The Hush of the World (ONC 2024)

Chapter 13

The air crackled with a tension so thick it felt like a living thing. Rani's screams had faded into a distant echo, swallowed by the swirling portal that had taken her back to the clutches of the Seelie Court. Grief threatened to drown me, but Haider's next words held me captive.

"If you wish to see your sister again," Haider said, his voice low and gravelly, "then you have a choice to make."

A flicker of hope sparked within me, fragile but persistent. "What do I have to do?" I demanded, my voice hoarse with emotion.

Haider's gaze held mine, a storm brewing in its depths. "Stay with me," he said. "The Unseelie Court is no place for a human girl, but I cannot let you wander the Fae realm alone. I will help you get to the Seelie Court."

My head spun. Everything I thought I knew was thrown into question. Trusting a creature of shadows, a king rumoured to be driven mad by grief, seemed like a fool's errand. Yet, the raw hatred that vibrated in his voice when he spoke of the Seelie Court gave me pause.

"Why?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "Why would you help me?"

A wry smile played on Haider's lips, fleeting and dangerous. "Let's just say the Azenar Gate bringing you here wasn't entirely an accident," he said, his words cryptic. "It brought you to me. And while a bride is what the Azenar spirit decided," he added, his gaze lingering on me for a beat too long, "I can't afford to lose someone like you."

A blush crept up my cheeks, a traitorous warmth amidst the turmoil raging within me. But before I could explore that unexpected flicker of something more in his eyes, a guttural roar echoed through the amphitheatre, shaking the very foundations of the arena.

Haider's smile vanished, replaced by a steely resolve. "Looks like our conversation will have to wait," he growled, a dark energy swirling around him. "The shadows stir. And they are not alone."

From the shadows at the edge of the arena, a hulking figure emerged, its grotesque form radiating a malevolent power. It was a creature of nightmares, a twisted parody of a Harashin warrior, its once obsidian, its eyes burning with an unholy red light. And it belonged to Haider.

A primal fear gripped me, a cold dread that threatened to paralyze me where I stood. But Haider's next word, laced with authority, cleared the fog of terror. "Drezzen. The light is coming. Prepare our fey.'

The creature roared, summoning whoever heard him.

Recognition dawned, not from personal knowledge, but from the raw hatred that vibrated in Haider's voice. This was someone Haider knew, someone he loathed. And he had come, not alone.

Behind Drezzen, a legion of twisted Fae creatures materialized, their grotesque forms a testament to the corruption that had taken hold of the Seelie Court.

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drum against the approaching storm. I was trapped between a terrifying reality and a glimmer of hope offered by a creature of shadows. This was no longer a simple quest to save my sister. This was a war brewing, a battle for the very fate of the Fae realm.

And I, a mere Benari girl, thrust into the heart of a faerie war, had a choice to make. But there were no weapons or training in my future.

Haider drew his spectral blade, its dark energy crackling with power. In that moment, I knew my life had been irrevocably changed. The human girl who had stumbled through the Azenar Gate was gone.

"We leave now," Haider said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "The Seelie Court borders are heavily guarded, but I know a hidden path. You will be safer with me."

His words surprised me. A human girl, safer with the Wraith King? Yet, the raw hatred directed at Haider, by the light thrawl creatures that followed him, gave his words weight.

A shaky breath escaped my lips. "What about Rani?"

Haider's gaze held mine, a storm brewing within its depths. "The Seelie may hold her hostage," he admitted, his voice low. "But they wouldn't dare harm a human outright unlike...' His eyes flashed a spark of pain and grief before he composed himself. 'Their facade of benevolence must be maintained. It will be a dangerous journey, but together, we have a better chance of reaching her, Dreamseer."

The weight of his words settled heavily on me. Together?

A spark of determination ignited within me, pushing back the tide of fear. I wouldn't let Rani down. And perhaps, with Haider by my side, I might even survive this perilous journey.

"Then let's go," I said.

Haider, a flicker of surprise and smile crossing his features, offered a curt nod. "Follow me closely," he said, his voice low and urgent.

He turned, his spectral blade held high, and strode towards the shadows that writhed at the edge of the arena. The clash with the light horde was inevitable, but Haider wouldn't let it deter him from his newfound purpose - protecting the human girl who had become inexplicably entangled in the Fae realm's turmoil.

As I followed Haider into the shadows, a cold dread slithered down my spine. The Unseelie Court, despite its darkness, had felt strangely familiar. But these shadows, they pulsed with an alien energy, an unsettling mix of fear and... something else.

Panic ripped through me as more monstrous figures emerged from the swirling mists that choked the field outside the Dark Court castle. It was a creature of nightmares, its grotesque form radiating a sickly green luminescence. A twisted mockery of a Light Fae, its once shimmering wings were mottled and diseased. Blight oozed from its sores, a sickly green luminescence tainting the air around it.

Haider, a dark energy swirling around him, drew his spectral blade. In that moment, I knew my life had been irrevocably changed. The battle between darkness and corrupted light was about to begin.

With a roar that echoed across the desolate field, Drezzen lunged at the thrawls swiping furiously at them- but they were too many. Drezzen roared in pain as one after another, a thrawl climbed upon him, biting, tearing away at his flesh. Drezzen gave out a howl of dispair before rising again and staring at Haider with hatred. His corrupted Fae brethren followed suit, a grotesque tide of malice threatening to engulf the Unseelie forces that had gathered in defense.

"Something's wrong," I whispered, the fear constricting my throat. "The Unseelie... they're..."

"The Blight weakens them, and at times, turns them." Haider rasped, his voice laden with grim determination.

Vael, the formidable Harashin warrior, met the charge head-on. His obsidian skin gleamed in the sickly green light and his silver hair whipped about, lashing like a tail his massive warhammer a blur of devastating power. Unseelie Fae clashed with corrupted light, the clash of steel echoing across the battlefield.

Despite the fierce resistance, the Unseelie forces seemed overwhelmed. The Blight emanating from Drezzen and his minions seemed to sap their strength, a sickening green aura creeping across the battlefield.

Haider roared, his powerful arms bunching as he summoned the ground to break and the shadows to become like spears, he whipped them through the hearts of several thrawls as they screamed in dying agony. Haider lashed at the thrawl with his sword when they got too close to me.

But just as despair threatened to consume me, Haider surprised me. He turned to me, his voice low and urgent. "The human realm! Focus on it, Ayina. Think of your home, its sights, its sounds. That will anchor you, protect you from the Blight's touch."

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and conjured an image of my village. The bustling market square, the scent of freshly baked bread wafting from the bakery, the laughter of children playing by the stream.

A strange warmth spread through me, a tether to my own world, and for some reason, I could hear the children scream playfully along the riverbank. I could smell the mishti sweets from the bakery. I felt my knees thud against soft grass and I opened my eyes and gasped. I was in Benar again, directly in the Sultan's palace, with guards pointing spears at me and an angry sultan staring down at me. I really needed to work on my dreamseeing.