Wake of Darkness [1]

Chapter Twenty-Six

♕ Ill Longing ♕

It hadn't been long until Skylar found her sitting at the edge of the sea. Sybilla had stayed long before the wind stopped smelling like burn wood, but the screaming did not seem to fade. Nor did the steps of distress from soldiers as they carried buckets of waters from the bay to the Corvus, anger and fright behind their eyes.

The two of them barely said a word but Sybilla had a feeling Skylar had plenty to say and was holding back. The same way she was.

"I think it's time" Sybilla whispered as the sky turned from orange to light blue, and the night sky slowly started taking over the horizon.

"We did the right thing" Skylar assured her, and Sybilla wanted to believe her. However, every second that passed made her feel more like a traitor. "Here" They said and handed Sybilla the small piece of stone. Sybilla nodded and hid her in the folds of her dress.

She hadn't need it, but she still appreciated the small broken piece of moonstone. Maybe it would help as a reminder of what had happened here, what the king had taken from her, what she intended to take back from him. And some day, if she lived long enough for her to see it, Luna Bay would be free again, and she'd return the small stone to its place.

"Did anyone see you?" Sybilla asked, but they shook their head. "Good."

A part of herself let go of the tension that had settled in her shoulders. The worse was over, the easy part was done. Now... Now she needed to face Blackstone, and that was something that Sybilla feared she wouldn't be able to do alone.

"You could come with me" Sybilla said before taking a step towards the city. "Back to Blackstone"

Skylar smiled. "No, this is my city, I'll protect it in the ways I can, even if its not my place to anymore"

Sybilla nodded.

The moon city seemed silent, and the ash that had settled on the ground made it look too much like a graveyard. She could barely see the smoke rising towards the clouds from the place the Corvus had stood. The sight made her skin shiver.

"I'll never forget the risks you took for me" Sybilla whispered, looking into their eyes. "I hope I see you again"

Skylar said nothing else before Sybilla started her way towards the Corvus. Her sand drenched feet leaving a mark on the ground as she disappeared in between the houses, leaving the sea behind.

☾

The Corvus had been the center of her city for as long as she could remember, and now it was nothing more than burned pieces of wood and stone. Sybilla had not bothered to ask how they'd manage to control the fire but knew from the looks of it, that it had not been an easy task.

All of the king's guards seemed drained out of energy, and even Zander who she suspected had worked the least amount to try and salvage the iridescent stone on the ground, had empty eyes and flushed skin. When his eyes met hers the void in them filled with anger and then, for her surprise, the anger vanished. Like it had not ever been there at all to begin with. Sybilla took a deep breath before approaching him.

"Well?" He said as she stood beside him.

"What?" she asked him. "Are you gonna try to make me pretend this makes me sad?" Zander shook his head.

"No, of course not" He said. "I just hope you don't grow to regret it"

Sybilla forced a smile on her face. "I wouldn't worry about it"

"Drop the act princess. I get that you hate all of us, that you somehow feel superior to us for Luna know what reason, but you don't even look at me like I'm also a human being. You can convince yourself that we are the bad guys but look around" Zander muffled a laugh pointing at the black burnt ground. "You'd do anything to keep your city from falling into the hands of another ruler. Even burn the whole thing to the ground. How do you think that makes you look to me?"

"I don't care what you think of me" Sybilla said. "And I never claimed to be good."

Sybilla walked away from him, making sure not to turn around even as he yelled for her to do so. She did not stop until she found herself in front of her old house. She did not stop until she stepped inside and slammed the door to lock the world away. Did not stop when she saw the rooms that Skylar had described to her so clearly. Dirt rocks and mud stood in place of what once had been her parents living room. Sybilla walked down until she reached the hall that used to lead to her bedroom, then sat on the ground, and finally allowed herself to cry.

It didn't take her long to realize, she wasn't crying solely because of the Corvus, she wasn't crying because of what her life had turned out to be, or what it used to be. She cried out of grief. For the place that she kept so long in her memory and called home. For the place that she'd so proudly shared with Mason and Aubrette when they'd asked about her past.

It had never been her home, and maybe she would have never figured it out. Had she not burned it to the ground and felt not even a bit of sadness at seeing it fall. She'd had to do it again. And Sybilla wasn't sure if she would be able to bare it.

☾

It was past midnight when she allowed herself to leave her house. Nothing remained of the place that some nights haunted her dreams and that at least was somehow comforting. She hadn't meant to see it, had sent Skylar to search for her parents and keep them away from her while she stayed at the Corvus for that same reason. But there had been nowhere else to go and now she felt at least thankful of having gotten to see what was left of it.

When she reached the Corvus, Zander was already waiting for her. He barely gave a glance at her direction before handing her the rail to her horse and start making his way out of the city.

Good. At least she would have time to gather herself before she had to deal with Nerezza again.

Sybilla mounted her horse and followed after them, making sure to keep her eyes on the snow until she stopped feeling the city behind her, the temptation of disappearing into the frozen sand too great for her to fight. Maybe her body would freeze like the edge of the silent grave had, and then her body would be as numb as her mind was.

When snow started falling over them, Sybilla allowed herself to breath and enjoy the feeling of the snow as it touched the skin on her palms. For a moment everything was quiet and beautiful and there was nothing in front or behind her that could not be covered up by the white rain that fell around her.

The world felt endless. And the sight made Sybilla miss Aubrette more than ever before. She would've loved it. The feeling of it. It was the only time she got to experience cold the way everyone else did. Sybilla smiled knowing that Aubrette would probably be able to lift the heaviness of her heart in a second, and then managed to make her laugh a minute later. It had always been that way. She had always made sure she was happy. She was the only person in the world who would have understood, and Sybilla had no idea how to find her, or how to fix any of this.

When Sybilla lifter her eyes from the ground she saw the glimpse of a rider heading towards them. Sybilla had to blink to be able to distinguish him in between the snow.

"He is coming our way prince" A guard told Zander, as they surrounded her. Guiding her off the road.

"Let him come" Zander said.

When he was close enough from them, he jumped off his horse and ran towards Zander, his breathing heavy and uneven. Sybilla tried her best to not show the unsettling feeling in his chest, as he saw the expression in his eyes. She'd seen that look before. In the eyes of the man who'd taken her to Blackstone that first time.

"The queen has returned to the palace" he said, and Sybilla's heart seemed to drop out of her chest.

Zander nodded at the guard who ran back to his horse, and then briefly glanced back at Sybilla, who did not move. Their plan could still work. They could still burn Exilium to the ground. They would just have to get more creative.

"Are you okay?" Zander asked her, clearing his throat. Sybilla hold onto the rains of her horse and moved forward not bothering to answer. Behind her, he heard Zander sigh.