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THE WALL CLOSED WITH a rumble behind them. Adelaide’s feet dragged as they stepped into the moonlight. She was too physically and emotionally exhausted to climb back down tonight. She still believed bringing the sorcerer the opal was wrong, but what could she do? He would either torture them into submission or take control of one of them. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. And she had promised Regulus she would do what the sorcerer wanted so he could be free.
They walked over to a small spruce tree several yards away from the path. The branches had kept the ground around the trunk free of snow. Adelaide used her magic to push snow off the lower boughs. They made a little pile of dead branches and needles near the edge of the dry ground so the smoke wouldn’t get trapped, and she lit them on fire. She helped Regulus out of his armor, and they held each other for warmth and comfort, his cloak wrapped around them. Even the troll blood in his hair couldn’t stop her from pressing as close to him as possible.
She slept fitfully, dreaming of crying statues, screaming men, women, and children, and glassy-eyed corpses. Regulus still had his arms around her when she awoke in the morning. Soft grayish light glittered on the icy surface of the snow and her breath fogged in the air. Somewhere a jay trilled a song. She buried her icy face in his shoulder, not wanting to move. Too cold.
“As much as I enjoy this,” Regulus said, his voice scratchy, “how about a fire? I can barely feel my face.”
Adelaide groaned as they separated and sat up. She held her hands between them and conjured a flame. It was more draining to maintain the flame than to start a fire, but she was too stiff to get up and look for kindling. Feeling crept back to her feet and nose. Regulus scooted over until his shoulder pressed against hers.
“You know what might help chase the cold away?” he whispered, his voice husky and his breath warm on her ear.
She smirked at the small fire hovering above her hands. “What’s that?” He kissed her cheek, then brushed gentle kisses along her jawline. Warmth tingled over her skin and spread through her torso. “You still stink like troll,” she said.
But she turned her head and kissed him. The fire faded away, and she clenched the front of his shirt. He held her close, his arms strong against her back as he gripped the back of her neck. They separated, their mouths still close.
“Warmer now?” she murmured.
“Mm, almost.” He kissed her again and flames seemed to dance over her skin. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head. Tremors of joy ran down her back as she relaxed, relishing him. “Better.”
She laughed at the smile in his voice. They held each other a moment longer, ignoring the rest of the world. Savoring this moment of quiet. Of being together. A slight tingle pricked the mark, making Adelaide wince. She pulled back, her hands slipping down his arms.
“Don’t.” He held her arms, his eyes pleading. “Not yet.”
“We have to go.”
His shoulders fell. “I know.” He pushed her sleeve back and ran his thumb over the mark on her arm. “Let’s go get rid of this.”
Regulus left the armor behind, to Adelaide’s relief. If the sorcerer kept his word, he wouldn’t need it anymore. He kept the sword, just in case. Nothing bothered them on the way down the mountain, although she thought she saw shadows moving in the trees. She finally mentioned them to Regulus.
“Yes, I noticed. Whatever is out there probably smells the troll blood and are keeping their distance. We’re either trolls, which are difficult to kill, or we killed a troll, making us more dangerous.”
Once they returned to their horses, they rode straight to the sorcerer’s tower, late into the night. They crossed from vibrant, living trees to blackened, lifeless trees, then naked, bark-barren trees with wood like bone. Had the decay spread further?
As they dismounted, she looked at Regulus. “The decay...was it this bad two years ago?”
He shook his head. “No. Only the vines on the tower and the trees closest to the tower were dead then.”
The tower door creaked open. “Yes, well.” The sorcerer strode toward them, a torch in hand. “It takes a lot of energy, keeping you alive. I have to get that energy from somewhere.” He held out his hand. “Where is it?”
Regulus reached into the saddlebag and pulled out the opal. The light of the torch made the stone sparkle black, blue, purple, red, and orange. Regulus clutched the stone. “You’ll release us? Both of us? And let us leave alive?”
“Yes, yes. Hand it over!”
“Now?” Adelaide confirmed.
“Yes. I’m a man of my word. Now give it here!” The sorcerer snatched the opal. He turned it over in his hand and held it up, inspecting it. Nerves and anticipation knotted Adelaide’s stomach as the sorcerer rubbed his fingers across the stone. Apparently satisfied, he slipped it into his belt. “Give me your arm.”
She watched as Regulus pushed up his sleeve and held out his right arm. The sorcerer pressed his hand over the mark. “I release you.”
Regulus winced. When the sorcerer pulled his hand away, the mark was gone. Regulus stared at his arm, now marred only by faded scars. Adelaide pushed her sleeve up as the sorcerer approached her.
“I know you considered betraying me,” the sorcerer said as he put his hand over the mark on her arm. “But you didn’t. So I release you.” A burning, ripping sensation coursed over her skin. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out. The feeling faded and she relaxed. “But I need a little more from you.” His hand encircled her wrist.
“Wh—” Her vision went white. All the air was sucked from her lungs. She collapsed to her knees, but still the sorcerer held her wrist. Her energy drained, like when she used a lot of magic, but this felt different. Like it was being drawn out; like she was a rapidly emptying well. Regulus screamed her name, but he sounded distant.
The sorcerer’s muffled voice said, “Touch me or her and I’ll kill her.”
Her mouth hung open, but she couldn’t draw in a breath. His grip released and her hand dropped. She gasped as if she had been drowning and crumpled to the side. Muscular arms caught her before she hit the ground. She saw shadows and then smudged colors.
“Adelaide? Adelaide!” Regulus’ voice sounded strange and muted. “What did you do?”
“She’ll be fine in a moment. Now leave. If I see either of you here again, I’ll kill you.”
“Adelaide?” Regulus shook her shoulders. “Adelaide, please.” His voice cut through the fog in her mind, and she blinked. With every blink, her vision cleared until she saw Regulus’ deathly pale face hovering above her.
She clutched his sleeves and curled into his chest. He pulled her closer, his heart hammering against her ear. The tower door was closed, the sorcerer gone. Regulus rubbed her back.
“You’re okay,” he said, almost as if trying to assure himself. “It’s over, we’re safe. You’re all right.”
But she wasn’t all right.
She couldn’t get her thick tongue to work. She tried to speak, but only a broken sob emerged. Above them, green and yellow light flashed from the tower window. Regulus guided her arm over his shoulders, picked her up, and stumbled to his feet. He put her on Sieger, then tied Zephyr’s reins to the pommel of his saddle. Regulus mounted behind her, his arms around her waist, and they rode away from the tower and the ominous flashes of light.
It took several more tries to speak past her taut vocal cords. “Regulus.”
“You’re safe,” he repeated, his voice wavering. “It’s over. We did it. I’m free. We’re both free. Praise Etiros, we’re free.” He kissed her temple. “He won’t hurt you again.” His arms tightened around her middle. “I won’t let him near you again.”
Even with the jostling of Sieger’s gallop, Regulus’ racing heartbeat and deep, shaky breaths vibrated against her back. She didn’t want to ruin his joy at being freed. But she couldn’t keep any more secrets from him.
“He took it.” Her voice cracked. “My magic. It’s gone.”
THE STORY CONTINUES
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July 15, 2020
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