Sloane scowled at his relaxed response. This wasn’t a game; her sister’s life was in danger, and he was making light of the situation. She kind of wanted to punch a little sense into him. It had certainly worked the last time they fought.
‘Jack…’ Sloane stepped closer and glared down at him. ‘If anything happens to my sister, I’m holding you solely responsible.’ Her eyes emphasised the deadly repercussions of her warning, and he visibly gulped as he nodded in response.
‘Nothing will happen to Rowe; you have my word,’ he replied, all of his light-heartedness suddenly gone. ‘I care about her too, you know.’ Sloane noticed a flicker of a deeper emotion in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly it was difficult to tell what he was feeling.
Sloane tried to relax at his words, but her shoulders remained rigid with tension. When it came down to it, she didn’t trust anyone to protect Rowe but herself, and maybe Rhyn. He could practically defeat an entire army of Brakys single handed, so she was confident he could look after Rowe. Jack, on the other hand, wasn’t the best fighter. Yeah, he was good with technology, and he had a knack for creating highly destructive weapons, but those weren’t the skills needed to protect her sister from the Captain.
Unfortunately, it didn’t matter how she felt about Jack and Rowe staying at the camp, as she couldn’t return there to stop them. Even if she did go back, she had serious doubts her sister could be convinced to leave. When she set her mind on something, Rowe could be almost as stubborn as Sloane.
‘If she gets in trouble, come back to the rift right away,’ Sloane said, knowing she would destroy the camp in its entirety if that moment ever came.
She let out a breath and nodded in the direction of the trees. ‘You should go,’ she said to Jack, though it almost killed her to speak the words aloud. ‘I don’t want Rowe in that camp alone.’
She wanted to be the one going after Rowe, but instead, she was stuck with Rhyn and unable to help her sister. She wanted to go to the settlement and drag Rowe away before she got hurt, but her hands were tied, and there was nothing she could do. She had to trust that Jack would keep Rowe safe. She just hoped he wouldn’t fail.
‘I won’t let you down,’ Jack said, reaching out to touch Sloane’s arm. She didn’t react to his words or his touch. She was seized by worry and was struggling to process it. Letting Jack go felt like losing all control over the situation and she desperately hated the feeling.
‘Be careful out there,’ Rhyn said to Jack.
‘You too,’ he replied, before casting Sloane a troubled look. He seemed like he wanted to say something to console her, but instead, he sighed.
‘Look after yourselves,’ Jack said before turning to walk back across the clearing towards the trees.
Sloane’s chest constricted as he left and her throat felt suddenly tighter than it had before. She wanted to race after Jack and go with him, but she knew she couldn’t return to the settlement and her feet stayed cemented to the ground.
‘What if she gets hurt?’ Sloane murmured, mostly to herself.
Rhyn gripped her arm and turned her to face him. He was so much taller than she was and towered over her when he stood so close, but he lowered himself so he could look her directly in the eyes. ‘Then we will make your father pay. But, for now, we have other problems to worry about.’
His eyes bore into hers until she started to nod. She knew he was right and that she couldn’t focus on Rowe when they only had three days to prepare for her father’s attack.
‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘I can worry about Rowe later.’
She folded her arms over her chest and turned from Rhyn. She looked over at the warriors who were standing guard in front of the rift, and the others behind them who were still making their way back through to Ellysia. How many of them would die if the humans attacked?
They were incredibly strong, but they weren’t completely invincible. Once the ship arrived, the Captain might have enough soldiers to outnumber Rhyn’s forces and potentially overpower them.
The longer she stared at the warriors, the more concerned she became. Humans were like a plague, and they would destroy Aeris and Ellysia to get what they wanted. Her father would send his men to fight for him, and whether or not they knew the truth, they would follow his orders without question.
Humans were always afraid of people who were different, and one look at the Unfaih warriors would have them fearing for their lives. It wouldn’t take much for her father to coerce his men into battle against the Unfaih. Elyx was right; the Unfaih needed to come up with a plan to stop the humans as soon as possible. Sloane knew that fighting against the Captain would end disastrously for everyone, and her heart couldn’t bear the thought of the pain and devastation such a battle would bring.
