Page 79 of Curse of Thorns
Who else would befriend the soul of an evil fae but her? There is a reason he took this form after his death—because deep down he was evil. Just like she is.
Maybe she realized it too. She’s at home with creatures like this wraith.
A damn wraith! I shake my head.Following after her like a puppy.
“Why should she bother to save someone who hates her?” The wraith continues to complain. “Why worry about a relationship that was doomed from the start? She continues sacrificing for you. Over and over. She chose you over meeting with her queen. Then, she uncovered the secret to the Wicked Gates and broke her own heart to help you. It’s pathetic.”
“What secret?” I ask suddenly. “The secret to the Wicked Gate?”
“You’re so stupid you still haven’t figured it out.” The wraith sighs. “Let me ask you a riddle, child. Perhaps, one day, you’ll figure it out, and you’ll know what really happened.”
I sigh.A riddle, perfect.
“What is the quest every soul takes up when they enter the Schorchedlands?”
My eyebrows furrow. “Find redemption.”
“Indeed.”
I blink. “That’s it? That’s the riddle?” It didn’t give me any more answers.
“That’s it. Figure out how it pertains to you, and perhaps you’ll see what is right before your eyes.”
I bite the inside of my lip.
“What is this plot?” I ask, looking to change the subject. This is the more important subject anyway. She came here for a reason, and the wraith implied some grand scheme. “My father sent assassins after me?”
“Very funny, child. This is much bigger than your pompous father and your family issues.”
“Then, what?”
“You’ve had a target on your head since you were a child. You both have. Deep within the lowest and darkest places, where the worst of the worst dwell, there have been rumblings about you and your mate for many years.”
I swallow. “Why?” I ask blandly. I don’t know how much I buy into anything he says at this point, but I might as well hear the whole story.
“Isn’t that the question?” He shakes his head. “You each have an ability that either side of an ancient war would like to use. Those powerful beings of darkness wish you dead to stop you from learning to wield this power. And her.” The wraith sighs. “She has the ability to do many good things but also terrible. She has the right blood and now, the power to complete the task.”
“What task?” It’s so vague it’s driving me insane.
“She has the magic needed to unite them. She can free a terrible ancient being that has been trapped in the Schorchedlands for a thousand years. It’s ironic that she has always desired freedom above all else—even above you, boy—and that is exactly what those creatures desire too.”
“That’s it? They desire freedom?”
The wraith chuckles. “No, they desire much more. That is simply the first step. There is a reason she was contained in the first place, child. If the Night Terror is reunited with her mate... They would commit acts that make the scourge look like a child’s attempt at vengeance. They will desolate the whole realm as easy as blinking.”
“So, if Caelynn has this power, her death would end it all. Would it not?”
“It would. However, that is not my goal. I wish to free Caelynn from her banishment—and now, this place—so that she can breathe life back into my court.”
“You wish to revive the Shadow Court to its former glory.” I clench my jaw through the searing pain in my back.
“Indeed. And I do not wish for those evil beings to be freed because if they are, there will be no more Shadow Court. There will be no more courts at all.”
