Page 16 of Darkness Rising
My brows crease.
“A raid was done on my village in name of the King last week. His soldiers left with one thing. The book of Severed Souls was all that was confiscated.”
“Severed Souls?” I hate how lost I’m feeling in all of this.
“My great grandmother, Ebony Mary Crows, was an Elder Witch.” He pauses and I wonder if he’s leaving parts of the story out. Editing it to reflect what he wants. “The diary is outlawed in all eight kingdoms. It’s said she destroyed the text centuries ago upon instruction of Queen Delorence.”
“Obviously she did not.”
“Of course she didn’t,” he says with outrage. “I wish she would have.” His tone lowers as his gaze drifts to the messy space between him and I. “She enchanted it. It’s an everlasting script that can never be destroyed. It’s also the darkest source of black magic known to man; specifically used for keeping, strengthening, and using departed souls.”
What would my father want with an army of the dead?
Imagine the lives that would be lost upon impact with that kind of relentless power. He’s a reckless man. A selfish man.
A dangerous man.
“Don’t let this asshole lure you into his problems.” Nollix’s gruff voice tears at my attention and I look back at the three men.
Slowly, I stand. Plaster cracks beneath my boots as I stride through the demolished home. I exit through a large hole in the wall and Cameron trails quietly behind me.
“Where are you going now?” Jeriko asks in growl.
The sunlight highlights the tattered panels of Berlin’s home that now lay haphazardly across his pretty flower garden.
“I’m going to retrieve the book of Severed Souls.”
Before my father tears this kingdom apart.
Chapter Ten
Cock Blocking
The streets are quiet. Warm rain pelts down from the heavens as we stand atop the roof of the tallest building in the city. I lift my face to the feel of the water, letting it bead against my lower lip. It smells sweet and clean and free.
It’s a simple part of life that I’ve always enjoyed. It reminds me of a childhood long gone.
It’s only Cameron, Nollix, and me on this side. We’re on the back side of the palace, the secluded side, while Jeriko and Link lurk on the roof just above the entrance.
We’re waiting for the guards to close the front gate. Once the gates to the castle are closed off from the public, the security is lower. It’ll be easier to wander the halls then.
“I love when it rains.” Nollix sits with his feet dangling over the edge of the palace wall as he stares up at the clouds. The darkness makes his eyes a stormy color, washing out the pretty blue entirely.
It’s such a simple statement it makes me pause as I consider him. He’s always pushing to get under my skin. His confession makes my heart swarm with a strange fluttering feeling.
“So do I.”
Tension fills his frame before he pauses and looks back at me. The small common ground seems to throw us both off balance and neither of us knows what to say now.
You’d think this Fae just confessed his love to me.
The sound of boots shuffling against concrete reminds me that Cameron is still tied to me. He seems to be testing our bond. I’m unmovable and he’s just a dog on a leash.
But he still seems to be attempting to push his boundaries. He takes another step, pushing hard just to move an inch forward. He does though. Approximately ten feet separate him from me. With a deep breath, he takes another small step. Slightly more than ten feet separates us. Another inch is gained. I cock a brow at him as he accomplishes another staggering step.
Nollix looks at me and, for a second, I feel like we’re both thinking the same terrible thing.
I stride forward with ease and take a seat next to Nollix.
