.
Elm
I glimmered every place I could think of that Rhen would meet my brother. First stopping at her old house. It was still in ruins, but there was no sign of either of them, so I checked the palace.
Again, zilch. In fact, it was deserted. It appeared as if no one had lived inside it for months.
Probably since Luka had been with us.
So I glimmered again, searching everywhere and finding nothing. There was no sign of Rhen anywhere, so I paid a visit to Ayesha’s cabin, glimmering as close as I could, hoping I’d find her tinkering about. I didn’t, but her door was wide open, so I went in.
Everything appeared to be in order except for a scrap piece of paper left on her table. Written on it was a set of numbers. And a message for me.
My gentle prince, if you are reading this letter, it means that you have accepted your fate. The mother resides in a cabin outside of Silvas near the River of Fortune. Kaanhounds guard the place, so be cautious.
-Aya
I scrunched the paper into my pocket and imagined the place she’d written about. I’d never been there, but I’d heard Father talk about it before. He’d described it as a barren land barely suitable for even the ashrai that resided there. The only good thing about it was the river that ran through it. I tried picturing the cabin before glimmering again.
It took me three tries to get close enough to see the cabin. My body was exhausted from using so much magick, forcing me to run the rest of the way. I heard the hounds howls from the treeline, but ignored them, focusing solely on the tiny building a few feet in front of me.
I smelled it first, the metallic taste of blood seeping from inside the cabin. Panic seized hold of me, and I burst through the door.
I couldn’t help but fear the worst as the wooden door caved in from my kick. I hoped to the gods it wasn’t Rhen’s blood I was smelling. Sent a silent prayer up to the heavens that she’d managed to murder my brother and had left him to be ripped apart by the hounds.
But I tasted the scent of his barrier magick, too. He’d placed it strategically around the cabin. I wasn’t sure how I’d managed to break through it, but —
Nothing could have prepared me for what I’d found. Underneath a blanket of flowers, Rei lay dead in a puddle of her own blood.
I dropped to my knees beside her, tears welling in my eyes.
No.
I gently moved the flowers off her body to examine her. Other than the smears of blood and the fatal wound, she looked effortlessly peaceful. Ashen skin clung to her bones, and her cheeks were even more hollow than they’d been when she was desperately sick with fever.
With my palm pressed against her cold cheek, I said my final goodbyes to my friend. Despite the burning behind my eyes, I had to go on.
The Wilde Hunt had taught me that death was a natural part of being a warrior, and that it was an honor to die for the cause. But Rei deserved so much better than this. Most of her life had been stolen from her by a simple disease, and the moment she got better, she was torn away from her friends and family again, only to end up dead.
She had a diamond shaped wound in her abdomen. The odd thing about it was the singed marks around the wound and the lack of blood pooling from it, as if whatever had pierced her skin had been so hot that it had cauterized the outside of the wound.
And it appeared self-inflicted. Of course, there was no way to be sure, but the angle at which the blade had gone into her belly told enough of the story. Still, without the blade, I couldn’t confirm it. Nor could I answer why she would have done something like that.
It would make sense that Baz had ordered her to kill herself. He had persuasive magick in him from the ashrai, and I wouldn’t put it past the evil bastard to use it.
And yet —
I knew that Rei would have done anything in the world to protect her daughter.
But the most troubling part was the gaping hole between her breasts that exposed her organs.
And lack of heart.
I pulled Rei’s cold, limp body into my arms and sobbed, willing her back to me. The wind whispered around us, singing a sad melody.
It reminded me of the song Rei had sung. Her voice had been buttery and soft, and the reality that I’d never hear it again stilled me. Blood soaked into my white shirt, painting it all the different shades of red.
And that’s when I recognized the flowers that had surrounded her body. I’d thought that Rhen had simply wanted to give her mother a proper tribute, but she never did anything without reason. Even in her moments of grief, she was meticulous.
Rei had been surrounded by local wildflowers, but it wasn’t those that caught my attention.
It was the white gladiolus that I’d tossed off her body and the one pressed in her hand.
The sword-shaped flower seeped in Rei’s blood, stained just like my shirt.
Rhen had left it here as a message. I could practically hear her words in my ear telling me that she was strong, and that she had a plan.
Despite the growing anxiety in the pit of my stomach, I knew I had to trust her.
In the enemies’ hands, she would be watched like a hawk, yet she’d been able to leave a message behind for me, knowing I’d be the only person to understand what it meant.
Oh, how I did not envy the goddess of chaos for the anger she’d invoked from my little pet. And I knew her death would not be a swift one by her hands.
I kissed Rei’s forehead one last time before rising and smiled at the thought. One way or another, we were going to win. Not because Rhen was the key to some stupid prophecy that intertwined with the fate of my people, but simply because now she had nothing left to lose.