SONG VIBE: Yun (feat. Erykah Badu) – RM

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  SAPHIRA

  Smuggler’s Way, Horrocks Pass

  Later that evening, the scent of roasting boar turned Saphira’s stomach. Her eyes were swollen from weeping, though the tears had long since dried on her cheeks. She had not moved since Felix left her by the fire. She curled up beneath the heavy fur, trying not to think about anything at all.

  Footsteps approached, familiar in weight and rhythm. She looked up to find Felix returning, holding two charred portions of meat wrapped in leaves. Without a word, he passed her the more tender cut.

  Saphira sat up slowly, fingers curling around the greasy bone. She nibbled politely, but the taste turned her stomach almost instantly. The flavour was thick and wild—an acrid, gamey tang that clung to the back of her throat. Boar taint. Yuck.

  “This is going to make me sick…” she muttered, swallowing hard.

  “Eat.” Felix cracked the other bone open and sucked out the marrow with a loud slurp. “My wife swears that meat like this makes the babe strong.”

  She forced another bite past her lips, even as her eyes watered and her chest tightened. The nausea swelled quickly.

  “I need to go. Now.”

  Nodding, Felix took Saphira by the arm to the end of the cave.

  To Saphira’s surprise, the cave did not end, but rather continued as a dark tunnel, lined with dripping stalagmites and stalactites. Dead, still air hit Saphira’s nostrils, and she breathed it in, feeling the change in scent ease her nausea. “I feel better now, Felix. We can go back.”

  “Well, while we're here... you should probably…” he rubbed his light brown hair with an embarrassed laugh, “…you know, use the restroom.”

  “The restroom?” Saphira laughed dryly, “Yes, I forgot about the fine facilities on offer.”

  At the mouth of the tunnel, they passed two sentries. They passed Felix a torch and let him light it on their small fire. They walked further and saw a man relieving himself on the wall of the cave. A few paces away, Felix stopped and pointed to a large rock. Saphira shook her head and tugged on Felix’s arm, bringing him deeper into the tunnel.

  “How far does this go?” Saphira asked as they walked.

  “Smugglers chose this cave because it leads to the other side.” He added with a casual shrug, “Although the path is crawling with nightspawn.”

  "We're not safe?!"

  “There’s no spawnlord. Nocturne cleared him out when the king gifted him Firestone.” His voice quietened. “Vandele, was its name.” He paused. “It took my father.”

  “Oh, Felix—”

  He pulled a smile over his lips.

  “I…lost my mother to nightspawn,” Saphira whispered, the horrible secret drawn from her lips.

  “Don't fear." Felix put his hand on Saphira’s arm and squeezed. "You’re with the best spawnslayer company in the whole continent. Here's the spot."

  Saphira gave him a little push, saying, “Give me some more privacy!”

  “My back is turned, besides—” he laughed, “—I’ve seen my wife give birth; I’ve seen it all!”

  “You haven’t seen me!”

  Felix sighed, taking three big steps away to the next large stalactite, “That’s as far as I go without risking reprimand.”

  Saphira slid behind the large stalagmite. Realising she still held the boar’s rib in her hand, she wrapped it in a handkerchief and placed it on a tiny rocky ledge on the cave wall. When she finished, she touched the tiny ledge and felt that the boar’s rib was no longer there—only the handkerchief remained.

  Perfect, she thought, there are rats as well as nightspawn.

  As they walked back, Saphira took her waterskin and drank it until there was not a drop left. “When will we leave?"

  “Daybreak.” Felix took his waterskin out and drank. “Once we cross the pass, we’re back in our home territory and the Renatii won’t dare chase—not into Edwin's territory. We’ll take the Haven Highway. It's an easy, two-day ride to Hart Mountain.”

  “Haven Highway? It better be paved with gold and rainbows,” Saphira laughed, waving to the sentries as they came back into the main cavern.

