“How will we get there?” I ask, following him down the stark halls.
We pass a few Bloodbane witches in their red cloaks. They bow to Sadal, but their eyes are on me. I glare at them as we pass. Sadal leads me into a grand room in the center of the keep, with no windows. Maaz is there, in the center. Her pale blonde hair is coiled into a braid atop her head. She wears a white gown, looking for all the world like a bride despite the red cloak on her shoulders.
She smiles at Sadal, dipping her chin. Her pale blue eyes drift towards me and her smile becomes a scowl. She draws up her hood. “What is she doing here?”
“She’ll accompany us to the frontlines.” Sadal drops a kiss to Maaz’s cheek and I grimace.
“Why?” Maaz asks coldly.
Sadal’s black eyes narrow, his lips pressed thin. A chill lances through my chest. He doesn’t speak, but his long fingers curl around Maaz’s thin shoulder. Her eyes go wide and her face pales. I smirk, watching her curl in on herself in Sadal’s intimidating presence.
“Go,” he murmurs. “Take your witches and leave. We’ll follow.”
Maaz nods jerkily and rushes from the room. At the door, she casts a final glance over her shoulder. Her eyes rest on me and I stare morosely at her. The door slams shut, barely missing catching on her red cloak. I feel Sadal behind me, his body emanates power.
“I can’t ride a deadwood broom,” I say.
“We aren’t taking a broom.” Sadal’s hand sidles over my back and I resist wrenching away from him.
I picture Altair in my mind. I imagine his hazel eyes, his arrogant smirk. When Sadal touches me, I think of Altair. It’s the only thing that can stop the panic and disgust that wells inside me when Sadal touches me.
Suddenly, Sadal loops a strong arm around my waist and pulls me into his chest. I yelp, trying to pull away but he holds me fast. Sadal’s face is peaceful, as if unbothered by my struggle. He smiles broadly down at me, too wide for his face.
“Lanuae praesens,” Sadal murmurs.
Suddenly, my vision goes black and the ground beneath my feet tips away from me. I scream breathlessly as Sadal’s grip tightens around me. Air whooshes around me, loud in my ears. An instant later, bright white light blinds me, and I collapse to the earth. Sweat drips down my forehead and my arms shake.
Panting, I stare down at the rocky, gray earth beneath me. Puffs of dust prick at my eyes as I breathe. As my eyes adjust, I can make out distant green fields below the gray slopes of the mountain. I lift myself to my knees and stare out at my surroundings.
Sadal has brought me to the slopes of the mountains near Alnembra’s border. I can’t see the palace or the sea in the distance, which sets my heart at ease. I twist and stare at Sadal. The wind whips his black jacket behind him as he smiles down at me. A chill runs down my spine. He stretches out his hand just as I hear a massive bellow bounce off of the mountains. The demons.
I scramble to my feet, ignoring his hand, and rush to the edge of the steep slope. My stomach drops as I take in the sight. Below, stretching from the barren slopes of the mountain to the first grove of trees in Alnembra, is a massive, black horde. The shadows writhe and twist as the demons jostle in their ranks. There are no flags to signify which units are camped where, no tents for the demons to sleep in. They’re beasts; foul and vicious.
My breath is lodged in my throat as I listen to their screams. I hadn’t noticed so many of the demons marching away from the keep since my capture. Here, there are tens of thousands. Sadal joins me, his shoulders straight and proud.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?” He muses. “Imagine the carnage when we strike Altair’s forces.”
And I do.
I imagine red blood soaking the earth, spilling into the rivers and streams. I imagine Fae bodies piling up as the demons scramble over them to kill more. I imagine Altair, falling in battle, overwhelmed by monsters.
My hands tremble and I stuff them into the folds of my skirt to hide it from Sadal. He turns away, drawing me from the sight of his destructive forces. On another plateau, I see an assembly of tents, likely the Bloodbane forces. Above it, I see red cloaks swirling in the sky.
“Come, love,” Sadal says, taking my hand. “You must be tired; we can rest in our tent.”
My eyes widen at his words and I stare towards the grand tent covered in luxurious fabrics in the center of camp. Our tent. My stomach twists and I swallow the bile rising in my throat. I glance over my shoulder, towards Alnembra. I imagine I see Altair’s beastly form soaring through the skies, but I know it’s only a cloud.
I slip into the darkness of the tent, ice in my veins.
Chapter 2
Altair
I bend over the map of the continent in my council room, staring intently at the mountains along my border. The room is empty of my councilors, I can hardly stand their presence lately. I curl my lip, thinking of the wizened old Fae that I used to rely on for counsel. They warned me to school my temper, to be thoughtful about my next steps. The fate of Alnembra rests on you, they said.
As if I didn’t know that.
I tighten my grip on the heavy oak table as I stare at the dot on the map that symbolizes the Bloodbane keep. I know that’s where Verity is. I know Sadal and Maaz brought her there to use against me. I feel anger lancing through me as I remember the moment
