But it was a sacrifice that would forever go unacknowledged. The more I learned, the less I felt inclined to fight for my people rather than only for myself and my right to the throne of Lara.
We rode hard and stopped near the border of Jola, a sea of black tents already erected by the scouts. Tomorrow, we would be beyond the cover of the red sky. It was something I had not had time to think about since becoming a vampire, but as we halted at camp, I stared at the brightening horizon. My time beneath the sun was over.
“My queen?”
I looked down to find Gavriel beside my horse.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I said quickly and swung my leg over, dismounting Reverie. I tensed, remembering how Gavriel had taken the liberty to touch me before and dreaded that he would attempt it again, but once my feet were on the ground, he took the reins.
“I shall water her for you,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said, and he nodded.
I watched him for a moment as he guided my horse away, uncertain how to feel about his helpfulness. Was this loyalty or something else?
I pulled off my gloves and entered Adrian’s tent—our tent. He was already inside, pacing.
That was not a good sign.
“What troubles you?” I asked.
“When were you going to tell me about the priestess?” he asked.
I hesitated. “I…did not think it important until now,” I said.
“How long have you known?”
“Since I sent Gavriel to Lara,” I said.
“Fuck,” Adrian muttered. He had yet to look at me, and I was growing frustrated.
“Why does this bother you?” I asked. “We do not know that there is any truth to it.”
“There is truth to it,” he said.
“How do you know?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “What haven’t you told me?”
He stopped pacing and finally looked at me. The white rings around his eyes had grown thicker, brighter.
“Adrian,” I whispered.
“Dis has started to speak to me because she knows my plans,” he said. “One of the things she said was that Asha had found her own path forward. I believe that means she’s created an incarnate. I am an incarnate. We are their hand upon this earth.”
“You have been here for two hundred years without an adversary equal to your power. Why send someone now?”
“If only I knew,” he said. “Fuck.”
He placed the palms of his hands against his forehead as if he were in pain.
“Adrian,” I said, taking a step closer, but his hand shot out, halting me.
“Don’t,” he snapped.
I waited, watching. His eyes were closed, his jaw clenched tightly, and his hands shook.
“It’s her, isn’t it?”
He let out a harsh breath and then fell to his knees.
“Adrian,” I whispered, taking a step closer. Then he looked at me, and the white had consumed his eyes and they glowed. “Adrian?”
“Run,” he gritted out, the veins in his neck bulging.
I turned just as he lunged, but I did not make it far before I hit the ground. I rolled and tried to kick him, but he was already on top of me, holding me down, his fingers biting into my wrists.
“Adrian, please!”
I struggled against him, but he held tighter.
“You have done this to him!” The voice sounded like Adrian’s, but I knew it was not him. Dis was in control. “He had no desire to be free of me until you returned—and to think I gave you to him as a gift.”
I twisted and kneed him in the stomach. He loosened his grip, and I smashed my elbow into his face. It was enough to draw blood but not enough to push him off.
His hand went to my neck, and he leaned down and spoke against my ear, his blood dripping onto my face.
“How does it feel to know you will die at the hands of the man you love most?”
He tightened his grasp and I ceased to take in air. My face felt hot and swollen, my tongue thick. I struggled, attempting to free my hands, which he had pinned between our chests, but I could not move to stab him. This was what he meant—why he had not been surprised that I had created a book to kill him.
If you do destroy me, it will be because of Dis. You’ll remember that, won’t you?
The light from his eyes blurred with my tears, and then a shadow fell over us, and I was suddenly free of Adrian’s attack as he went flying across the tent. I gasped for breath and was dragged to the other side.
“Isolde.” Daroc’s face hovered over mine, and all I could manage to do was cough and cry. “It’s all right. I’ve got you.”
He drew me into his arms and held me, crouched in the shadow of the tent. Across from us, Adrian’s eyes had gone dark. He seemed to have regained control of himself, but I could tell Dis had ensured he was aware of everything that had transpired. I could not describe the expression on his face. I could only say that he was devastated, and when he rose to his feet, he raged.
Twenty-Six
Isolde
I stared at the light and shadow dancing across the tent roof, unable to sleep. I turned my head to Adrian who sat in a chair, his back to me.
He had not spoken since Dis had taken control of him earlier.
I had not either.
I could not bring myself to say anything—not even to tell him about the burn in my throat from hunger. I did not want him to have to hear my raspy voice, did not wish for him to hate himself any more than he already did.
I was still processing what had happened—how quickly she had taken control of him, how he seemed to have no ability to resist her actions. My throat felt tight and swollen, and it had nothing to do with what Adrian—Dis—had done earlier. It was the fear now that Ravena and Sorin might be right.
If Adrian could not control Dis, if he could not free himself from her, then he really might destroy the world.
I rose from bed, pulled on my robe and boots, grabbed my knife, and stepped out of the tent. I knew Adrian would not follow—at least not too closely.
Camp was still quiet, and though it was daylight, the sky was thick with clouds and the air heavy with the smell of rain. I was glad, at least, the snow had not reached beyond the border of Revekka.
I had left the comfort of my bed because I could not sleep, because I wanted to be outside of that confined space, because I wanted the freedom to cry without Adrian hearing. I could not stand the thought that he would have to listen to me, knowing he was responsible, though it was nothing he could control.
The air was cold and it filled my lungs, easing the burn of my hunger. I wandered around the black tents, nearing the edge of camp, when I noticed small, ghostly orbs floating in the distance. At first, I thought it was only mist, but they were too round, too compact.
They seemed to create a trail.
Normally, I would not follow, but I watched them sitting perfectly, whirling and churning, and I found myself stepping outside of camp, following them through the wood.
The leaves crunching at my feet were the only sounds as I made my way over the craggy earth. When I reached the first misty orb, it began to fade. I watched it until it was gone, and then I glanced back toward camp. It was still within view, looking ominous, a series of black pinnacles erupting from the ground.
Another orb drew my attention as it flew in a circle around me. I followed and did not look back again, nor did I stop as each orb faded away.