  “We used to call it Hell Highway,” Felix said, “Firestone used to be King Edwin’s summer retreat until the lowlands got overrun by nightspawn.” He glanced back down the tunnel, saying, “Most of us Ashen Blades are Yule or Sunfire folk, it’s in our blood. We clans fought the nightspawn since we can remember.”

  Saphira let out a big yawn.

  “Sorry I’m boring you,” Felix teased, stepping over a sleeping soldier as they returned to their fire. “I just thought you might want to know more about the place you’ll be Lady over.”

  A Lady in my own right, she laughed, Countess of Firestone.

  “Thank you, Felix.” As she handed him the waterskin, she grasped his cold hands, saying, “Sincerely, I am grateful for everything.”

  “Go away, you,” he laughed, shooing her on.

  Saphira sat down alone and held her hands out to the flames. Her legs ached, her saddle sore and bruised. Around her, the men placed their thick coats on the ground and slept closely together, keeping the warmth in between them. Saphira shivered as she watched the shadows move on the cave wall. Slowly, her eyelids began to droop, and she caught herself in fear.

  A ragged book, mud-stained and ripped, was held in front of Saphira’s eyes. She looked up and saw her husband standing over her. She reached up and took the book from his hands and flipped through it, exclaimed, “My sketchbook!”

  A tiny smile pulled at Nocturne’s thin lips. Scratching his beard, he sat beside her and said, “Found it when I was trekking to the fallback point.”

  “I thought I’d lost it forever. It was in my pocket.” Cradling the book to her chest, she whispered, “You have no idea what this means to me.”

  “You're wearing good fur. It should keep you warm. Remember, the coldest part is always between you and the ground.” He took the coat from Saphira’s shoulders and set it in front of the fire. As he did, Saphira noticed the subdued, quiet way he moved and the dark circles under his eyes.

  “You need to rest."

  “So do you.” He sat on the fur coat. Then, he tapped his finger on the space beside him, commanding, “Lay here.”

  Saphira lay on her side on the coat, feeling the warmth of the fire on her cheeks. As she rested her face on the fur, she recoiled, smelling the stench of the cave, travel, and her sweat ingrained into the matted, filthy fur. Her wool dress was filthy too, the hem dark with burrs. She ran her fingers through her braid, stiff with oil and dust.

  She concluded, I spent twenty years hiding my face, and now I look like a muddy selkie. My husband might send me back and ask for the prettier sister.

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  Nocturne spread his woollen cloak over Saphira. She felt his body press into hers, and she tensed.

  His body was cold for a moment, and then incredibly warm as he shared his body heat. He smelled of horses and flame, and the blood had long since flaked off his face.

  She snuggled into him, basking in the safety of his presence.

  Will he be a good husband? Saphira wondered, I will be content if he doesn’t raise his hand against me. She swallowed, pushing away the memories of her father when he grew tired of one of his courtesans.

  His hand slung forward and rested on her hip, firm but measured, a subtle warning in his grip. His voice, low and cutting, reached her ear, “Tell me—are you truly with my child?” His tone carried no warmth, only an edge sharp enough to slice through any falsehoods.

  “Don’t lie to me,” he said lowly. “I need to know it’s mine. I can’t—” He stopped himself. “I won't ask again.”

  Above: "Don't lie to me."

  Saphira’s breath hitched, fear threading through her veins.

  “You’re scared of me." A dry, humourless chuckle escaped him. "Clever girl. You know a monster when you see one.” His words were a blade, precise and deliberate, as if to test her resolve. “So, tell me. Is this one of the Duke’s tricks?”

  "No." Fighting through the ache in her wounded shoulder, Saphira raised her chin and held his gaze. “It’s yours."

  “Swear it to me. I don’t need a truthstone. I can hear it—I can feel it in your body—when you lie.”

  “I’m telling the truth.” Saphira whispered, “My father tried to kill me because of it.”

  “So, there is no way it could be another man’s child?”

