"What have we here?" Evelyn asked under her breath, her fingers playing over the indentation of Sam's teeth. "Seems you like it rough, kinky."
More words I don't understand, but I can't tell her about what happened between Sam and I. Sam hates the scar, and even if it wasn’t his fault, I don't want to paint him in a negative light. I stepped back from her, not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to be closer to her. I longed to feel her skin against mine, but I couldn’t.
Sam wouldn’t like it, and I couldn’t do something knowing it would hurt my bonded. He had a thing about only being with one person, and even if I didn't exactly agree with it, I didn't want to betray his trust.
Evelyn kept her hand on my neck but didn't press me, just reciprocated my earlier gawking and looked me up and down.
"You really are a gorgeous specimen, it's a shame you shackled yourself to the one man who would object to having his own harem. He'd never forgive me if I took you for myself," she said, walking back to her clothes.
Makenna watched our exchange with extreme interest, her clothes in her hands forgotten as she stood naked, waiting for something to happen. Her pigtails had come loose; her hair spilled down to cover her modest chest, which was as freckled as her face.
She was adorable, and as she bent over to climb into a pair of underwear, I noticed a shock of vibrant red hair at her crevice. It matched her hair, and I found that amusing for some strange reason. She looked at me when I started laughing to myself but thankfully didn't ask why. I didn't have a good answer for her.
The close proximity to Evelyn had left me heated, but now, alone, the chill left by the storm sank into my skin. My body heat kept the worst away, but the temperature was steadily dropping. I chose my clothes—a white cotton tunic that came down to my knees and a short black skirt—gathered up my belongings, and headed back to the fire to dry them.
Evelyn was dressed more casually than I had ever seen before, a black loose-fitting garment that tied at the waist and a pair of pants in a similar fashion. They looked like pajamas, but they also looked easy to move in, so I doubted they were actually sleeping clothes.
Makenna chose a billowy tunic that was at least three sizes too large, and I would have bet my dinner if it wasn't Gil's. Adam and Gil had also changed; both wore fresh shirts and pants, Gil's a light cream, while Adam wore a navy blue. There were several makeshift racks near the fire that already housed the other's clothes, so I added my own to the pile and went to take care of the spiderlings.
Tegen and Cheira had no other clothes, so I gave them both a shirt of mine and washed out their clothes and set them by the fire.
Once they were taken care of, I went to set up our tent.
I had watched Sam do it enough times while traveling that I thought I knew how to set it up properly, but it still took me about ten minutes of fumbling with the strings and stakes to get them to stay in the saturated ground. When the tent was as good as it was going to get, I stowed my belongings inside and went back by the fire.
While I was gone, Tegen and Cheira had disappeared. Slight panic chilled me when they weren't by the tree, but I quickly calmed down. Those two are smart and as fast as I am. They're probably just playing. Nearly eight hours in the saddle, I'm sure they just need to burn off some energy. My hunch was correct as around twenty minutes later, they came bounding out of the underbrush, carrying the carcass of a small doe.
"Look what we caught!" they both shouted in unison. I smiled over at them; they were so proud of themselves that I couldn't help but be happy for them.
"I can see that! Good job, both of you. We'll eat well tonight because of you two."
Gil stood up from beside the fire and walked over to us, kneeling by the deer and giving the children a bright smile. "Good work!" he said, speaking slowly.
Tegen and Cheira couldn't speak the language of humans, but they understood enough to know that Gil was praising them. Though they were still frightened by the giant, they both managed to return Gil's smile.
Tegen had dried blood on his hands, so I led them over to the fire and wiped them clean with some fresh water.
I passed the time until dinner by watching the fire. There was something mesmerizing about watching the flicking flames as they devoured whatever they touched with abandon. I stared into the smoldering coals for long enough that my eyes started to water, and I was brought out of my reverie by a curse from Gil.
"Oh, shit!" Gil yelled.
"What?" both Adam and Makenna asked at the same time.
