Page 3 of Steeling Light
I don’t bother with silence on the way out. It takes every ounce of control to keep from running. My footsteps aren’t silent anymore, and the tapping of my boots against the ash-covered quartz floor echoes loudly enough that I miss the soft swirling sound.
And miss the circle of steel floating behind me.
A clicking sound as a heavy piece of metal snaps around my neck stops me, though. I pull away immediately and feel the collar fall against my shoulders. Immediately, I force a smile to my lips, and lightshouldexplode from me, blinding everyone in the room, but nothing happens. My power flows to the steel collar that the sylph had put around my neck.
I snarl at her. “What have you done?”
“The Conduit of Steel ordered me to collar and capture anyone who came looking for the handmaid or the Throne. He said to look for a lightbringer.”
“Gethin Rahn told you to do this? And you did it? You realize that he’s the reason the House of Shadows was broken, don’t you? You should be fighting against him, not doing his bidding. Or maybe you’d prefer to wear a collar as well.”
Caelia disappears and reappears right in front of me, the crystal image of her face looking so much like a confused little girl that it shakes me. “Who should I listen to, lightbringer? You? He is a Conduit. You are… nothing.”
Nothing. How many times had I been told that as a child? By my father, the few times he’d seen me. By Casimir. By everyone. I spent my life around Princes and Kings, but I was only ever a playmate. My brother and I were friends that could be used against Cole.
I smirk at Caelia, and pride flows through me. “I may be nothing, but I’m not stupid enough to collar someone with Steel powers.”
I imagine my head shrinking just like it does when I’ve become a mouse to get into small areas. Half a second later, I lift the collar over my head. Without another thought, I toss it at Caelia, and my head grows back to its normal size.
She looks down at the steel ring and doesn’t seem to know what to do. “You’ve done your duty. You collared me. Now leave me alone.”
I turn around, and instead of running, I walk slowly and confidently toward the foyer of the Keep of Shadows. Vesta is not still here, but I know where to go next.
When I press my hand to the wall that is like a door to the outside of the Keep, I turn to look at Caelia one last time. She’s still standing over the collar, her entire body etched in crystalized air, and shock covers her face.
Then the pulse of power flows through me like the sound of a branch against a piece of tin, and I’m standing outside.
Chapter 3
I’ve only been gone for a few days, and I already miss you. Draenyth doesn’t feel the same without you. Please stay safe.
P.S. The world is far too quiet when you’re not around.
~Ainslee Emlyn, Letters to Darian
Ainslee
The market outside the House of Flames is safe. It’s home. That’s exactly what I need after being collared. I should head to Selithar, to the Keep of Webs, but my time in the Keep of Shadows shook me. Those few moments I’d felt completely powerless as my Light had been absorbed by the steel… they’d been terrible. I’d been helpless, but it was more than that. It was like Caelia had taken something away from me, like she’d ripped the magic that was so integral to my very being out of me.
I was not Ainslee Emlyn for that half a second before I’d remembered that collars don’t work on Steel powers.
The memory haunts me, and while I know leaving Draenyth would be safer, the thought doesn’t offer any comfort. This place is home. Selithar will never be that place. I may have been born there, but it won’t… It won’t make me smile just to breathe the air.
I’ll take a few moments to gather myself and buy some supplies for the journey. I’m not Maeve, and I have no plans to hunt for my food. Travel rations will get me by, but it’d be nice to have a hot meal before I leave.
I wander through the tables and tents within the Ember District market on the outside of the section of the city that the House of Flame controls, and nothing strikes my fancy. This is my last chance at a good meal for who knows how long. I would really like to enjoy it.
Something tells me I won’t find what I’m looking for here. Instead of wasting my time, I pay for the travel rations and slip them into my rucksack before walking away from the market. “Dragons damned Selithar,” I mutter. “Why couldn’t it have been Myrrhaen or Elaris? At least those would have been interesting.”
I didn’t grow up in Selithar, but I spent plenty of time there. The City of Moonlight is famous for one thing: being pretty. Not for its markets or powerful leaders. Not for its armies or inventions. No, Selithar is a city whose greatest claim to fame is that it’s the most popular destination after a betrothal or full bonding.
My mind spins with images, all of which annoy me. The Hanging Gardens. The grotto behind the Keep of Light. The Moonlit Pools.
“Damned Selithar,” I mutter again as I stand at the corner of a street and see a place that brings a smile to my face. The Firelight Café. It’s been a while since I enjoyed an afternoon coffee there. While it’s not the most filling place to eat, it’s a flavor and experience that is distinctly Draenyth. It’s a place where Darian and I shared so many memories.
Plus, food is overrated when compared to coffee.
There aren’t many people around, and most of them are Lesser Fae. Everyone glances at my House of Steel uniform and immediately looks away. It’s the exact reason I’m wearing it. Plus, it’s not like I’ll be able to hide my magical scent. I could pretend to be a Lesser Fae and people would ignore me, but then someone would catch my Steel scent, and suddenly they’d know that I was in disguise.
