Page 27 of A Touch of Shadows

Afterwards the Maidens of the Aurum, those guardians of the sacred flame, said the Nox was shattered into pieces and driven back to the darkness from which it hailed. The chamber of the Aurum was bathed in blood, the flame burned on in silence. And there was no sign at all of Elodie.

And Evander’s death had plunged them into the war they had been trying to prevent.

Only the fact that Elodie had already taken out the Nox, along with her husband, had saved Asteroth and given them victory.

While quiescent, the Aurum had still helped their knights and Paladins in the war that had consumed their kingdoms, whereas the Ilanthians had lost their dark goddess and their ranks had descended into chaos. Peace had been imposed by force of arms and a humiliating defeat, but the Pact had never truly been accepted. Even with the exchange…

Roland forced his mind back to the here and now, to Anselm and Finnian. ‘I want to know as soon as there’s any word of him.’

Losing Finnian would be too much. Not just for him personally – the boy was like the son he’d never had – but for the fragile peace, which hung on by a tattered thread. The Pact may not be fully accepted but it had saved countless lives. It meant peace with Ilanthus had to be preserved no matter what.

Elodie would have understood.

And there he was again, thinking about her.

CHAPTER 15

WREN

In the sunlight the forest seemed tranquil. Wren could almost believe that this was just a normal day.

Except that Elodie had gone, and that everything Wren owned was in a pack on her back. A few changes of clothes, the diary and the locket now safely secured around her neck, and that was it.

Finn insisted they leave as soon as possible, before the Ilanthians could come back. She didn’t bother pointing out they had clearly already been there.

The ones who hadn’t been killed in the darkwood.

She shuddered again. The sense of the Nox had been so strong, wrapping tendrils of shadow through her mind and body. She had lost all sense of herself in that moment, struggling to stay conscious, and she had felt… what? It was like a lingering nightmare, there on the edge of her consciousness. How many shadow kin had she summoned? What had she set loose on those men?

Finn set a punishing pace but she wouldn’t let him think she couldn’t keep up. She didn’t need his pity. All she wanted was to get to the Sisters as soon as possible and find Elodie.

And get some answers.

The very idea that Elodie was a lost queen was simply absurd. It didn’t matter that what little Wren knew about the woman seemed to confirm everything Finn said. When she had a moment she’d read the diary and see what clues it could offer.

But as they walked the forest grew strangely quiet. By evening the stillness was uncanny and she felt as if something was following them through the empty woodland. No birds sang, and there were no sounds of any other animals.

‘This isn’t right,’ she said to Finn. ‘It shouldn’t be like this.’

He just nodded, scanning the treeline with wary eyes. She couldn’t say he was nervous, but he was ready for anything, watching, alert, waiting. Not afraid.

But nothing happened.

That feeling of being followed persisted through the next day, the sense of eyes upon them as they made their way south. By the time they stopped for the night, they were both exhausted.

Finn lit a fire, a small and well-shielded one. It was the gift of the Aurum. They didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to themselves but fire was one of the few protections against shadow kin, not to mention the remaining fragments of power of the Nox.

They ate in silence, listening to the forest around them, not quite as still now. Wren heard night birds calling out and the rustling of things in the undergrowth. She didn’t know what, but prayed whatever it was would keep its distance. Natural noises, though. That was the main thing.

Finn must have realised that too.

‘Get some sleep,’ he told her. ‘I’ll keep watch.’

Wren frowned. ‘You need to rest as well.’

‘I’ve trained for this,’ he assured her, his rich voice confident and calming. Was it a particular tone he had learned or did it come naturally to him? ‘I’ll wake you later and you can give me a few hours before we head off with first light. I’ll sleep when we’re safe.’

There wasn’t much she could say to argue with him. She was already exhausted, her eyes heavy and her body aching. And he could see it.