Solace of Darkness

Chapter 2

Evenia hadn’t slept a wink.

The events of the previous night replayed in her mind—the crimson eyes, the quiet arrogance of the thief, and the way he seemed to know things no one else did. Even as dawn broke, her thoughts lingered on his cryptic words and the fleeting smirk that refused to leave her memory.

It wasn’t until the pale morning light crept through her curtains that her body finally surrendered to exhaustion. Her sleep was restless, filled with fragmented dreams of twisted trees and shadows that whispered her name. When she woke, it was well past noon, the sun already high in the sky.

A maidservant just left a tray of food on the small table by the window. The scent of warm bread and roasted meat wafted through the room, but Evenia barely had an appetite. She picked at the meal, her mind elsewhere. The thief’s words had stirred something within her—a curiosity she couldn’t ignore.

After finishing just enough to quiet her growling stomach, she dressed in her usual subdued attire and left her chambers. She avoided the bustling parts of the mansion, slipping through the quieter halls until she was outside. The crisp air and soft sunlight felt strange on her skin after hours spent in the shadowy confines of her room.

The sun was setting when Evenia found herself drawn to the edge of the forest. She hadn’t intended to come this far, but her feet carried her, almost as if compelled by the same voice that had whispered to her from the shadows of her heart. The barrier shimmered faintly before her, a near-invisible veil of magic that separated the duchy from the Erebus forest.

Her golden eyes scanned the gnarled trees just beyond it. They seemed to twist toward her like they knew her name, beckoning her closer. She lifted a hand, hesitating for only a moment before reaching toward the barrier. What would it feel like? Would it be warm, like a flame, or cold, like the void she carried within herself?

Before her fingers could make contact, a sharp voice broke through the quiet.

“You must truly be desperate for attention to be seen here, Evenia.”

Evenia stiffened and turned. Helena stood a few feet away, her arms crossed, her expression a mixture of condescension and irritation. Her half-sister was impeccably dressed as always, her onyx hair tied back in a loose braid, and her emerald-green eyes narrowing as they took in the scene before her.

Evenia straightened, brushing off the moment of weakness with a practiced calm. “Helena,” she said smoothly, folding her hands in front of her. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Helena scoffed, stepping closer. “Pleasure? Hardly. I was on my way to the gardens when I saw you skulking about. You should know better than to come near the forest. If Father knew, he’d—”

“He’d do nothing,” Evenia interrupted, her voice as cool as the breeze. “I’m not breaking any rules. The barrier is here, and I haven’t crossed it.”

Helena’s lips twisted into a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Always so defiant. It’s unbecoming. But I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything more from…” She trailed off, her gaze flicking downward in a pointed gesture.

Evenia felt the weight of the unspoken words, but her expression remained unyielding. She was used to this—the subtle digs, the whispers behind her back, the reminders that she was different. Lesser.

“Perhaps you should spend less time worrying about me and more about yourself,” Evenia said, her tone sharp enough to draw blood. “The gardens are waiting, aren’t they?”

Helena’s cheeks flushed with anger, but before she could respond, Evenia turned away and began walking back toward the mansion. Her heart beat faster than usual, though she refused to let Helena see how much the encounter had affected her.

As she reached the safety of her chambers, she let out a slow breath, her fingers brushing against the spines of the books lined neatly on her shelf. Her curiosity about the wandering thief had only grown, and the barrier seemed to hold more questions than answers. She pulled out a heavy, leather-bound tome filled with ancient legends of the duchy.

Settling into her chair by the window, she began flipping through its pages, searching for any mention of the Erebus forest. The candlelight flickered as the hours passed, her mind consumed by tales of cursed lands and forbidden magic. But nothing in the text explained how the thief could have breached the barrier—or why he had chosen her.

“Searching for something?”

The voice startled her, though her hands didn’t falter as she turned another page. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“You seem to have a habit of appearing uninvited,” she said, her voice steady.

He chuckled softly, the sound low and almost musical. “And you seem to have a habit of seeking answers in all the wrong places.”

She glanced up then, meeting his crimson gaze. He was leaning casually against the balcony door, his golden hair catching the faint light. There was an ease in his posture, but his eyes were sharp, watching her every move.

“You think I’ll find them in the right place by trusting a thief?” she asked, closing the book with deliberate slowness.

“Maybe not,” he said, stepping closer. “But perhaps you’d get further by asking the right questions.”

“And what would you know about that?” she challenged, rising from her chair. He was close now, too close, but she refused to step back.

“More than you think,” he murmured, his voice dropping as he reached out. His fingers brushed the edge of the book she held, his touch lingering for just a moment longer than necessary.

Evenia’s breath hitched, but she quickly masked it with a cold smile. “If you’re here to give me riddles, you’re wasting your time.”

“And yet, here you are,” he said, his lips curving into a smirk. “Pouring over stories and legends because you can’t stop thinking about me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Too late,” he replied, his tone teasing, though there was a deeper intensity behind his words. “You feel it, don’t you? The pull of the forest. The answers you’re searching for—they’re not in that book. They’re out there, waiting for you.”

His gaze held hers, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall away. She hated the way her pulse quickened, the way his presence unsettled her carefully constructed calm.

“You speak as if you know me,” she said quietly. “But you don’t.”

“Not yet,” he admitted, stepping back with a sly grin. “But I will.”

Before she could respond, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving her alone with the faint scent of him lingering in the air.

Evenia clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to steady herself. The thief had brought more questions than answers, and the forest’s call felt louder than ever.

She glanced back at the book on her desk, its pages filled with tales of forgotten magic. She knew she wouldn’t find what she was looking for within its words. The answers lay beyond the barrier—and the shadows were waiting.