19.

  Faelwen

  The everlasting golden path stretched before us, glowing faintly in the surrounding void. Each step reminded me of the time Artemis and I fled from the Hunters, when my world had burned to ash.

  I remembered the hollow ache of loss when I realized Barnabas was gone, our home reduced to cinders. Everything from my childhood… gone. My mothers’ music box, the one remnant of her, was left damaged. A sharp pang of realization hit me.

  Where was the music box now?

  The last time I had it was in the Marshes, when the Fiend had come, disguised as Ash, to drag me into the Underworld. We had left all our belongings! Now I had nothing but the clothes on my back.

  Tears pricked in my eyes, but I furiously brushed them away. I couldn’t afford a blurred vision now, not with the Fiend chasing me and the path so narrow beneath my feet. The thought of him spurred me forward, though my limbs felt like lead.

  I did not want to end up in his power again. My breath came in ragged gasps, my heart pounding a wild rhythm in my chest. Artemis and Ash ran ahead of me, their figures just visible in the dim glow. Ash glanced back, his eyes meeting mine for a fleeting moment. He gave me an encouraging nod, a small gesture that ignited a flicker of strength within me. I pushed on.

  Just when my legs felt ready to give out, the end of the golden path came into view, a strange arch hovering in the darkness. Its intricate symbols glowed faintly, reminding me of the pentagram I’d seen in Malignus’s cave.

  Ash raised his magical stone, chanting words in demonic. The arch responded, its glow intensifying until the swirling image of the Marshes shimmered into existence within it. Artemis leapt through without hesitation, disappearing. Ash and I followed. Just as I lunged through, I felt the Fiend’s fingers graze my arm, sending icy terror through me.

  I landed hard on the other side, sprawled in the mud. Ash yanked me to my feet and pulled me forward.

  “Run, darling! We’re almost there!”

  Get back to the abyss you come from, you monster! I heard Artemis yell at the Fiend in my head. Was he communicating with him? The distraction from my own thoughts caused me to struggle to stay on my feet. I pulled myself from my thoughts and forced my legs to continue running.

  Behind me I heard the loud thump of the Fiend landing on the ground. Artemis yelped and increased his speed. I had no idea where he found his energy, but the Fiend’s next words feared me enough that my legs found new strength as well.

  “You cannot escape me! Let the dead arise and swallow you whole!” His voice thundered, low and venomous. He started chanting. His incantations sent a shiver of dread up my spine.

  The ground quaked as he chanted, his voice both a whisper and a roar in my head. The Marshes themselves seemed to tremble with fear.

  Ahead, a river appeared, its dark waters reflecting the faint light of the marshland. An old boat drifted near the shore, as if waiting for us. Hope surged in my chest. I had no idea how this boat had gotten here, but this was our chance to escape over the Andw?ne Mere.

  Ash’s grip on my hand tightened. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening at what he saw. I turned to look as well and my blood ran cold.

  From the portal emerged nightmares made flesh. A demon-woman with talons as long as daggers, her black hair cascading like shadows.

  Another Black Widow!

  Right behind her loomed a monstrous beast with glowing red eyes and curling horns, its form reminiscent of Malignus’s terrible transformation. Crawling on all fours was a crooked, humanlike figure draped in tattered black-and-red robes. Its jagged movements were unnervingly fast.

  With a surge of fear, I realised it was an undead necromancer. And from the trembling ground, a horde of rotting creatures staggered out. There were howling wolves with empty sockets and skeletal forms, and shambling figures that reeked of decay.

  “Ash!” I cried, my voice trembling and my hand slipping from his. I turned my head back too quickly and tripped, falling face-first into the fetid marsh water. The muck sucked at me, pulling me down. Memories of our horse going down surged through me. My mind clouded and I couldn’t breathe.

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  “No! Help me!” I screamed, my voice raw with terror. I was trembling and crying and screaming. Kicking feverishly against the slow pull of the green mud.

  Artemis was there in an instant, his jaws clamping onto my arm. Pain seared as his teeth broke skin, because he had to pull so hard. Blood mingled with the filthy water. Together, he and Ash hauled me out of the marsh. I lay gasping, covered in mud, as Artemis howled urgently, his tail low and his eyes wild with fear.

  “Come on, darling!” Ash urged, scooping me up in his arms. I clung to his neck as he ran with me in his arms. My eyes found the boat still drifting restlessly on the water, pleading us to come quickly. So close and yet so far.

