Misty
Everything that happened over the last forty-eight hours is a blur. One moment, I was sitting on the floor of Cole’s trashed bedroom, talking in low tones as he packed his meager belongings into a worn backpack. The next, he donned his cloak and left, and almost nine hours later, returned to me and Georgia passed out cold in one of the apartment’s guest rooms. Georgia didn’t stir when Declan picked her up and carried her out of the room, but Cole woke me gently, telling me it was time to go.
I didn’t have time to ask how he’d managed to get us out of the fortress claimed by the order. The few personal items he’d retrieved from my dorm room were already packed away in a car, he’d said. He offered me a sweatshirt that smelled like him and guided me, Georgia, and Luke–with an entourage of over twenty exhausted order members in their black cloaks, through the fortress I failed to map.
There was one way out. Maybe at one point in time it would have been a grand foyer, something beautiful and heavily decorated–warm and welcoming. But when we reached the end of a long, twisting staircase, there was nothing but a broken front door and a space full of sand.
I didn’t see Richard at all. That’s a blessing. It was sheer luck, honestly. I’m no longer wearing my manacles… I was the one who got them off.
Cole made it clear enough that Richard couldn’t know that.
But as we sped away, driving over leagues of sand and dunes, I fell back asleep to the sucking, twisting feeling that this is far from over. I’ll see the Umbra Mortis again.
I just hope it’s on my terms… with his decapitated head squished under my shoe.
I always fall asleep in cars. Cars, airplanes, boats–it doesn’t matter. Engine noise is my lullaby, so I slept with my cheek pressed against the chilled window, ignoring the brightly lit, star-filled night sky, and dreamt like I was flipping pages in one of our family’s extensive photo albums.
In Crescent Falls, Sarah lands with a thud on the front walkway to the castle, breaking through the magical ward. Light fans in a dome shape, surprising the guards, but she’s frantic, her coat billowing out behind her as she sprints through the ankle-deep snow to the front door. Silver tears streak her cheeks as she tears up the grand staircase. The castle’s decorated for Solstice–greens and blues and silvers–but it blurs as I follow her progress to the darkened upper levels of our family home.
I see Mom stepping out of the nursery, tucking her robe around her stomach, her eyes wide with shock. I can’t hear what they’re saying to each other, but Sarah motions wildly, then grips Mom’s hands, smashing an envelope between them before turning into the room Mom just exited. My dream splits, giving me a glimpse of Sarah shedding her coat and tearfully, silently, crawling into bed between her sons and pulling the sleeping boys close. Tears run down her cheeks as they settle against her. Then, I’m back with Mom. Cosette approaches wearing a bathrobe. It must be early morning in Crescent Falls because I can actually smell the coffee wafting through the air as Cosette ropes an arm around Mom’s shoulder and dips her head to read the letter in Mom’s hand.
My dream spins, and I’m looking over my dad’s shoulder at a war camp somewhere in the Roguelands. He scribbles the letter while Sydney checks his watch. I can feel Sydney’s nerves. He’s wondering if Sarah made it home to the boys, her services dismissed… for now.
“We know where Misty is. She’s in Oasia and safe. An influx of people have been moving over the border into the Roguelands sharing news about what’s happening in Tarsian, coming here to seek shelter. We’re now under the impression there may have been a coup in Oasia. Misty’s caught in the middle, but she’s with Cole. Everyone’s getting a break for a week or two while Ryatt, Sydney, and I adjust our strategies…”
I wake up, blinking into the first glimpses of daylight. Something happened, obviously, for my family to suddenly start thinking I’m safe with the new Alpha King. I rub my eyes to prevent being pulled back into sleep, but it’s useless. One minute, I’m looking at the back of Cole’s head as he reads… a book… in the front seat, and then I’m in the Deadlands, in Ryan and Aviva’s bathroom.
I can hear them. Aviva’s sniffling as she leans her back against the inside of the huge copper bathtub, her face pale and streaked with tears. Ryan’s fussing over the bathwater, his eyes sweeping over his mate with concern as he forgoes any scented soaps and oils.
