Page 103 of Rising Out of the Darkness
“He asked me what happened, and Hells”—another sob escaped from her— “I—I…had to explain.”
I lifted my arm around her and pulled her trembling body into me. Drawing from my well of dynamis, I summoned all the warm emotions I could think of and pushed them through her. Clara’s sharp intake of breath was evidence enough that I’d succeeded.
“Declan made me explain every detail. Every. One. I watched as his body turned pale, as shame and disgust tore through him. I watched him slam his fists into the walls until they were so raw they dripped crimson onto the floor. I rubbed his back as he retched everything he ate for the past year, then held him as he sobbed.”
“Hells …” I breathed.
“I promised him I would do everything I could to fix this. To figure out what had happened. That was when I stumbled on evidence that Alastor must practice blood magic.”
“Blood magic?” While reading in the library I had stumbled across a few text that spoke of this dynamis and the horrible things that it was capable of.
“We assumed whatever had happened was a one-time occurrence. However, we were painfully wrong. About a month later, Alastor reported claims of a group of rebels hiding within the city walls. Declan, Liam and Killian did some digging of theirown and found it was just a small tavern, a tavern owned by Elysians who did not agree with the man currently sitting on the throne. Declan knew the real reason behind the claim, that the king was disturbed by the lack of support in his own city, and he wanted to prove a point. Obviously, Declan refused.”
“I should have known when they allowed him to not do anything. Gods, I should have known.” More tears began to fill her eyes again.
“What happened?” I questioned, afraid of the answer.
“That night, Alastor summoned Declan to do his bidding.”
The sound of my teeth clenching together rattled inside my head.
“Killian and Liam happened to be on duty that night. They saw him return, covered from head to toe in—in blood.”
Hells. My hatred for the king and Alastor was nothing new, but after hearing this…I began to plot my revenge. Declan did not deserve this suffering they had cursed him with. Somehow, I would make them regret what they have done.
“Declan was walking so slowly, gripping a sword. Killian tried to call him, even ran over to him, blocking his path, shaking his shoulders, trying everything to bring him back to the present. Declan used his shadows to fling Killian out of the way, then headed straight towards the cliff.”
“No…” My voice was barely audible.
“Declan fell to his knees, bringing the sword out in front of him. Aimed directly over his heart.”
Air evaded my lungs, my eyes burning with tears.
“I thank the gods every day that Killian can zephyr. Before Declan slammed the sword into himself, Killian zephyred to him. The force tossed them both over the edge, the sword falling away as they fell off the side. Killian zephyred them both again to diminish the impact of their fall into the ocean. Dec ragedagainst him in the water until they rolled up on the shore and all the fight finally washed out of him.”
Declan’s apprehensiveness to sit next to me on the cliff suddenly became clearer.
“It took him a few days to finally open up, to stop being upset with all of us…especially Killian. We made him very aware that there was still so much to live for, no matter how much life threatened to break us. We all became so much more than friends that day, we became family, and with that formed an unbreakable bond. We promised each other that no matter how hard life may knock us down, we will always rise back up together. Because together, we are stronger.”
Hazel eyes met mine. “Elena, we’ve only just met, but I can feel that you are struggling with something deep inside. I’ve felt it every time I’ve held you. I told you this story because something tells me you may understand what Declan endures. We all fight silent battles every day, whether we admit them or not. The key, however, is that those battles were never meant to be fought alone.”
Words evaded me. Every word she said rang true, but the fear of sharing the most vulnerable parts of me was overwhelmingly strong. A fear of all I might lose if I did. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“Of course. Maybe one day you’ll trust me as well.” Clara stood, pulling me up alongside her. On wobbly legs, she helped guide me out of the cell, pausing just short of the door. “Alaric wants to speak with you.”
Nerves pinched against my chest. “I don’t think it can get any worse than it already is, right?”
Chapter 40
Elena
The tremor in my body continued to quake as Clara and I approached the king’s office. Two guards stood watch beside the ornate doors. Their glares were almost as sharp as their swords.
“I wish I could go in there with you,” Clara whispered.
Squeezing her hand, I tried my best to give her a reassuring smile, but it only caused her eyes to widen more with concern. Stepping forward, I knocked on the heavy doors.
“Come in.”
