Page 85 of Whisper Woods

Tears burn my eyes at Brydon’s betrayal, the sting foreign to the scales around my eyes. The blow feels like death. Even though I already thought it so, I cannot believe it is true, I cannot believe it of the boy, the man, the being I thought of as my friend. My brother.

Eldrid waits for me to focus on their faces again before continuing, his face sagging and ashen in sorrow. “It is not all, Rafe. Heylor turned on him. Took him. There were more guards. They took Brydon. And… and Maeve. She went with them. She is for their cause. She restrained us with the guards' aid so we could not get you earlier.” Sed and Eldrid huddle together, supporting each other's weight under the magnitude of their own pain.

“I’m—I’m sorry.” My whisper is hoarse. And they nod. The three were close, or so it had appeared. I cannot imagine the depths of their hurt that she’d turned on them so cruelly.

“Where are they?” I need to find them. Maybe I can do something to end this. Save them.

“The cliffs.” Eldrid hugs the younger being tight to his chest. “But be warned Rafe. They said… They said they were capturing the High Eminence, too. Please, be safe.”

Lia.

“Falyuk!” I hiss, rubbing at my temples, attempting to think past all the blinding fear and adrenaline. “Go to the palace. Find Yorin and get help.”

“What are you going to do?” The projection of Eldrid’s voice in my head cracks with concern.

Patting his leg, I stand with a grimace. “I will go to the cliffs. I will do whatever I can to stop whatever is happening. Just—just send help and be safe.”

With one last nod of gratitude to my staff, I bolt from the kitchens to the stables to find Nimra, determined, terrified and ready to fight for what’s mine.

***

I leave Nimra on a roadside in the farmland on the borders of Tathys, not willing to risk bringing him any closer. Both for his safety and mine. I pat his mane, nuzzling him affectionately.Take yourself home when you need to, old friend. He snorts in understanding, stamping his hoof and nosing me back.

Then I take my leave, travelling the rest of the way to the cliffs on my own. I don’t know exactly where they are, but my instincts have a pretty strong suspicion. Without the Orun on his side—and I can only pray to the Gods that they are not—the altar on the cliffside is most assuredly where he could perform such an undertaking.

It takes far too long for my peace of mind to get to the site. My only reassurance being that if Heylor is attempting any of the rituals in that book, they are unlikely to be quick and painless affairs. Big magic is big work, and that takes time.

I spook more livestock than I like as I creep through a field on the edge of the farmland, on a blessed hill for some semblance of discretion. At the crest, I lie on my belly to scope out the situation.

Blessed by the Gods, at least in this, I was correct about their location. The rock, unnaturally flat and wide, sits in a clear expanse only metres in front of the sheer drop of the cliffs. The ends of the earth, they used to say. Five large pillars of stone stand behind the altar, with etchings indicating the Gods and elements to whom the pillars are dedicated.

Heavy clouds cover the sun with an ominous gloom, but the gathering around the altar is still clearly visible.

Heylor presides over them, gleeful and gloating even from this far away, Edris next to him as sycophantic as ever. Amongst the hundred or so followers Heylor has gathered, there are more guards than I like to see there. I count up the twenty of them—all selected for their size, brute strength, and their natural affinity to protective and defensive magic.

One guard in particular is a knife to the chest. Sorrow wells in me when Isee one of Lia’s twins, Edley standing amongst Heylor’s followers, their hands folded in front of them, staring ahead in a faux-relaxed stance.

How could he have betrayed her? I always thought they were as in love with Lia as she is with them. Tathys may not know of their true relationship, but not all of us were blind.

What has happened to her?

My question is quickly answered when Heylor waves his arms and the crowd of one hundred or so Tathissian beings part revealing both Brydon and Lia. Brydon is stoic, staring blankly ahead, as if ignorant of the bright silver bands of light confining him and the guard gripping his arm. A stark contrast to Lia, bound in the same magic restraints, only slumped unconscious against the guard holding her, her dress dirty and torn.

They are dragged toward the altar and I manage to catch sight of more than a few beings I know in the crowd—including Maeve—as they spit on Brydon and Lia. Heylor eats it up, watching the abuse of his son and his ruler with disgusting glee, he encourages the beings, riling them up.

Fury like I’ve never known surges through me and I leap to my feet, my hunting instincts take over entirely, obliterating the exhaustion from my body.

I’m silent as I make my way to the cliff side, slipping over the edge. There is no fear, even with the waves lashing and churning against the jagged rocks below me. Nothing but unbridled rage.

I make my way across the rocks, clinging to the jagged outcrops, digging my claws into the stone. For one precarious moment I dangle, unable to find purchase, the section of rock too hard to dig into. I stretch and swing, my shoulder burning with the effort until my claws make contact with a jagged ledge. I grip the lifeline and stab my toes in for stability.

I’m close. I can see the first of the stone pillars above me in my peripheral vision, the sound of Heylor and the crowd getting louder over the waves and the whipping of the wind. I can feel it too, the magic spiralling out and back in again. The closer I get, the more it throws me off balance.

He’s building the energy for the ritual, I realise.

It’s big and heavy, making my body drag, but I’m finally close enough toreach them. I don’t have a plan. There are too many of them to truly take on. Hopefully Sed and Eldrid have managed to send for help to get here soon.

And that whoever they find hasn’t turned on us all, too.

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