Page 115 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
Uncertainty hits me. The vines are no longer green. The last I saw, they were shriveled and brown.
Will they break more easily now that they’re dead? That seems like a given. Let’s see how sturdy they are. Careful to avoid the broken glass, I reach a hand through the open window. My fingers hit an invisible barrier before they can pass through. There’s a sharp shocking sensation. I snatch my hand back.
I try again, and again. My hand never makes it through the opening. There’s magic on this window. Crawling twice as fast as before, I hurry to the panel that I know opens into one of the guest suites. Standing to my full height after being crouched over feels incredible. My steps are silent yet hurried as I dash to the bedroom window. The latch clicks open. I still, hoping it was too small a sound to be detected by Cassius.
The window creaks as it swings outward. I thrust my arm through. Blocked. It’s blocked. The invisible barrier buzzes across my skin. Fear plants itself deep in my bones, rooting me to the spot. I wonder if the entire castle has been blocked this way. If so, Catreena has locked me inside.
The sounds of a door breaking inward have me jumping near out of my skin. It came from somewhere nearby. I rush to my own doorway. Slowly, so very slowly, I crack the door open. Cassius is in my hallway. He kicks down another door and disappears inside. He’s searching every damn room in the castle. He reemerges and moves on to the next door. There are only two more rooms until he reaches the one I’m hiding in.
Going back through the hidden panel only leads back the way I came. I need to put more distance between Cassius and I. Steadying myself, I wait until he disappears into the next roomand then run like hell. I sprint down the hallway, grateful for the soundlessness of my bare feet. The stairwell at the end welcomes me with darkness. There are only a few scattered torches along the walls.
If the rest of the exits are blocked, then I need to find a new way to get help. Breaking left, I hurry up the spiral staircase. Windows line the outside, giving me glimpses of the nighttime world that I can see but not reach. I place a hand on the glass. That familiar hum of magic is still there, but it’s less volatile than before. I run the next two flights. Again, my palm touches the window. This time the buzzing has softened to a tingling.
Whatever magic is keeping me indoors is weaker this high up. Dashing up two more flights, I press against the glass. The tingling beneath my palm is so subtle.
If I can make it to the tallest sentry tower, maybe I can wave a torch, signal for help. It’s possible one of Catreena’s guards is on duty up there. I’ll have to deal with that when I get to it.
“Princess!” Cassius’s deep voice echoes from below. “I know you’re up there.”
Taking off in a sprint that has my thighs screaming for me to stop, I run the rest of the way up the stairwell. The sentry post is empty. Relief grants me the smallest break from my endless stress. Walking to the large gap in the wall, I reach a hand outward. It slides through and into the night air.There’s no barrier up here.
“Found you.”
I spin, my nightgown swishing around me. Cassius’s grin is demonic as he paces in the doorway.
“Stay back!”
“There’s nowhere else for you to run. Don’t delay this further. You’ve stolen enough of my time. The mirror will begin its search soon enough.”
He takes a threatening step forward. I back up until my heels hit the ledge. Grabbing the torch from the wall, I swing it wildly. Maybe I can set him on fire. Cassius never slows. Even if I can burn him, it won’t stop him from overpowering me.
At first, I miss the ghostly sensation that rises along the back of my neck. My hairs stand, like static winding across my skin. It’s a sensation specific to only one thing, one person.Harrow is near.
I can’t risk thinking of what will happen if I’m wrong. I don’t have the luxury. Cassius closes the distance between us. I turn, stepping on the ledge. With all the air in my lungs, I scream, “Harrow!”
Then I jump.
Chapter 35
Harrow
The Underworld is in chaos when I arrive back. I knew the damage would be extensive. It surpasses the destruction I was expecting. Serpien are fighting with everything they have to protect the remaining gardens. There’s so much fire, so many innocent souls corrupted. Without me here to relocate them to the river, the Serpien were forced to trap them in the deep fissures that form beneath each ruined garden. Their hands reach up from the fiery cracks in the earth as they wail.
The mountain itself is glowing green. A tinge of relief chips off a bit of my stress when I see a steady stream of Serpien appearing from within the mountain. I’ve never been allowed to know exactly how they’re formed or why they’re brought into existence when they are. But if the Underworld is releasing new Serpien, it must be in a dire state.
The river is bone dry. Before I can throw the damned back into its waters, I need to refill it. My palace comes into view and rage lights my blood. There are cursed souls within the walls of my home. Several lurk about, tracking sludge across my throne room.
Never before has a cursed soul roamed my halls. My own sanctuary has been violated. The pool in the center sits black and bubbling. I need a new plan. Something fast and effective. I cannot leave my world like this, but every second I’m down here, Lenore is at risk above.
Instead of entering my palace, I shift my gaze to the sky. Will this work? I can’t be sure. It’s worth everything to try. My focus shifts above. The stars are blotted out by the mass of billowing dark clouds I summon. Once they’re in place, I imbue them with as much magic as I can spare. The clouds shift from black to a glowing green. When they’re near rupturing from fullness, I release the rain. The Serpien dive for cover. A dam breaks and the wall of water that falls hits the ground like a tidal wave. Anything not shielded by the walls of a silver garden is swept away in the flood.
Guiding the water, I send it rushing back into the empty riverbed. Souls tumble head over heel as they’re sucked back into the choppy waters. Full. The river is so full. Dropping to the wet ground, I imbue the earth itself with power. The river rumbles as soil shakes loose on either end. The rough quaking only lasts a few moments, but it’s enough to erode the sides of the river away and carve a new, wider path. That should help to accommodate all the new souls.
It’s surprisingly effective. My ravens point out any stragglers, those who are clutching onto a garden or crack. Once I’ve dumped them into the now-full water, I clear out my castle. I flush out the pool in the center of my throne room, imbuing it until the water clears and familiar bioluminescence takes hold.
When I finish, I look out over my domain. The Serpien are lined up below, staring up at me. Disappointment burns into me through their glowing eyes. With the land cleared of cursed spirits, the true scope of the devastation becomes clear.
Guilt swallows me whole. So many have been lost. The burned black of such extensive ruin scars the land.
