Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1)
Chapter 31: Spirit of the Lake

Tension drew us together, gluing us to Ace, like on some deeper, primal level we were aware he was our best chance of survival. Also, he had information which none of us did.

“What do you mean?” I whined.

Rixen cut in, “Who’s following us?”

“Show me where they are!” Nick shouted. “I’ll kill them.”

“We need to think rationally about this.” Danilo shook his head.

“Ugh.”

Ace’s eyes shot up, “Shut up. All of you. Mathilda is speaking.”

The crow, still sitting on Ace’s shoulder, cocked her head, obviously offended. She focused on Ace, not letting out even a sound, but the mage nodded, understanding her perfectly. His facial expressions changed too quickly, jumping from surprised, to mildly annoyed, to concerned.

“Alright.” He looked up. “We have a problem.”

The group scattered around the cliff, frowning and cursing. I stayed near Ace, hoping the bird was messing with him. But the crow looked trustworthy.

“Ace, who’s following us?” Rixen asked.

Ace swallowed, “Remember those sellswords we ran into on our way to Balr? Turns out we didn’t quite get rid of them. They know who we are and they’re tracking us.”

“Mercenaries from G’Dertha?” Danilo cut in. “What do they want with us?”

“They’re doing someone’s bidding.” Ace walked past our group to the dense forest in front. “They’re five days away from us. Considering we need to rest, I suggest we hurry.”

Rixen buried his feet in the ground, “You’re not telling us everything, wizard.”

Ace turned around, loudly blowing air through his nostrils, “Maybe. Maybe I think we need to get to safety before we can talk. I hope you all have your wishes ready for Liu Raj.”

My breath hitched. In between thinking about survival, secrets and my sore muscles, I found neither time nor will to ponder over which wish I was ready to give up. Liu Raj’s desire to take our wishes seemed incredibly cruel, though, like abusing power.

“What do they even want with our wishes?” I looked up at the snow-covered mountain tops, too high to climb, and limped after Ace.

The mage continued on his way, “Spirit territory has been independent ever since the Shadow Rule. Five hundred years without kings, rules or laws. To remain that way you need a certain code of honour that transcends petty human laws.”

Nickeltinker glanced at me sideways, “He gets a kick out of speaking in riddles.”

Ace ignored him, “If you wish to enter Spirit territory, you must share something with it and you must give something up, it’s a sort of social contract. It keeps the spirits from turning against one another and strengthens their bond.”

The dry branches almost snapped in my face, “What’s a Shadow Rule?”

Ace let out a laugh, “You better explain that one, shadowman.”

Rixen moved the branches out of my way, allowing me to pass, “Shadowmen used to rule the Spirit territory, a long time ago.”

“The castle is still there.” Ace added. “Abandoned at the edge of the plateau.”

I glanced at Rixen, “How did shadowmen end up in Orathia then?”

Rixen stared at Ace’s back, “You better explain that one, mage.”

Ace chuckled, “Mages tried to take over the Spirit territory. Mind you, this happened before humans managed to tie two sticks together to create a weapon.”

“Oh, please.” Danilo murmured. “Mages tried to take over the Spirit territory because you were scared of humans and you knew spirits wouldn’t let us in.”

The trees became denser further we went, eventually I could barely see my next step and the path disappeared completely.

“You banished us from our lands because your tiny brains couldn’t comprehend magic.” Ace didn’t even turn around.

Danilo stopped, “We simply wanted to be free.”

“Freedom?” Ace sneered. “The closest you’ll ever get to freedom is death. And even then, you might replace yourself in some afterlife where a god you hoped was good ends up making a harp out of your ribs. You’re not designed to be free. You’re designed to be controlled.”

“Oh, here we go again.” Nickeltinker rolled his eyes.

“Your pessimism is turning a bit annoying.” I mumbled.

Rixen shushed us, “We’re near.” He moved the thick branches out of the way.

One by one, we passed through. My lilac-coloured dress already ripped in places and this final onslaught of branches completely destroyed my hem. Cold air brushed against my exposed skin.

An empty, cobble-covered, moonlit field opened up in front of us, ending with a huge, black body of water. Nothing but woods and rocks awaited on the other side of the lake. Moonlight reflected off the water, which seemed oily and opaque.

There was no way around the lake, I realised. High, steep cliffs surrounded it on all sides. The only way across was through the water and the coast on the other side did not look welcoming. Tall, dark, evergreen trees, snow-covered mountain tops, no pathways, no light.

“Where exactly are we supposed to go?” Danilo asked, kicking pebbles with his boots.

Ace nodded towards the blackness on the lake’s other side, “Through the cave.”

I squinted in the direction he was looking in. The shades of black mixed between my eyes, indistinguishable from one another. The more I stared, however, the more sense the blackness made. There, right at the edge of the lake, before the dense, dark forest, was a black cave. Shadows surrounded it; shadows my soul recognised as otherworldly.

“Alright.” Nickeltinker hopped to the shore. “What do we do? Jump in? Wait for a signal?”

“You wait.” Ace came closer and the rest of us followed. “And do not enter the lake before I tell you to. And for the love of any god out there, do not try to fool Liu Raj with some stupid secret like that you forgot to wipe your asses last time you shat.”

My heart began to thud loudly, beating against my ribcage, as if feeling the shift in the wind and the subtle change in the energy surrounding us.

Shadows danced on the other side of the lake, twisting and turning until they formed a pale figure with bony face and black holes instead of eyes. The creature glided across the water until moonlight illuminated its wide grin and the large, red, shining pendant hanging in the middle of its chest. The eyes were the most terrifying; huge, black, empty holes. The creature did not come any closer.

“Liu Raj.” Ace raised his voice. “We come bearing gifts.”

The warthog jumped all the way to Ace and the mage took the backpack off the animal’s back. He poured the contents out, all kinds of trinkets clanking against the pebbles; goblets, necklaces, golden plates, bracelets, one of my crowns.

I frowned and hissed, “Did you take a crown away from me only to give it to Liu Raj?”

“Do you have an off button, Princess?” Ace asked. “And no, this is a different crown.”

I put my hands on my hips, “Nick, how many crowns did you steal?”

Nick threw an apologetic glance my way, “How many were there?”

“Quiet.” Ace said through his teeth. “Liu Raj, we ask for passage.”

Pain spread through my temples as the ethereal voice spoke in my head.

A secret and a wish.

Ace nodded, “Thank you, Liu Raj.” He nudged the green-skinned boy up front. “A secret and a wish, Nick. You must say it out loud.”

Nick nodded and grinned.

Did he replace everything amusing?

“For the first part of this journey,” Nick took in a deep breath, “I’ve contemplated a plan to kill all of you in your sleep and run away with your gold.”

I took a step back, sadness gathering in the pit of my stomach. The rest of the group did the same, glances of distrust and apprehension shared amongst one another.

“Then the ships in Balr blew up.” Nick continued. “And I realised these people were now just the same as me, outcasts, sacrificial lambs for the greater good. All I want to do now is protect them.”

The sadness in my stomach turned into melancholy and nostalgia. I understood him, thoroughly, and I missed my own naivety, blindness to the world’s suffering.

“As for the wish...” Nickeltinker approached the lake. “I give up the wish my own people would pardon me.”

Silence settled between us for the tiniest moment, until that same ethereal voice rang through my mind.

Nick the Nickeltinker, you may cross the Lake.

Nick did not listen to the voice, instead he looked at Ace, asking for his permission. The mage nodded and the green-skinned boy entered the water.

“It’s warm.” Nick smiled and walked ahead. “And shallow.”

Ace stepped forward, “One of the reasons why I joined this journey was to replace the Truthteller.”

My eyes widened. So, we were right assuming he wanted that.

“Many believe the Truthteller shows you who you truly are, but it doesn’t. It shows you where you’re going. I suppose, just like any man, I wanted to know what awaits for me after this life.”

Ace did not look at us as he spoke, his eyes glided across the black surface of the lake. His confession strangely humanized him.

I stared at his bobbing throat as he said the next words, “The wish I give up is the wish my own people would forgive me for siding with humans.”

Danilo took in a sharp breath, realisation covering his features. He understood now, as did all of us. Ace didn’t just help humans five hundred years ago; he also betrayed his own kind.

The voice within our minds spoke again. As Ypsilos Gis Magos Tau Naz, you may cross the Lake.

As Ace nodded and stepped in the water, the surface around him began to shimmer, as if moonlight gathered around his silhouette.

I gasped, “You’re glowing.”

Ace did not look at me, “It’s not me. It’s my magic. I told you the Spirit territory discerns between magical and magic-less beings.”

My heart skipped a beat. That meant... it meant they would know. If I stepped foot into this black, oily lagoon, my companions would know I had magic. Danilo would know.

No, no, no.

Nerves prickled my skin, sweat beams covered my forehead despite the cold outside. I swallowed my heartbeat and let Rixen go next.

The shadowman stopped in front of the water and said nothing for a few moments, “King Bernard raped my mother twenty five years ago.”

I took in a deep breath. So, I guessed that correctly. The only one who didn’t know seemed to be Nickeltinker, whose nostrils flared with rage.

“And there’s a reason why he never conceived an heir after that.” Rixen lifted his head off the water, his eyes fixating on Danilo, as if speaking solely to him. “For the last twenty five years, my mother and I have been poisoning King Bernard of Bastia with Fae silphium, disabling him from having a child.”

Silence broke with an outburst of emotions and commentary.

Danilo growled, “What the fuck?”

Ace laughed out loud, “I thought you were just a spineless loser, shadowman, but it turns out you’re not quite as spineless.”

Nick mumbled, “You people are messed up. I can’t believe I ever envied royalty.”

My gaze snapped between Rixen and Danilo.

“How dare you?!” Danilo snapped, shortening the distance between him and the water in a few angry steps. Torvald immediately tried to stop him, but Danilo was too quick.

Rixen quickly spoke, “The wish I give up is the wish my father would love me.” Before the Spirit of the Lake could say anything, Rixen jumped in the water, the surface shimmering around him.

Danilo rushed after him, anger distorting his beautiful face, “I’m going to kill you, bastard.”

As soon as his toe touched the water, he let out a horrible roar, sending birds flying from the trees. He fell backwards, his back hitting the pebbles, his leg in the air. Water ate through his boots, blood poured out, colouring the white coast red.

“Oh, Goddess!” I dropped down next to him. The place the water touched him, his toe, was badly burned, smelling of roasted meat. Ugly tears burst through his closed eyes and ran down his cheeks as he clenched his fists and hit the ground around him.

“Fuck!” He shouted.

“I told you you can’t cross the Lake without a wish and a secret!” Ace cut in.

“Shut up.” I glanced at Ace. “He needs help.”

“A wish and a secret, knight.” Ace repeated. “And the water will help.”

“Fine!” Danilo shouted, his piercing blue eyes cutting through Rixen. “You want a secret? Here’s a secret. When you tried to take over the throne and King Bernard decided to pardon you, I was the one who told him he should kill you.”

He spat the words at Rixen, who barely visibly flinched.

“And as for the wish,” Danilo snickered through the pain, “I give up the wish to kill you myself.”

The Spirit’s voice slightly changed in our hands. Danilo of Danth, you may cross the Lake.

Crawling over the rocks, the knight stumbled into the water, and let out a relieved sigh the moment his toe touched the liquid. His angry eyes immediately settled on Rixen, a murderous glint shining inside.

“Stop it.” I said suddenly, surprising myself. Danilo’s eyes softened as he looked at me. “You want to kill each other? Do it after this journey.”

Torvald pulled at my sleeve and gestured for me to go next, “Ugh.”

I shook my head, remembering the problem with the shimmering water, “You go.”

