Page 75 of A Kiss of Flame
Vane's gaze darkened as he glowered at the figure. “The Order asked me to do their dirty work,” he snapped, his patience fracturing. “I’ll deliver what I’ve promised. Our hard work will not be invain." He chuckled at his pun while Tsuki let out a quiet, disapproving grunt that only Barith could hear.
"The Order will also be unhappy that we've involved Merlin," Tsuki added.
Vane replied with an exaggerated groan of frustration. "Enough!" he snarled, glaring at his followers. "Who is in charge here?" His hand filled with coiling shadow to prove his point. "The Order doesn't care about Merlin—They only care about rebuilding the Penumbra."
Tsuki fidgeted, her eyes flicking to Barith, displeased that Vane was speaking so openly in front of him. Barith didn't know who or what the Penumbra was, but it was evident Vane was a mere lackey, following orders from a higher power.
"It's midnight," one of the masked figures noted, their voice cutting through the tension.
Vane straightened his suit jacket, adjusting his tie before glaring up at Barith across the black pit. "I guess we'll see if that bit of tail was enough to entice her to beg Merlin to save you," he said, a dark smile playing on his lips.
Barith's heart twisted with horror. He prayed Levian hadn't done it. And if she had, he prayed Merlin hadn't given in.
"It looks as if it was," one of the masked figures said, their gaze fixed on the approaching torch in the distance.
Barith's heart plummeted as Levian appeared, stalking down the dark pathway toward them like a commanding goddess. She wore thick, vibrant purple and blue robes that billowed around her feet like storm clouds, her expression a scowl that could rival his mother's. Barith struggled, his heart pounding in fear, a muffled growl escaping his throat as he willed her to turn and run. The net constricted again, pain shooting throughhis already-fractured wing, but he couldn't stop himself. She shouldn’t have come for him.
One of the taller masked figures stepped forward and pressed the tip of their long fae silver sword against Barith's exposed throat. Levian stopped at the end of the path, holding a torch, her eyes locked on Vane as he casually strolled toward her.
"Well," he drawled. "You managed it, did you?"
Levian's gaze flickered to Barith for a second, and his heart thudded in response. Then he noticed her dark red curls were intricately braided atop her head in a style he’d never seen her wear before. A style reminiscent of one worn by the dragons of his horde. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimmer—a flicker of a wing. He looked back to Levain, and his heart nearly lurched into his throat.
Barith saw a glint in her violet eyes—a look he'd seen a thousand times before. It was the exact look she had when she’d cooked up some reckless plan that was liable to get them both killed.
Levian forced herself not to focus on Barith hanging from the stone arch, wrapped in some fae silver netting; shadow curled around his mouth. She also forced herself not to follow her impulse to send a pulse of magick smashing into Vane’s smug face, knocking out every last one of his teeth. She steadied her nerves, turning her attention back to Vane.
It hadn’t been easy to gather her reinforcements and develop a solid plan in the span of only a few hours, but she’d managed it. Now, all she had to do was pull it off.
"You're a lot like Merlin," Levian said, her voice dripping with mockery. "You both like to play games like stunted children."
Vane's smug smile disappeared, replaced by a glower.
"This is where I first discovered my ability to wield the shadows," Vane said, shifting closer to the pit. "Merlin brought me here himself to test me. Perhaps he's why I developed a taste for games."
"He told me you nearly died," Levian clipped.
Vane tensed, his sneer darkening. "Is that so?" he drawled menacingly.
Levian had no interest in small talk, but she needed Vane distracted. She stepped forward, drawing Tsuki's uneasy gaze. "Why do you think he sent me here?" she asked, her voice full of feigned curiosity.
Vane shrugged, unconcerned. "Perhaps he thinks he's taught you some little trick to outsmart me. Or perhaps he's offering you up in exchange for something he wants. Or maybe you begged him enough that he gave in. The possibilities are truly endless," he mocked, moving closer to the pit.
Vane dipped his maimed hand into the shadows, using them to fill the voids of his lost fingers. Levian's stomach lurched, but she forced herself to exaggerate her reaction to play along.
The cavern was a ritual space created by the Dökk, who survived The Fall until they were hunted and killed for their apostasy. Vane lapped up her reaction to his wielding of the shadow and replied with a satisfied smile.
Tsuki cleared her throat with impatience, earning a scornful glance from Vane. "It's regrettable," he continued, ignoring his cohort. Vane siphoned more shadow from the pit, tossing it between his hands. "I had hoped the Order might recruit you."
Levian narrowed her gaze. She knew nothing of any Order.
"Lucian," Tsuki snapped, her voice sharp with admonishment.
Vane laughed, waving her off. "Afraid of her, Tsuki?" he mocked. "She's helpless here. The dragon cannot save her. No one can.”
Clearly, Vane did not intend to let her or Barith leave alive. Levian steadied her anxiously thrumming heart as she glanced at the creature holding the sword to the dragon’s exposed throat. She’d thought this through a thousand times. She had to press on with her plan. "I hid them," she said, her voice steady. "Allof them."
Vane's smile faltered, his eyes narrowing. "All of what?"