  Suddenly from out of the marshes’ water, hands clawed their way towards Ash’s feet. Ash jumped over them, cursing the Fiend. But one hand latched onto Ash’s ankle, its nails digging deep. He cried out in pain, stumbling and falling with me in his arms.

  Rotting figures rose from the marshes, their gurgling moans chilling me to the core. It sounded as if they were still drowning.

  “No escape now!” The Fiend’s voice echoed, triumphant. “You are in my territory!” His voice boomed around us. I tried to find him, but couldn’t.

  Wen, where is he? I heard Artemis in my mind. He sounded just as terrified as I felt.

  “I don’t know, Buddy. I can’t see him!” I answered. Ash pulled out a small knife from his side and hacked at the grasping hand, severing it after several frantic strikes.

  He stumbled to his feet and looked at the distance we still had to run before reaching the boat and the demons that were now quickly advancing. I stood up as well and followed his gaze. My heart sank. As our eyes clashed I saw a sudden determination spread over his face.

  He looked at me then, his expression softening despite the chaos. Lines of worry formed on his face. He caressed my cheek.

  Would I ever see him laugh again? I missed that cheeky laugh. His warm hand stroked my wet hair out of my face and softly followed the lines of my cheekbone to my ear. He rested his hand in my neck.

  “Whenever I make a promise, I keep it,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion. “I’ll get you out of here.”

  I shook my head, realising what he was going to do. Tears streamed down my face.

  “You promised to get us out of here,” I responded, my voice barely a whisper. Emphasizing the us part.

  “You must run while I hold them off,” he insisted. “The demons are too close. Someone has to stop them.”

  “No!” I whispered, struggling to get the words out of my throat. “I’m not going without you.”

  “You have to, Wen.” He caught my face with both hands. I clinched to him and we stared at each other. A surge of energy and warmth spread through me as I breathed him in. I felt my heart skip a beat, and saw him clench his jaw. He felt it too. That ‘click’ of our souls connecting.

  “But..” I protested. He gently put a finger to my lip and shook his head.

  “No buts this time. Here.” He pressed his knife into my hand. “You’ll need this.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears. My heart ached. Ached with a pain I never knew it could feel. I leaned forward, standing on my toes to reach his face.

  His grip on my neck intensified as he pushed his lips hungrily against mine. Fast and intense. This kiss was more than just passionate. It was a kiss that held all the love, pain, and unspoken goodbyes we couldn’t voice.

  When our lips parted mere seconds later, I whispered: “I’ll never forget you.”

  “Nor will I forget you,” I felt his warm tears drop on my cheeks. A lump in my throat prevented me from speaking.

  He moved away from me and groped in his jacket for something. Out of his jacket he pulled a small notebook. His notebook. Without a word he gave it to me. Wordlessly, I clutched it to my chest, memorizing every detail of his face. His eyes, his high cheekbones and beautiful, black hair.

  I felt his eyes looking me up and down as if he too was trying to imprint me in his mind. Our souls connected; our hearts beat at once for this short period of time. We both took a deep breath at the same time before turning around and running in opposite directions of each other.

  Together with Artemis I ran towards the boat. Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision. We reached the boat and Artemis severed the tether with his sharp teeth. I jumped aboard clutching the notebook tightly.

  “I’ll come back for you,” I whispered through tears. “No matter what.”

  Artemis jumped in the boat next to me. As the current pulled us away, I saw Ash, a lone figure against the advancing horde.

  Red mist swirled around him as he cast his spell. The sudden gust of wind made his cloak dance around him. His hair curled around his face, his lips slightly parted and his eyes narrowed.

  With his hands he made big circles around his body and the red mist climbed up, just when the demons attacked. Together, they started hacking and biting. Ash disappeared from my sight.

  My heart shattered. I screamed, the sound raw and guttural, while Artemis howled beside me. His voice was full of hurt and sorrow. The current got a stronger grip on the boat. It carried us away within seconds, the river a dark mirror of my grief.

  My tears blurred the distant lake with the mountains, but I recognized that place. Andw?ne Mere. It told me where I was heading to, but it didn’t matter. My heart was left behind in the Marshes with Ash.

  I felt as if my own ship had fallen apart and I was floating in the ocean, drowning in the waves of sadness and grief. A familiar pain triggered inside of me. Another loss. Another goodbye. I had no strength left anymore to deal with it.

  Exhausted I curled into the bottom of the boat, my body shook heavily as the sobs wracked me. Artemis pressed closer. His warm presence was my only anchor as I clung to Ash’s notebook.

  I’m here for you, Wen, his voice echoed in my mind.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice breaking, before closing my tear-streaked eyes.