Rhyn started to pace away from Sloane, heading back in the direction of the rift. It took her a moment to realise he’d left, and she jogged after him to catch up. Her body responded slowly, and her movements were far too sluggish. She could feel exhaustion sapping at her last stores of strength, but she tried to ignore it. She couldn’t afford to be tired. How could she rest when she knew that Rowe was in danger? How could she relax when she could feel a war with the humans bearing down on her like a freight train?
‘Where are you going?’ she asked, falling into step beside Rhyn.
‘Back to Ellysia,’ he replied.
‘What about defending the rift?’ she asked, peering back over her shoulder towards where Elyx was standing. ‘We can’t leave now. They might need our help.’
‘Elyx has it covered for now,’ he replied. ‘But there is a bigger threat coming. If the humans attack, there will be blood on both sides. If they get through the rift, and the Brakys are allowed to add to their numbers, both my people and yours will be wiped out. I only have three days to come up with a plan that will stop us all from getting killed.’
Sloane’s heart seemed to skip a beat as he spoke. He was jumping to the same conclusion she was: that his warriors were strong, but the Captain could overcome them if he had enough soldiers. It was the first time Sloane had ever seen Rhyn concede that his warriors were anything but unbeatable.
‘So we’re screwed,’ she said.
He paused and looked at her, a small smile gracing his lips. ‘I’m not certain what it means to be screwed, but I do know I never said that.’
‘Do you already have a plan?’ she asked, tilting her head as she stared at him. She could feel her curiosity rising as she watched him, and she realised he didn’t seem as hopeless as he probably should—for someone who had just learned that his people were potentially doomed.
‘I have a plan,’ he confirmed before he started walking towards the rift again.
Sloane stumbled as she hurried to catch up with him. ‘Well, what is it?’ she asked.
He took in a short breath, and she sensed he was hesitating. He didn’t turn to look at her, and his focus remained on the rift as they walked towards it. ‘I have to talk to the elders first to see if it’s even possible,’ he said. ‘But, if it is, we may be able to stop this fight before it even begins.’
Sloane frowned, more confused than ever. He was keeping secrets from her, and she couldn’t understand why. They’d been through so much together, and yet it seemed like he didn’t trust her with his plan.
As if reading her thoughts, he looked down at her and caught her gaze. ‘Just trust me,’ he said. ‘I’ll be stopping the humans one way or another.’
She slowly nodded, and he seemed to relax as he turned away from her. She wanted to feel relieved, but instead, she felt a wave of concern. There was an unusual tension in his eyes, and a part of her worried that she wouldn’t approve of whatever he was planning. Rhyn had sworn to stop the humans one way or another, and Sloane believed him. She just hoped he didn’t go too far.
Chapter Four
There were still a few warriors making their way back to Ellysia when Rhyn reached the rift with Sloane at his side. He paused at the back of t
he line as he waited and turned away from the swirling glow of the opening between the two worlds to survey the green clearing he was leaving behind. He scanned the trees that surrounded them and quickly took note of every warrior who was staying to help prepare their defences.
Elyx was already giving his fighters explicit instructions on how to proceed, and Rhyn trusted his second completely to make sure the rift was well defended. That still didn’t stop him from considering every angle of the clearing and how best to utilise the terrain in battle.
He may have been analysing the potential battlefield, but he hadn’t failed to notice the way Sloane was acting as she waited beside him. Ever since Jack had departed, she’d become increasingly withdrawn, and her furrowed brow was only growing more pronounced. She kept spacing out and staring into the distance, her thoughts carrying her far from where they stood.
He knew she was worried about her sister, but that was a problem he couldn’t fix. Rowe would be in danger as long as she was in the human settlement, and there was nothing either of them could do to keep her safe. It was up to Jack to look after her now, as hard as that might be for Sloane to accept.
