Page 104 of Alliance Bride
His voice broke the stillness. “God… Lord…” He struggled to shape the words. “Only You can save her. Only You can save me. Please. I can’t lose her too.”
Tears slid down his cheeks unchecked, and he bowed his head. There in the dark he knelt, caught between belief and fear. Faith and anguish. Wrestling not just for Eadlyn’s life, but for something deeper. Would this God hear him? Would He answer?
Finally, the tempest in Aevar’s mind quieted. Not vanish or fade entirely but settle. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel as though his fate was governed by chance or by whim but by purpose.
Dawn streaked across the treetops in soft gold and pink. Eadlyn blinked herself awake, flinching at the dull throb that pulsed behind her brows. Every muscle groaned as she pushed herself upright, the cold ground leeching heat from her bones.
Ten days. Or eleven. Maybe twelve.
She’d lost count. The blur of hunger, exhaustion, and constant vigilance had swallowed time whole. Her limbs were leaden, her breath shallow. When she drew her knees to her chest, she winced,and a shiver rippled through her. The early morning chill clung to her like wet linen, seeping beneath her skin. Tears prickled, and she blinked hard, but the ache inside her burned fiercer than ever.
Where are You, Lord?
The voice in her head barely sounded like her own anymore. Not even during her darkest nights in Kenwich had God felt so far away. Did He even hear her anymore? The hollow distance between herself and hope echoed inside her. And yet, in the very next breath, she murmured, “Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.”
Footsteps broke the stillness.
Eadlyn rubbed her eyes and forced her head up. Asfrid stood there, face unreadable as always. She extended the usual meager offering—dried berries and a tough strip of meat. Though Eadlyn hadn’t been full in days, exhaustion had robbed her of appetite. Still, she took it with numb fingers and forced herself to eat.
After she finished, Asfrid led her into the woods, away from the others. The trees stood tall and still, heavy with silence, as if holding their breath. The forest was beautiful in a strange, solemn way, but even its majesty couldn’t touch the dread curdling in Eadlyn’s belly.
On the way back, Sig brushed past her. His fingers slid against her hip like grease. A shudder of revulsion cut through her. Asfrid had protected her from assault, but not from the lingering touches whenever she wasn’t looking. Eadlyn jerked away from him, and he chuckled under his breath. He’d made tormenting her his daily entertainment.
Once she was on her horse, she exhaled. At least here, he couldn’t touch her, though it only meant they were continuing deeper into the north. Farther from hope. Farther from Aevar.And now Dagr no longer hung back to obscure their trail. Either they believed no one was following, or they were so deep into Kalgoran territory it no longer mattered.
On they rode, following no discernible path, but ever heading north as far as Eadlyn could tell. As the miles passed, she drifted in and out of prayer, clutching verses like lifelines despite how fragile her grip felt.My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
Asfrid halted.
Eadlyn snapped to attention.
Something had shifted. The stillness was different now. Watchful. The birds had gone quiet. Eadlyn held her breath and dared to hope.Please, God…
Figures lunged from the trees, swift and dark. The horses shrieked as the forest erupted in chaos. A dozen Kalgoran warriors encircled them in an instant. Eadlyn’s horse half-reared, stamping and snorting. She clung to the saddle, panic and despair swelling like a rising tide. All around her, foreign voices barked orders. The unmistakable harshness of Goric made her head spin.
Asfrid raised her hand and spoke rapidly to the one who appeared to be in charge—a towering man with a bald head and a forked beard like twisted rope. When she gestured to Eadlyn, her stomach dropped.
The Kalgoran gave a grunt.
Asfrid dismounted and strode over to Eadlyn, dragging her down from the saddle. The Kalgoran commander studied her and exchanged more clipped words with Asfrid.
Tremors threatened to seize Eadlyn, but she stood straight. She wouldn’t cower.
Movement drew her attention beyond the commander. Another figure appeared, and the hair on the back of Eadlyn’s neck rose. A woman only about her age, draped in fur, bones, and feathers, approached. Her long blond hair was almost as white as the paint that covered her face, though black ringed her eyes. Dark runes inked her cheeks and brow. The strange charms sewn to her dress rattled as she moved. This must be a seer like Heida talked about.
She paused in front of Eadlyn and stared, long and unblinking, like she was reading her soul. Even Asfrid shifted, giving the seer a wide berth. Eadlyn stood frozen under her scrutiny.
Words passed between the seer and Asfrid. Eadlyn caught none of it, but she didn’t need to. She knew. A deal was being made, and she was the price. Again. Another alliance, another transaction, but this time, against her will.
A curt nod from the seer ended the conversation and seemed to all but seal Eadlyn’s fate. The woman turned and motioned to the man behind her, who stepped forward and reached for Eadlyn.
“Wait.”
The man paused as Sig approached. He glanced warily at the seer before turning his full, undesired attention on Eadlyn. She tensed as he drew near and leaned in close.
“I didn’t get what I wanted…” he said, voice low and oozing, “but I’ll not go away empty-handed.”
He seized her arm, his fingers crushing her skin, and slid her arm ring off before she could stop him. The polished silver—Aevar’s promise to her—flashed in the morning light and vanished into his hand.