“The midwife said it’s perfectly normal,” Aviva gulps, her face gaunt and eyes cloudy with tears. “Some people just get more sick than others.”
Ryan’s speechless, shaking his head over and over again. “You haven’t been able to keep anything down for days, Aviva.”
Aviva gives him a watery smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“I’m sending you to Veiled Valley, to Kenna.”
“You can’t. They’re going to send me to Tarsian soon with Evander–”
“You’re not doing this. I’m putting an end to it. You’re sick, Aviva. You’re pregnant, and sick, and I’m not going to sit here and allow my wife to go into battle. I shouldn’t have been okay with it from the beginning. This is over.”
She sits up, reaching for him, her wet hand curling around his forearm. “I was given the Gilded Bow for a reason. What if this is the reason? This is Misty–”
“Misty is fine. Misty has always been fine. Wherever she is, she’s giving them hell. Trust me. I’ll talk to Ryatt. He’ll be here tomorrow with an update on the situation at the border…”
They fade, replaced by Ella in her office in Moonrise, tiredly speaking to commanders. Then I’m in Veiled Valley, where Kenna sits in her steamy bathroom, painting Brie’s nails. Both turn as the door opens, and Evander appears, exhausted, and the steam scrabbles around their bodies as the family collides after a long time apart.
Finally, I’m standing on a ship, looking out over the ocean beside my grandma. Grandpa Maddox paces as he talks on his cell phone just out of range, but Grandma turns to me, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’ll see you soon, okay? You’re doing everything correctly.”
“Are you really here?” I ask. She nods, smiling softly as the wind whips through her nearly white hair.
“I can see you, Misty. We share this gift, remember?”
“I tried to heal him, but I don’t think it worked. I’m missing something, aren’t I?”
“Some things can’t be undone.”
I wake again with a start, my head lolling, noticing Cole leaning back, his eyes heavy with sleep as the sunrise rips over the endless sand dunes. We close our eyes at the same time, and it’s quiet for a while. Peaceful, and empty.
But then I’m in his head. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be seeing the scene playing out in front of me.
There’s blood soaking the white tiles around a young woman’s body. Her limp hand is outstretched toward a young man being forced into a kneeling position, his face washed with rage and anguish as green-eyed guards in black roughly hold him to the ground.
Cole’s heart beats out of rhythm as he watches in horror. He’s shouting at… Richard. Richard stands beside the kneeling man, pointing his cane at the dead woman. Somewhere in a distant part of Cole’s nightmare, I hear a baby crying.
“Cole,” the man begs, frantically shaking his head. “Don’t do it. Don’t do it! Don’t give in to him!”
I can’t hear what Richard is saying to Cole, but I can feel Cole’s emotions like they’re my own. He’s in pieces. His friend is dead on the floor just a few feet away, her dark hair fanning out, covering her face. Her mate, his best friend, is begging him to resist, to fight, to not give in.
But Cole has blood staining his hands already. His father’s blood. He looks down at his hands and back at Adrian, his life-long friend. The brother of his heart.
“Look at me, Cole,” Adrian begs, tears streaming down his face. “Get Dec out of this. Get Marcella out of this. Protect them. Promise me you’ll protect them.”
Richard is screaming at Cole over Adrian’s voice. Adrian reaches for his dead mate, straining his fingers just to touch her…
Richard rips his cane from his cloak and points it at Adrian. “Make your choice, Alpha King.”
“Cole, no!” Adrian screams, tears flying as he shakes his head. “Don’t. Don’t do this. Let me go, Cole. Let me go–with her. Please. Don’t let him do this to us. Don’t let him do this to Tarsian!”
Richard strikes Adrian with his cane across the face. Blood sprays.
“I’ll do it!” Cole screams, edging toward Richard with his hands outstretched in surrender. He’s terrified. He’s breaking, piece by piece, as Adrian spits blood and groans in pain. “Please, I’ll do it. Don’t–don’t hurt him. Don’t hurt anyone else.”
