The morning sun peeks over the horizon, its golden rays filtering through the castle windows as we prepare to depart. Three sleek vehicles are lined up in the courtyard – the first carrying a team of expert trackers and seasoned warriors, the third filled with more skilled fighters to serve as our guard. Caleb and I will ride in the second car, sandwiched securely between our protective details.
I didn’t see the need to waste any more time, so I made the decision for us to travel the next day. Lily and I had already pored over every possible meaning behind Eric’s abrupt silence last night. The only conclusion we could draw was that he must have found himself in grave danger, though from what threat, we couldn’t begin to guess.
A knot of dread forms in my gut at the thought of hunters being involved. Those sadistic bastards may slink in the shadows these days after my father brought their former leader to his knees years ago. But they’re still out there, and if they so much as laid a finger on Eric… I shudder, pushing the thought away as my mother approaches.
“Do you really have to go?” she asks once more, fretting as only a mother can. I can see the worry etched in the creases around her eyes and the thinning of her lips, despite her earlier reassurances that she understands why this trip is necessary.
“Yes, Mom, you know why,” I reply as gently as I can. We’ve been through this already – I’m not just going to find Eric but to find… closure. The Lycan Kingdom is where I fell hard for Nickolas, where I had my heart shattered into shards. I need to breathe in the ashes of what could have been one final time before I box up those memories forever.
“But you’re not feeling well,” she protests, reaching up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind my ear. Her fingers are cool against my flushed skin as she studies me, maternal concern writ large on her features.
I try to muster a reassuring smile, but it feels brittle on my lips. “It’s just a little trouble sleeping, Mom. That doesn’t mean I’m ill. Besides, I have my medication.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but Caleb steps forward, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I promise to keep her safe, Mom. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
She searches his face for a long moment before expelling a soft sigh of resignation. Pulling us both into a fierce embrace, she murmurs, “I love you.”
When we finally pull apart, I turn to Dad, my eyes stinging with tears I refuse to let fall. “Keep her safe,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.
He takes my hand, his calloused palm warm and reassuring against my skin. “Always,” he vows, giving my fingers a gentle squeeze.
With a last wave to our family, Caleb and I climb into the car. He guides us through the castle gates, and we’re off, hurtling down the winding roads that will eventually lead us back to that place, to the ghosts waiting there. The two other vehicles fall into line ahead and behind us, our protective escort.
The gentle hum of the engine soon lulls me into a fitful doze as we eat up the miles. I rouse only when we pause for restroom breaks, my head pounding, mouth dry as cotton. Exhaustion drags at my limbs, turning them leaden and sluggish. I tell myself it’s just the toll of a restless night, the aftermath of pushing my body too hard in a vain attempt to outrun my own thoughts.
But a small, niggling voice in the back of my mind whispers that it could be something more, that Mom’s fears may not be so unfounded after all. Determinedly, I shove the thought away. I can’t afford to be sick, not now. Not when Eric needs me. Not when my own heart needs this chance for closure.
So I let the miles roll away beneath the tires, carrying me ever closer to the lycan kingdom and the answers that await me there, no matter how much I may dread what I will find.
***
“I’m fine,” I lie through gritted teeth, swallowing hard against the nausea rising in my throat. Caleb insists we should turn back, citing my recent bout of vomiting this morning as cause for concern.
Caleb’s eyes narrow as he argues, “No, you’re not. You slept the entire journey, and now you’re vomiting.”
Before I can protest further, my stomach lurches violently. I spin around just in time, retching up the meager remains of my breakfast onto the forest floor. Bile burns my throat as I gasp for air, my face flushed and clammy.
Caleb’s jaw tightens with resolve. “That’s it. I’m not taking any more of your stubborn protests. We’re heading back.” He strides towards the camp, his boots crunching on the fallen leaves. We moved from the camp toward a nearby stream, where I could rinse my face and mouth.
“I’m okay!” I call out weakly, hurrying after him on shaky legs. We’ve come too far for me to turn back now without even a glimpse of the city. I can’t face Lily’s disappointment.
As Caleb’s pace quickens, I decide on a shortcut through the towering trees, hoping to cut him off. The dappled shadows seem to shift around me, and an eerie feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. I wrap my arms tightly around myself, the hairs on my neck standing on end.
“Caleb!” I call, my voice trembling with panic. How could I have lost sight of him so quickly?
The rustle of bushes behind me causes my heart to hammer wildly in my chest. I whirl around, claws extended. “Who’s there?” I demand, trying to mask my fear with bravado.
“Amelia…” A familiar voice breathes my name, and a skeletal hand drops onto my shoulder, bony fingers gripping me.
I nearly strike out before the scent registers – sour and sickly but unmistakably Beatrice. My eyes widen in shock as I turn to face her, recoiling at her emaciated form. Sunken eyes, brimming with tears, study me imploringly as she pulls me into a frail embrace. I stiffen, too stunned to return the gesture.
“What happened?” I whisper, gently extricating myself from her grip to get a better look at her.
A haunted look crosses her gaunt features. “I don’t even know where to start…”
“Anywhere is fine,” I murmur, still staring at her skeletal frame in utter disbelief.
“I think it’s better I show you,” She rasps, her bony fingers curling around my wrist with surprising strength, pulling me deeper into the forest.
“Show me?” I echo uncertainly even as my feet follow her lead. Suddenly, I dig my heels in, realizing Caleb will be frantic. “Wait, I can’t just disappear. My brother will be worried sick. Let me bring him and the others first.”
A flicker of hesitation crosses Beatrice’s sunken eyes before she gives a jerky nod. “No problem.”
It takes all my persuasive powers to convince the distrustful Caleb to allow me to follow Beatrice, his jaw locked in a tense line. He finally relents, but not before insisting half our entourage accompanies us as protection.
Beatrice leads us on a winding path through the gnarled trees until we reach a cave mouth, the entrance to a dank underground passage. As we emerge on the other side, I’m struck by a scene of utter desolation that steals the breath from my lungs.
Thousands of lycans, little more than walking corpses, litter the forest floor, their dull eyes reflecting a haunting mix of hope and resignation. A collective gasp rises from our group at the sight of their sunken cheeks, protruding bones, and cracked lips.
“Our Queen is here to save us,” a raspy voice cries out, and in an instant, every haunted face turns towards me with desperate longing.
I freeze in place, my heart pounding as a young lycan boy, his ribs alarmingly visible beneath his tattered shirt rushes forward to clutch at my legs. “Please save us, our Queen,” he pleads in a reedy voice.
“Please, save us,” another lycan pleads, dropping to her knees along with others.
Pleas and desperate cries rise all around me as I stand rooted to the spot, my mind whirling as I try to make sense of this unfolding scene. What in the hell is happening here?