Prince of Blood and Shadow
I. Chapter 16

“Useless!” Inias found himself rooted to the spot amidst a moonlit meadow blanketed with grass, as the sound of a man’s angry voice resounded around him. Helpless and pinned down, he had no choice but to endure the relentless assault with his unresponsive legs. The man repeatedly kicked him in the stomach, yelling. He strained to see the attacker’s face, but all he saw was a large man kicking at him.

“You nearly cost us the fight!” The voice thundered, punctuated by another punishing blow to his stomach. What did they expect? He could only run as three wolves closed in on him. He didn’t know how, but he seemed to recall the memory. Not one of his own. He’d seen no wolf tower over him like that before. They certainly weren’t ordinary wolves. In that memory, he crouched low to the ground, on all fours. The memory, the blows to the stomach, and the strange feeling he experienced as he whimpered all came to him too quickly. Upon hearing footsteps, he glanced up and noticed the man walking away.

He attempted to stand up and give chase, but a chilling order echoed in the air. The voice thundered, “Stay!” and a powerful gust of wind knocked him down onto the grass. Attempting to rise, he looked up and witnessed the man vanishing in the dark. Despite his cries and howls for his fleeing companion, he obeyed the instruction to stay. A deep pit formed in his stomach, as if someone had ripped out a part of him. Lying on the grass, he softly whimpered while gazing at the meadow.

Inias slowly blinked, trying to clear his vision as he shook off the remnants of sleep. His eyes struggled to focus from the deep sleep he’d woken from. They walked for three hours, finally replaceing tonics and rest. They bypassed the routes leading to Stonefog and reached a village near Forge Haven. The Dwarven Flintaxe clan controlled most of the mining and forging trade. The only criminal activity in Forge Haven was the ridiculous prices they charged for their goods.

The inn was of luxurious quality compared to the one encountered on the route to Stonefog. Against the wall, a blue fire roared in the small fireplace. The beds, as soft as clouds, welcomed the three after their journey. The shower was spacious enough for all three of them, while the room itself could accommodate a whole family. Rays of sunlight streamed in from the large window shining on the yellow white walls and wooden floors.

Watching him was Styx laying by his side. Inias tried to process the dream as their eyes locked. With a gentle smile, he extended his hand to stroke Styx’s fur. The howl and whimper in his dream felt familiar. Just as he was about to ask the fox, he noticed Keira stirring in the bed nearby. “Cute bedhead, little blue!” Inias said as she rose from the pillow, her hair a mess of tangles. “Zip it! Yours isn’t so pretty either.” She answered, running her fingers through to smooth it out, “Do you think Sylvis is okay?”

When she mentioned Sylvis, memories of the fight came rushing back. If it weren’t for him, they never would have escaped. He knew that a clash with Caelan would result in his death. Maybe now that his strength had returned, he could track him down and finish it. But they needed to replace her brother and Ashryn first. He had led them straight into danger, falling into the clutches of some syndicate. He couldn’t let them suffer for his mistakes.

“Yeah, Sylvis can handle himself.” Inias answered, pulling himself from the bed to slip his boots on. Despite the shower, their clothes still reeked, causing him to cringe.

“I hope so,” Keira said, pulling a cloak around her shoulders. “The innkeeper mentioned a small market village just a mile away. We can pick up some clothes and ask arou-.” A hand emerging from outside the window interrupted her, pushing it open. Inias positioned himself by the window, prepared to pull in whoever was outside forcefully, while she clasped one of her daggers. The figure wore a hood, and Keira noticed the deer sewn into it.

“Wait!” Keira said, rushing to the window to help pull the cloaked woman in. “It’s Naesala!”

“Who?” Inias recognized the deer from the Knight’s Shade who’d defended the Manor. He caught the scent of salty sea air as she entered and removed her hood. Her deeply tanned skin and amethyst eyes greeted Inias and Keira. “My father sent you?” Keira asked as she shut the window behind her. Styx rushed across the room to the newcomer, dutifully sniffing around her as she reached down to pet his head. “Lord Aubron.” She answered, revealing herself as the woman who’d corrected him about the statue and snapped her head to Inias. “You woke Bacchus.”

Inias crossed his arms and replied, “If I hadn’t, you’d be dead,” Every time she moved, he could hear the beads in her braids brushing against each other. She had braided one side of her hair with beads of many colors, which shone against the dark brown of her hair. The other side was long and thick, like a mane, covering the other side of her face. “Why are you here?” He asked, keeping a hand on his sword hilt.

