Hellion's Reckoning

Inias woke with blurry eyes. The morning sun shed its light upon the glade. His back ached from being pressed against that tree all night. Keira rested beside him, curled into Styx. All he could see was a mass of purple and black, but their snoring was all he needed to hear. He pulled himself up and stumbled aimlessly across the grass. Throughout his walk he stumbled over legs, stepped on sleeping nymphs, and nearly collapsed into a pile of glass bottles.

The previous night came to him in flashes. He couldn’t forget the red sky, but the dancing, that was all a blur. Inias groaned and rubbed his eyes. Slowly, his vision cleared, but his head continued to spin. It was a murmuring of voices he’d been following in a half drunken stupor. A moment ago, he had recognized one of them, but he found himself lost in a daze, mindlessly following the sound.

“You’ve done wonderfully. I’m most pleased.” A deep velvety voice reached his ears, causing them to twitch. “I’ve even said of you to my court, perhaps there are some good among them. You serve your people well.” It went on. Inias looked to his right where the voice had come from but saw nothing. Only empty air, strewn bottles, and one snoring goblin. “And my grandmother?” A softer voice spoke, one he recognized instantly. Ashryn.

They were close. He couldn’t scent them, but his connection with Styx heightened his hearing. Glamour? Inias wondered as he focused on their voices again. “Perfectly comfortable. Once we’ve crushed the prince and his allies, you’ll both be free to go.”

Inias blinked and pulled the dagger from his boot. “Crushed who?” He called out to them. A silence fell before a shadow revealed itself against the tree, standing beside a shocked Ashryn. “Inias…” she whispered, bringing a hand to her sword hilt. The shadow had a wide-brimmed hat and red eyes. Watcher. Its hand slid over the tree’s surface towards Ashryn, but he pulled a purple crystal from his belt and threw it. As the crystal broke against the tree, he saw the shadow’s form ripple and thrash until it faded away.

“No!” Ashryn cried, a blue aura surrounding her hand as she held it against the trees. “No, no, no…you can’t…”

Inias crossed the clearing and aimed his dagger at her throat. “Whose was it?” He demanded. Someone was speaking through the shadow, just as Rurik had done. There were too many to choose from, Ailog, Ivaran, perhaps even Varen. Any of them could have left a traitor in his midst. The last person he suspected. She had been so passionate about avenging the village.

Tears fell from her cheeks as she turned to him. “She’s dead, they’re going to kill her,” Ashryn sobbed, gripping the tree. “They swore we could leave the Hallow, but now…now that you’ve seen it.”

“Your grandmother?” Inias asked, keeping the point of his blade close to her skin. His arm shook as he considered his options. Their night in the pond. He remembered that whispering voice, the same velvety tone the shadow had held. “That’s why you’ve been so flirty. I open my bed and you gut me while I sleep?” He accused her, pressing the point into her neck.

Ashryn hissed and gripped his wrist, twirling him around. His dagger fell, and she had his arm pinned behind his back. As he was shoved, the rough bark scraped his cheek. He squirmed and drew his claws, but her grip held him firm. “Never!” she said, twisting his arm tighter. Inias let out a pained yelp and thrashed to no avail. “Then why?!” He growled, spitting at the ground.

“Ivaran discovered we were hellions and arrested my clan,” Ashryn explained, struggling to hold him still. “We had hidden it for centuries, but someone betrayed us to the king. The king killed all of them, except my grandmother. Ailog promised to spare her at least if I did what he said.” His struggle ceased while he took in her words. She was a hellion; her grandmother had sat upon the high court among the most esteemed elders, and no one knew. “I was playing along,” Ashryn said, “Hoping I could save her and kill Ailog.”

Inias relaxed and took long breaths. “You never told me…” He whispered, realizing all this time there had been another Hellion hiding in court. No wonder Lady Redwood had been so kind. She understood him more than he realized, Ashryn as well. “We swore an oath of secrecy,” she explained, releasing him. He rubbed his shoulder and groaned, stepping away from the tree.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Ashryn wiped her cheek of tears and sniffled. “All that’s left is…” She couldn’t finish as the tears began falling again. Her grandmother, cousins, siblings, were gone. She was all that remained of her clan, her family. “I’m sorry,” Inias whispered, reaching out to her. “No,” Shaking her head, she retreated from him. “I’ve betrayed your trust.”

Inias would have done the same if his uncle had taken Keira or Styx. “We can set things right,” he said, taking her hand in his. “There’s a still a chance. If we can’t rescue her, we’ll avenge her. All of them.” Inias took the dagger from the ground and cut his palm. “I swear it.” He had once believed Ashryn had died because of him. Keira had made him see that there was a still a chance. “We’re in this together, remember?” He echoed her words from the pond, offering his hand to her.

Ashryn met his eyes with steely determination, her voice unwavering. “We’ll give them hell,” she vowed, a blazing fire rekindled within her soul.