Page 12 of The Silent Mountain
The bed is comfortable and warm, and I soon feel exhaustion settling in. I’ve been outside most of the day, and that ride on Favian’s back was amazing. My body aches, but in a good way. My mind and heart, however, hurt differently.
I slip in and out of sleep, constantly haunted by the day I lost her.
“My Warrior Princess.” Ita grabs my hand, “I love you so much.”
Sorrow overcomes me while I see life fade from her eyes.
“I would have been proud to become your chosen mate.”
The sound of the warriors around us engulfs me, my ears ringing from everything that’s happening. But the worst is the pain that rips through me when she takes her last breath.
All the talks we didn’t have.
All the chances we missed out on.
All the hugs I didn’t give her.
The times I missed out on telling her how I feel.
We had an argument only hours before she died. I wish we could have made up properly before she left me. So many regrets, my sorrow about missed chances, and guilt all eating me up at night.
I wake up briefly just to doze back off.
Ita’s image before me gets more blurred all of a sudden, as noises reach me. The sound of blades hitting blades startles me. And before I can even realize what’s happening, I see Favian in my mind’s eye. He is lying in the snow, blood oozing out of his stomach.
No! I can’t lose another person! I can’t go through this again.
I startle awake, my chest feeling heavy as if someone were sitting on it, but I can’t linger on this feeling.
Who is hurting him? Who is hurting him? I angle for something under my pillow, feeling the cold metal of my dagger between my fingers, and grabbing it tightly. I’ve gone through the whole warrior training in my kingdom and know how to wield a weapon. I just can’t have history repeat itself. My heart has barely healed from losing Ita. I can’t have it ripped open again by losing my mate.
I halt my breath, trying to listen to the sounds around me. I can hear yells and cries. Who is attacking us? Didn’t we just erase the threat that had almost wiped the dragons off existence and attacked us wolves, as well?
I can hear the roars of the werebears that attack us, and amidst that, a creature so big it makes the blood freeze in my veins. But why? Why is he back? We freed the bear goddess of the spell, which bound her to the darkness and made her go mad. She fought on our side at the end. Did someone enchant her again?
I cannot let that happen. The dragons have lost so much already. Favian lost so much, and I’ve only just started to feel more comfortable here, to heal, and to open up to others again. The kingdom of the Silent Mountain has given me hope and a task at hand. I am here to help the dragons and my mate. I can’t disappoint them.
I jump out of bed, grabbing my dagger tighter and sneak out of the door. My heart is beating so fast I can barely hear anything, just my rigid breath and the cries from outside. I need to find Favian and Elio; I need to help them.
I am barefoot, and my steps on the marbled floor are silent, almost inaudible, but my senses take up another presence. Someone is approaching me. I grab my dagger tightly, preparing myself for an attack. My ears are still ringing, and my vision is blurred, but I’m ready. I’m not that easy of a prey.
I feel someone grab me, but I allow my instincts to come forward and slam my elbow into their stomach. For a moment, their grip loosens, and I spin around, ready to slam my dagger into them. I can’t have anyone stop me; this is just wasting my time while my new friends here are in danger.
A voice seems to try to reach me, sounding mildly familiar. I try to free myself by using my dagger, once more trying to hit my attacker with it. It seems to hit against something soft, then it’s suddenly pried from my fingers. Something locks me in, a grip so tight I can’t seem to escape.
Then I feel them.
Tingles.
What… tingles… how? And where is Ros? I only realize now that I didn’t hear her throughout this whole ordeal.
…lana…
The terror seems to leave my body, and instead is replaced by confusion and fear. What’s going on? I try to reach out for Ros once more, but it feels like a wall is surrounding me.
Alana, listen to my voice. Just focus on me.
It’s a female voice. I try to focus on it, just like she said to, following her lead until I see Favia in front of me. Favia looks worried, her eyes lighting up in relief when she sees me. Before I can react, she has hugged me already. Slowly, the walls around me seem to disappear. I can suddenly feel Ros again, and her panic. She comes rushing towards Favia and me, licking my hand and whimpering in worry. I only remotely wonder how this is possible, how she and I can be in the same place at the same time. It’s like back then when we were so wounded that we were in a coma, but this time, it’s different. I am not in my own mind.
