IARA

Jeremiah stayed with Malachi even after the sun had set again. He didn’t leave for any meals or any classes. I was glad for it though. I wanted to be there when Malachi woke as well, but I needed to be elsewhere. If I could cure curses, then I would be damned if I let the others who were bitten be left to die. I insisted a knight take me to the others who were hurt. I took the same steps I did with my husband and removed the blackness from all the husk's bites.

I never knew I had two blessings. Rey always used to tell me how much the gods favored me. When I called upon them for strong spells, they always listened. I always chalked it up to how often I set out offerings on my altars, but now I wasn’t sure. If they had given me a second blessing, it was more than giving them food and gold. I didn’t know what they expected from me, but my chest was weighed down with pressure. My mind brought me back to one of the first conversations I had with Malachi. He had mentioned how I had two blessings. How did he know about this before I did? Could I not trust him as much as I thought?

I pushed those thoughts away as I left the infirmary. I could talk to him anytime after he woke up. Instead of worrying, I headed to the dungeons. Ban led me down the steep stairs and towards the beasts I had petrified. I wished it was any knight other than him, but I wouldn’t let on that I was perturbed.

“You’re our savior today, Princess,” Ban said over his shoulder. I thought he looked silly in his full armor. The plates made him look much bigger than he actually was. “Without you, Prince Malachi would be dead, and who knows how many others. That second blessing is amazing.”

“Sure is,” I replied curtly. I didn’t like talking to him. He was far too cocky. I didn’t want to share any more pleasantries with him than I had to.

When we finally got to an old rickety door, he gestured for me to open it. I frowned and pushed it open myself. Behind it were a few barred cells, each containing a statued husk. There were several knights guarding the cells, and a scribe scribbling notes into a book. When I got closer, I saw it was Master Ivar. I tried not to show my discomfort at the sight of him.

“Ah, Princess, how are you doing?” Ivar asked, a thin smile spreading on his lips. His razor sharp fangs caught the warm light of the torches around us.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, pushing past him. I looked at one of the petrified husks. There were four in total. They looked unassuming behind the metal bars.

“Do you think your blessing is powerful enough to cure them?” the vampire asked.

“I would have to try,” I replied. I didn’t quite know the extent of my new found blessing. Was it really that strong? I glanced over my shoulder at him as he stepped closer. I frowned, longing for him to step away from me. I shivered at the thought of getting a glimpse of what thoughts he had.

One of the knights stepped forward and unlocked the iron door for me. I stepped in and reached out to the rocky surface of the beast’s face. When my skin made contact, I could feel hunger coming from it, even while made of stone. I pushed past the animalistic feeling and thought of Kethia. She allowed me to borrow more of her power, taking the stone out of it’s skin. When color returned to the husk, I reached my other hand to hold its face still. It tried to pull away, or bite me, but I held fast. My arms shook as it thrashed against me. I pushed back my fear and reminded myself I was safe here. If it did bite me, I could easily remove the affliction once again.

Soon, the rotting flesh started to get it’s plumpness back. It turned from purple to red then to pink. It was a woman. As the rot was replaced with healthy tissue again, I felt overjoyed. I could cure the rest of them. I could grant them their humanity back. But my joy was short-lived. The woman never focused her eyes. Her skin never warmed. When I let her face go, she fell. Her head hit the stone ground with a thump. She was dead. I felt my heart sink. The curse kills them and then turns them into the reanimated monsters they were. In curing her, did I even save her soul? I looked down at my hands. When I did touch her, there was no flood of emotion. She was completely gone, even as a husk.

I jumped at the loud bang that sounded behind me. Did someone slam the bars closed behind me? I felt my blood run cold. I spun around and saw a figure at the entrance. A tall man was framed by the threshold. My husband. The jail door was still open behind me. I sighed with relief.

Malachi’s eyes were weighed down with dark circles, but he stood straight. His voice boomed when he spoke, commanding attention. “What is the Princess doing in such a place?” he demanded.

