***
The torture did not end. Darren was sent again and again to pummel her with his brute force and cut her if she didn’t answer his questions satisfactorily. The days dragged on. Corb continued to visit her, healing her wounds with his icy touch in between Darren’s abuse, and bringing food and water. Corb never left her chained to the wall like Darren did, but always laid her gently in the cot which was now her bed.
Shade wondered what Corb’s motivations were. Maybe he was even crueler than Darren for healing her so that she could take another session of pain and suffering and still survive. After a while, she didn’t really care. She was relieved her virtue remained intact, guessing that even the most evil of the faeries didn’t condone forcing another person in that way. She was sure Darren was not opposed to it but had to abide by the Queen’s rules or risk her anger.
But no one came to rescue her. No one was going to come. Shade had resigned herself to it. The Queen’s dark army surrounded the place, and anyone trying to penetrate it was either suicidal or insane.
Shade had been brought before Aveta several times. Each time, the Queen would ask her sweetly to help her with the Water Magic, to use it to gain ground over the Seelie forces. The Queen’s beauty fascinated Shade, but she continued to refuse to help her each time, and each time always ended with Darren’s wrath and Aveta’s anger growing tenfold. Shade’s fascination was quickly replaced with hate. She found Aveta was nothing but a beautiful shell around a rock-hard, evil soul. There was nothing beautiful inside her at all.
The weeks went by, and Shade lost count of just how many. She hardly ate, even with Corb pestering her. Her continued refusal to help them with the Water Magic made her think she would be discarded soon. Her thinning frame and sickly pallor probably assured them she wouldn’t last much longer. She knew her mother would’ve secured the family better this time. Corb wouldn’t let on if he was going to fulfill the threat of harming them or not. Either way, Shade’s silence was wearing everyone down.
One day, Shade woke to find Corb shaking her. She felt too weak to sit up at his request. He looked into her eyes, feeling her pulse and assessing her weakness. She watched him frown and leave the room for a moment, not bothering to lock the door behind him. She knew she was too weak to escape on her own now. Corb probably knew that, too. She lay there for what felt like an eternity, dozing on and off, before she felt Corb shaking her awake again.
“What is it?” Shade mumbled as his ice-cold fingers jolted her from her sleep.
“Drink this, Shade. You’re getting far too weak.” He helped her sit up, holding her as he shoved a cup of swirling, silver fluid toward her lips.
“What is it, Corb?”
“Just drink it!” She watched his face, expecting his features to match the urgency of his voice. When they didn’t, she did as he said and sipped down the liquid. It felt warm as it ran down her throat and into her belly. She finished it and handed the cup back.
“Can I sleep again now? I’m just really tired.” Shade rubbed her eyes, feeling all of the aches disappear from her thinning body. She looked back at Corb as she gathered her strength to sit up without his assistance.
“No, you have to come with me. Your kind needs sunlight. It will help you heal.” Corb pulled her up, letting her lean against him.
“What? Sunlight? I don’t think I need it, but that would be nice. It’s been weeks. If I had my powers, I could heal much better. Don’t get me wrong, you heal me just fine, but I feel withered without my own magic, Corb.” Shade stumbled as they walked into the hallway and up a flight of stairs. Corb held on firmly, never letting her fall or stumble.
“Corb, can I ask you something?” Shade asked, still feeling dizzy on the steep, winding stairs.
“Yes.” Corb’s voice was soft and velvety, filling her with a soothing feeling. Shade smiled.
“Wow, you can change your voice to make people feel different, huh? Dylan can do that too,” Shade said, her face growing serious as she wondered if Dylan was feeling all her pain. It had to be affecting him. The blood bind would’ve made him feel her distress. Oh, why doesn’t he come?
“Yes, I can. It is a rare but useful talent. We’re almost there. Watch your step.” He helped her up the last few steps or rather dragged her up them. Her legs were failing, and she held onto Corb for dear life. The door at the top finally came into view, and he opened it easily while holding her up with one of his arms. She wondered why he was so determined to get her outside.
