Page 1 of Black Hearted
Chapter One
Zane
The moment my feet landed on the oily incline, I slipped, landing hard on my back, and began to slide. I’d leaped through the portal without a second thought, and now I was gliding feet-first down a mountain.
I kicked my heels, trying to dig into the earth for purchase and to slow my descent, but to no avail. The ground beneath me was slick, like the mountain itself was made of black cooking oil and there was nothing that I could grab onto either.
Desperately, I reached for my power, hoping to use my lightning magic to lasso a nearby tree, but I was horrified to feel a drain on my power. It was nothing like as strong as it normally was in Ethereum, so here I was struggling. I still managed to summon some lightning, but it was difficult.
My brothers and I all shared some ability to control shadows, but each of us had a unique variation of magic. Mine was the ability to create and manipulate black lightning, which alone would donothing to slow my descent unless I coated it in shadows so it didn’t burn through the trees I was hoping to lasso.
As quickly as possible, I created a bolt of lightning and wrapped shadows around it. Lightning could be dangerous when I intended it to be, but when coated this way in shadows, it could be used as a rope. Flicking my wrist, I curled the shadow whip around the base of a thick tree. The second it pulled taut, I was yanked to a stop. I breathed out heavily with relief.
I was now halfway down the mountain, and the only thing keeping me from sliding the rest of the way was my grip on the lightning rope. My butt was likely bruised, and I might have a few cuts on my back, but the black oil pouring around and below me was so thick it had actually cushioned some of the impact. It was also terrible to look at. There was so much black, oily liquid rushing down the whole of this mountain like a mighty stream.
I glanced outward, and my breath caught as I gazed upon miles and miles of gloom in what must have once been a beautiful land. Withered trees stood stark against the bleak backdrop. Farms were submerged in what looked to be the same black substance I’d slipped on, with only the top halves of houses peeking out.
Everything, as far as the eye could see, was shrouded in shadows and blackened fields of dying vegetation. The sky was overcast, the sun completely hidden from sight, leaving me no clue as to what time of day it was.
Now I understood Dawn, Aribella, and Isolde’s anxiety about stopping the curse. It was much worse here than in our world. Well, that might not be a fair statement since it was also affectingour people in Ethereum, but this … this land was ruined. Is this what lay in store for Ethereum, too?
Panic shot through me, and I quickly checked to make sure the satchel was still slung over my shoulder. I let out a relieved sigh when I patted it with my free hand, feeling it still bulging with its contents. Everything I needed to end the curse was inside: a map of Faerie, the daggers and their stones, the Shadow Heart, the accompanying vial, and the note with Lorelei’s name on it. I was determined to find her and give it to her. The Spring Court princess who could end the curse.
My mate.
I’d waited my whole life for a love like the one my brothers had with their wives. I was incredibly happy for them, but I was also lonely. For a moment, I had thought Isolde was meant for me, but it was clear with just one kiss how wrong I’d been. There weren’t any lingering doubts in my mind that Isolde was meant for Adrien, but even if there had been, they would have been shattered to pieces the second I laid eyes on Lorelei.
She’d been wearing a pretty yellow dress and singing softly to herself as she carried a basket of vegetables through the palace gardens in the Spring Court. The attraction and protective feelings that rose up in me the moment I saw her for the first time were undeniable. The brown-haired woman with a soft-spoken voice and a penchant for flowers was the one for me. I knew it in my soul.
Now I just had to get down this mountain and find her.
Using my free hand, I created another shadow-coated lightning whip and lassoed a nearby tree farther down the steep mountain. Releasing my hold on the higher tree, I slid downward quickly butwas pulled taut once my lightning shadow rope reached the end of its length.
I repeated this process several times, slowly sliding downward and using my lightning magic to lasso nearby trees and control my descent. Finally, I neared a cliff where the black oil poured over the side like a waterfall. At the cliff’s edge sat a small, half-submerged cottage.
Lassoing a tree that butted up against the cottage, I pulled myself closer, shortening the length of the shadow-coated lightning rope until I grasped the railing of the porch and hefted myself onto the oil-slicked deck.
Glancing over the side, I began to plan my way down the cliff. Attaching my lightning rope to the railing, I could rappel down the side—
A clank from inside the house made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Was that a door closing? And footsteps?
Spinning, I peered up at the top floor of the cottage and bellowed, “Hello!”
Another clank, followed by footsteps—this time, they sounded like someone running. From inside the house, a small hand fiddled with the window latch, and then it flew open, revealing the face of a wild-eyed young girl.
“Oh, thank the stars,” she said. “I thought I was going to die here.” Her voice was so eager.
She had pointed ears, pink cheeks, and red hair wrapped into a bun at the top of her head. Across her nose was a smattering of freckles. If I had to guess, I’d say she was eleven or twelve.
“Hi,” was all I could manage. I hadn’t expected a kid to be all the way out here. “Are you alone?”
She nodded. “The oil took my nana over the cliff when she was trying to braid us a rope down. I’ve been alone for weeks.”
Weeks? How had she survived?
Her gaze fell to my shadow-coated lightning rope, and her eyes widened to the size of coins, and terror flashed across her face. She backed away from the window and disappeared out of sight.
Oh no.I’d forgotten that the fae in this world all thought my magic was evil.
