White Feathers Fading

By Hermans

For fans of Red Queen and The Mortal Instruments. This YA Fantasy takes you on a quest dominated by winged Guardians, magic, and curses. Venture through a land that does everything to keep you out.

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Lily Adams is destined to fight for the Alatain. For those who still have their white wings, for

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ellen Hermans
• Release date: Jun 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9789083435619

Book preview

Chapter 1

Red.

The color the midnight sky turned as flames reached high into the clouds, accompanied by the rumble of thunder and a rain of ashes that fell down.

The name of the boy who hung low into his shackles, blood scarlet and thick dripping from the wounds on his back, there where his wings were supposed to be.

And the shade that stained the sand beneath Lily from the bullet that had pierced through her flesh.

But all Lily saw was black.

She could feel and taste it like ashes falling down on her tongue. An utter darkness consumed her, filling itself deep into her pores.

And then there was the sound of it all. The cracking of a fire that claimed the stables as its own, the crying of the young Alatain children, the rumble of destruction somewhere in the distance.

Lily kept her eyes closed as she waited for her final faith to come down on her. She expected hands to pull her from the sand and in her dreams those hands belonged to Ares. She knew that it was unlikely for her Guardian to storm through the barn doors, to carry her through the fire, and fly her back to The Banned. The hands that would take her would most likely be those of a Red Soldier.

Yet, they never came.

There was a serenity to the darkness as Lily drowned out the noise and the scent of burning wood and flesh. For a minute she contemplated staying exactly where she was, peacefully waiting for the fire to take her too if a Red Soldier wouldn’t. That way she wouldn’t be faced with the crime she had committed. She wouldn’t have to look Red in the eye and beg him for forgiveness. And she wouldn’t have to face Kida again. She’d become one with Munera’s grounds and, for the first time, death sounded like paradise.

But the fire took too long to come.

Maureen cried too loud.

Red stayed too silent.

Ares would call her a coward if she didn’t get up.

The pain from where the bullet had struck her rushed into her body as soon as she opened her eyes and if what she saw hadn’t been so unbelievable, she would have given it all her attention. But her eyes were glued to the dome of fire above her, hot red flames curling around her, Red, and the twins. Where the stables were slowly turning to ash around them, she and the Alatain remained untouched.

Maureen’s cheeks were stained with tears, her broken arms still hanging in the golden cuffs and Elia cried softly next to her. Red’s shackles carried the weight of his body, his head dropped.

The flames of the fire Lily had created with her enchantment didn’t claim them, it was as if they were stopped against a transparent wall, climbing up and circling outwards.

By Abella, she breathed as she sat up straight.

She could feel the heat of the burning shield around them bouncing off its walls, but that was it. The ground wasn’t scorched where they sat, the pillars of the stable hadn’t turned to black. Behind the dome of flames, the world came to stagger. The construction of wood that kept the roof over their heads groaned and crackled, surrendering under the heat of the fire.

And then a crack.

Lily saw the silhouette of a beam right above her. It burst open as flames hungrily licked away at its wood and sent it cascading down to the ground.

She lifted her arms over her head and forced her wounded body to fold double as she braced herself for the impact, but the beam shattered to pieces against her fiery shield.

She looked up in awe as splinters of wood were catapulted into a rain of smoke and ash.

A fresh wave of pain shot through her shoulder as the shock of it all slowly ebbed away and the reality of the situation returned to her.

She’d been shot.

A bullet had entered her shoulder and just as quickly exited it again. It had nailed her to the ground and she’d uttered an enchantment; one that had set the place on fire, but not before she’d flung a dagger in Kida’s direction. She’d watched her aunt stumble to the ground before landing in the sand herself, but as Lily turned to look, she found neither her aunt nor the Enchantress Elvira that had been with her. All there was, was the body of the Red Soldier, Vic.

The flames were feasting on his flesh, licking it from around his bones and turning it to ash. The bones left in the sand could have belonged to anyone, hadn’t it been for the red and gold uniform that clung to the rotting flesh.

