Page 42 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
“I ripped any stragglers off of the river banks on my way back to the castle. They should all have been sucked beneath the current by now and are merrily drowning away.” I flick the bone,watching it bounce off of a cluster of emerald Vivianite crystals before clattering to the floor. The slender crystals let out a soft set of pings as the impact reverberates through their tubular structure.
“You need to ssstay away from her.”
“Enough.” Shadows spill across the throne room. Mytha’s eyes dart to the dark mass slowly encroaching on our space. Her gaze lowers to the floor. I trust Mytha completely but every once in a while she needs a reminder that we are not equals. Submission is required when lines are overstepped.
“My only concern isss for you and our realm, my lord.” Her voice is quiet.
“I understand, but where Lenore is concerned, watch your tongue. I’ve removed tongues for far less—” Every inch of me tenses. The energy in the kingdom shifts. My center of gravity pitches. The jeweled amulet around my neck throbs. Panic crashes through me. Mytha’s head snaps up. She can feel it too.
Her body quickly changes into its raven form, soaring toward the balcony. My wings are already open, ready to carry me into my world of night as I dive off the edge. There’s a terrible imbalance somewhere below. The tremor of terror reverberates through the air, rattling my bones and forcing my heart into a quick set of panicked beats.Something has gotten loose.
“Find it!” My command thunders across the smoky terrain. Ravens dive down from the clouds, scouring the ground and waters. Another shockwave of fear strikes me in the chest. Where the fuck is it? Mytha caws, drawing my attention to the left. A small group of birds have flocked together to form an arrow in the sky, guiding my eye to the ground.
My stomach plummets faster than my winged form can. The sparkling silver of one of my many soul sanctuaries is turning black. Snapping my wings closed, I arrow toward the garden. If Ican get the cursed soul out before enough of the garden has been tainted, I can save the innocent souls inside.
We’re far from the banks of the river. They could have chosen any of the closer gardens to attack. Why this rotten, tormented soul chose this specific spot to consume, is a mystery.
There are silver gardens of pure peace and light scattered all around the Underworld. They provide a safe, happy place for those with clean souls. The dead live within their respective patches of earth, never feeling pain, or fear, or hunger again. At least that’s how it’s meant to be. The terror currently radiating from the people trapped within is sickening.
They cannot leave their garden. There are protective wards to ensure they stay within. The magic was implemented to keep them safe and away from any cursed or tarnished souls. In this instance, sealing them within their paradise has condemned them. Dreadful black has overtaken more than half of the patch’s moonlit flowers and trees. The souls within scream, cry. Confusion and fear twist their serene features, distorting them.
The culprit to this horror show is a monstrosity well over nine feet tall. Thick tar oozes off of him, leaving a trail with every step he takes. A wide, dripping mouth opens and closes as he stuffs souls inside. With each forbidden bite, he grows larger. The sheer magnitude of the cursed soul means he’s been writhing around in the river of the damned for centuries. He’s old, powerful, and clever to have been able to hide from me and my messengers during our initial search.
Skin shreds and vanishes as I allow my monster to take control. My shadows strike quickly and mercilessly, wrapping around the cursed soul’s thick, muddy throat. It screams, the sound a deep bellow of inhuman rage. More shadows are quick to restrain him, wrapping him up so tightly that I can hear the crunching of old bones deep within his twisted form.
My magic flows, straining as I haul him off the ground. The world blurs past me in a sea of tipping rage as I return to the river and shove him back inside. His cries turn mournful as the churning water and many panicky hands pull him under, forcing him to give up his air, sucking in lungfuls of toxic liquid. He drowns and is churned about. I watch, unsatisfied. It’s not nearly enough. It can’t make up for what he did on earth to deserve his place in the river, or what he’s just done to those innocent souls in the garden.
The squawking of a great many birds reaches my ear. My wings beat furiously as I fly back to the garden. If I can contain the spread of his darkness, his curse…
My hope shatters when the garden comes into view. No silver is left to be found.
I’m too late.
Eyes that were once blue and green, brown, hazel, and gold have all turned gray. I watch with despair wreaking havoc in my chest as long and short locks of blond and brown hair darken and fall out. Skin of all shades blackens, cracking until it’s as dry and dark as the ash from the ever-burning fires below.
The remaining inhabitants wail, their cries turning to screeches and screams as their souls are tainted. There’s nothing left I can do to save them. I can no longer offer them peace or sanctuary. And now that they’ve been cursed, they cannot be allowed to remain on land.
My heart is heavy as I send down a barrage of shadows. One by one, they wrap around each of the helpless victims. It hurts me to do what I must. It’s the only way to protect the rest of those living out their days in a garden of their own.
Into the river these poor souls must go.
And so, those who were promised peace for all their days will now suffer the same unimaginable fate as those who committedsuch incomprehensible atrocities on earth. I drop them one by one into the water, locking eyes with each as they drown.
I’m sorry.You deserved better.
When I’m done, their former garden is nothing but a patch of ash. Blue fire glows from within as deep new fissures open up.
My wings are heavy as I fly back to the castle. My palm dips into the pool, settling in the center. Magic flows from me, fueling the waterfall and filling the river. There are more souls to contain now. Souls that do not deserve to be there.
I failed them.
I remain on the floor, staring into the swirling jade pool. Hours pass in silence before the soft rustling of wings alerts me to Mytha’s presence. Her serpent form leans against the balcony.
She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t need to. Her glowing eyes burn into me from across the throne room.
“It’s all my fault.”
“Yesss. It isss,” Mytha hisses.