Master Ivar bowed low. I could see his hands turn into fists just under his robe sleeves. “She was curing the husks.”

Malachi strode over to the cell I was still in. His eyes flicked to the corpse next to me. He didn’t let any emotion play on his face, but he reached out a hand and brushed a tear off my cheek. I had been crying again without even realizing it. He pulled his finger away before I could process what he felt. For the best, I thought. I could hardly handle my own feelings right now.

Malachi turned to Ivar and gestured to the body I sat next to. “Take her to the infirmary. The doctor has a rare opportunity to do an autopsy,” he ordered.

Ivar nodded and gestured to Ban. “Would you be able to carry it there?”

The knight nodded.

I exited the cell so Ban could get to work. My full attention was on my husband. I had a lot of questions for him, but above all else I wanted to be sure he was well. “Are you okay walking?”

“Of course. We have something to discuss,” he said. We certainly did. His voice was strained. It was the slightest indication that something was wrong. He offered me his arm as he headed to the door. I gave Ivar one last glance as we left. The man looked upset. His face was twisted into a sour mask of contempt. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Ban gather the dead woman.

As soon as I was sure we were out of ear shot, I didn’t hold my tongue. “What’s going on? Are you really okay?” I asked in a rush.

He shook his head, ascending the stairs. “Wait until you see who’s here,” he mumbled.

I furrowed my brows as we walked down a long hall. “What?”

Malachi didn’t say anything as he turned down a narrow hall that only led to the kitchens. I was about to ask him what we were doing when I saw the figure emerge from the cooks room. I could recognize that hunched figure anywhere. “Rey,” I cried out. I ran over to the old elf and threw my arms around her.

She hugged me tightly, rubbing my back. “Iara,” she sighed. Then she pulled away and hit me in the ankle. I should have expected that. I doubled over to hold my bruised joint. “You've been eating all the sweets?” she snapped at me.

I laughed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to tell you about your blessings,” she said.

“You knew about the second one all along?” I asked. I felt like everyone in my life knew about it before me. Who is next? Jeremiah? Vi? I gave the woman a deep frown and glanced at my husband. He was conveniently looking out the window.

“Do you want to hear about it or not?” Rey snapped at me.

“Yes,” I cried out. “What about it? I’ve only just found out about it today.”

Rey reached a wrinkled hand out to me. “Relive my memory,” she said.

I had never touched Rey much before. She’s given me hugs and was a loving caregiver, but she always kept a cool distance. She only touched me when she wanted me to feel things. I’ve never peaked inside of her mind as deeply as others. She’d been shielding away from me my entire life. Everyone deserved their privacy, even an old woman, so I had never pushed the subject. But now I wanted more than anything to see everything she had hidden away.

When I laced my fingers with hers, there was only one clear thought. The memory of a night long ago. My mother was running with me in her arms. The sky opened up to show the Night Goddess herself. Even through the hazed memory, I felt the breath leave my lungs. Leda was stunning, as big as the sky and just as dark. I watched the scene through Rey’s eyes. The goddess cursed my mother and I saved her. To witness me as a child remove a curse laid by a goddess right in front of her was terrifying and exhilarating. I was as powerful as a goddess. Leda didn’t smite me there either. She was happy. She smiled when I took the curse away. The end was no different though. Leda still plucked my mother up as though she were an insect. There was no escaping the will of the gods after all.

There were many other men around us as well. They were chasing after my mother. They were royal knights. I couldn't make out any of their faces. Momma had stolen me away the night I was asked to be wed to Malachi. The words the goddess spoke rang out in my head again. Oath breaker. My mother’s deal with the Night Goddess was for me?

“My mother. . . and Leda,” I breathed.

“The gods can’t know the future, but she knew you were important,” Rey said.

