Page 21 of Rising Out of the Darkness
Guilt clouded my peaceful view. It was because of me that he was on this journey. I’d turned his entire life upside down, but he must know that mine had been as well. If he’d just speak to me, he would realize that we didn’t have to battle this alone.
Leaning forward with a sigh, I massaged my forehead. When I looked back up toward Will, he was gone. Panic slammed against my chest. Frantically, I whipped my head around, leaning around both sides of Killian in search of Will.
That was when my eyes landed on him paused at the back of the group, alongside the prince and a small handful of guards. My heart pounded, my neck straining as the prince nodded and all at once the group set off to the east, towards the City of Ash.
“No wait! Stop!” I cried out, gripping Killian’s shoulder so tightly, my knuckles turned white. “Please…Will! Don’t you dare leave me without saying a damn word!”
I waited with bated breath for any response from him. Any hint that he might still care. Nothing came. Fury burned through my eyes as I glared at the back of his head until I could no longer make him out in the distance.
Crestfallen, I slumped into the saddle. The leather horn squeaked beneath my twisting hands as I battled between sadness and rage. All the years we’d known each other, everything we’d been through, every moment we’d shared, apparently it all mattered little to him. Perhaps I’d just been a burden to him this entire time.
Could he so easily ignore what had happened between us only yesterday? My fist kneaded against my chest. I tried to tame the storm of emotions that thundered within my heart, from the gaping hole that had been torn into it. Both of us left wanting more than we had been given.
The gods really did have a sense of humor. They’d told me that what was coming next wouldn’t be easy, but since I had awakened my life had been nothing short of cataclysmic. I didn’t care how strong they claimed I was, I wasn’t immune to pain.
Something else was brewing underneath my skin as well, that same fiery feeling I’d felt ripple under my skin the night after I awoke from my Ascension. It felt as though every part of my body was reacting to my emotions as my muscles tensed. This must be my dynamis trying to course its way out of my body.
With every fiber of my being, I clawed for restraint. Crying in front of these men would only prove how weak I truly was. I wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.
Clinging to that restraint, I shoved down the emotions that felt as though they were flowing beneath my skin and imagined locking them away into the depths where I’d hid all the darkness in my life. Running a palm over my face, I tried my best to regulate my breaths.
A warm hand gripped my shoulder, jarring me so unexpectedly that I nearly slid off the saddle. Killian tightened his hold, pulling me back to my spot.
“It will be okay, my lady.” His words were calm and steady, just like the hand resting on my shoulder.
Placing it back on his own thigh, he continued riding. Silence fell between us. Liam was now trotting alongside us, his eyes also on me. I wanted to bury myself inside a hole. If I thought crying in front of them was unbearable, the feeling of pity was far more unsettling.
Clearing his throat, he asked “If I may be so bold, my lady, who was he to you?”
Numbly, I shifted my eyes forward, taking note that the prince had slowed down to a trot in front of us, likely in earshot of whatever I was about to say. Doubt filled my mind about my ability to even voice an answer. Also, I wasn’t sure these men needed to know any personal details about me. However, the heaviness of being alone weighed on my soul. I was probably trotting towards my imminent demise, so I supposed it no longer mattered. With a deep exhale, I turned to face him.
“Honestly Captain, I’m not so sure what he is to me anymore.” My shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Will and I grew up together. He was my best friend, and yesterday maybe even something more.” I scoffed at the thought. “Fate sure has horrible timing.”
Liam nodded, as if he understood entirely too well. Killian chimed in from behind me. “I’m sorry about the way that it all ended. If he was that much to you, he should have at least bidden you farewell.”
Agreed.
Fighting back the anger, I opted for a different response than the one that growled inside my head. “He was probably just as overwhelmed as I am.” The words slipped through my lips, my heart unsure why my mind felt the need to defend Will.
I could sense that Killian was being genuine, but something in his words cut deep into my heart. There was so much finality to the wordended.
Was that what had truly just occurred?
Chapter 9
Elena
We trotted along for what seemed quite some time, until I started to make out the hazy outline of the town in front of us. Brambles and trees now flanked us on each side, leaving only the dirt road we were on as the clearest path straight through Wildebrooke, and unease prickled over me.
I’d heard stories of this town from my father. All of them were unsavory. Every bone in my body quivered at the thought of this contingent of Royal Guards storming through it. This far outside of Vrine’s walls, you didn’t find many supporters of King Alaric.
The ground near Killian and I rumbled, and I was shaken out of my thoughts in time to see the prince and his horse galloping over to us. Once near us, he trotted his horse right next to ours.
“Give me your hand,” he said so bluntly, it made me roll my eyes.
“I believe you forgot something.”
He scoffed, extending his hand to reach for mine.