Gil just held up his hand and stood up from preparing the deer. His hand went to his interface, and he started babbling.
"Hey! D, are you okay?"
My heart leapt into my throat, and I jumped to my feet. "Sam!"
Gil looked up at my shirt and nodded, before holding up his finger, telling me to wait. I didn't want to wait. I wanted to tackle him and demand answers, but I sat back down while my mind ran in circles trying to keep pace with my heart rate.
He kept speaking in low tones, so I couldn't make out what was being said when Gil abruptly shouted again.
"You're doing what?!" The veins on his hands throbbed as he opened and clenched his fists. "You can't be serious! By the gods, are you insane?
"All right, all right. I won't try and talk you out of it, but you watch your ass there. Don't be reckless and get yourself killed, you hear me?"
It seemed their conversation was coming to a close, and I desperately wanted to speak to Sam, just to hear his voice. Gil noticed my distress and took pity on my sanity.
"Hey, before you go, there's someone here who wants to talk to you, and if I hold off any longer, she looks like she's going to mob me," he said and pushed an invisible button in front of him.
Out of nowhere came Sam’s voice, his handsome voice that laughed at what Gil had said.
"Hey Eris," he said, and his voice was filled with so much warmth that it made my heart melt.
"Hey, love."
"I'm sorry about cutting our connection. I didn't want to, but it was necessary," Sam said.
"It's okay; I was just worried about you. Where are you right now?"
"Gil will fill you guys in. I've had an exhausting day, but I wanted to touch base with everyone before I passed out. Don't worry, love, we'll see each other again soon."
"I'm holding you to that."
Another deep laugh. "I'd expect nothing less. I love you."
"As I love you. Until eternity, my bonded. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
When Sam’s voice cut out, Gil pressed a button and came to sit by Makenna. Before he could fully sit down, I all but screamed at him.
“Tell me everything.”
***
After Gil finished explaining the conversation that went on between him and Sam, we all stared at him, dumbfounded.
"...he's working for Magnus?" Makenna asked.
Gil nodded. "Looks like it, the damn fool."
I didn't know what Sam's reasoning was, but I knew he was no fool. If he's allied with the man that kidnapped him, there has to be a reason. We just have to figure out what. I trusted him enough to have faith that he was doing the right thing.
The others were less concerned about why he had sided with Magnus and more about his destination: Aldrust.
"He's attempting to steal Lachrymal's Heart?"
"That's what he said, but I don't see how he can even pull it off."
"Think we should help him?" Adam asked.
Evelyn shook her head. "Impossible. It'd take over a week and a half to reach Aldrust from here unless we teleported, and it's not like we can leave the little queen to fend for herself."
We were all forced to agree with her; we had our own journey to accomplish, even if we could abandon it and chase after Sam.
Everyone discussed more while Gil cleaned the meat, but I didn't join in; I had made up my mind about what I was doing, and I couldn't go back on it.
"Food should be ready in just ove
r half an hour," Gil said.
Good, the stew from lunch hadn’t tided me over as long as I hoped. Tegen and Cheira were playing by the fire, drawing in the dirt, and I was about to sit by them when a whistling noise echoed from behind me.
I turned and caught the object that had been heading for my back. It was a sword, but wooden. Just like the real thing but wouldn't end with me getting cut to pieces.
"Nice reflexes," Evelyn called as she stepped towards me. In her hands was an identical copy of the sword she had thrust at me. "Now, come at me!"
Without hesitation, she swung, catching me on the chin with the tip of her sword. My head jerked back, and she used the opportunity to slash at my shoulder, sending me to the ground.
"Dead."
I struggled to my feet and didn't bother holding back as I swung at her. But I was so hopelessly inferior that it wasn't even fair. Evelyn batted my weak attacks aside with ease, not even trying to hide how easy it was for her. "Watch your feet," she said and rapped my shins hard with her sword. I faltered under the pain and stopped for just a second, and Evelyn snapped a kick that sent me sprawling to the wet ground, her sword at my throat.
