Chapter Eight

 

 

 

 

Leaving Stanis’ tenement felt a lot different than when Shade had arrived. The sun was brighter and the air seemed less confining somehow. She was exhilarated that she’d been able to use some of her water magic again with the Pith. Even though it only worked on elemental magic, as Stanis had stated afterward, it had been enough to rejuvenate her quest to gain her powers back from Corb.

They shuffled out into the less crowded, but still thick, evening throng of the city. They walked less urgently, now that they knew where they were heading. Returning to the Glass Castle was a must to obtain a more suitable wardrobe for the freezing temperatures where they would be heading: the depths of the Arctic.

Shade wasn’t sure she ever had even thought of visiting the Arctic, let alone combing through it to find an ancient kingdom. She was certain she’d hate the freezing, below-zero weather and wasn’t looking forward to going there, not one bit.

Dylan and Soap stopped in their tracks, causing a small congestion of bodies in the middle of the sidewalk. Dylan grabbed Shade while Soap pulled Brisa against the stone wall of the nearest building. Their faces were concerned, their senses on high alert. Shade felt the tension seeping off them like waves and darted her eyes down both sides of the street.

“What’s going on? Something happening?” she whispered to Dylan as he immediately drew an invisibility shield around them. To an outsider, they would have been standing there leaning against the wall one minute and then gone the next.

Dylan pulled his sword out, as did the others as they stood there, still studying the crowd for something Shade couldn’t see. When nothing happened, she began to wonder if they were just being paranoid. What would attack them in broad daylight, on a street full of people? Just then, Dylan grabbed her hand and began running through the crowd.

Glancing back, she could see Camulus had Brisa in his grip and Soap followed close behind them. She still couldn’t see what was chasing them, but a fear crept up into her as they continued on, dodging thick bottlenecks of people as they eased their way through the more dispersed patches.

“Dylan? What’s going on?” He continued to tug on her arm, making her wrist scream in protest. “Dylan?”

They turned down a dark alleyway and waited until Soap slipped in with them. There they kept their eyes on the opening and heard a loud explosion in the distance.

“What was that?” Brisa peeled her eyes at the noise, stepping closer to Shade and grabbing her other arm. “What was chasing us?” Screams filtered down from the direction they had come and the crowd just outside the alley began moving faster, some running around like a chaotic mess.

“A darkling spotted us. He must’ve set off the explosion to clear his way.” He turned toward Camulus and nodded. “The chaos probably wasn’t what he expected. Take us to the Glass Castle, quickly!” They all grabbed onto the elven-pixie and the sway of the land had just begun when, at the mouth of the alley, Shade saw the darkling, a shadow with searing white eyes. It screamed as it watched them about to disappear and catapulted toward them as they began their jaunt away. One cold, black finger grazed her arm before it disappeared from her vision and the world swirled away.

Shade’s ears rang from the darkling’s screech, and she had the sudden urge to let go of Camulus and Brisa to cover them and make the noise go away. She resisted, afraid she’d end up in some weird teleporting limbo if she dared disconnect from Camulus now. She endured the pain and felt Brisa trying to tug away from her, too, probably also in torturous pain. Digging her nails into her friend’s arm to keep her from letting go, she prayed for the end to come. The trip could not have ended sooner, and she found the entire bunch writhing on the floor from the darkling’s searing call.

Shade followed suit, collapsing to the ground and grabbing at her ears. Moments passed before the relentless ringing faded away, leaving them all breathing hard and sweating buckets. Shade pulled her hand away from her ear to grasp her other arm, which was now throbbing with pain. Slowly opening her eyes as she breathed deeply in and out, she saw why her arm was hurting so much. A black spot where the darkling had touched her right before they had teleported away stood stark against the pale skin of her forearm. It sent spikes of pain radiating up her arm and through her elbow, across her shoulder and into her chest. She gasped, gritting her teeth from the agony.

The others were now finally getting to their feet, some still dazed from the deafening screech. Dylan held his hands on his knees, crouched down as he shook it off his senses. Noticing that Shade was still on the ground, he hurried toward her and knelt down, lifting her up into his arms. She was grabbing her left arm and shaking uncontrollably. Tears leaked from both her eyes, and her face was screwed up in pain.

“Shade?” He pulled her up to sit against him, but she could barely open her eyes to register him.

“It’s burning!” she gasped, clutching her arm against her chest, cradling it softy.

“What happened?”

“The darkling, it touched me before… before we left.” Shade tried to breathe the pain away, but it was winning, and she wasn’t sure how long she would stay conscious. “What is this?”

