Page 136 of The Scars Within
The tingling in my arms signaled that feeling was slowly returning to my limbs. With all the strength I could muster, I nudged Laney in the side, desperate to wake her.
“Why can’t I reach Lakota?” I asked, my voice steadier now, trying to keep Shayde talking while I worked to rouse Laney.
“The powder temporarily blocks your bond,” Shayde replied, his voice hollow. “He won’t sense you for a couple of more hours, hopefully.”
Hopefully? The word set off alarms in my head. Lakota may be a gentle giant with me, but he will incinerate anyone who tries to hurt me. He would burn through mountains to find me if he had to.
Laney still wasn’t moving, but I couldn’t give up. I nudged her again, harder this time. I need her to wake up—before it is too late.
“Why are you doing this, Shayde?” My voice cracked, the weight of true betrayal crushing my chest. This boy who had welcomed me into Mageia, who I had laughed with, who made me feel safe. Shayde, who I thought was my friend. He isn’t a monster. He can’t be. He was delusional about what happened between us, but when I told him we could still be friends, I meant it. I truly accepted his apology.
But this? This I can’t accept.
“I didn’t have a choice!” His voice rose, trembling with fear and desperation. “He was going to reveal the truth. I was blackmailed into helping him, Scarlet. Ididn’twant to. I was skeptical after hearing the truth about your parentage. But once you bonded with Lakota in the pit, I thought I knew. I believed that you were the missing key in this whole plot that the Grim is working on. And the sight of Rhodes chasing after you in the pit turned my stomach. I didn’t want him to be collateral damage. So I pressed on the fact that the Grim was watching you.”
“That’s why you stopped coming around,” I choked.
I could hear the break in his voice, his guilt clawing at him. “But then you didn’t leave me to fend for myself against those soldiers in the cavern. As much as I wanted to believe that you were some evil spy plotting against Mageia, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. You are kind, Scar. You’re smart. And strong. And you do not deserve this.”
“But you’re the one who is bringing me to him!” I tried to scream, but my voice was a strangled whisper.
My heart clenched with my words. He has been dragged into something far darker than I realized. But no matter how much pain was in his voice, it didn’t change the fact that he had betrayed me—betrayed us.
The feeling slowly returned to one of my legs. I kicked Laney again. Nothing.
The carriage lurched to a stop, the horses’ neighs cutting through the fog that enveloped us. My eyes opened fully now, but all I could see was a thick veil of mist. We must be high up; the air is thinner and colder. On one side, a towering rocky mountainside stretches endlessly into the sky. On the other, nothing but clouds drift like ghosts over a steep drop.
I felt the carriage shift as Shayde hopped off, the crunch of his boots on gravel approaching. He came into view, his warm brown eyes locking onto mine, filled with concern—and shame.
I narrowed my eyes. “You pinky promised to save me,” my voice broke as I tried to fight back tears.
Shayde broke his eye contact, aggressively rubbing his jaw as he fought against himself. He reached over the side of the carriage, his arm sliding beneath my knees and behind my neck. With ease, he lifted me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest.
“It’s going to be okay. I have a plan,” he whispered, though his heartbeat thundered in my ears, betraying his calm words.
I didn’t fight back. I didn’t reveal the slow return of motion in my limbs. Instead, I stayed limp, biding my time.
Shayde carried me away from Laney, and I let my gaze dart around. We were high—too high—the peak of a mountain, surrounded by nothing but the sky and heavy fog, or perhaps it was a cloud itself. He walked toward a stone altar, four towering pillars circling its perimeter.
Carefully, he laid me down on the cold stone. The tingling in my arms and legs grew stronger, but I waited, forcing myself to remain still.My muscles were regaining strength, but I would need every ounce of it if I was going to haul Laney over my shoulder and run. Even while wearing this damn gown and no shoes, I would get us to safety.
I really wish I had my fucking daggers.
Shayde pressed his hands onto the side of the altar, dipping his head as he leaned against it. I heard him sniffle, his breath shaky. Then, without a word, he stepped back far enough that I could no longer see him.
I heard a thud, and then a body dropped to the ground. The smell of lavender and pine washed over me.
The next voice I heard numbed every ounce of strength that had begun to return to my body, leaving me cold and paralyzed.
“Hello, Scarlet.”
Chapter 54
“No,” I whispered, the word barely escaping my lips as my body seized in disbelief. My heart plummeted, nausea churning in my stomach.
Slow, deliberate footsteps crunched on the gravel, each one sending a ripple of dread through me. Then the Grim leaned over, and my world shattered.
“The truth will come face to face,” Aunt Cora recited, her voice sharp.
