The Dark Side of Magic (The Dark Side, Book 2)

Haunted

[Author's Note: Hey, guys. I am so sorry for the long wait, but I've had a nasty bout of writer's block the last couple of weeks. Please forgive me? I hope this chapter doesn't leave you too disappointed. It's setting up for big things, I promise you; and I hope that the glimpse into Sathariel and Satanail's past offers some clarity. I may do more with their background together, I am unsure. Either way, it sets up for a moment with Sathariel and Adrianna that I quite enjoyed writing.

Without further ado - here is chapter 3. I hope you all like it!]

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Three days later and they were all back at the drawing board. Without Kylie, no one knew how they were going to find Spencer.

They had returned, empty-handed, to the Empyreans’ homes.

Adrianna had locked herself in her room as soon as they’d reached her house, and refused to come out even now.

Sathariel had tried to explain, attempting to convince her to come out of her room to no avail. He had tried to smoke his way into the room and found himself immediately rebuffed by very painful enchantments.

Lexie had attempted to reassuringly talk her out, and when that hadn’t worked, Rowan had tried to coax her out with food.

As a last resort, Isaac had ordered her to come out. She hadn’t listened.

Eventually they had just left her there, realizing that she would not come out until she was ready…if she was ever ready.

Isaac was a broken man, but to his credit, he was holding himself together as a leader. Part of Satanail realized that he had fractured, and that he would have to deal with it eventually, but the other part of him realized that Isaac compartmentalizing his feelings for the moment was a good idea. The Empyreans needed their leader now more than ever, and they had no hope of finding Spencer without him.

Satanail himself had done his utmost to block out his feelings about Kylie’s death, but it was growing infinitely more difficult to remain aloof.

Instead of focusing on his feelings about Kylie dying, he instead focused on Sathariel. They had had their difference, it was true, but Sathariel had been his closest friend and advisor for many centuries. It concerned him how remote Sathariel had become, how desolate.

Sathariel not only blamed himself for Kylie’s death, but he was suffering immensely under the pressure of his fight with Adrianna. The last time Sathariel had spoken to him, he had insisted that, had he only been honest from the beginning, everything might have ended differently.

Satanail had tried to dissuade him, but he was determined to think that, had he tried to find Kylie earlier, and had he been honest about being able to track her, she might not have died. And Adrianna wouldn’t have hated him the way she does; she’d have been upset he could track Kylie, but he wouldn’t have lied…and it might have led to finding Spencer, too.

Shaking free of the ominous feeling sinking into his very bones, Satanail walked into the living room to rejoin the debate.

“We have to make a move,” Rowan said.

“We still have no idea where to start, though,” Tyler argued.

“The longer we wait, the more likely it will be that we don’t bring Spencer home, either, though,” Sathariel said.

“But we can’t just waste time wandering around the countryside hoping to stumble on him,” Isaac added.

“So it’s better if we waste time fighting over what to do while my brother could be dying?” Adrianna said quietly.