To the Shadowsinger | Azriel

Chapter 60: Chance to run

 "It'll be okay, honey," Harani said for what Wylla felt was the millionth time. The little girl had begun to tune her out- not because she found Harani annoying, her words just felt meaningless.

After Azriel left, Wylla was filled with dread. It wasn't a true goodbye so Wylla pretended like they didn't need to say goodbye. She would see him again soon anyways. But as Wylla splashed cold water over her face while Harani and the lightsinger Sinna waited for her, Wylla wished she had gotten that goodbye. She wished she had also gotten that goodbye with Nyxous, to hug him and tell him that he was her best friend so that he would have one last final good memory of her in case she never returned.

Maybe goodbyes weren't something in her favor. She didn't even get to say goodbye to her family before she came to this world. She vaguely remembered her last encounter with her mom; She was half-asleep when her mom entered her room and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before leaving to teach at the Torre. As for the last time she saw her father, she couldn't really remember that. She figured that goodbye happened when her, her mom, and brother left him in Terrasen to go to Adarlan. She liked to imagine it was a good goodbye- one where he lifted her off her feet and swung her around while singing "Wylla bear, Wylla bear, I love my little Wylla bear."

That's the thing about goodbyes. Life is full of them but you never really know which will be the last.

Harani placed a comforting hand on Wylla's back, "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I'm sure there's another way."

Wylla dried her face with a towel. She blamed her nerves for her sudden irritation, "I can do it."

Harani took a step back with her hands up, "I don't doubt you. I just want you to know that if you change your mind, which is understandable, I'll support you."

Wylla kept her mouth closed as she walked away. I can do this. She didn't need Harani telling her it'll be okay and she could change her mind. She needed either silence or someone by her side telling her this will be easy. Nyxous would have understood that and boosted her up with compliments- if only he was there with her.

"I'm ready," Wylla told Sinna. After Azriel left, the lightsinger stuck around to take them to the mirror. Wylla couldn't tell if she was captivated or scared of the lightsinger. There was something about Sinna that was terrifying, maybe it was the way her clear eyes reflected everything upside down, but she was also beautiful.

At first, Sinna didn't move. She simply stood in place and bounced on the balls of her feet with an odd smile as she looked through Wylla. "What's it like to have your mind age faster than your body?"

Wylla tilted her head. This lightsinger certainly was strange.

Harani was the one that spoke, "It's called maturity, Sinna, something you should have at your age."

Sinna's laugh was like a silver bell. She was still laughing to herself as she walked over to the main door on light feet and pulled it open, gesturing to Wylla and Harani to exit. Wylla stuck close to Harani's side as they followed Sinna down the hall. Outside, she was able to blend in as a high fae, but now she stuck out as a sore thumb. Those they passed looked to Sinna with fearful eyes and quickly moved out of her way before looking at Harani and Wylla.

"Lady Harani?" A female in a pretty blue dressed asked as they passed her in the hall. She was standing with two other females that watched them pass with curious looks.

"Evening," Harani curtsied without falling behind.

Wylla could have sworn for a second she was dreaming. This place was odd; the walls and floors were dull and boring, everyone they passed seemed to have nothing to do other than stare and whisper, and why were there so many doors? Wylla liked open spaces and this whole castle felt stuffy.

It was the same castle in her dreams with Bryaxis. She already knew that, but it was odd being in a place for the first time when you've already dreamt about it. That's when she began to count each door they passed and as Sinna opened another door that led them to another long hall, Wylla began counting each door again and memorizing their path.

Fifty-two doors, right turn, nine doors, down two flights of stairs, left turn, six doors, and then Wylla passed two double doors she recognized. She came to a halt at the doors, not caring that Sinna and Harani kept walking, and then slowly cracked the door open.

It was a dining room filled with high fae males that looked high ranking. They were eating and drinking and laughing, each chair was filled except the one at the head of the table. What mattered was that Wylla knew this dinning room. She also knew exactly what awaited behind the twelfth door of this hall.

"Wylla," Harani had stopped and called out. "Keep up please."

Wylla sped up to Harani's side, not looking up to see that Sinna had stopped to look at her as well. For some reason, Wylla felt like Sinna would be able to read her mind if they made eye contact. Bryaxis felt like a secret weapon and she wanted to keep that knowledge safe even if Sinna seemed friendly.

One of the first lessons Azriel had taught her was this: Do not trust someone with your life unless you know for a fact they would sacrifice their life for yours. This meant Wylla still had her eye on Sinna and Harani.

After going down a few more flights of stairs and entering a part of the castle no one seemed to venture to, Sinna paused at a door covered in runes and dried blood. Wylla had no clue what any of them meant but they didn't look welcoming. The door looked like a bear had attempted to write after mauling someone.

"I've never been down here," Harani sounded nervous.

Wylla had to consciously keep herself from vomiting. This part of the castle fumed with the rotten smell of dark magic- it was powerful but at the cost of life and suffering. The hairs on her arms had stood up and the voice in the back of her head told her to run. She felt stupid for ignoring it, told herself it was expected to be afraid, but her body refused to move as Sinna painted runes onto the door with her own blood.

"I'm going to need a bit of your blood," Sinna held her hand out towards Wylla, she had a blade in her other hand she had used to cut open her own palm.

Wylla's hands were shaking, she kept twisting one of her rings around her finger to bring some kind of comfort. Just do it, she told herself. There's nothing to be afraid of. That felt like a lie but she took a step forward and held out her hand for Sinna anyways.

"Be careful," Harani warned right before Sinna tore the blade through Wylla's palm quick and unremorsefully. Wylla didn't even realize she had cut her until blood was pooling in her hand and pain was shooting down her arm.

Sinna carved some runes onto the door with Wylla's blood. She finished and turned to Harani, "Your turn."

Harani didn't look happy but she let Sinna do the same thing she had done to Wylla. After repeating the bloody runes for the third time on the door, Sinna cut even deeper into her own palm and aggressively smeared the blood on the door, masking the runes she had just painted on the door.

Harani gave Wylla a confused look, the little girl just shrugged, confused herself. That was until the blood on the door started to move. It traveled into the thick runes carved into the door and then soaked through the wood. The runes glowed like hot coals right before the door unlocked with a satisfying click.

Sinna pushed the door open and gestured for Wylla and Harani to enter the dark room. Harani backed up until she was pressed against the wall, "I'm staying out here and making sure she doesn't get locked in."

"Fine with me," Sinna gave a small smile. Wylla felt a cold breeze as the lightsinger passed and then paused at Wylla's side. Sinna was so short she didn't even have to bend down to whisper into Wylla's ear, "Now's your last chance to run."

Wylla clenched her jaw and turned to snap at Sinna, but the lightsinger was already gone. Wylla knew she would lead them to the mirror but she thought she would have stayed with them. Now, the only one by her side was Harani.

Soon no one would be by her side. This was something she had to do alone. This was something only she could do. So, she took a deep breath, gave a silent prayer, and then she entered the room to finally face the mirror.