“A darkling’s kiss.” Soap slid down to check out the wound. It was hot around the edges, but the black spot wasn’t growing. Still, Shade grunted through the torturous agony. “When a darkling marks you, it dies. In death, its touch slowly poisons your blood until all of your blood turns black and you either become a darkling or….” He cleared his throat, looking solemn. “Or you die. It takes just a few days.”

Brisa was shifting between her feet, nervously listening to what they were telling Shade. At Soap’s statement, she huffed away and ran through the gates of the Glass Castle, screaming for help. Dylan nodded for Soap to follow her as he picked up Shade. Cradling her close to his chest, he felt her body convulsing against him. She had already lost consciousness as her body twitched and slowly went limp in his arms. His face was furrowed as his fear crept up, making him break out into a run toward the castle.

Camulus had teleported somewhere else the moment he’d seen Shade’s condition. Where the hell did he go? Dylan thought.

“I need a healer!” Dylan called out to the guards inside the castle. One ran off down the hall while the other directed him to the infirmary. It was rarely used, but was still a necessity in such a large palace. Dylan placed her on one of the beds and waited for the healer to arrive, holding onto Shade’s now relaxed hand. He studied the dark spot on her forearm and wanted to yell out at the world for help to save her.

How dare a darkling touch Faerie royalty? The Unseelie Queen Aveta had surely sent them on a mission to get rid of Shade. Why hadn’t he seen it coming? He was so upset, he wanted to scream. His fingers flexed and dug into his palms as he watched the healer rush in and begin to examine her.

Shade was deathly pale, and the black spot looked like it was starting to bleed, spreading across her skin like webs of veiny ink sprawling across paper. The healer was a short but thin woman with light brown hair that hit the small of her back and was as straight as arrows. Her full hazel eyes were closed as she held Shade’s hand in her grasp. She muttered a spell over Shade. A wisp of smoke puffed from the black spot and dissipated into the air. The healer opened her eyes and stared at the sliver of mist as it vanished. She shook her head and resumed chanting, keeping her eyes open this time and staring intently at the spot. Another and then another wisp of smoke seeped from the spot but failed to change it. She continued on and her voice got louder and louder until she was practically screaming. She finally collapsed to her knees from the effort.

Dylan ran to her, helping her up. “What’s happening?”

The healer, whose name was Alandra, kept shaking her head in disbelief. She was now pale and diaphoretic, sweat dripped down her smooth hair and neck, clinging to her skin.

“I can’t stop it; it’s powerful darkling magic. I—I’m not strong enough,” she whispered. Her hands shook from the effort as she tried to stand up. Instead, Dylan led her to the bed next to Shade’s and gently placed her on it just as Ilarial burst into the room.

“Did it work?” Ilarial stooped over Shade and touched her forehead, feeling her burning with fever and still unconscious. Her other hand slid down her arm and touched the black mark on Shade’s forearm. She pulled her finger back as if it burned and rubbed it with her other fingers. “The darkling died marking her. He must’ve wanted her dead quite badly.” She glanced up, watching as Dylan returned to Shade’s side. “Alandra is depleted. I won’t be able to stop it completely, but I can delay the poison for a few days.” Her eyes were filled with worry.

“A few days? What do you mean you can’t stop it?” Dylan furrowed his brow and stared at the oracle, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. Turning back toward Shade, it dawned on him that she might not be saved this time. “She’s dying.”

“I’m afraid so.” Ilarial placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling his tension seep through her. Her heart was aching, like a knife was twisting violently in it.

“But she can’t die, she… I can’t let her die.” Dylan slipped to his knees, taking Shade’s fragile, thin hand into his. She looked so vulnerable and so frail all of sudden. This couldn’t be happening; she couldn’t die. Not yet. Not when he had so much still to tell her.

“I can delay it for three days. You have to take her to the Ancient Ice King, like she was planning to do. She might be able to fight it with her own healing abilities returned to her and his help. You have to convince him to relinquish the hold he has on her.”

Dylan nodded. A new determination set in his steel grey eyes. “I understand.”

It took all of his own resolve to keep from losing his mind. He watched as the oracle turned her attention back to Shade and grasped her hands. She began chanting another incantation over her and the spot began to glow a brilliant white as smoke began slipping from it and up into the air more violently. It circled around them, faster and faster, churning and forming a small wind tunnel as it spun and spun.

