𝗜𝗡 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗛: AISLIN AMORE, DAUGHTER OF AN MORTAL AND A TRAITOR, WHO DOESN'T REALIZE SHE HAS A BIT OF FAE MAGIC OR WHO'S CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, NOT QUITE BELONGING TO EITHER. THAT CUSP BETWEEN REALITY AND FANTASY IS ENTICING, AND IT'S EXCITIN...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
━━━━━━━━ THE giddy fury of this afternoon will fade, and i know jude will regret what she's done. probably after a good, long sleep, she'll be as horrified as taryn is. all she has bought us are worse problems, no matter how good it felt to salve her pride. still, i cannot blame jude. it isn't easy being belittled for something you cannot control while knowing she was much better than them in anything and everything. i'm not nearly as panicked as i should be. perhaps, it's because i know i'm under protection from lord carlos and lady alma. that's not even mentioning balekin.
i begin to speak when a hand claps down over my mouth. fingers sink into the skin around my lips. i strike out, swinging my body around, and see locke grabbing taryn's waist. someone has my wrists. jude wrenches her mouth free and screams, but screams in faerie are like birdsong, too common to attract much attention.
they push us through the woods, laughing. i hear a whoop from one of the boys. i think i hear locke say something about larks being over quickly, but it's swallowed up in the merriment. i'm watching in horrible shock as jude is pushed into the water along with tayrn.
"there are nixies in this river," valerian says. "if you don't get out before they find you, they'll pull you under and hold you there. their sharp teeth will sink into your skin." he mimes taking a bite.
"nixies can't help what they are," nicasia says, kicking the water so that it splashes jude's face. "just like you won't be able to help drowning."
i realise i am still held by my neck, forced to look in the direction of the twins. the coolness of the rings against my skin feels nice but i don't let myself enjoy it because of the fact it's cardan's hand. valerian is emptying our schoolbags onto the riverbank. he and nicasia and locketake turns hurling the contents into the water. one of the inkpots shatters on the rocks, turning the river vermilion.
i see nicasia put a hand locke's shoulder to propel her to his height and whisper something to him. he gives her a look, and then glances at cardan whilst, approaching us. he is about to grab my arm but cardan presses my neck down even further. my breath hitches in pain as almost immediately after, he brings me back up.
"don't be boring," locke says, eyeing cardan hysterically. he goes for my arm again but cardan interrupts before it can even touch me.
"no. leave her. i don't need to explain another human going missing to balekin."
"its intriguing how that you choose to protect her and not the other two. are you not aware of madoc's wrath?" locke states with a knowing look and then they share a look. like the one i share with nial. the one that is hiding secrets. finally, cardan speaks careful of what to say, "jude is not pathetic enough to tell the general. aislin will run and confess everything."
locker, who had a hungry look on his face as if, cardan would accidentally slip up, narrows his eyes in disappointment and spite and i hear the distant screams of jude and taryn. i cannot hear what they're saying, the river current crashing into the rocks makes it nearly impossible. i cannot turn either, cardan had a strong grip on my bare neck.
i started moving my head aggressively which made locke and cardan focus on restraining me. cardan pulls my neck up. "i will let you go if you make a deal with me." and my heart skips a beat. one wrong answer or even move can tie you down to the worst life imaginable. faerie bargains are always cryptic. they always have a catch. that's how i ended up doing labour at the hollow hall. "speaking nothing of this or in any way inform anyone about this incident and i will let you go."
"how far? how far will you let me go?" i question through furrowed eyebrows. i had been practising my bargains with jude since balekin. she had always been the best out of us with schemes. cardan's eyebrows rise as he laughs amused, "as far as you wish to go. do you not trust me, mortal? i keep my word. i have to." the last sentence comes out more like a whisper.
i do not know if he's playing a game but i am desperate enough to accept it. but then i am reminded of the screams in the river. "what of jude and taryn?" i ask. "i will let them go as long as you keep your end of the agreement as run without looking back as soon as my hand is removed from your neck." it seemed like a fair agreement and i didn't know why but i agreed. it had seemed like the only good opportunity to come out of this and not once did i stop to wonder why the bargain had seemed all in our favour or what pleasure would cardan's circle gain from it.
"fine." i breathed out as his hand indeed lets go. i step away from them and my body does not let me spare a look at my friends before i find myself running deep into the forest. i feel guilt knowing that, i had been selfish by not taking a single glance at them. i know i have not made it far but i feel my legs beginning to grow numb and myself getting drowsy. as just like that, i am on the ground.
━━━🧸🎀💌 izuki's corner ::
my plot starting now fr ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 i told u to #trust
also w my plot planning for this book so far is going great icl. i have a rough idea up till the coronation scene and the other side subplots bfr the coronation scene. i js have to figure out the rest.
also idk if i've mentioned this but this book will end without having any of the wicked king or the queen of nothing included because they are mostly tension building devices for jude and cardan's romance and as much as i love them this is aislin and cardan 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
jude and cardan are and will always be supreme thou 💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥
