Page 97 of Fear the Flames
“No,” he shakes his head.
“It’s in the top drawer of my vanity.”
“Elowen, no.” His arms fall from me, and he rakes his hands through his curls, looking like he wants to scream. “I can’t think about that possibility.”
“It’s just a precaution,” I try to reason with him. The other three look in our direction but don’t interfere. Saskia looks close to tears herself. Ryder is thin-lipped, but Cayden is oozing unyielding sturdiness. Whether he’s doing it for my sake, or he truly feels it, I appreciate it. I do the same for him and fight back the tears that threaten to spill from my eyes as I watch Finnian.
“I won’t need your precaution,” he growls while stepping closer to me and placing both hands on my shoulders, giving me a squeeze. “After everything you’ve survived, I refuse to believe you could be in a situation don’t come out of it. You’re not dying, especially not in Imirath. You’re my queen, my sister, and you’re coming back.” His voice quivers at the end, and he leans forward to press his lips into my forehead.
“I’m coming back, I promise,” I echo the words Cayden told me yesterday with the same amount of certainty he delivered it with. This is what Finnian needs. He needs my confidence, not my tears. I can be his rock. His shoulders ease at my proclamation. I’ll crawl my way out of Imirath if I must. But, as a queen, I can’t view my capabilities with tunnel vision. I’d rather prepare for any possible outcome, even if I don’t think that outcome will come to pass. Nobody wins wars or stays on a throne without maneuvering every possible scenario to their benefit, because if you don’t, someone else will maneuver it for your downfall.
Finnian releases my shoulders, and we walk side by side to where Saskia clings to Cayden, and Ryder grasps his shoulder. Cayden seems to be trying his hardest to comfort her, but he looks like he needs a manual on how to hold someone. It breaks some of the tension in the air, considering Ryder can’t stop silently laughing while looking at Cayden’s rigid stance. She pulls herself away from him when she hears our approaching footsteps and turns toward me. She rushes forward, midnight braids flowing behind her back, and wraps her arms around my neck to hold me tight.
“You’re coming home too,” she whispers into my hair.
“I am,” I say while wrapping my arms around her, giving her a tight squeeze. “Who else will you shop for spring dresses with?” I wink as she releases me from her embrace.
“Don’t let him die,” Ryder says as I approach him and Cayden.
“No promises,” I shrug. “He might piss me off on the road.”
Cayden looks down at me, matching my smirk. I think he likes it when I threaten to kill him. He turns serious when he looks back at Ryder, “You should head back now before the guards change over.”
“You better come home to me, love.” Ryder channels his uneasiness into humor.
“Always, darling. You know I can’t stay away from you,” Cayden replies with the same easy humor.
“Boys,” Saskia mutters while shaking her head, but her teary eyes are filled with anything but annoyance.
“I’ll see you soon, brother,” Ryder states in a much more serious tone, holding his hand out to Cayden.
“You will.” Cayden clasps Ryder’s hand and shoulder.
The three of them slowly make their way to the horses. Finnian holds the reins to my horse, and Ryder takes Cayden’s. They don’t say anything else before they leave. They just look at us until they can’t look any longer and disappear from sight.
ChapterThirty-Nine
Cayden and I are left in ghostly silence that was momentarily filled with life. Tree branches creak in the wind, causing my cloak to flutter around my ankles. We still have several hours before the sun rises, but we need to make it to the caves as fast as possible. We’ll be too close to the border to travel in daylight. We can travel during the day once we get farther into the kingdom.
“It’s just you and me, angel.” Cayden is the first to break the silence.
“I’m still trying to figure out if it’s for better or for worse,” I say, turning toward the direction we must travel.
“Do let me know once you’ve figured it out.” He mirrors my stance and turns his back on Vareveth. “You ready?” he asks, tone turning serious.
Any sadness I felt in saying goodbye is replaced by the thirst for vengeance traveling through my veins. Anxiety mingles there, but that’s always there. This is what I’ve waited for since the moment I left Imirath. I thought about this moment long before Cayden came into my life; he’s just the person that set everything in motion.
“I have been for years,” I answer. Let the Lady and Lord of Revenge, Retribution, and Vengeance be unleashed upon their enemies once again.
We step forward, careful to keep our steps light, aiming for rocks and piles of wet leaves rather than the forest floor, which is most likely littered with branches we can’t see. There’s no path, so we navigate on whim and memory.
We’re fairly deep into enemy territory when we spot soldiers coming our way. We press our backs into the rough bark of trees and wait for them to pass. They walk right by us, swords clinking as they proceed, unsuspecting of the foxes slithering into their coup.
Light bleeds through the trees as Imirath’s camp looms closer. No matter how dark the night is, it can’t bleed out all the torches that line their camp. We silently creep past, sinking deeper into the forest for more coverage when needed. I peer down into their camp from the hill we’re on; it looks sort of similar to Vareveth but much less organized. Their camp isn’t separated into lines like Vareveth’s is. It just looks like a sea of tents evenly spread apart and stretches as far back as I can see.
A twig snaps ahead of us, and my eyes shoot forward. Cayden slips his arm around my waist and pulls me down behind a large moss-covered rock a few feet to our right. My back is pressed into the ground as he tucks me under him and keeps us as close to the rock.
The footsteps get closer.