Torvald nodded and stepped forward. It took him a while, far longer than it took all of us. I glanced across the lake, at Liu Raj in the distance. The spirit remained patient.

Torvald finally began to utter, “You...” His big, dark eyes sparked with unshed tears. “I... never...” A painful sigh, “Had... family. I... killed...” Another painful sigh. “Everyone... I... met.” The brute rubbed the back of his neck, his face distorting. “You... are... family.”

My throat ached as I watched the brute’s teary eyes.

“I...” He spoke again. “Wish... to be... free.”

Torvald of Gaddir, you may cross the Lake.

The giant bowed his head and walked in. I was the last one left. Well, except for Frank the warthog, but he has been jumping in and out of the water ever since we arrived, so I assumed he didn’t have to give up pieces of his soul for permission to enter.

“Come on, Princess.” Ace sneered, knowing full well the reason for my hesitation. “We’re still being followed, remember?”

Perhaps this was a good time to come clean about some things. If I told Danilo I had magic, I wouldn’t have to live with this lie in my heart anymore. But he would hate me; I knew he would. He wouldn’t want to marry me anymore and I would never be Queen of Bastia. There were other secrets I could share, far less destructive, far more out of my control.

I sighed, looking over my friends, “Approximately seven months ago, I began entering a stranger’s mind at random.”

Rixen’s eyes slightly widened.

Danilo lifted his questioning gaze.

“At first, I didn’t know who it was.” I continued, my voice only slightly shaking. “At first, it was weak. Until I came to Bastia and learned... that the stranger was Rixen.”

Danilo’s face relaxed, fell down. He finally realised why Rixen and I were so close. And for a moment, I thought I saw relief.

“It’s a curse.” I said, hoping to explain. “A residue from Ace’s Orathian spell.”

The mage surprised me when he took over the explaining, “Spells are nasty. They create their own tiny loopholes. My spell made sure people from all three royal bloodlines found each other, Rixen has both Orathian and Bastian royal blood and Irina is the Princess of Irenwell. A tragic coincidence, really.”

Danilo averted his gaze, staring at the black water around him.

A twisted combination of relief and fear danced in my gut. A wish more to go, I thought and took in a breath. I wished to get rid of my magic. I wished to remain the Princess of Irenwell. I wished to become the Queen of Bastia one day. I wished to be free from Rixen’s mind after this journey was over. And none of these wishes were something I was willing to give up.

And somehow, all of these wishes boiled down to one. Only one thing allowed all of them to come true and that was to marry Danilo. And I knew in order to marry Danilo, there was one wish I truly had to give up.

“I give up the wish...” My throat closed in on itself. “To marry out of love.”

Pain spread through my chest, disabling my breathing until I realised the pain wasn’t mine. I found Rixen’s eyes, distant and unreadable.

Irina of Irenwell, you may cross the Lake.

“Get in the water, Irina.” Rixen said.

But I couldn’t. The water around him and Ace shimmered, taking the veil off whatever magic flowed through their blood. It would uncover me, as well.

“I can’t.” I squeezed through my teeth. “I’ll... I’ll ruin my dress. And my shoes. I can’t.”

Rixen laughed out loud, the sound bordering on hysterical, “Come on, get in the water.”

“I can’t.” I stepped away from the black surface. “You know I can’t.”

Ace sighed, “Frank, carry her.” The mage turned away from me. “Make sure to touch the water, spirits have to know who you are.”

The warthog wagged his tail as he jumped over to me, splashing water all around. Carefully, I climbed the beast, my hands were still shaking.

“Come on, people.” Ace walked towards the cave. “We don’t have all day.”

I stared at the black surface from the safety of the warthog’s back, my own reflection staring back at me. Despite being away from the water, I felt like I was drowning.

Rixen briefly glanced my way once Danilo was far enough, “You’re a coward, Irina.” He walked away.

I dipped my toe in the warm water, a small shimmering circle appearing around my skin. My reflection mocked me.

I was living a lie.