The suns’ light reflected brightly off of Sloane’s blonde hair. It almost seemed to glow in the light, and though her eyes were dark and her forehead creased in a frown, she looked incredibly beautiful. But the longer Rhyn watched her, the more he noticed how tired she was.
How long had it been since either of them had rested? It had to be a day at least. They definitely hadn’t slept since they left the Brakys’ lair. He could easily deal with such a lack of sleep, but it seemed to be affecting Sloane. Her movements were sluggish, and she looked shaky on her feet. Even her responses to him were stilted when they talked like she had to think carefully about every word she spoke.
‘You look exhausted,’ Rhyn said when he noticed the last fighters returning to Ellysia were gone and the two of them continued towards the rift.
‘I’m fine,’ she replied, though her response seemed distant.
His eyes narrowed, and an idea sparked in his mind. Before he could think it through enough to stop himself from acting, he swept Sloane off her feet and cradled her gently in his arms.
‘What are you doing?’ she gasped, squirming to get out of his grasp. She suddenly seemed more awake, though he knew it was merely from shock.
‘Carrying you,’ he replied.
‘Yeah, I see that genius. Why?’
‘You are going to pass out if you keep walking,’ he replied, a slight grin forming at the corner of his mouth as he looked down at her. He could tell how much she hated being held in his arms this way, but he quite enjoyed their proximity. If she wasn’t so stubborn, he imagined she might enjoy it too.
‘I am not going to pass out,’ she replied. ‘So you can put me down.’
He ignored her and pulled her closer instead, his iron grip making it nearly impossible for her to move. ‘No, I think I will keep you right where I have you.’
She slowly stopped fighting him and let out a sigh. ‘You’re impossible,’ she muttered.
‘So are you,’ he replied, with a smile. He’d never met anyone so stubborn in his life. Her attempts to get out of his arms had been weak at best, and he knew he’d done the right thing. Even now he could see her eyes were struggling to remain open. She was beyond tired, and it warmed him to know that he was helping her—even if she did despise his assistance.
Rhyn pulled Sloane in closer still to his chest as he approached the rift. He knew how exhausted she was because, despite her attempts to fight his hold, her body was already loosening and relaxing into his grasp.
He took in a single breath before he stepped through the thin veil that separated the two worlds. He’d never enjoyed the sensation, but he’d been using the rift between his world and the World of the Woods his entire life, so it no longer bothered him as it once had. He only breathed out again once he was fully back on Ellysia.
He felt a shiver ripple through Sloane’s body, and he stopped suddenly. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, his voice more hoarse than he’d expected. He wanted to smack himself over the head for acting like an infatuated youngster. She’d only shivered from walking through the rift, and he sounded like a fool who didn’t have an ounce of restraint.
He couldn’t help it though; he felt different around her. Just holding her in his arms was enough to make his stomach tighten and his chest warm. He couldn’t understand how she could possibly smell so good. It was like there was some kind of floral scent emanating from her hair and he found it hard to resist dipping his nose closer to smell it.
‘Sloane?’ he asked, sounding more himself this time.
‘It’s just the rift,’ she said, with a small shrug. ‘I don’t understand how you can walk through it without shivering.
‘Years and years of using it.’ Rhyn smiled and started walking again as he regained some of his composure. He approached the steps that led down the side of the mountain to the castellum and paused to make sure he had a firm grip on Sloane before he continued.
She glanced up at him, and he struggled to keep his face neutral as she set her eyes on his. Her eyes were stunning; like nothing he had ever seen before. Suns setting were beautiful, but her eyes evoked emotions in him that the sky certainly couldn’t whenever she looked at him. He felt like he could spend hours staring into their unfound depths. The unusual shade of green reminded him of an intensely burning flame, although that was probably more to do with the anger that usually radiated from her stare rather than the particular colour.
‘You really don’t have to carry me,’ she said.
But, I want to, he thought. ‘You won’t make it five steps without collapsing, and it’s too risky on the stairs down to the village.’
