Page 83 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
Those who are left are well enough hidden that even my birds couldn’t find them. It’s infuriating.
This week without her has been hell. To know that she’s been suffering alone all this time. Or worse, in the arms of her Prince Cassius. The idea that she believes I’m responsible for her mother’s death has hurt me for days.
I’ve never cared for the feelings of others. But when I’m with Lenore, I want her to be happy. More than that, I want to be the reason she’s happy. I’ll wallow, grovel, beg for her understanding. I need to be by her side. I’ll do anything to be allowed back in her life.
I’ve been waiting to return until I had something to offer. That plan was scratched the moment I laid eyes on her father in my realm. Something strange is going on.
I enter the mortal realm and stride through the castle courtyard. Knowing how much she loves to sneak out, I was hoping she would be outside. I would have loved to find her in her bone garden. I have a whole pile of new bones back home for her collection.
If she’s not out here, she’s likely asleep. Maybe she’s locked away, deep in the dark pit of grief. I should have come sooner.
My first attempt to shadow into Lenore’s room fails. I’m spit back out in front of the door leading in from the courtyard. My senses snap to high alert.Was that a boundary line I felt? Reaching out with my senses, I search for any signs of a spell. This door is clear. Is it only Lenore’s room that’s encompassed by the boundary? Reaching out again, I search for any signs of magic in the courtyard.
I don’t find magic, but it does give me a moment to realize every plant surrounding the castle has died. All dead as a consequence of the queen’s death. An inner voice whispers that there is more at play. I believe it. My heart hammers with urgency.
My shadows tip the door into the castle. One boot crosses the threshold, then the other. Nothing stops me. I’m able to walk into the castle, but not shadow in.
The door swings closed behind me and my shadows recoil. Something is amiss. It takes me a moment to place the wrongness, but when I do, my blood turns cold.Lenore’s energyisn’t here. A sickening panic splits my gut, dividing me into two sides. The side that rules the Underworld, whose duty and responsibility come first, and the side whose obsession with Lenore takes precedence over everything else. My obsession wins out over my occupation. I become one with the shadows, moving with unmatched speed and stealth as I whisk myself to Lenore’s bedroom.
There are no guards stationed outside her room. My shadows have already entered by the time I break the door down. My greatest fears are confirmed.
She’s not here.
Becoming darkness itself, I roam the castle halls. There is a somber air around. Several of the handmaidens are crying. My stomachs twists and flips. Where’s my little raven? An elderly servant hobbles down the hallway. His glow is bright. His time to die has almost come.
Freezing when he sees me, the man yelps in fear. I’m but a dark breeze as I materialize before him.
“You can see me, yes?”
His entire body trembles. “Y-yes.”
“Tell me what I need to know and no harm will come to you.”
He reeks of fear. “What do you want to know?’
“Where is the princess?”
“She’s fallen ill.”
“When?” I demand.
The man flinches. “Two days. We haven’t seen her since sh-she f-f-f?—”
Fear seizes his ability to speak. I don’t have time for this. My fingers throb against his temples as I delve into his mind.
I’m less careful than normal as I plow through his memories. Meaningless, monotonous moments storm past. The flash of a familiar fair face has me slowing my search. The man peers around the shoulders of others as multiple servantsstand in a crowded doorway. The hallway beyond is in chaos. Guards running in every direction. Voices shouting, orders being delivered. Lenore is carried away on a stretcher.
Her body is too still. One arm hangs limply over the wooden frame. I try to see if she’s breathing. There are too many people passing in front of the doorway. I can’t get a clear glimpse of her long enough to measure the rise and fall of her chest.
The man whose mind I’m inside groans as I speed ahead, searching for any other memories that depict Lenore. I don’t find her again. The only clue I get is when her name is mentioned by a young female servant. The girl passes by with her arms full of dried flowers. All I can decipher is “poor princess,” and “taking them to Lenore.” The man’s memories do not hold the current location of the princess.
He collapses in a heap as I lurch free from his mind. I don’t have the time to apologize for the state I’ve left him in. He’s already on death’s doorstep. Lucky for him, his soul radiates a pure glow. He’ll end up in a garden, which means in death, he’ll have nothing to fear. My movements are precise as I return from whence I came. I saw that servant girl from his memory crying with the others. She knows where Lenore is.
The three maids are oblivious to my approach. My influence settles over the one from the memory. “Stay quiet, do not react.” The moment her eyes glaze over, I push my way into her mind.
I wish I could be gentler, but every second that I don’t know where Lenore is or what has happened is a second that she could be in grave peril. The young woman’s body trembles, but my magic holds. She’s silent as I sift through her memories.
The red and white flowers catch my eye. I slow, following the memory as she walks through the hallway, her arms loaded down with blooms. Her path leads her through the castle and outside. Where could she be going? A small but beautifulstructure comes into view. I’ve never visited Lenore here. My best guess is it’s the castle’s chapel.