The smell of burned hair and skin filled the room, turning Lily’s stomach.

She went to turn away from the sickening sight, but her eye caught the shimmer of something in the fire, next to the remains of the soldier’s body.

An image flickered through the wall of flames; a golden key nestled between the ash and sand.

Her eyes turned to where Red and the two Alatain children were chained with matching golden cuffs around their wrists.

Alright, she breathed. She locked eyes with Maureen and Elia. I’m going to get us out of here.

The children didn’t respond to her, too frozen with fear to process what was happening.

Lily heaved herself from the ground, her hand clutching the gaping wound on her shoulder. She bit down her teeth, forcing the pain into the background.

She could still feel some magic in her veins; there was still some energy left rushing through her blood, but she didn’t want to waste any of it on healing herself. Not when Red seemed to be on the brink of death. Not when their only way out was blocked by a wall of fire.

One that her magic had created.

So, perhaps…

She shuffled closer to the edge of the dome - the heat increasing - and stretched out her hand carefully.

She’d created the dome. It was her magic. So, perhaps it would allow her to move through it. Or maybe it would move with her.

She brought her fingers closer, her eyes flickering from the golden key to the curls of flames dancing against the transparent wall, but as soon as her fingertips touched the hot red flares, she pulled her hand back and cursed under her breath.

Christ, she muttered, biting down her teeth and holding her burned hand into her good one.

The shield kept them safe from outsiders and protected them from rubble falling down on them, but it held them prisoner too, confined between searing walls.

She fell to her knees, looking at the tiny, circular space around her that seemed impossible to escape.

One problem at a time, she sighed and her eyes landed on the key again.

If she wanted to leave with her Alatain, she’d need to get them out of their shackles first.

She needed that key.

She contemplated just putting her hand through the fire; letting the flames lick the fabric of her shirt from her arm and just using her magic to heal the burns it would leave on her skin.

But she couldn’t be that selfish.

Not after Red had been so selfless.

He needed her magic more than she did. Even Maureen and Elia deserved it more.

She let her head fall in her hands, closed her eyes, and pressed her palms against her brows. She took a deep breath before rushing her fingers through her hair and looking down at her boots.

Her tick, leather boots.

Her gaze shifted between the key, the fire dome, and her boots and a hopeful feeling crept up her chest.

She pulled one of them off her feet, trying to untie the laces so quickly that they almost became entangled, and then shoved her hand inside the warm material and crawled closer to the dome again.

She pushed the boot through the flames, maintaining a safe distance from the edge. She wouldn’t be much good to the chained-up Alatain if her face was burned half off.

Come on, she muttered as she moved the tip of her shoe towards the key.

She felt the warmth lick at the leather, the heat seeping through the material but it was bearable. She had to stretch out her hand further and come closer to the edge, but she managed to drag the key through the sand and towards her without meeting with the heat.

Gotcha.

The smile on her face was almost strange.

She unchained Elia first because he was the one with the least injuries.

You’re okay, Lily tried. We’re okay. We’re getting out of here.

Elia tilted his head back and his big eyes stared at the spectacle of orange and red above them.

How? he whispered, tears staining the ebony skin of his cheeks.

How?

Lily wondered that herself too.

She didn’t understand how she’d created the shield in the first place. How would she ever be capable of breaking it and getting all four of them out by herself?

We’ll get out, she just repeated. All of us.

Her gaze darted to Red for a quick second. His eyes would flicker at the sound of her voice every now and then, and his chest gently heaved up and down.

That was all she needed: a sign that he was still alive.

She freed Maureen from the golden chains next and ripped pieces of her shirt to tie around her and her brother’s wrists where the gilded metal had left its mark.

Where are you hurt? Lily asked. But what she meant was Where did Elvira concentrate her spell?

Maureen pointed to her fingers, the back of her hands, her wrists, and her lower arm.

I need to look at my friend first okay?

Maureen nodded.