“You know the future though,” Malachi said to her. “It would help us more if you told us who released the husks.” His voice raised just slightly. He must have been furious.

I cradled my head between my hands. “The-the gods can’t know the future,” I muttered. “Rey, are you a god?”

Rey ignored me and turned to Malachi. “Who do you think is behind it?”

“What I think can’t be proven. Lady Rey, I need more information,” Malachi snapped. “We need more guidance.” He gestured to me. His hand shook as it pointed. “We almost died. What else will happen? Will we actually be killed by him?”

Lady Rey shook her head, the bells tangled in her antlers jingling loudly. “If I say too much, the sands of time will change. I came only to give you a bit of advice.”

“It better be on how to find out who is working with Ivar,” Malachi muttered under his breath. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the elf.

“Wait,” I cried out. I felt like I was being pushed to the side. I stepped in front of my husband and looked Rey in the eyes. They looked foggy, blindness setting in. “My mother’s deal with Leda. What was it?”

Rey shook her head. The bells on her head were annoying me to no end. “You already know what it was.” She reached a gnarled hand out to poke my chest. Her finger touched right above my heart.

I shook my head. “You have to be lying.” Every time I saw this elf she told me an even more unbelievable thing. First I’m a princess and now this? It all felt like a joke.

Rey sighed and looked away from me. “You know just as well as anyone, Iara. The quest for power is insatiable. You’re just like her.”

Rage pulsed through me. “Just like her?” I cried. “I would never offer my child as a payment to the gods.”

“Alys used her child as payment for power?” Malachi gasped. He sounded appalled, just like I felt.

Rey clicked her tongue. “Alys believed she could get out of paying by simply never having a child.”

“But she clearly did. And my choices were taken away from me,” I snapped. I suddenly felt betrayed. She had me, all the while knowing the goddess would take me away someday.

“She never planned to have you. Her choice was taken away as well,” Rey replied. Her voice was soft, apologetic. The elf’s face wrinkled up though, her brows knitting together. “Do you want my advice or not?” she snapped.

I rubbed my temples and nodded. If she deemed it important enough, then so be it. I was tired of fighting her for the answers I wanted. “Yes. Tell me.”

“Be nice when you see him again,” she replied quickly.

“See who again?” I asked. I didn’t find her hints amusing today. The only person who came to mind couldn’t be who she meant anyway.

The old woman only clicked her tongue at me. She turned to walk towards the kitchen door again, but turned right back around. “One more thing.” She dug her hand into her old ragged robes and pulled out a small booklet. It looked like it had seen better days. The parchment front was stained and beat up around the edges. The string holding it together was thin and frayed. I was shocked it didn’t turn to dust in her hands. She offered it to me.

“What is this?” I took it, flipping the old worn paper cover open. I almost didn’t recognize my own handwriting. It was old. Rey had taught me how to write as soon as I was old enough to walk. This was one of the first things she ever made me copy from a book. I had to squint and tilt the booklet to make out the words.

“You’ll need it for Jeremiah,” she snapped. “I have to go now.” The elf this time pushed past me and Malachi. She threw open the door that I didn’t even notice before and slammed it behind her.

“Wait!” I threw the door open immediately after, but she was already gone. There was nothing in this small closet except old barrels and brooms, probably for kitchen storage. When I came back out, Malachi still stood there, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was showing more emotion than it had in a while. Unfortunately it was showing how bad his mood must be.

“I know you probably want to ask about your blessing,” he heaved a sigh.

“You are damned right I do,” I snapped at him. “I’m very happy you aren’t dead right now but you have to know how that looks.” I slipped the booklet away into my bag and crossed my arms over my chest just as he did.

He let his arms drop, glancing down the hall to make sure no one was near. “Jer overheard things he shouldn’t have. One of those things was Ivar saying you had a second blessing. I’m also certain Ivar brought the husks here. But the only proof I have is again, something Jer overheard.”

