Page 34 of Rising Out of the Darkness
“You can’t stay mad at him for too long, especially when you have a part in this as well. My lady, you are just as temperamental as he is. In fact, it was you who instigated what happened last night.”
I whipped around towards Killian. “I most certainly did not?—!”
My words caught in my throat as Liam held up something shiny. The light reflected off the object and fluttered over Killian’s smirking face. Held up high like a torch was the silver spoon I had tossed at Declan’s forehead last night. Mouth agape,I struggled to find a retort, but there were no words, because they were right.
“I’ll keep this in my pocket from now on. Not only has it proved to be a dangerous weapon, but it’s proved successful in aiding young maidens in distress from ravenous stomachs.” Liam’s smile grew wider as he tucked the silver spoon into his pocket with a loving tap. “Seems like it has the potential to save my life on more than one occasion.”
With a huff, my shoulders sagged in defeat. They both chuckled as we continued our way.
Sweat beaded in droplets across my forehead as the midday sun scorched the tops of our heads.
“Any way those lovely Frost abilities you told me about could cool us down a little bit?”
Liam caught my smirk as he tugged the collar of his tunic to allow for a much-needed breeze from the stifling sun. Wiping his brow, he waggled his eyebrows up and down then released his dynamis towards Killian and me. A chill fluttered towards us as a few speckles of snow dusted the top of my nose.
“I’m unsure if I should be in awe or revolted.” I snorted. “All I can think about right now is the fact that I’m covered in frozen flurries of your sweat.”
Laughter burst from Killian.
“I think the words you were looking for are ‘thank you,’” Liam grinned.
“Umm … thank you?”
“Anytime, little lady.”
My gaze wandered over the guard behind me. “Your turn, Killian. Why don’t you just zephyr us to the nearest place withwater, or, for that matter, why not just take us to the capital itself?”
Killian scoffed. “As I told you earlier, there are limits to our dynamis.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know, I know,” I sighed dramatically. “You just said you could only zephyr for about five trips. Any further and you would drain your dynamis. So…why don’t you just zephyr us to the closest stopping point then? It can’t be that far, right?”
“Though my dynamis may be strong, unfortunately I cannot zephyr all of us and two horses. Tried once, it did not end well.” He grimaced.
My mouth hung wide open and it sent Killian and Liam into a fit of giggles. I elbowed Killian in the gut. “Truly though, if I could, I would have done it by now, because it’s as hot as Hells out here!” He sighed as he rubbed where I elbowed him. “Alas, that is just one thing we cannot do. As I said?—”
“—everythinghas its limits, including dynamis.”
A whistle pierced through the group, averting all eyes to the broody leader at the head of the pack. Declan pointed to the left side of the road, and I sighed with relief at the sight of the creek that came into view. After we dismounted our horse, Killian guided her by the reins towards the edge of the rippling water, and I took the opportunity to cool myself down as well.
The knees of my pants became damp from the wet ground beneath them as I splashed the water across my face. It slid down my face as I rubbed my wet palm over the back of my neck. The trickle of the creek murmured against my ear as I took a moment to soak it in.
Tension that had been caged in my shoulders and back began to melt away. Nature had always had a way of bringing me back to life, healing me in a way no elixir or dynamis could. A familiar awareness prickled the hairs of my arms.
Opening my eyes, I turned towards the direction of the pull I felt, and my gaze landed directly on the Lord of Shadows. One hand rested on the mane of the brawny stallion beside him while his mouth hung agape. When our eyes collided, his lips slammed shut as he turned his body and gave me a full view of his back instead.
My curiosity lingered only a moment more before I rose from the edge of the lake. Mud clung to my pants as I worked on brushing it off, just like the thoughts that swirled inside my head about the prince.
Another guard sauntered up with his horse beside me. Before he bent down to refill his waterskin, he tossed me a nod. It reminded me that I should refill my own water before we got back on our journey. Killian had already taken his horse back to the road, so I began to make my way towards them.
After a few short paces, a high-pitched squeal startled me. I turned just in time to see the chaos that unfolded before me.
The guard who had been next to me now rolled on the ground, avoiding the hooves of his horse as she reared. Before I could figure out what had caused her distress, she changed directions and barreled straight towards me. My breath hitched as my legs froze. I begged every part of my body to move, but it was too late, fear had taken over.
With eyes slammed shut, my hands rose in front of my body, my only shield against the scared mare. Panic filled my veins with fire as I felt it pulse against my skin. As I closed my eyes, I braced for an impact that never came.
Shouts echoed all around me, but all were muddled as white light burst from inside me. The horse reared up once more, squealing as she changed direction and galloped away. A heavy hand landed on top of my shoulder, and I almost jumped out of my own skin.
“Elena, it’s okay,” Killian soothed. “You alright?”