‘To the village?’ she exclaimed. ‘I thought we were going to the castellum.’
‘I need to go to the village to meet with the elders,’ he replied. ‘It’s also probably best if you avoid the castellum for now. I can’t be certain when my father will return, and he would not understand if I allowed a human so close to the Liftsal.’
Rhyn half expected her to argue back, but instead, she sighed and nodded. ‘I suppose you’re right,’ she replied.
‘You agree?’ he choked out, disbelief colouring his voice.
‘I’m not totally unreasonable,’ she fired back.
His thoughts told him otherwise, but he at least had the sense not to say them aloud.
‘And as much as I want to stay close to the rift, I know what it’s like to have a stubborn father,’ she muttered into Rhyn’s chest. Her head bowed slightly at her words, and she suddenly seemed smaller to Rhyn. For a brief second, she almost appeared vulnerable, but the show of openness disappeared in a flash. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were as hard as steel.
‘If you’re going to insist on carrying me you should probably start taking me somewhere,’ she said, nodding her head down the steps they stood at the top of. ‘I don’t want to wait here in your arms all day.’
‘Maybe I do,’ he replied.
Her eyes flashed with anger, but he merely chuckled and began to carefully make his way down the stairs before she could try to wriggle from his grasp again. She was surprisingly strong for a human and had nearly gotten loose when he first picked her up.
‘Deep breaths, Sloane,’ he said when she continued to bristle in his arms. ‘Just relax, and I’ll have you free of my arms in no time.’
She sighed and looked away from him. He didn’t particularly like the idea of letting her go. Holding her so close to him felt natural like she was made to fit in his arms. The longer he spent with her, the more convinced he became that she was a match for him. They always bickered like crazy, but it was the fire within her that he loved so much. He’d nearly lost her too many times already, and he couldn’t seem to handle the thought of it happening again.
When the avalanche had almost buried her outside the Brakys’ lair, his heart had practically s
topped beating. He had never felt such total panic before, and at that moment he had realised that he truly couldn’t stand a life without her. As much as it annoyed him that Sloane’s father had refused to leave the World of the Woods, a large part of him was glad because it gave him more time to be with her.
He glanced down at Sloane and frowned at his train of thoughts. The girl had him completely enthralled. He could only imagine his father’s response if he found out Rhyn had fallen for a human.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and continued past the tall castellum walls. He could see several of his warriors peering down at him from behind the battlements. He wondered what they would think of him carrying Sloane, and how long it would take for the gossip to spread. He wasn’t particularly bothered by the thought though. Rhyn knew he had been the talk of the whole village since the moment he brought Sloane to their world. He was probably the talk of every village within a days ride. His fascination with the human girl was apparent to anyone with eyes. They couldn’t stop him from being with her though. No one could—not even his father.
He started across the plateau towards the cliff edge and the steps that led to the valley far below. Sloane’s head began to droop into his chest more and more the further they walked, and it wasn’t long before he heard the steady sound of her breath.
His heart did a strange stutter as he realised she was sleeping in his arms. He’d never believed it was possible to gain her trust in such a way, and yet there she was, resting peacefully within his grasp.
A part of him wanted to stand there forever and watch her sleep, but he knew she would rest better in a bed, so he started down the steps to the village. He took his time though and relished in the rare peace a sleeping Sloane provided.
When he reached the village, he didn’t head towards Orelle’s home. Instead, he started towards his own. Sloane was likely to complain about staying with him, but with his father’s imminent return Rhyn couldn’t risk taking her to his mother’s house. He rarely used his own house in the village, as he needed to be near the other clan warriors. Most of them lived in the castellum to help guard the Liftsal, so he too usually resided there. But, for appearances, he couldn’t have Sloane near the Liftsal, and he wanted to keep her close. Especially when there was every chance she’d attempt to get back to the human settlement and go after her sister.
The Oblivion Stone (The Liftsal Guardians Book 3) Page 4