I bit my thumbnail absentmindedly as my thoughts ran wild. If Ivar knew my second blessing, was he there that night? He had to have been one of my mother’s pursuers that night. I knew Rey wanted me to piece it together myself, but bigger hints would have been nice. If Ivar was there that night, then he would be the only one crazy enough to have me open a portal to the Underworld. How many others were working with him? What were they even working towards?

“And on top of all this, I still need to host events tonight,” Malachi added. His eyes went back to the window. The sun only just started to set, the golden rays casting long shadows outside.

“You can’t be serious,” I gasped. “No one will even come to the festival today.”

Malachi rubbed his eyes with both hands. He looked as though the slightest gust of wind would knock him over. “I have to. You can stay in and rest, but I need to. After I get some blood from the kitchen and write a quick letter to my parents, I’m going into the city.”

I reached out to touch his arm. He pulled the sleeve of his shirt down before I touched his skin. “I-I will stay with you,” I replied. I knew he still had an image to uphold. It wasn’t about looking good to the common people, it was to show the ones conspiring behind us that he was unphased by this attack. He had almost died and he wouldn’t let that stop him.

His face softened, his hands reaching up to squeeze my shoulders. “I can’t say how worried I was about you.”

“I think that’s my line,” I laughed.

He brushed a tear away from my cheek again. I wished I didn’t start crying at everything that happened. It was embarrassing. Relief and tiredness rushed from his skin. He let me go and sighed again. “We need to get going though.” He turned to the kitchen but I stopped him.

“Would my blood be better?” I asked. I remembered how much energy he had after we bonded. My lessons also taught that blood from the bonded person can heal any wounds. My blood would give him as much life as he needed.

Malachi shook his head. “No, you’re just as tired as I am,” he replied. “Besides, it’s improper to do that in the open.”

I pressed my lips together and pointed to the supply closet behind me. “A perfect place to be alone,” I said in a sing-song voice. The thought of doing something like that in a closet was thrilling. And it offered me a perfect distraction from the horrible things I learned about my mother. I needed rest before I devoted energy to sorting that mess out.

His face grew red and he laughed. “How unladylike.”

I would have dropped it if he didn’t look so pale. The only color in his face was the bags under his eyes. All I would need to feel fine is a small snack from the kitchen after. Malachi had an entire chunk missing from his shoulder. It wasn’t as if I didn’t like it either. I tugged on his shirt sleeve and he followed me into the closet behind us. I shut the door and leaned against it. No one could surprise us.

“Are you sure?” he asked. His eyes met mine. I watched as his pupils expanded into neat circles to take in more light. The room was almost pitch black.

“I am,” I said. “You did almost die.”

He leaned close to me, one hand braced on the door next to my head, the other brushing some of my loose hair behind my ear. “I want you to know you don’t have to,” he whispered.

I pressed his hand into my cheek. I could feel how much he wanted his teeth in me. It sent a shiver down my spine. “I want you to,” I breathed back.

I knew he couldn’t stop himself anymore. He pulled the neckline of my dress down, exposing my shoulder and more of my chest. He pinned my arm to the door as his other kept my dress pulled as far down as it would allow. Malachi bit into my skin then, right below where my neckline sat normally. I gasped in sudden pain, but it was gone quickly. I felt his desire seep into me through his touch. I reached my free hand behind his back, pressing him closer to me. As he drank from me, I bit my lip to keep from making any noise. I was embarrassed to say how good this felt.

He pulled away just as suddenly as he started. He breathed in deeply and released my arm. I cupped his face in both of my hands and pressed my lips to his. The faint taste of blood mixed in our mouths. He sighed when he pulled away again. “We should get going,” he muttered. I could tell he didn’t want to leave just as much as me.

I adjusted my dress, the blood seeping into the fabric. “Let’s get fresh clothes, then off to the festival,” I said. I let the disappointment sound in my voice.

I pulled the door open and we got ready to go back to work.