Page 86 of A Deception of Courts

Kayne, who rode at the back of our group, seemed wary of Gyah. Perhaps it wasn’t kind of me to smile every time he flinched or gasped as she glided down above us, but I couldn’t help myself.

Duncan wasn’t relaxed, either. Hours into our journey from Berrow to Aurelia, he was on high alert, constantly watching our surroundings for a threat. Even though that was the very reason Gyah flew above, guarding us from the sky.

The little conversation I had attempted with him had failed quickly. It was obvious that he was solely concerned with the horizon. He watched it, waiting expectantly for us to be greeted by more demonic creatures that crawled through the weakened gate in Irobel.

Since the attack on Imeria Castle, there had been no further sightings of hellish monsters. A fact that should have made me feel more at ease, but I’d learned that silence was not always a good thing.

“You see those stones there, your border markers. They’re the same material with which the Defiler’s gate was constructed.” Rafaela encouraged her amber-haired stallion to the side of mine. They were similar in size, but the mare I rode on began throwing her head from side to side. My palms burned as I pulled tighter on the reins to control her. “Explains how the powers of your courts are kept separate.”

Labradorite, Altar’s bones.

I craned my neck and looked at the oddly shaped stone marker dusted with snow just off in the distance. I saw them in a different light now. Deep in my mind, I recognised them for what they were now I had the knowledge.

“One day, when this is all over, I’d very much like to go over those texts in Irobel that you mentioned,” I said, pondering what other knowledge had been lost to us.

“Labradorite is an ancient mineral. And like all old things, it has many purposes.” Rafaela looked ahead, but not quick enough for me to miss something that passed behind her stare.

“Such as?” It was better discussing such things, it kept my mind off what awaited us in Aurelia.

“Well, the Nephilim also have uses for the stone. Although rare of an occasion, it is not unheard of for our elders to bind a Nephilim within them.”

My stomach jolted from the clear discomfort creeping at the corners of Rafaela’s eyes.

“What do you mean, bind?” I asked.

“Duwar is strong. Aldrick’s not the first being who has been invaded by the Defiler and… influenced. Those Nephilim who turned against their own were not killed and given eternal peace with the Creator. Instead, they were bound – imprisoned in labradorite and kept from existing in life or dying. Unless the stone is destroyed, of course.” She shot me a look, one that spoke of our secret plan. “Nothing comes back from that. Being bound is a punishment revered at the highest level.”

“That sounds awful,” I muttered. “How the simple beauty of a stone can be turned into something so… evil.”

“Even the prettiest of flowers can harbour the deadliest of poisons. Caution against even the most beautiful things in life might just be what saves you, trust me.”

I soured at Rafaela’s words, recognising the way she patted the pocket on her jacket, suggesting the piece of labradorite that no doubt lurked within. As she’d promised, she left Berrow briefly and returned with some, all before anyone but me noticed her disappearance.

“Without trust, I have nothing,” I replied. “I especially need it if we are going to see that Aldrick is stopped.”

“And we will,” Rafaela replied, facing forward to our convoy.

“It would be foolish to think that Aldrick’s not prepared for anything we throw his way,” Duncan said, all without glancing our way. “What happens if he manages to open this gate, can wetrustthere is a way of solving that problem?”

“My power is the key,” I replied before Rafaela could. “If Aldrick can open the gate, then we sure as hell can close it again. The old saying ‘lock it and throw away the key’ springs to mind.”

Rafaela winced but hid her discomfort with a huffed chortle. “Your ability to look on the brighter side is an honourable trait, Robin. Even with everything you have faced, and haveyetto experience, I hope it never fades.”

“From the way you speak, it seems as though you believe I’m going to succeed.”

“We are going to.” Rafaela kicked her heels into her stallion’s side and spurred it forward. “Because there’s no other choice.”

We stopped only briefly during our journey; it was all Althea allowed.

Duncan guzzled from my waterskin, some spilling over his lips and chin. He looked at me, face flushed and eyes wide, lips glistening with water and every thought was driven from my mind as a fire kindled in my belly. We ate dried meats and filled our bellies, gave our legs a break from the aching ride in our saddles. If I had the chance to speak with him privately, it was taken from me when Althea demanded we continued forwards. Even after we resumed, all I could think about was getting him alone. Time had been unkind since the night I’d left him and found Kayne. There was so much left unsaid, especially with what was to come.

From the way he continued to glance at me, I wasn’t alone in my thoughts.

Kayne noticed too. I felt his stare bore into the back of my head. He hung back and seemed more at ease once Gyah had been sent ahead to scout the path to the city. The taut grin was set into his freckled face like a jewel. It didn’t waver and only seemed to brighten the closer we grew to Aurelia, the city of gold.

Evening had fallen across the world, bathing us in a blanket of darkness. We navigated Cedarfall’s landscape with only a conjured ball of light held aloft in Althea’s hand for guidance. Without its proud glow, we would never have seen the group of shadowed figures reveal themselves. There were so many of them, each peeling away from the tree line ahead, making themselves known.

“Halt,” Althea called to us, panic edging the single word. Rafaela and Duncan positioned themselves before me, a shield of wings and lightning encased in flesh.

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