Page 4 of The Bones of the Cursed

“Lani, we can’t stay here. We need to go.”

I glance to where the medical tent once stood. The man I just saved and his poor family.

Gone in an instant.

My mother…gone.

I question my sanity when I mourn the injured rebel and his family more than my own mother.

Maybe I’m losing my mind.

I turn to Elion, in awe at his sheer strength to go on after losing so much. “Where? Where do we go?”

He looks up to the sky, as if searching for an answer. “Some of the men mentioned ships going to other realms. They got their wives and kids out. There is nothing left for us here.”

I swallow hard, anxiety pulsing in my ribs. I hardly fit in here, a place I’ve lived my entire life. I can only imagine how bad it will be somewhere foreign and new.

I can’t help but grieve for the families who will never see their husbands and fathers again. That kind of pain is the type to stay with you forever.

I follow Elion in a daze, lost in my thoughts and heartache. Elion won’t allow me to comfort him, he’s too stubborn. He has always refused to show emotions.

The trek to the ships takes over a week. The only port in this territory is guarded heavily by sentries, so we’re forced to find a captain who has a smaller ship and can dock near the cliffs where the water is rougher. The wood on the ship is worn, the paint faded, making it hard to tell if it is black or a strange shade of purple. The crashing of waves against the rocks below does little to calm my nerves. Others like us stand on the rocky ground below, and Elion and I crawl down the hill to get to the hidden ship. We watch as people are loaded on, and I send a quick prayer to the Gods that there is enough room for us. When the captain waves us on, I almost fall to my knees in gratitude.

“Come on, let’s get you settled.” The older man says, his beard white as snow.

“Why are you doing this? Helping so many people for nothing, when it could get you killed?” Elion asks.

The man smiles, his eyes crinkling in the corner. “All life has value and should be cherished. I lost my entire family to this war and if I can stop others from feeling that same pain, then I will die a happy man.”

We’re each assigned a canopy, and Elion and I get settled for the journey. The captain will stop at the four other realms and we may disembark at any of our choosing. Later that night, I’m staring at Elion as he watches the waves lap against the hull of the ship.

And for the first time in my life, I watch my older brother break. Tears shimmer in the moonlight as they cascade down his face. One would miss it if they weren’t looking close enough. His shoulders tremble with silent sobs.

I bite my lip to ward off the oncoming tears. I go to him, and for once he doesn’t hide his feelings to protect me. He lets me see them.

Each and every splinter of his broken heart.

I wrap my arms around him, squeezing as tightly as I can, as if that alone could glue him back together.

“They’re gone. They’re really gone.”

I don’t bother answering. It’s not really a question.

I just hold him to let him know I am here. That even though our parents are gone, he still has me.

“No matter what this life throws at us, you will always have me,” I whisper. And I swear in that moment he squeezes me tighter, and I think maybe, for once in our lives, my big brother will lean on me for support.

The first time we made berth at a new realm, Elion thought it was perfect. Waves crashed against the nearby shore, the smellof salt wafted off the cerulean blue water, but something gave me pause. It was like my body didn’t like the idea of departing yet, a tugging sensation holding me back as I moved close to the portside entryway, the gangplank lowered to the pier.

Elion was crestfallen, but he was open to the idea of seeing what the other realms held. The second stop wasn’t promising. Elion surveyed the land with a scrutinizing gaze, his lips pursed. A darkness seemed to cling to every hill and mountaintop, neither of us thrilled with the idea of disembarking into this harsh, barren land. We couldn’t even see a city. Nothing more than this little fishing village. No one else disembarked here, either.

We were both losing hope and I apologized to Elion several times that we didn’t stay at the first stop. He just waved off my concerns. But when the captain docked in the Primal Realm, I just knew. This was where I was meant to be. That tugging sensation was back, encouraging me to follow.

“Elion, this is it. I feel a…pull, like a tether is tied to me and leading me here. I think it’s a sign,” I whisper in awe. The trees scattered throughout the harbor are covered in multiple different colored leaves, and a cool breeze brings with it the smell of something sweet. Citizens ambled about in the harbor, soldiers of the crown standing near the bottom of the gangplank, helping newcomers find their way. A male grabs my attention, standing a few steps from the dock, his piercing green eyes seemingly staring into my soul. Goosebumps break out across my skin and I avert my eyes, a blush rising to my cheeks.

“Are you sure? The first stop was warmer,” Elion mumbles.

A sharp sensation pulls me forward toward the gangplank. “This is it. This is where we are supposed to be.”

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