  "No..." The unspoken accusation stung Saphira, and she drew in a sharp breath. “There’s only ever been you.”

  "You were faithful. Good.” The tension in his body ebbed, but only slightly. He did not speak further, his umber eyes scanning her face for any sign of deception. His hand fell to her belly, the strips of binding cloth beneath his palm hiding the growing curve.

  “There isn’t much to feel." Saphira flinched at the clinical, impersonal touch. "I’ve kept my belly bound.”

  Nocturne’s hand froze. “Smart.”

  “Did you... intend to get me with child?”

  For a moment, he was silent, his expression unreadable. Then he exhaled, the sound rough, almost begrudging. “No.”

  Saphira's gaze drifted to his wrist, where the charm she had woven from her hair once hung—it was gone. Saphira felt her stomach sink.

  But, to her surprise, Nocturne spoke again, his voice softer now, almost hesitant. “Thank you…for warning me about Flaxen Pass.”

  “Duke Vladislav... he terrifies me.”

  “Then why did you accept the marriage?”

  “I didn’t." Saphira swallowed hard. "Father told me you were dead.”

  A dangerous light sparked in his gaze. “And you believed him?”

  “I still hoped,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “But I had to protect our baby. If I married the Duke, it could’ve bought me more time.”

  Nocturne’s hand tightened on her stomach.

  “Enough time for you to come back or to figure something out.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, the months of anxiety and tension that had churned in her stomach for the past five moons, still clutched at her. “I didn’t know what else I was supposed to do.”

  His jaw tightened, and for a moment, she thought he might lash out like her father did when something displeased him.

  Instead, his voice dropped, quieter now, but no less commanding. “When we get to Firestone, you and I will have a long conversation. No more secrets—and that goes for me too.”

  Still holding her close for warmth, he closed his eyes. His breathing slowed, steady and deliberate, but the faint furrow in his brow betrayed the storm that still lingered beneath his calm exterior.

  Saphira let herself relax against him, though sleep felt impossibly far away. She glanced at his face, his scarred lip slightly parted, and wondered, Is he truly sleeping peacefully? Or just biding his time?

  Saphira eased back into his chest, feeling the incredibly blazing warmth from his body. He breathed rhythmically, and Saphira decided that he really was asleep. She closed her eyes and tried to make herself rest.

  Eventually, she gave up. Her body ached, saddle sore and bruised from her fall and ride from the castle walls.

  Quietly, Saphira slipped from his grasp, leaving him her fur coat to lay over. She drank deeply from her waterskin, emptying it completely. She stepped over Felix and made her way to the back of the cave.

  At the mouth of the tunnel, she was stopped by the watchguards.

  “I need to…relieve myself." Saphira touched the giant crystalith pendant. “I won’t go far. This will keep me safe.”

  The guard’s eyes widened, and before he could give Saphira permission, she walked into the darkness.

  I don’t want to be a burden on everyone, Saphira thought.

  Behind her, pebbles fell, clanking as they tumbled down the cave wall. Saphira spun around but saw nothing in the darkness. As she tightened the stopper around her waterskin, she heard a strange mewling.

  From behind a stalagmite, slinked a lithe, four-legged creature, no larger than a rabbit, with black fur. Shadows swirled around the creature, rising off its skin like smoke. Dark, cat-like eyes stared up at her and sharp teeth carried the boar’s bone, stripped of meat and the marrow sucked dry.

  The creature dropped the bone on the ground and mewled expectantly.

  Above: A new friend.

  It’s just a shadowcat, Saphira mused. She reached into her pocket and broke off a tiny piece of beef jerky. Crouching, she held it out to the shadowcat, beckoning it forward.

  On paws too large for its tiny legs, the creature slinked forward. It pounced, grabbed the jerky, and retreated behind its rock. While making a strange meow-purr, it devoured the food. Without thinking, Saphira reached out and rubbed the top of the creature’s head with her finger. The shadowcat froze, then released a begrudging squeak.