“That’s a long story, but I’ll make it quick,” Naesala went on explaining that after they escaped the redcaps fled, then the Maenads vanished. She shared Aubron’s message with them, revealing that the king had agreed to spare Inias. “You’ve been spying for Aubron?!” Keira interrupted, gripping one of her daggers tightly. “No! He and Lord Varen rescued me when I was young.” Naela explained, allowing Keira to lower her guard. “I serve them both.”

His uncle had spared him that was one threat off the list. “And you’re here now because…?” Inias tapped his foot on the ground, hoping they would get to the point of her arrival.

“I’m here to ensure that you don’t mess this up.” She answered, shooting a withering glare at Inias. “You’ve woken a dangerous power and now you’re running off with no clue where you’re going!” Inias shuffled, adjusting the ends of his hair nervously. “I know what I’m doing,” he mumbled, refusing to meet her gaze. “How are you supposed to help us?”

“I know how to replace them.” She pulled her thick hair away from her neck, revealing a crescent moon tattooed just beneath her jaw. “But…we can’t discuss here. I’m certain the walls have ears.”

The market village was nothing like he’d expected. There were shops everywhere and many of them sold goods from the human realm. He’d heard that the merchants smuggled in goods through Willowberry Creek to sell. There were shops for human literature, candies, but they were only interested in clothes. Keira fussed over his outfit as she always did. She knew what he looked best in, and Naesala didn’t seem to care either way. He chose a long black coat, a pair of black tight trousers called jeans, and kept his travel boots. Keira wore a black jacket made of leather and a similar pair of trousers, but they were purple. Thankfully, they had found tunics, since those thin shirts would do little to protect them.

The knight couldn’t have been much older than them, and Keira trusted her. Inias did his best to keep his skepticism to himself. If he didn’t replace Naesala so fiercely attractive, dressing wouldn’t have felt so awkward. She followed them through the little market. After discarding her cloak, it revealed a tight tan werewolf pelt jacket over a light red top, paired with loose trousers draped elegantly over fur boots. That she’d hunted that werewolf herself brought a smile to his face. She stood at an average height, but her compact frame belied the powerful muscles rippling beneath her skin, a testament to the countless hours spent honing her strength and agility.

Inias admired the intricate tattoos adorning her neck, her amethyst eyes glistening in the sunlight as she followed them. People assumed they were together because of their long history. He’d never looked at her that way, never thought to. She was one of the few friends he’d ever had. He didn’t want to lose that when he inevitably broke her heart.

“Something wrong?” Naesala asked when she caught Inias’ gaze on her once again. “Lots of things,” Inias answered as they sat upon a rock garden just outside the market with lunch in hand. “Like, how can I trust you won’t betray us to these crescent folk?”

“Inias!” Keira gave him a glare. “She’s one of our most trusted knights!”

“I never worked for them if that’s what you think, prince,” Naesala picked at the cubes of chicken in front of her, “They kidnapped me as a child.”

Inias set the rest of his chicken down for Styx once he finished the rabbit he’d hunted while they were out shopping. “So where are they?” As much as he enjoyed the little shopping break, they didn’t have time to buy clothes or laugh at human culture. “I don’t know. They’re always moving.”

"Convenient,” Inias had fallen for the deception of pretty faces in the past. Those sparkling eyes couldn’t soften him; he knew better. “Thought you said you could replace them?” He pressed, resting a hand on his sword hilt. Trusting her could’ve been his next failure. She could deliver him, Keira, and Styx to this syndicate whatever it was they did. Without her, they wouldn’t be able to replace Vestin or Ashryn. He could never return home without them. Inias was half tempted to treat her as a prisoner until he was certain of her intentions.

“How do we replace them?” Keira pressed. She’d already cleaned her plate and wanted to get moving. Naesala set her food down by Styx, who happily dug into it. “Willowberry forest sits between the human realm and us,” she explained as she rested back against her hands. The daggers at her sides scraped against the stone, causing Inias and Keira to cringe. “We’ll replace something there.”

“What does Willowberry have to do with this?” Inias asked as he stood and fixed the sword on his back. The town was of little concern to the Nightfangs. They used it to smuggle refugees into the Vale where they could express their gifts freely. He’d only seen the town once from a distance in the woods. It reeked of smoke and tobacco ashes. Humans must have gotten used to that smell over their lives. Why would this syndicate even care about the humans?

“Things come through the portal all the time, prince,” Naesala answered as she stood beside him and helped Keira to her feet. “Ever consider the possibility someone may smuggle something out?”