The gaping wounds on Red’s back were still there, blood still dripping from them and his skin had turned to ash. She needed to heal him, she needed to close the wounds so he wouldn’t bleed to death.

Lily kept Red in his chains a little longer. Because she knew that if she were to free him he’d most likely collapse to the ground and that would make it all that much harder for her to work her magic on him.

This is going to sting, she whispered to him but she knew that the prickling energy that came with the enchantment would be nothing compared to the blade she’d wielded earlier falling down on him.

She purposely averted her eyes from the black wings at her feet. She swore she saw them pulsate as if there was a beating heart resting somewhere between the feathers.

"Sana Corpus," she breathed as she pushed the bit of magic she still had into his back.

It felt easy. Easier than it had before. As if the enchantment she’d cast to create the shield of fire had taken her skills to a more advanced phase.

The magic did what she’d expected it to do. She did not have enough left to create a clean scar, but it had stitched him up well enough.

She swallowed hard as she looked at his back, at the scars that would never go away again.

Red? she tried after she had closed the wound in his hand too, there where Kida had put her dagger.

Red’s auburn hair hung in front of his eyes in thick strands that stuck together with blood and sweat. His skin had become a greyish marble color, so transparent she could see the veins underneath.

Hm, was all he brought out. He didn’t lift his head.

He didn’t have the strength for it.

Can you walk?

Another hm sound.

She knelt down in front of him and cupped his face in her hands.

Elia? she called for the young boy. Can you do something for me?

He released his sister from his arms and was at Lily’s side in seconds, frantically nodding his head.

Lily handed him the little gold key wrapped in another small piece of fabric. The shirt she was wearing barely covered her stomach anymore.

I want you to open his chains, alright? Can you do that for me? Elia nodded. Be very careful not to hurt yourself.

He took the key from her and Lily put her hands against Red’s shoulders, ready to catch him if the weight of his body became too much.

Elia turned the key in the first lock and Red’s right arm dropped to his side. Lily could feel the weight of him pressing down on her already.

Okay, the next one now, she said to Elia and then turned to the boy who was heavily leaning on her. Try to stay on your feet, Red.

Tate. The words he mumbled were barely audible.

Lily turned her head to look at him.

What?

Tate. My name… is Tate. He struggled to form his sentence and Lily did not know what to say or what to do. Call me Tate.

She nodded and stroked the red hairs out of his eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips. Okay, Tate. Stay with me.

Miraculously, Red - no, Tate - Tate managed to stay on his feet but his legs trembled. They stumbled to the ground and Tate fell on his back as Lily brought him down with her.

Tate, she whispered.

His name sounded strange on her tongue, it vibrated off the walls in an unfamiliar melody.

And then, as she sat in the sand and stared at the prison of fire, she heard her own name.

Lilian?

It hadn’t been Tate.

It hadn’t been Elia or Maureen who’d called her name, she doubted if the two Alatain children even knew who she was.

No, the voice came from right above her.

Lilian Adaima? The voice called again and this time Lily snapped her head up to the ceiling. Between the flashes of red and orange, she could see the frame of a winged silhouette hovering in the blackness of the night sky.

Ares? Her heart leaped in her chest, thumping at a rapid speed.

Was it actually him? Had he really found her?

But his voice had not sounded the same.

She told herself that maybe the ash-filled oxygen in the room had made her mind foggy. Perhaps she wasn’t thinking straight because of the blood she’d lost.

How many of you are there? the voice shouted again.

No.

Definitely not Ares.

Four, she called back.

It was silent for a second, the only sound was the cracking of fire and the rustling of the wind outside.

Then the voice returned.

We’re getting you out of here.

Chapter 2

The words should’ve sounded like a miracle. A message of hope.

We’re getting you out of here.

But they didn’t come from Ares.

Or Sofia.

Or anyone else of The Banned she’d met.

Lily squinted her eyes as she looked up at the fiery ceiling. There was a hole in the roof in which the silhouette of an Alatain hung but the night sky was too dark, the flames too thick. She couldn’t make out more than the shape of wings.

Who are you? she called.