"Dead," she repeated.
Angry and humiliated, I grabbed a handful of mud in my hands when I stood and tossed it at her when I struck with my weapon. Evelyn grinned and sidestepped both the mud and my attack, whacking my back with her sword.
"Improvisation and underhanded tricks—you're learning. Never be afraid to use whatever options are available to you. Honor means nothing if you get yourself killed," she said, settling back into her fight stance. "Again."
I attacked her, trying to get past her, but no matter what I tried, her sword blocked mine effortlessly. "Don't attack my weapon, attack me. The weapon is just an extension of myself. You're leading with your body. Lead with your weapon, and don't flail. Keep yourself behind your blade and keep your strikes precise."
The two of us went at it for what felt like hours, even when Gil finished preparing dinner and the others tore into fresh venison, Evelyn and I kept up our sparring until I physically couldn't hold my training sword any longer. I fell mid-swing and lay gasping on the ground, aching like my entire body was pulling apart.
Evelyn took mercy on me and called an end to our training. I managed to half-walk, half-drag myself by the fire and let the pouring sweat dry in the heat. I was gross, and so bone-tired that even eating had lost its appeal. I took two bites before exhaustion set in, and I shuffled off to bed. The spiderlings joined me, but I was asleep before they could even cuddle next to me.
Chapter 10 - The Golden-Eyed Twins
If I thought I was sore last night, it was nothing compared to the full body ache that throbbed with every slight movement. My entire body was like a walking bruise, and it made the thought of even more long hours in the saddle so unbearable that I wanted to immediately crawl back into my bedroll and sleep for a week. Can’t do that, though, even if its appealing. The others are probably waiting on me.
I woke up the children, and we left the tent. Gil stirred a pot over the campfire, while Evelyn and Adam were up and working through a set of exercises. Makenna intermittently napped while leaning against Gil, who looked up when he heard the flap of the tent.
“Morning, you three. Hungry?”
I tried to say yes, but it came out so thick with sleep that even I couldn’t register what I’d said.
Gill just laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come over here and get a bowl. Stew should just be about done.”
“Thank you, Gil,” I said, trying to be grateful, but I was tired of stew, and Gil heard it in my voice.
“Don’t worry, we should hit the town today and stock up on more supplies,” he said before leaning down and kissing Makenna on the head. “Time to get up, Kenna.”
She groaned and shoved him in playful anger. “I’m not used to this crap. Fourteen or more hours a day on the road is for the birds.”
Her words stung a bit, but I knew that wasn’t her intentions. It was because of me that they all had to take the long road, but Makenna would have been mortified if she knew her words had hurt me. So I quickly shook them off and went to sit by the pair.
Evelyn and Adam finished up their training and snagged two bowls of stew before coming to sit by us. Evelyn looked me over and smirked. “How is the little queen feeling this morning?”
“Like I almost wish I was back in the void, so I wouldn’t have to feel my body.”
Makenna perked up at that. “What was it like?” she asked before blushing scarlet. “Sorry, that was probably incredibly rude.”
I smiled at her. “Not at all,” I replied, but I paused, trying to work up the courage to speak.
The void was called such for a reason, and I doubted I would ever truly stop feeling its effects. Even now weeks later, it clung to me. Wouldn’t fully let go.
I tried to keep my smile, but it fell as soon as I spoke. “The void is nothing. And inside it, I was nothing. I couldn’t feel my body, couldn’t feel anything, and sometimes, for years at a time, I couldn’t even think.”
Everyone was staring at me now, food left forgotten in the cast iron pot, boiling over. I wanted to let the story die, as already my mind kept going back there and the ever-familiar weightlessness tingled across my arms once again. I shook my head and rubbed away the goosebumps. As much as I wanted to forget, I couldn’t. I needed to get it out and off my chest.
“Centuries passed in what felt like the blink of an eye, but every time someone picked up my prison, I was forced back into the light. Because of the curse placed on me, I had to choose the person who would free me, but that person would also become my master, and I, a slave.
