Page 28 of Voices in the Stars
“Don’t try that again, witch.” His words missed true threat with him breathing just as heavily as I was.
I stood there, mouth agape as I tried to figure out how any of what just happened was my fault.
“We’re stopping here for now.” He reached into his bag before setting something wrapped in my hand. “Eat and try not to die while I’m gone.”
“Where—”
“Doesn’t matter,” he snapped. And just like that, he was back to being the kidnapper.
I sunk to the ground as I watched him leave, sitting against one of the trees and setting the food down next to me. My knees pulled up so I could wrap my arms around them. He was out of my sight before the sobs started racking through me. For the first time I could remember, true loneliness settled into my chest, weighing me down.
The low sun slowly sunk into the horizon. The sky darkened as stars twinkled in the sky above me. The moon was bright as it rose, moving up until it was centered in the vast sky.
I was thankful we stopped somewhere that had a partially clear view of the sky, even as I grew tired of the view after the first couple hours. The sounds of birds had been replaced with the chirping of bugs. They scuttled around me, rustling the leaves. Shivers racked through me as a cold wind started up.
I pulled my knees closer to my chest. A new gratitude for the cloak filled me as I fully wrapped myself in it. Was this his plan the entire time? Lure me somewhere he thought I would be trapped, then leave me there to die? Maybe he’d just tired of me. Which would’ve been good, because I was tiring of him.
A stronger breeze swept through. I shielded my face as leaves went sailing through the air. Chills ran through me as I felt bugs flying into my sides and crawling along my legs. I jumped up, fighting a gag as I watched the small insects falling off me. I wasn’t going to keep sitting here with the small hope that he would eventually come back for me. Even though leaving meant he would certainly kill me this time.
I glanced behind me. We didn’t travel in a straight path. I was certain of that. At some point, we veered off the small path and traveled blindly. The town we came from was a lost cause. There was no way I could make my way back in the dark. Or in the middle of the day, for that matter. My best chance was to keep going in the direction I thought he was headed. He had to have a destination in mind. Even if the thought of traveling deeper into a forest still brought tears to my eyes and made my stomach churn with fear. My mind was made up when an animal’s rumbling growl echoed somewhere in the distance. Maybe he wouldn’t kill me if he saw me waiting there for him.
Someone was following us.I heard them soon after she stopped freaking out. There was no way to know how long they’d been following. It had to have been after we left the town. I was sure they entered the forest near where we did, but I was distracted.
She was terrified. I hated everything she stood for, but every instinct I had screamed at me to wrap her in my arms. There was even a moment where hope fluttered through me. If she was just honest, I could get her on my side. I wouldn’t have to sneak around her.
She was right. I could only act around her. It was easier to fall into the personality that everyone expected from me. A cold murderer. Like father, like son. It’s what I needed to protect myself from her. I didn’t kill her earlier, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to have to later. I had to be able to put Feycrest over my own feelings. No matter how beautiful her eyes were as she stared up at me.
The sun was starting to go down when I finally caught up to them. A fire lit the trees ahead of me. I crouched down, keeping to the shadows as I got closer. Several men sat around, drinking and eating. Light reflected off the metal chest pieces some wore. The sound of leather rubbing together and metal shifting grated in my ears as I watched the others undress until their tunics were visible. Tunics that bared my father’s crest, stitched into the chest. It was large and ugly. Fitting of his ego. I cursed, taking an even greater effort to hide myself.
Though the amount of noise they were making surely would’ve done that for me. Their voices traveled clearly through the surroundingareas. My fingers twitched as I glanced around us. They had a bigger death wish than Cece did. The fire would chase away some monsters, but their wandering voices would only attract more.
“How long until he notices us?” one of the men asked.
A couple of the others just laughed as they settled around the fire, stuffing their faces.
“He’s too distracted.”
“You think that’s really one of the witches?”
One of them scoffed at that, drawing my gaze to where he was still standing. My jaw clenched as I recognized the man. I wasn’t expecting my father to send my own men chasing after me.
“We were sent here on a mission.” Metal clattered as he threw a sword to the ground. I winced before quickly looking around. Something was going to hear them. “Not to gossip about the general and his bitch.”
That was enough. I stuck to the shadows as I snuck around their small encampment. They showed no sign of hearing me as I got closer. I stopped paying attention to their idle chatter, only stopping when I was standing directly behind one of them.
The next noises that came from them were a bunch of yells as I grabbed the man by his hair, pressing my dagger to his throat. The others scrambled to their feet, grabbing at their discarded weapons as they turned to face me.
“Shut up,” I hissed at them before throwing the guy I had to the ground, pointing the weapon toward the next. “Who trained you idiots?”
They glanced between each other, throwing their swords and crossbows. Their answers were mumbles.
“Who trained you!” I screamed, giving up any hope of being quiet. At least if I drew the attention here, Cece would be safe where I left her.
“You, sir!” they screamed back at me, falling in line.
“I’m not going to ask why you’re out here. I’m not as stupid as some of you might think.” I walked up to them, satisfaction filling me as many dropped my gaze. “What I’m going to tell you is that you are to pack up and leave this moment.”
“That’s all?” one asked as I paused. I fought to keep a straight face as he was smacked upside the head.
