Kiara's POV The palace courtyard was silent, except for the low hum of wind brushing against the stone walls. Goosebumps slid down my skin, and a cold raced down my spine. The air was cold and icy but I knew very well that the goosebumps on my skin had nothing to do with the cold, but a certain young man laid in front of us. Cain. A small part of me had wished that it didn't happen, but no matter how hard I'd cried, and how much I'd pleaded to the moon goddess, it hadn't changed a thing. He really was dead, and we were about to bury him. The moon shone bright in the night sky, casting a warm glow onto the body below. Cain's body was wrapped in a black ceremonial cloth, a single black feather placed across his chest. It was a stumble for bravey, and I couldn't help but agree. The scent of sage and burning cedar filled the air, and I inhaled. It was a prayer and offering to the goddess to accept his soul in the world beyond. Darius stood still beside me, dressed in a black ensem
Kiara's POV The palace courtyard was silent, except for the low hum of wind brushing against the stone walls. Goosebumps slid down my skin, and a cold raced down my spine. The air was cold and icy but I knew very well that the goosebumps on my skin had nothing to do with the cold, but a certain young man laid in front of us. Cain. A small part of me had wished that it didn't happen, but no matter how hard I'd cried, and how much I'd pleaded to the moon goddess, it hadn't changed a thing. He really was dead, and we were about to bury him. The moon shone bright in the night sky, casting a warm glow onto the body below. Cain's body was wrapped in a black ceremonial cloth, a single black feather placed across his chest. It was a stumble for bravey, and I couldn't help but agree. The scent of sage and burning cedar filled the air, and I inhaled. It was a prayer and offering to the goddess to accept his soul in the world beyond. Darius stood still beside me, dressed in a black ensem
Kiara's POV The makeshift hospital room was quieter than I thought it would be, as opposed to how it was when we'd first walked in here. It was a total madhouse back then, and right now, it still sounded like a gross exaggeration. When Darius had passed out a couple of hours ago, I was beyond stunned. It felt like a part of me had shutdown momentarily and the only thing that could remotely wake me up, was news that Darius had slipped out of whatever it was he had slipped into, but it didn't work. No matter how many times I blinked and shook the man, he didn't come around. He was knocked out cold and a small part of me couldn't help but think if he was dead. If the universe thought they could take both Cain and Darius away from me at the same time, then they were clearly mistaken. After being stumped on what to do next, Hazel had decided to go back to the palace to get help. We'd tried everything remotely possible to get him back but to no avail. That's when we decided to get th
Kiara's POV The world didn't feel real. It was too quiet, and too still, like the very earth itself was holding its breath in grief. Cain’s body lay still, his skin already cooking beneath my fingertips. My breath hitched in my throat as I kept my hand pressed to his chest, desperate to feel his pulse. But as I kept my hand flat against his chest, I knew it would never come. I would never see him breathe in and huff out in exasperation. I was never going to hear one of his snarky remarks like he used to. I was never going to see him again. Beside me, Hazel had stopped shouting . Darius had stopped crawling, but me,I couldn't stop shaking, no matter how hard I tried. “Cain.” I whispered again. Deep down I knew it didn't matter, but I couldn't help it. Nothing I said would change what had just happened.I heard Hazel’s breath catch beside me. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking, like truly, and it made me wonder the kind of relationship they had. They weren't friends,
Kiara's POV We found him at dusk, not in the woods, not in some cavern or hidden cage, but at the edge of the grimwood where he'd found me last time. I couldn't recall waking up there or passing out either, but seeing him at the edge of the place where it all started struck something in me. A mix of emotions ran through my soul, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't put a finger to which emotion I wanted to feel first. Maybe it was anger, fear or guilt even. That should have been my first sign, and the fact that he had been waiting was the second sign. But whether both of these were good signs or not, was the confusing part. Shadow clung to Darius like a second skin. They were more pronounced now, curling from his fingers in smokey coils. Maybe it had something to do with the environment, but now he looked more like the shadow than ever, and it was terrifying to say the least. His black eyes caught me first, and as he stood, I couldn't help but feel like it hurt him s
Kiara's POV The first thing my ears picked up was a sound, faint but there nonetheless. It wasn't a scream, neither was it a roar, and perhaps if I had known what waited ahead for r and what it meant, I wouldn't have thought the little sound I'd heard was a good thing. A shudder followed suit, and something gnawed at my insides. It was deep and unnatural, like a small part of the palace itself had taken a deep breath and didn't know what to do with it. The floor beneath me trembled faintly as I stepped into the eastern corridor. For some strange reason, each step I took made my stomach churn, and I had no idea why. If I was being honest, this was the last thing I needed right now, especially when I'd just bumped into Cain being cryptic as fuck. If there was anyone who seemed bummed the most by the fact that the fact that the bloodroot was gone, then it had to be Cain. I'd seen through him, even though he'd tried to hide it, that's why I'd gone to see him earlier. I'd wanted to