“I was able to get a glimpse at the souls of anyone who picked up my crystal. But it seemed only the worst sorts ever picked me up. People with the blackest souls, who would have used me in the worst ways and brought nothing but pain to my life. Seven men and women. Seven black hearts until the eighth.”
“Duran, right?” Gil asked.
I nodded. Thinking of Sam was already banishing the lingering void. I was free and would never go back. “Sam was the first person in a thousand years that was worthy. Though he doesn’t think so.”
Gil scooted over and patted me on the back. “D is harder on himself than anyone I’ve ever met, but none of us are exactly the picture of mental stability anymore. You have to understand, the world we came from was a hellish place, and for some people, Duran especially, it’s hard to let go of your ghosts.”
“I know, it’s just…”
I didn’t know what I was going to say. That I wanted Sam to stop blaming himself for Micah’s death, along with whatever other tragedy that kept haunting him? It’s easy for me to say, but here I was letting my own ghosts still have a hold on me. I’m sorry, my love. You’ve had to shoulder so much pain, and you refuse to let anyone help. Maybes it’s time we both start sharing each other’s burdens.
I lapsed into silence after that, trying to work though my own past, and the others were aware that I wasn’t in the best place to keep up a conversation. Everyone turned back to their food and devoured their meal while I only picked at mine. I knew I would regret it in a few hours, but I couldn’t stomach another bite when it was in so many knots.
After breakfast, we quickly packed up and set out. The horrible storm from the night before had blown away to reveal bright blue skies and a beautiful day. It was impossible for me to keep sulking when I was surrounded by such beauty, so I soon got over my slight bout of melancholy and perked up to enjoy the day. Sam, when we see each other again, I promise to lay everything on the table, and I want you to do the same. No more ghosts. I’ll help rid you of yours if you help with mine.
I let the fresh air and sunshine wash away everything and just basked in the open air as we rode. Two hours later, and we came out of the woodlands and found a small town, right where Gil had said it would be.
“Welcome to Odelpha, a town where we bes
t keep an eye on our purse strings,” Makenna said.
Odelpha didn’t give off any bad vibes as I glanced about the town as we rode in. We crossed back near the Salted Mire, and the scent of salt clung in the back of my throat, but the town itself seemed fine. Most of the buildings were built of rough, dark wood with muted windows and worn wooden roof tiles. A few buildings were made of stone, namely the largest building in the center of town that looked like a house but much larger. Mansions. I think that’s what Sam called them. It was built on solid ground, while further towards the marshlands, houses and buildings were on wooden stilts raised off the ground, which looked perpetually wet and muddy.
We stayed on the main road and made our way to the largest building next to the stone mansion. From the sign swinging in the wind it looked like an inn. It was a three-story building equally as worn as the others around town, and the windows were too dark to see inside, but even through the thick wood door, music mixed with loud conversation and shouting. We stopped at the front porch, hitched our horses, and went inside.
It was dark. Even though there were a dozen lanterns along the wall and a fire roaring on the far corner, it only helped to cast dancing shadows along the wall. Thirteen tables were scattered around the floor, most of them packed with people. Men and women of all types, but each of them looked worse for wear, like none of them had eaten a decent meal in a few days, and they all eyed us hungrily as we entered.
Gill and the others didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest. Each of them wore hard glares as they stared down the inn’s patrons. Most of the withering looks faded, and people went back to nursing their drinks and food.
However, it seemed one of the patrons didn’t take the hint and gathered the courage to attempt to pickpocket Evelyn. I didn’t see the man approach but couldn’t miss his screech as Evelyn suddenly moved and grabbed him by the throat. I turned as she lifted him with one hand as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
The man was young, just out of his youth, and clearly the life he’d led had been a hard one. His blond hair was shaggy and greasy, and his blue eyes were hazy, like he was drunk or worse. His teeth were black and rotten as he gasped an apology to Evelyn, kicking and squirming in her grasp.
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