diverting my attention through it to the woman I feared I’d begun to have feelings for. Clara leaned over, her eyes followed my line of sight, and a small grin danced about her face again.
“Who knows”—she cleared her throat—“maybe the Light Phoenix might be a little part of the cure as well.”
A scoff tumbled out of me as I crossed my arms in front of me.
“I’ve never seen you look at someone like that before.”
“What do you mean?” My lips pursed together. I hated the fact that she could see right through me. There was no fooling her.
“Like she’s something precious, something you’ve been longing for,” she whispered, and my eyes fell to my boots. Fear festered inside of me, because she was right.
“Speaking of something precious…” Clara pulled something out of her pocket and placed in my palm the smooth, white stone feather pendant that had been around Lena’s neck. Theentire necklace had been drowned in blood and mud, so I’d had Clara clean it up the best she could for her. It must have some importance, because I had caught Elena running her fingers through it several times during the journey.
“I couldn’t clean the twine that originally held it, so I replaced it with an old chain I had.”
“It’s perfect, thank you.” I placed the pendant in my pocket and pulled Clara into my side, watching the waves as they rolled back and forth in the midday sun.
Elena
The ground crunched beneath me as I ran through the trees, barefoot and only in my nightdress. Branches clawed at me as I sprinted, tearing away pieces of my hair and ripping into my sensitive flesh. Tears streamed down my cheeks as a scream tore out of me. “Help me!”
My head whipped back so I could see how far the beast was, only for me to trip and slam hard into the dirt below. The beast pounced on top of me, howling as it turned me over with its paw, claws slicing into me.
The act ripped a gargled scream from me as it lowered its foul snout to hover above my face. Its void eyes glared upon me as a branch cracked beside us.
Stepping from the shadows behind him, cloaked in darkness and death, came the same hooded figure that had haunted my dreams for far too long. Its voice was low, raspy and ominous. It sent a wave of nauseousness throughout my body.
“Join me,” it growled. “Give in, Elena. Release your dynamis, and together we will make this world feel our pain.”
“Never.”
The being chuckled, sounding more like spurts of growls. “One day, Elena, one day soon, you will give in to me. Consider it a promise.”
My only response was spitting in its face. The beast roared as its teeth plunged into my neck.
“Wake, Elena! Wake!”
Iwoke up breathless, with my hands wrapped around my neck.Thank the gods. A dream. Only a dream.
Using both of my hands, I rubbed my face, trying to regain a sense of my surroundings. Warm golden light illuminated the massive room, and the breeze from the balcony made the sheer white curtains dance. My eyes roamed over the luxuries that filled the space: soft blue velvet chairs, paintings of ocean waves and sunsets hanging in elegant gold frames. On the side table next to the bed was a vase of white peonies. Each petal looked as smooth as velvet.
The massive oak bed that had swallowed me whole was filled with cream sheets and cloud-like pillows. My body sank into the softness of the mattress. It appeared I had made it to the capital, Vrine, the City of Shadows. The castle that was meant to be my home for the unforeseeable future.
The realization made my stomach fill with unease. Staring at the ceiling, I felt surprised, yet entirely thankful that I was alive. When I’d last closed my eyes, I’d assumed that was the last time they would open.
My hands lay over my stomach, reminding me of the attack. I lifted the silk nightdress that I was now wearing to peek at thedamage, only to find nothing but smooth, pink skin. The signs of healing.
The king must have an incredibly strong Healer, because from what I could remember, my body had been torn to shreds before I passed out. I massaged my temples to release the memory of the blood that had spilled over my hands.
Hums of conversation spilled into the room from what I assumed to be others on the balcony. Carefully, I slid my legs over the side of the bed. Without the warmth from the covers, my entire body shivered from the coastal air. The sheer slip I was wearing did nothing to cut the chill. Draped over a chair was a silk robe in the same navy shade as my nightdress. Grabbing it, I threw it on before my teeth chattered their way right out of my mouth. I tightened its sash around my waist and wobbled my way towards the balcony doors.
