Page 26 of Return of the Darkness
“Wait!” Aleya called. “Havia!” Aleya screamed as a darker vine, not belonging to her, whipped from the door and wrapped aroundHavia’s neck, tugging her back into the arms of the man Aleya had searched for.
“Come out, Aleya.” His voice was just as she remembered it, his accent rough and sending tingles up her spine. Rising from behind the rock, Aleya lifted her arms in the air as she dropped her sword.
“Let her go, Evander. We both know it’s me you want.”
“Of course it is. Why would I not want my wife?” Evander’s voice held no hatred as he stepped from the darkened doorway into the streaming light through the treetops. Aleya’s heart pounded as she looked upon him. His hair was the same golden blonde, the top half braided back to reveal hundreds of different shades. He had shaved off his beard, revealing a strong jaw beneath which made his lips more prominent. Still, a golden crown sat upon his head, complementing the glow of his green eyes.
“I haven’t been your wife for six years,” Aleya said, stepping carefully towards the entryway and over the bodies that had fought for her. She had lost enough soldiers to understand it was a part of life, a part of war; regardless, she sent a silent prayer for them.
“Just because you were not here does not mean you weren’t my wife,” Evander replied.
“I was not here because of the decisions you made for our lands,” Aleya spat. He had the audacity to wince, to appear hurt. Growls sounded behind the trees and Aleya took pleasure in the way Evander’s eyes widened.
“They sided with your cause?”
“Of course they did,” Aleya responded, whistling low to the wolves prowling the castle perimeter. Evander backed away as Aleya strolled up the stone steps towards him.
“Surrender, Evander. I will not make your life hard.” Aleya’s voice was soft, exactly how he liked it. Aleya locked eyes with Havia, whose hands clutched the vines around her throat. She flicked her gaze pointedly at Havia’s waist, where a poisoned dagger was tucked into her belt. Havia’s eyes widened as she mouthed ‘are you sure?’ Aleya gave the slightest nod before distracting Evander again. “You can keep roomsin the castle under heavy guard. I will allow you access to the twins, provided I am present.” Evander’s eyes softened at the mention of the twins. Aleya swallowed the lump in her throat at the lie as Havia pretended to struggle, loosening one hand from the vines to reach for the dagger’s hilt.
“Do they miss me?” Evander asked, his voice cracking. Aleya swallowed, trying to keep her voice level as she spoke the truth, all the while knowing what was to come.
“Of course they miss you. You are their father. Boys need their father,” Aleya whispered, just as Havia pulled the dagger free and stabbed Evander’s thigh. Before he reacted, Havia spun, still trapped in vines; she launched the dagger into his chest, pushing him against the stone wall. The vines withdrew as the glow of his eyes faded. Havia embedded her dagger further into his chest before backing away, clearing the path for her queen.
Aleya’s heart broke at the tears pooling in her husband’s eyes and spilling over the wrinkles that had deepened since she last saw him. Evander’s lip quivered. She knelt before him and cupped his cheek. The wedding ring, still on her finger, glinted in the sun, the symbol on it matching the pin on her husband’s jacket. Evander reached up to Aleya’s red hair, his favourite feature, and smiled.
“I still love you,” he whispered. Those were his last words before his eyes went vacant, and his head lulled back.
Elisara jolted up in bed, her breathing erratic. Her heavy eyes kept fluttering open and shut. As if experiencing Aleya’s pain first hand, Elisara touched her chest. She lost focus as she looked down at her arm, where scarred vines wrapped around her forearms. Was she still dreaming? The scars had not been there before she slept. The notion of killing Kazaar by stabbing a dagger in his chest was unfathomable, even if he had wronged her as it appeared Evander had Aleya. The strength and sacrifice it would take was daunting. The room blurred again, and Elisara could make out two forms of Sallos approaching from the hallway. She wondered if something had happened to Aleya after she killed her husband; perhaps shewas through the hallway, too, trapped in the Sword of Souls.
“The memories will be vivid for a while,” Sallos said, taking a seat on the chair beside the desk again. “Try to remember as much as possible.” His voice faded as Elisara’s head hit the pillow.
Chapter Sixteen
Nyzaia
“This isn’t great,” Jabir mumbled.
“It could be better,” Rafik chimed.
“It could be worse,” added Issam. The men and Nyzaia all turned to look at him.
“How could it be worse?” Farid asked, and Issam shrugged.
“We could be the ones hanging from a wall.” Nyzaia sighed from where she leant against the red stone of the canyons, a corner away from the den’s entrance.
“He has a point,” Jabir said. Farid glanced sideways at him with narrowed eyes. “What? He does!”
Nyzaia rubbed her forehead with her hand before trailing it over her eyes, fighting the exhaustion setting in. She had gone straight from interrogating Soren to informing the lords of the rulers’ plans, though it had not taken long. Lord Israar had not even shown. She had then checked in on the soldiers training the new recruits after losing so many in battle. Nyzaia was surviving on barely three hours of sleep after Jabir woke her with an urgent message from Issam and Rafik.
“When exactly were the last two sacrifices?” Nyzaia removed her hand and leaned back to focus on the sunset, her mind whirring through plans.
“They found the woman from the Blades the morning you returned to the palace after battle,” Issam informed her.
“The man from the Torturers was found this morning,” added Rafik. Farid’s frustration rushed through Nyzaia, matching herown. Both sacrifices, the remaining two pillars of the Red Stones, occurred after Caligh fled Novisia, which meant Nyzaia’s original plan of pinning the murders on him to give her more time, was officially blown.
“Do they have any suspects?” Nyzaia asked, pushing off the wall and rounding the corner. She headed straight for the hidden crack in the wall marking the entrance to her old kingdom.
“Some still suspect it is a punishment from you,” Issam sighed.