  She felt its soft black fur matted with dust; its body quivered as it shivered. Poor thing so dusty and cold, Saphira thought, I should call you Dusty Mittens.

  A foul, rotten stench drifted into Saphira’s nostrils.

  Dusty’s back arched and every muscle tensed. It backed away and the shadows spilling from its body streamed out, engulfing it so it disappeared into the darkness.

  The crystalith stud in Saphira’s ear turned ice-cold, and then, the pendant hanging from her neck changed.

  This isn't right. She peeked out from behind the stalagmite. Her breath froze in her chest as terror chilled her to her core.

  The creature was over seven feet tall with elongated legs and arms and sharp fangs that protruded from its too-wide jaw. Its large eyes were black, without any pupils, and took up half of the room on its face. It bore two horns, one on each side of its hairless head. Darkness consumed its flesh, with dark-red masses shifting under its skin in waves, and large veins that pulsated arrhythmically.

  Above: Nightspawn.

  Saphira placed her hand over her mouth, muffling her breath.

  The creature stepped forward so that it stood on the other side of the stalagmite where Saphira was crouching. It raised its slitted nose to the air and sniffed.

  Saphira resisted the urge to rip the ice-cold studs from her ears. She held her breath, pressing her back against the wet cave rock. It moved forward, its sharp talons scraping over the rock as it did; behind it, more scraping movements followed.

  I need to warn the guards, Saphira panicked. She tried to crawl along the ground, but she could not command her shaking limbs to move.

  “Move, damn you,” she whispered, every limb leaden with dread. She summoned the strength and slid along the ground to the next stalagmite.

  A flaming crossbow bolt hissed through the air, planting itself into the creature’s chest, and exploding on impact. Flames spread over the creature’s body, setting the nightspawn’s chest ablaze. With an enraged scream, it launched itself forward, its flesh smouldering as it set itself upon the guards.

  With pointed ears prickling, more nightspawn rushed towards the flames and the smell of burning flesh, claws extended, and teeth bared.

  Bolts shot through the air, each embedding into the flesh of their intended target. She thought, they know I’m here, and they’re trying not to hit me.

  The stalagmite shielding Saphira shattered as a talon scraped over it. The creature swiped downwards, searching, sniffing.

  Silently, Saphira rolled away from the wall. Its claws raked through the cave, crumbling the rock away.

  Saphira looked through the flames and saw Nocturne charging through, sword in hand. Drawing the attention of every nightspawn to him, he shouted, “Saphira!”

  Ignoring Nocturne’s provocation, a nightspawn locked its dark gaze onto her.

  With a snarl, it bounded towards her.

  Nocturne won’t reach me in time, Saphira panicked.

  She sprang to her feet and stepped backwards, colliding with an ice-cold body, sticky and wet. She looked up and saw the slightly scaled chest of a nightspawn standing over her. Eyes moving upwards, she saw no head attached to the creature’s neck; black blood spurted from its arteries.

  A large hand shoved the seven-foot nightspawn aside. It toppled over, crashing into the cave wall. The hand reached and grabbed Saphira’s arm, pulling her into his grasp and holding her tight. Nocturne held his sword out, keeping the advancing nightspawn at bay.

  With a feral scream, the creature flung itself forward. Nocturne lunged on his leading foot, impaling the creature through its chest with ease. He stepped, kicking the creature from his sword, and throwing it to the ground.

  He wrapped his arm under her armpits and picked her up, carrying her over the flames on the ground. His jaw clenched when he saw the cut on her cheek—then he swung his sword, beheading another creature. He growled, “Are you okay—”

  Behind them, the first nightspawn—now totally consumed with flames—let out one final scream as another crossbow bolt pierced its chest. As it fell, it flung its talons upwards, swiping over the mouth of the cave, raking through the rock.

  The cave rumbled. Nocturne swept Saphira underneath him. Around them, the roof of the tunnel crumbled.