Help, the voice answered. It sounded heavy and warm, like dark chocolate milk.

Lily couldn’t help but feel wary. If it was one of The Banned, why hadn’t Ares come? Perhaps there was another group of rebels hidden away in Peccatum that had pledged their loyalty to her, but how could they have known she was imprisoned in the stables? Had the fire filled the midnight sky with crimson clouds and drawn them to her? Had the wind carried Tate’s screams deep into the desert?

Her heart beat uncomfortably in her chest at the most probable of options. This Alatain offering her help presumably wore white wings to carry him and he’d most likely found her because he’d already been inside the Red Soldier’s camp.

We need you to open your shield, he called, asking her to remove the protective layer between them.

Not before you tell me who you are. She held on. She’d been deceived before, she wouldn’t just trust this voice blindly.

My name is Jasver. I’ve been led by lies to follow Kida, he confessed. Now I’ve seen the truth.

What truth?

I saw how she made you take his wings. The words struck her, as if he’d fired an arrow and buried it deep within her chest.

I ran to get help as soon as I could. When I came back here the stables were already ablaze. Now, we don’t have much time. The guards are tending to the fire and we’ve told them we’re tricking you into breaking your shield so they can get you out. Lily sucked in a deep breath but bit her tongue, allowing the dark chocolaty voice to explain himself. We lied, Jasver continued. Don’t break your shield, just open the top so we can pull you out.

Why should I trust you?

Do you have another way out?

His words struck a painful truth.

She looked down at the wounded Alatain around her: two children too weakened to run or fight and Tate too broken to even move.

Maybe trusting the Alatain would be foolish but she also didn’t see another solution, not with a bullet-shaped hole in her shoulder and her magic fading from her hands.

I don’t know how, she confessed.

You do, Jasver countered. Find it in your memories. But make it quick and no matter what you do, only create an opening, don’t break your shield.

Find it in your memories, he said, but when Lily had uttered the enchantment that created the shield, it hadn’t been her father’s voice she’d heard echoing in the back of her head, so how was she to look for it now? How would she be able to follow a voice she didn’t recognize?

It had been so clear in her head; a voice smooth as aged whiskey, syrupy and deep, but she couldn’t match a face to it.

She closed her eyes, allowing her mind to bring her back to the enchantment.

Ignis inferni.

Ignis inferni.

Ignis-

… inferni. It’s a powerful spell Ezra and it isn’t one that is easy to master.

Lily found herself standing in what appeared to be a study. A series of blue and silver stained windows graced one wall, spilling droplets of moonlight into the room, while the other walls were decorated with bookcases made of dark oak. A fire crackled in a hearth and leaning on the marble mantle was her father.

Luckily for me, I have an excellent teacher, King Ezra spoke.

The words were directed to an older man sitting in a deep blue velvet chair across from him. He had a deep frown carved between his eyebrows and his arms crossed over his chest. Arms of which the skin was decorated with colorful tattoos.

Lily remembered those images, she’d seen them before. An open hand was painted on his right forearm and at the tip of every finger one of the elements was drawn; a swirl of air, a wave of water, the flame of fire, and a stone for earth. A glass key with white wings rested in the fold of that same arm and on his left side Lily could just make out the shape of a human heart that had been drained of blood.

The man sitting in front of her had been her father’s teacher. She’d seen him once in her blood memories when Myrah had taught her the elements and she remembered the conversation Ares and Felix had had in the Black Court.

Alastar, that was what Ares had called him, but Felix had called him something else too; In Pariete. The words translated in front of her eyes as Lily looked at the man sitting in front of her.

The Canvas.

The name couldn’t be more fitting.

She also remembered Sofia telling her that he’d been banned to Peccatum for smuggling and by his looks - his eyes heavy with age and his hairs streaked mainly with grey - she could deduce that he’d come back to the Palace of Light after his banishment.

You took a great risk bringing me here, Alastar confirmed her thoughts.

So, you understand that what I am asking of you is not the request of a boy eager to learn a new trick? Ezra answered.