“I want you to swear your allegiance. Take a knee, Alpha King, to me.”
Just as Cole begins to kneel, Richard grins maliciously, raking the head of his cane across Adrian’s face. This time, green magic bursts from the silver snakes, and Adrain’s scream of pain splits Cole’s world in two.
I watch as if in slow motion as Cole runs to Adrian, holding him to his chest as the man dies a horribly painful death as he’s consumed by dark magic.
Richard jabs his cane against Cole’s back.
This is the moment he was cursed. The same moment he lost nearly everyone he loved.
I jolt awake, breathless, as the car bumps out of the sand onto an endless, smooth… highway.
I lean forward and reach between the seats, gripping Cole’s shoulder on impulse. He turns to me, his eyes glazed by sleep, by the nightmare I just lived with him, and holds my gaze for several seconds before placing his hand over mine.
The driver–a man I don’t know or even recognize–doesn’t look at us. He stares ahead at the massive highway, at the sand on either side, and the distant mountains beginning to fade into view. This is the range that separates the desert of Tarsian from its mountainous region, and the border to the Roguelands and the Deadlands beyond.
I keep gripping his shoulder even when his hand falls away. Georgia has her head in my lap, her fist tucked under her cheek. Luke and Declan snore in the third row behind us. We’ve been driving all night–for countless hours.
I’ve never been to Oasia, but I’ve heard the stories. Ella loves it here. It’s one of her favorite places to visit, for vacation, especially. I know she was close with Jaxon, but she never mentioned anything about the late Alpha King’s family. But the city begins to fan out around us…. She mentioned that.
It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Buildings of pure white begin to come into view, blue roofs glinting in the morning sunlight. Sand gives way to grass and tall palm trees. Parks and shining neighborhoods surround oases, the pools the capital city is named for. But an undercurrent of darkness cuts through the beauty. Men in black cloaks move like shadows as the car leaves the highway and begins driving through the city center. Very few people are out on the streets, but the few that are stop to watch our caravan pass toward the golden castle rising on the horizon.
Not gold, I realize upon further inspection.
Alabaster walls and foundation… but at least half of the castle is made of glass.
We roll through a heavily armed gate. To my relief, the guards don’t have glowing green eyes. Maybe the castle is safe. It’s wishful thinking, because as the car passes beneath the castle itself, driving into a wide underground room, and the driver cuts the engine, Cole turns to me, his expression stern and serious.
“Don’t talk to anyone from this moment forward. Don’t trust anyone but Georgia, Declan, and Luke. Not the maids who will be tending to you. Not the people you’ll meet in my court. No one. Understand?”
I nod, swallowing past the lump forming in my throat. He searches my eyes, his expression cracking to show me a sliver of his real feelings. He’s nervous.
“I won’t talk to anyone,” I echo, and he nods sharply, turning toward the windshield. A figure appears, stepping out of a nondescript door with a shocked, then relieved, expression on his face.
Suddenly, Declan is climbing over the seat in his haste to get out. His elbow smacks me on the side of my face as he clammers for the door I’ve been sleeping against for hours.
“Get off!” I growl, shoving him. He steps on my feet as he opens the door and rolls off my lap onto the ground.
But then he’s up and sprinting toward the finely dressed man who's likely my dad’s age, maybe a few years old.
Declan throws himself in the man’s waiting arms.
Adrian’s face floods my mind as the man turns to look through the windshield at the rest of us.
This guy is their father, isn’t he? The late king’s Beta?
Cole gathers himself before getting out of the car. Georgia, who’s been asleep up until Declan pummeled us, sits up, confused. I slide out of the car without waiting for Cole’s instruction and hurry to his side, having to jog to keep up with him.
“Orion, we have things to discuss,” Cole says dryly, trying to shrug me off as I grip his arm.
Orion keeps his arms around Declan as he nods, his eyes sliding to mine. “Princess Mystica,” he says with a nod. “Welcome to… Hell.”