Page 23 of Kissed By the Sun

"I know," she said softly. "I'll be discreet."

I watched as she turned to leave, her figure disappearing into the shadows of the alley. As soon as she was out of sight, I let out a sigh of relief. This plan was risky, potentially suicidal, but it was our only option. The corruption was spreading too quickly, and the fae courts were too entrenched in their own politics to take any risks even though not doing so would ultimately mean the death of fae kind.

As I made my way back to my quarters to gather my own supplies, I couldn't shake the nagging doubt in the back of my mind. Was I doing this for the right reasons? Was I truly trying to save our people, or was I selfishly hoping to free Senara from the clutches of the Moon Court for myself? Or worse still did I actually want to get relief from this bond that both thrilled and tormented me?

I pushed the thoughts aside. There was no time for second-guessing now. In a few hours, Senara and I would be on our way to find the elves and our fates would be decided, as long as we didn’t get caught leaving the city.

Chapter

Twelve

Senara

The sun had not yet crestedthe horizon when Thorn and I slipped out of the capital, the hoods of our cloaks pulled low to obscure our features. My heart raced as we passed the city gates, half-expecting guards to halt us at any moment. The streets were quiet though, most fae still asleep with the exception of the guards who were more concerned with threats coming from outside the wall than stopping us from leaving.

As we trekked into the countryside, my breath caught in my throat. The blight had spread further, the corruption creeping across the once-verdant fields like spilled blood and ink.

"By the gods," I breathed out, my voice barely more than a whisper. "Has it really worsened this much in only a day? Didn’t we come by here yesterday morning?"

Thorn's jaw tightened, his eyes reflecting the grim reality. "It's bad enough that the outer settlements might not survive the month. From what I have read, spilling the blood of the corrupted gives the blight a foothold in the land, making it spread faster."

We trudged through fields of lifeless crops, each plant disintegrating into dust at our touch. A sickening knot formed in my stomach. How were we supposed to live without food?

"We need to move faster," I urged him. "Every moment we waste?—"

A vicious snarl interrupted me, making my heart leap into my throat. I spun around just in time to see a fae break free from the underbrush; its eyes radiated an eerie light and corruption seeped from its skin.

"Thorn!" My warning came out as a shrill cry.

This wasn’t the first corrupted fae we’d encountered, so Thorn was already springing into action, his sword cutting through the air with an audible swish as he unsheathed it. The corrupted fae charged at us with claws bared, but Thorn intercepted it with a swift slash across its chest. A spray of black ichor erupted from the wound and sizzled upon hitting the ground. The thing had dodged slightly, trying to get to me, so Thorn’s strike hadn’t taken it down.

I narrowly evaded its clawed grasp and plunged my dagger deep into its throat. With a gurgling sound, it collapsed.

Startled, I looked up at Thorn. "That makes three today."

His nod was solemn and heavy-hearted.

“The corruption seems to be getting…more intense.”

He grunted his agreement before he added, "And there'll be more as this as we get further into the corrupted areas."

I cleaned off my blade while trying to suppress the rising nausea within me. These were once fae who had now been distorted into vicious creatures by this curse. How many more would have to suffer before we could put an end to this?

"We can't keep battling them forever," I pointed out grimly. "Our supplies are finite, and we're only two."

A softness replaced the stern look on Thorn's face. He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "We'll figure it out, Senara.We have to. All we need to do is make it to the Veil of Life and the elves' territory. Once we’re there I’m sure they’ll at least let us resupply before kicking us back through the Veil if they refuse to speak with us."

His touch brought me a sliver of hope and I managed a weak smile in return. "You're right. We can't lose hope when we’ve only just started." I couldn’t help but feel that my words were a lie when I looked around and saw what was clearly once a lush valley reduced to dust and darkness.

We continued our journey through the blighted landscape, each step reminding us of what was at stake. The walls of corruption seemed to close in further with every passing moment, making it harder for me to breathe, like it was becoming a physical entity that was pressing against us.

How much longer could the fae lands withstand this? The day grew long and soon enough we had to stop for food and to find shelter for the night. The problem was that the blight had killed everything in sight so there was no shelter to find, only half collapsed trees and the occasional corrupted fae.

As though sensing my train of thought, Thorn said, “It worries me that we’ve only been seeing the corrupted in ones and twos. Usually they travel in groups, better to overwhelm settlements that way. So where are they all?”

Dread chilled me to the bone at his words. “Maybe we shouldn’t stop for the night and should just press on?”

“We won’t do anyone any good if we’re exhausted. Normally I’d suggest sleeping in the trees for some safety, but I think climbing those branches might be more dangerous than sleeping on the ground. I don’t think we should have a fire though.”

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