In Pariete hummed. And is that all you’re asking of me?

For now.

Lily’s eyes darted to her father. He looked well into his forties too. Whenever this blood memory might have taken place, it must have been closer to his final days.

She could feel a worry in the tremble of her father’s voice, one that she’d only heard once when he’d frantically searched for his firstborn daughter.

Very well then. Alastar heaved himself from his chair and clasped his hands together. What do you know of this enchantment?

That it creates a bold of fire unlike any other, it will destroy everything in its path, aside from the Enchanter that called on it.

Alastar shook his head. If you believe Munera’s magic is meant to destroy, then you are not the king I taught you to be.

Ezra straightened his back and Lily watched as he transformed from a proud leader into a timid schoolboy.

You won’t be able to cast it if that is your intention. The enchantment is not meant to be an attack. Alastar’s voice resonated through the air as he glanced down at Ezra with furrowed brows.

What is it meant to be then?

A protection, Alastar went on to explain. It will create a shield around you and the ones you wish to protect. If you can create it, you can control it.

How?

The same way all magic in Munera is controlled, through desire. Lily could’ve sworn Alastar looked right at her, his brown eyes piercing into hers, as he spoke the next words; Find your motive.

Lily inhaled a deep breath, her lungs filling with smoke and ash as she was transported back from the memory of her father to the real world. A world in which she had not attempted to kill her aunt or the Enchantress or the Red Soldier whose corpse was fading away at her feet. The enchantment she cast had not been out of anger but rather out of a need to protect Tate and the twins.

The aching of her heart, the stabbing pain that Kida had caused by making her strip Tate of his wings, had pulled the spell out of her. It had pushed a kind of magic forward she’d never been able to access. Not until she needed to.

She tilted her head back, her eyes wandering over the fiery vault arched above them.

She’d needed to create the dome to protect them from Elvira and Vic and now she needed to break it to have a way out.

Her hand reached into the sky, her fingers extended into the weighty atmosphere, which had become thick with ash and smoke.

It took a minute for the energy to return to her veins, but she could feel the familiar tingle of magic concentrated in her heart move to her arms, spreading itself out all the way across her fingers.

As soon as the blue sparks returned to their rightful place, impatiently dancing on top of the tip of her index finger, she brought out the enchantment that In Pariete seemed to whisper into her ear. "Aperire."

She carved a curve into the air and as her finger moved, the enchantment cut through the dome like a sharp knife slicing through water.

That’s enough! Jasver called and Lily retrieved her magic.

Through the opening, she could see her savior for the first time. As she had already suspected, his wings were an ethereal white spotted with the grey shadows of the night. She couldn’t entirely make out his face from where she was standing, but his eyes gleamed like tiny golden stars.

The hole she’d made was just large enough for him to squeeze himself and his wings through without burning any of the feathers off. He landed on both his feet with a soft thud, the flapping of his wings causing a wave of heat to circle around Lily.

Your Majesty, he grinned, making a short bow as a courtesy.

His hair was shaved shorter on the sides, but was a mix of dark brown and black curls on top. His warm caramel skin was spotted with freckles and even though he seemed to radiate youth, his eyes told her he either had many years behind him or that he’d seen more pain than someone his age should have.

There is no need for that, Lily quickly said. Right now, she wasn’t feeling particularly royal. Her shirt was torn, much as her skin, and more parts of her than not were spotted with sweat, dirt, and blood.

Right. Jasver straightened out his back. His eyes scanned over Tate’s body and the unfortunate bundle of black feathers next to him. I’m sorry, he breathed, his voice that of someone who’d just received the news of a loved one passing.

Get us out, Lily muttered. She could feel herself weaken, the spell asking much more of her energy than she had left. Please.

We will, he said with a nod. We’re taking you out one by one and flying you as far into Peccatum as we can get.

What about the Guards? The three other sins were still patiently waiting for her.

Jasver shook his head. "No need to worry, we’re going back South, so we won’t run into anything you haven’t dealt