The smell it produced burned his nostrils and made his eyes water. Dark magic was never pleasant to any of the senses, and it made his skin tingle like being pricked by a cactus. A similar noise like an echo of the darkling’s scream rang in his ears as he closed his eyes, praying that Ilarial could extend Shade’s life. The chances of making it out alive from one of the most lethal poisons in the Land of Faerie were slim.

The sound of wind and screams slowly died away, and the rancid stench from the spot faded away suddenly, making Dylan snap his eyes open. The room was once more still, but he watched as Ilarial stumbled slightly, barely reaching a chair placed next to the bed. She slipped down into it, breathing rapidly.

Sweat gleamed on her brow and her usually bright silver eyes seemed darker than before. As she slowly regained her composure, her voice came out quiet and full of sadness. “I managed to slow it down, but she has three days, at the maximum.”

As she spoke, Shade moaned and shifted in the bed. Her eyes fluttered, and she stared up toward the ceiling, her eyes glassy and red.

“Shade?” Dylan squeezed her hand and studied the spot. It was smaller but still as black as ink. The trail remained like a dark tangle of vines up her forearm, making it look like a tattoo. Her skin was not as pale as before, though, which let him breathe a sigh of relief.

“Dylan?”

“I’m here. Feeling okay?” He pushed his fear deep within him and pasted a smile across his face, not wanting to upset Shade.

“Like I got run over.”

He chuckled and pushed a strand of her hair out of her face. She began to look more normal and shifted to sit up in the bed. “What happened?”

“The darkling mark… it’s poisonous and making you really sick.”

She reached over and ran her fingers over the darkened spot and traced the vines that splintered from it. It didn’t hurt anymore, but she frowned as she studied it. The pain had subsided, but she wondered how long that would last.

“When will it go away? Ilarial?” She glanced toward Ilarial, suddenly realizing the oracle was seated next to her. Her face lit up as she smiled, but it quickly faded as she realized how worn-out the oracle looked. “How did you get here? What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, Shade, but I don’t think it ever will go away. It’s highly poisonous, and I could only stall its effects for few days before it will overwhelm you.” The oracle leaned toward her and took her slender hands into hers. The sadness that dwelled in her glistening eyes sent a wave a panic through Shade.

“What do you mean, ‘overwhelm’ me?” Her eyes darted to Dylan and the glum look on his face gave her no assurance. “You mean I’m going to… die?”

The room wavered in her vision and a jolt of nausea filled her as she tried to control her short, gasping breathes. She couldn’t die! She wasn’t ready yet!

“I think I—I think I have to get out of here.” Shade attempted to stand up and quickly sat right back down. Her legs felt like fluid and refused to cooperate. “What’s wrong with me?” Leaning over, she gripped her legs and rocked silently as the tears escaped and spilled onto her jeans. “How long?”

“Three days, at the most.”

“What do I do? Can I stop it?”

“Possibly.”

This jerked her out of the fog that was threatening to overtake her senses. Shade sat back up and waited for Ilarial to continue. “How?”

“You have to seek out the Ice King and make him return your powers. Possibly, with your magical healing powers, you can heal yourself. If not, you’ll need the help of the Ancient. I’ve exhausted every other option. If you don’t, you will succumb to the poison.”

Shade nodded, sniffing back the frustration which bubbled up inside. She felt so tired, so exhausted and all used up. She’d had it with everything and everyone. This wasn’t supposed to be the way things should’ve gone. Everything felt so wrong, so misaligned, and she didn’t have any idea how to fix it. She didn’t know how to make things right. Now she’d run out of time without any progress whatsoever.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly mustered the strength to stand up and paused momentarily to make sure her legs would hold. After an eternal moment where both Dylan and Ilarial watched her apprehensively, she took a few small steps forward, until the fluidity of movement returned to her legs. Soap now stood wild-eyed and shocked as he stared at her as he entered the room. Reaching the door as everyone stood silently, she slipped out the door and turned down the hall toward her room, moving faster and faster, more in control now since the poison’s effects had worn off a bit. Almost running, she crashed through the door to the room she occupied while she stayed at the Glass Castle and locked it swiftly behind her.

She pressed her back against the wood and let out a breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding. The infirmary had become suffocating, and she’d thought of nothing but getting out of it. Now in solace, she made her way to the bed where she pulled the blankets down, slipped off her shoes and crawled in between the comforter and the soft linen. Dropping her head on the luxurious fluff of pillows, she pulled the blankets to her chin and let her eyelids drop closed. Sleep beckoned her with a promise of anything but pain and everlasting broken hearts.