Bound by Dusk and Embers

Chapter Eight - Call Of The Fae

The days blurred together in a restless haze. Amberlynn could barely focus on anything but the lingering presence of the Fox of Shadows. His eyes, the weight of his gaze, haunted her every waking moment. The pull of their connection gnawed at her, leaving her distracted and yearning. She tried to push him from her thoughts, tried to return to the rhythms of her old life—the familiar tasks of healing, tending to the village, and gathering herbs in the forest—but none of it satisfied her anymore.

She felt hollow, like something essential had been taken from her—or like she had realised there was something missing all along. And she couldn't let it go.

The old travellers warning rang in her ears, but Amberlynn's determination had only grown sharper. She had to find the Fox. Whatever had passed between them that night at the masquerade had left an undeniable mark on her soul, and she knew, deep in her bones, that it wasn't over. The Fae had a hold on her now, one that couldn't be severed by simply walking away. No matter how dangerous the Court of Duskveil was said to be, no matter the risks, Amberlynn had to find him again.

But how?

She had scoured the villages for anyone who knew the Fae. She had wandered deep into the forest, hoping to find a trace of their magic. Yet the shadows remained impenetrable, and the Fox of Shadows remained elusive. Frustration gnawed at her, driving her to sleepless nights and endless wandering.

Until one evening, everything changed.

It was late, the village already dark, with only the pale light of the twin moons illuminating the streets. Amberlynn had spent the day in the forest, searching for any sign of the Fae, but had returned empty-handed once again, exhaustion pulling at her limbs. She stood in the doorway of her cottage, staring out into the night, her mind turning over the same unanswered questions. What was she missing? How could she call him back to her?

As she stepped back inside, something caught her eye

A faint shimmer in the air.

Amberlynn froze, her heart pounding in her chest as she turned toward the source of the disturbance. There, on the threshold of her cottage, where nothing had been a moment before, lay a small, dark envelope.

Her breath hitched. The same smooth black envelope she had received before the masquerade. The same sigil of the Court of Duskveil embossed in silver wax. Her hand trembled as she reached for it, her fingers brushing the cool surface of the parchment. A familiar jolt of magic ran up her arm as she broke the seal, her pulse racing.

Inside was a single slip of paper, written in elegant, silver ink that shimmered in the moonlight.

Come to the heart of the forest. The path will reveal itself.

The words sent a chill down her spine, but with it came a rush of anticipation, excitement that she had been trying to supress for days. This was it. The invitation she had been waiting for. The Fox of Shadows was calling her to him.

Without hesitation, Amberlynn grabbed her cloak and slung it around her shoulders, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and thrill. She knew this was dangerous, that she was stepping back into a world where mortals were mere playthings to the Fae. But the pull was undeniable. She had to follow.

The forest was eerily silent as Amberlynn made her way through the familiar trees, the moons casting an ethereal glow over the path. But as she ventured deeper, the air around her thickened with magic. The trees seemed to shift and sway in ways they hadn't before, their shadows longer, darker, as if they were watching her.

And then, just as the letter had said, the path revealed itself.

A narrow, winding trail cut through the dense underbrush, illuminated by a faint, otherworldly light. It hadn't been there before—Amberlynn had walked this part of the forest a hundred times—but now it beckoned her, leading her deeper into the heart of the woods, deeper into the unknown.