Wake of Darkness [1]

Chapter Eight

♕ Moon Cursed ♕

Aubrette dipped her head under the freezing cold water. The tub deep enough to cover her whole body. She closed her eyes, the tension on her muscles barely fading at all. She could see the look on Sybilla's face as she'd pushed her over the balcony every time she closed her eyes. She'd risk her safety for her so that she could get a chance at escaping them. And she'd manage to do the exact opposite. Grasping for air Aubrette let the air reenter her lungs.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting under the water, but all she'd done was stare at the empty wall, trying her best to not cry.

The bottom of her feet ached as she forced herself to clean the deep cuts. A tear slipping from her eye as a sharp burn travelled down her spine.

"Hell" she whispered, dipping them back underwater. Concentrating on the cut of her shoulder. Thanking every god that the arrow hadn't pierced completely through her skin.

She could not remember a time where her body had failed to recover from any sort of fight, it should not have come as a surprise though, not when this was the longest, she'd gone without using magic.

Laying there, Aubrette could only hope that Mason had found a way to get Sybilla and her mother out of the castle but she knew if that were the case, people would be looking for her already, and she doubted the golden prince would be dumb enough to not connect the dots. She needed to go back to them even if what it took was draining herself in the process.

When she finally allowed herself to get out of the bath, the room had turned darker, but not dark enough for her to feel at home. She doubted Goldcrest could ever be dark enough to simulate any of Blackstone nights.

She stared at the mirror that hanged on the bathroom door and flinched. The spark on her eyes was gone, a dark tone of grey replacing it. The vibrant color of her hair had darkened significantly, almost dark enough to be completely black. Her skin was paler than usual, her veins almost visible through it. If it weren't for the slight hint of grey in her eyes, she would've thought not a drop of magic was left inside her.

A moon blessed cursed by the moon.

Aubrette wondered if adding another title to the list of names people called her was even worth it. She turned towards the only window of the room watching as night made its way into the sky, hoping to see as the moon shining back at her, but quickly realized the night was moonless.

Still, she remained sitting underneath the window, waiting for even the sightless glimpse of it, but all her eyes saw for hours was the glimmer of the stars blinking down at the city. As Aubrette watched the night pass by, the thought of a white-haired princess sitting underneath the same sky, created a knot on her throat.

When the darkness of the night started to lift, Aubrette moved from under the window, and allowed herself to sleep. Holding onto a silver thread of hope that the next night would not also be empty.

☾

Aubrette found herself staring into the glass wall of Goldcrest. The stained glass softening the light of the sun. She'd woken up half an hour past noon and had not been able to bear the heat of the covers sticking into her skin.

She'd walked down the stairs to find the same crowd of people from the day before running around. It hadn't taken her long to figure out most of them headed towards the dining room, but Aubrette had not felt hungry enough to follow them, or the smell of the food.

Instead, she'd found herself watching the detailed art on the walls, ignoring as best as she could the stares others gave her.

Right on the center of the colored glass wall, there was a girl in a blue dress, laying on top of a tree with a million leaves covered in gold. The blue color seemed to be the only thing reminiscent of Blackstone in the whole city, along with the half moon that intertwined with the sun above it. Both of them spreading their light onto the girl's skin, making her something new.