The Veiled One

Chapter Fifteen: Surprises are the absolute worst

"Hello?" I call. It's dark in here, and eerily quiet, like a tomb. Fresh air rushes in behind me, bringing with it all the scents of the night. I can hear the village awakening behind us, curious about the source of the noise. We don't have long before the entire village descends upon us. "Sibyl?" I call, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Sibyl, it's me. I did it! I broke the curse!"

There is no answer. Puzzled and apprehensive, I start to climb the stairs. I stop on my floor, wandering down the hallway where my bedroom was. I find the door and push it open. The bed looks slept in, the books jumbled on the shelves...

There's a rustling noise behind me and I whirl, my hand going for the sword that I always carry at my side.

"Sylas?" comes Sibyl's voice. I drop the sword with a clatter and run to her, folding her in my arms. She's still got her veil on, and it's covering her face, that face that I'm desperate to see, to kiss properly for the first time.

"It's me," I whisper into her hair.

"I felt the curse break," she murmurs. "I was in my rooms when I felt the earth shake."

"Come with me, love," I tell her. "You're free!"

"Free?" Sibyl echoes, like the word never occurred to her, like she hadn't even dared hope that I could free her because it was too much all at once.

"Yes, free," I confirm. "And I think that I can take this off of you now."

I reach for the edge of her veil, pulling it up, up, up, and off of her face.

I have to fight to keep from falling to my knees at the sight of her.

Sibyl is beautiful. More than Martina, more than any woman I've ever seen, more than all of them combined, even. Her face is heart-shaped, gently curving towards a softly pointed chin and a strong jaw. Her nose is straight and proud, her cheeks round and rosy. Her slightly-curling auburn hair falls around her face, tucked behind her ears to reveal shimmering aquamarine eyes the color of the sea.

I don't think. I just rush forward and kiss her, kiss her so hard our lips swell up between us. She opens her mouth and strokes her tongue against mine, and it finally feels right. I want to give in, to lose myself in her right there and then, but I can't. I have to bring her outside, to let her see the world and Endor.

"Sibyl, come on!" I cry. "Let's go! Endor's waiting for us outside, and then we can go wherever you want!"

But a strange look has come over Sibyl's face.

"Oh, Sylas," she sighs. "There's something you should know."

She takes my hand and leads me out into the hallway, leaning against the stone wall.

"What is it?" I ask, unable to keep the quaver of fear out of my voice.

"You used a magic poultice to break the spell, didn't you?"

I nodded, confused. Why was that strange? She of all people should have known that magic existed. For gods' sake, she used it every minute of every day! I tugged at the scabbard around my waist, wishing I could kill whatever it was that was making Sibyl nervous and get it over with.

"Sylas... There's a reason why you could do that, why you could free me. I should have seen it earlier, but I didn't want to believe it was true. Still, when I learned you were a member of the ruling families, it confirmed what I'd already suspected."

"What is it, Sibyl?"

"Sylas... You have magic in your blood. You can cast spells just like I can."