I have to leave. I need air.
I untangle myself from Briar and climb out of bed with a soft groan. We spent the night kissing until she fell asleep. But she needs to sober up before we talk about the journey ahead. I dress carefully and leave the room, locking the door behind me. The sound of Willem’s laughter draws me downstairs. He slips out of the nymph’s room with a wicked smile on his face.
“Enjoy yourself?” I ask with a grin.
Willem jumps at the sound of my voice and I bite back a laugh. He glares at me. “I burned off some steam. It doesn’t mean anything. Just needed to clear my mind. That’s all.”
I shrug, amused at his defensiveness. “Didn’t say it meant anything.”
“You didn’t have to,” he snaps. “There’s always something.”
“Do you have something you want to get off your chest?” I observe my friend with a critical eye.
He deflates before me, shaking his head. I clap him on the shoulder as I pass and head into the council room. No one’s there so I step outside. Elluine stands with her guards. She smiles when she sees me and thoughts of Briar’s jealousy keeps me from smiling back.
Elluine notices the change in my behavior and places her hands on her hips. “So, where does this journey of yours take you?”
“Archech,” I say. Her fear is so strong it stings my nostrils. “What do you know about it?”
“It’s dangerous. No one who goes there every comes back.” Elluine shifts on her heels, the smile on her face no longer present. “I’ve seen it from afar. It’s dark and ominous.”
I smile devilishly. “I am dark and ominous.”
She puts a hand up to her guards and shakes her head, walking toward me. “Not like this. It’s like a physical thing more than a feeling, you know? Just...don’t go. Whatever you’re looking for, or hoping to find there, it isn’t worth it.”
Her assumptions strike a nerve. “I think I can make that decision on my own.”
I bump my shoulder against her as I walk past. She scuffs bitterly and disappears inside. I walk through the village, gathering supplies for our voyage. I head out toward the edge of Phaendar once more. There’s a path that circles around the outskirts of the village. I follow it through a thick patch of trees until I come upon rolling hills. It’s a long way up to the top, but I make it there despite my lack of sleep the previous night. I stand at the edge of the cliff, looking out at the sea in the distance. Glittering blue waters remind me of Briar’s eyes whenever her powers flare up.
I can’t see Archech. The island is much further out to sea than even my enhanced sight can see, but I feel so close. I am close. I’m much closer than I’ve ever been. For years, centuries even, Willem and I have put our all into figuring out the island’s location. It seems close enough to touch, but I know it’s not. I look out at the horizon and imagine Archech’s dark shores. Like Elluine suggests, not many people have had the pleasure of seeing the island and living to tell the tale. Those who are daring enough to step foot on its land are lost forever. Not in the way that souls get lost in the Blood Forest, or are captured in Yolnheim, or killed by undead Reapers in Zculth, but in a way that feeds the legends, keeping them alive.
I know I must tell Briar what lies ahead. I want her as my wife. I want us to marry as soon as possible so that I can finally allow myself to feel deeply for her. And when she loves me, I’ll tell her about the soul bond, about the link that tethers us together.
But only when she loves me.
I still can’t believe how close we are to finding the crown. It’s happening. Our destinies are coming full circle. With my mind perusing the cool surface of the ocean, imaging the journey to Archech, I missed the presence lingering in the shadows. A hand grips me firmly from behind. I spin and throw my attacker to the ground. They’re on their feet in seconds. I allow my claws and fangs to elongate, rolling my shoulders and preparing for battle. Arrows fly toward me. I dodge them as best as I can, throwing my body to the side and rolling across the ground. An arrow grazes my cheek and I feel the burn before a trickle of warmth flows from the non-lethal wound. The assailant drops the bow and quiver, reaching for a duel-ended dagger. They come at me with a fury.
The blade slashes and carves through the air, barely allowing enough time to dodge the attacks. I summon the shadow blade and bury into the underside of their arm, causing their dagger to fall. I catch it before it hits the ground and drive it into the belly of my attacker before sliding the blade up to their sternum. As I turn, his hands grip my back, but the blood on him causes them to falter. He falls forward into me and I catch him, looking down trying to see who has come to end my reign. A strange fog fills their eyes and the body in my arms begins to crack and fracture. It crumbles and turns to dust.
There’s a second assailant. This one is clearly a male. He comes at me in a way that is cold and calculated, a killer with skill and no remorse. Bloodthirsty mercenaries looking to assassinate Death before he can reach the island, no doubt. I grab the dagger from the first assassin