“Why do you help me? Did Aveta tell you to?” Shade gripped weakly at his embrace, awaiting his answers.
He put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet.
Shade squeezed her eyes shut as bright sunlight poured onto her like fire. Her eyes cramped as they adjusted to the light. Corb pulled her out into what looked like a large sitting area. The stones under her bare feet felt cold, and the cool breeze sweeping across the tower sent shivers through her. Corb draped a large fur over her and pulled her to the edge of a wall where he pulled the fur around both of them, holding her close. He didn’t feel icy cold, like usual. She let the thought drift from her mind, enjoying the view around her.
She could see her breath in the morning sun, and there was ice clinging to the sides of the large stone castle which housed Aveta’s legions. Shade looked around, taking in the rock buildings which lined a massive mountain. The entire castle was built on a mountain. It was dug into the gut of the mountain itself. Ice clung to the stone crevices and trailed in cracks down the rock. It was amazing.
Shade suddenly realized how warm she felt. She wondered what it was about Corb that seemed different today. He still looked blank and remained quiet beside her, even with his arm around her waist to hold her up. Something was off about him. He’d never seemed so warm and careful when she’d been near him.
“Corb? Why do you feel so warm? You’re usually as cold as ice, but I just realized you’re as warm as a nice bonfire. I didn’t know you could do that.” Shade turned to look at him and her eyes widened. Corb’s eyes flashed steel-grey at her, making her gasp. Her eyes widened in a startling realization. This was not Corb.
“Who are you?” Her legs felt weak as the elixir which had given her enough energy to make it that far, wore off.
“Shhh, it’s okay, Shade. Trust me. We’re going for a ride.” He placed a finger to his lips to quiet her and then waved it over the deep gorge below. “Ready? We have to jump. Just hold on to me.”
“Wh–what? Oh, hell no. Corb, what the….” Shade felt her panic well up inside, and her heart pound weakly in her chest. She felt lightheaded and needed to lie down again.
“Shade, it’s gonna be okay.” His voice came out velvety smooth, making her instantly feel calmer. She still couldn’t shake the familiarity of it and took another look at Corb, staring hard at his face. The longer she stared, the more his face blurred into someone else, someone she knew far too well.
“Dylan?” Shade whispered, afraid to break the spell of the moment. Corb nodded, a smile played at the edges of his lips.
“Yes, Shade, it’s me. I’m here now.” Dylan let his own voice sound through, this time, calm and familiar. Shade smiled weakly, feeling elated for the first time in weeks.
“I don’t think I can make it, Dylan. I’m pretty weak. You shouldn’t have come here.” She gulped back the lump in her throat, her eyes too dry for tears.
“I know, but don’t you worry about anything. I’ve got this.” He grinned and pulled her to the edge of the stone wall of the balcony. From there, he climbed up onto the edge, pulling her up with him as easily as if she weighed nothing. There he embraced her close and pushed their weight over the edge. The air rushed up around them as they fell, her scream stifled in the roar.
Some rescue. Now we fall to our deaths, Shade thought.
The slam of cold air paused momentarily as the Raven Queen Aluse grabbed her and Dylan let her go. He landed atop a dark, oily-black flying unicorn. He brought it up tow
ard Aluse and pulled Shade down onto the steed in front of him. He embraced her tightly against his chest with one arm while the other held onto the unicorn as firmly as he could. Soap sat on an identical unicorn, hovering next to them. He looked exhausted, making Shade realize he’d been using his glamour magic to cloak Dylan as Corb. He pulled the glamour off Dylan, drained from the effort. Soap smiled his toothy grin at Shade before directing his flying unicorn toward the sunset. From there, they all headed northwest, away from the cold Unseelie Kingdom. Swarms of Sluagh now poured onto the balcony behind them, arriving in just enough time to see them dart away into the morning sky.
Glancing back at the magnificent stone castle, Shade caught sight of the real Corb, standing where they had stood just a moment before. Watching him, she could’ve sworn he gave her a slight, malicious smile.
Epilogue