Page 109 of Fires of the Forsaken
The boy’s eyes softened. The laugh that escaped him was thin. Nervous. “Allow me to clarify…come with me so I can show you a safe way out of the city. I’ve no wish to take you to Dúnlang.”
“No? He’s your commanding officer.”
“Indeed.”
“Yet you would defy his orders to help me escape?”
“Yes.”
I glowered at him. “Why?”
The boy lowered his head and winked. “Defying an order is more entertaining than obeying it. And I still like your spark.” His mouth curled into a smile. “I don’t want to see Dúnlang extinguish it.”
Trusting him was foolish. He might have led me right to his commander. Or, worse yet, I might’ve loosed my power on him. But the flame no longer pressed against my skin. And I did not care if the boy brought me to my doom. I only wished this nightmarish evening to end. So I threaded my fingers through his—his hand was wondrously warm—and allowed him to lead me away.
He followed the same pattern as I had: lingering in the shadows, hiding whenever footsteps approached. After several tense moments, we reached the edge of the city, where a narrow river trickled behind the rows of houses.
The blue-eyed boy stepped up to the water’s edge.
I stopped, my heels digging into the damp grass and soft soil. I remembered all too well the terror of drowning, the pain as I inhaled water, filling my lungs until they seemed ready to burst.
“It’s alright,” the boy said.
“I-I can’t…”
“Swim?”
I nodded.
“You don’t have to.” He let go of my hand and stepped into the stream. The water lapped at his ankles. “It’s shallow here and won’t deepen until you’ve reached the river. You’ll know when you’ve arrived; the water swirls in reverse. That is your destination.” He glanced at me, as though to make sure I was listening. “Follow this to the river and then walk along the bank. It’s a seven-day journey, by foot, to Vaporia. You will find food and supplies there, but I don’t recommend you linger. Dúnlang will send soldiers to search for you. Continue following the river until it tapers off in Wyncook Forest. From there, it’s but a few days’ journey to Niall. You’ll be safe there. And Niall is easily recognizable—the Celestials built the fortress. It is aresplendentsight to behold.” His eyes shone with excitement as he reminisced. “Ah, sometimes I wish I could be as eloquent with my words as I once was with my music.”
As I once was.“Do you still play?” I asked.
The boy, who’d begun walking out of the water, glanced at me. “Pardon?”
“The harp. The last we’d met, you wanted to leave the army—”
“Because I was a musician, not a soldier.” His playful smile returned. “Yes, that was quite a while ago, wasn’t it? I haven’t played the harp in…” His lips pursed. “Must be near two years now.” He waggled his fingers. “They became warrior’s hands after all.”
A heavy feeling settled into my gut. He’d lost the one thing he’d been so passionate about.
But there was no time for us to mourn the death of childhood dreams. The soldiers still searched for me, and their bellows drew closer as they reached the outskirts of the city.
The boy’s smile faded. “Go now,” he hissed. “And make haste. I’ll try to draw their attention elsewhere, but I can’t guarantee they won’t search the stream.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground and depositing me into the water. I grimaced when the cold liquid sloshed against my raw and still-bleeding feet.
“Here.” The boy touched his fingers against my forehead, healing my injuries. “There aren’t many stones beneath the water. Once you’ve reached the river, you can bind stalks of grass to slip over your feet. It will help.”
I nodded. But, as I turned, the boy grasped my hand again.
“You never told me your name,” he said. His fingers twitched against mine. “I looked for you. Many times. I questioned everyone in the market. But without a name, I had little chance of finding you.”
“I have no name,” I whispered.
His head tilted sideways. “Surely, you must.”
“Terrick,” the name tasted like ash on my tongue, “called me lass.”
