Blood flowed like a crimson river down his chest, soaking into his clothes and puddled in the floor below him. He gurgled, and his eyes fluttered. “No!” I sobbed, grabbing him as Altair released his hair. “No. Wesley! No!” I screamed. His green eyes fluttered.
“I’m so sorry, Wesley. I’m so sorry!” Hot tears streaked down my face. My body heaved in sorrow. He tried to say something but couldn’t. I saw the life flow out of his emerald eyes as they clouded over, and he stilled. The blood still poured from him as his soul slipped away.
I couldn’t hear anything. I grabbed him and held him to my chest. “No. No. No. No. No.” I repeated over and over. I wasn’t sure if I was speaking aloud or not. I just knew that my heart had broken. Wesley died. Wesley died because of me. He died because of me. Because he was married to me. Because he loved me. Because I loved him. Because he was family. It was my fault.
I rocked his lifeless body back and forth. I finally looked up, and through bleary eyes saw Lillian curled in a ball a few feet away, covering her face, rocking herself back and forth.
A guard grabbed her. “No. Lillian. No! Let her go!” I screamed, my voice ragged. He shoved Lil toward Faric. Annette was ushered past us as well, tears flowing down her face as her eyes met mine. She mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
“Annette. No. Lil!” I screamed, rocking Wesley, running my fingers through his hair. Rachel was being held by two guards. She jumped and bucked to get free without success. Her tearstained face was tortured. She screamed Wesley’s name, grabbing for him through the air as they dragged her toward the door, toward Faric.
“Rachel! I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Rachel. Faric, take care of them. Please. Take care of them.” He nodded and grabbed
Rachel away from the guards and the doors slammed shut. I kissed Wesley’s cold lips and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Wes, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I rocked him back and forth.
My hands and body and clothes were soaked with his blood. I wanted to go back in time to say something to save him, to kill Altair before he killed Wesley—my teacher, my husband, my friend, my family. I was jerked away from him, and his body slumped to the stone below, his hair soaking with the pooled blood beneath him. His once lively emerald eyes, glazed and cloudy, looked toward heaven. I prayed he had already entered the gates.
I was immediately dragged back to my room, kicking and screaming. The same women prepared yet another hot bath, removing the boiling water from over the fireplace and dumping it into the half-filled bathtub. The guards exited, no doubt, standing outside. I was disrobed and guided into the tub. I was numb. Body, mind and soul. Numb.
My hair and body were washed. The remnants of Wesley’s blood stained my bathwater pink and then red. I was dried and placed in a long-sleeved, floor-length yellow cotton gown. I walked to the cot and covered myself in its blankets and cried until I slept, praying for Faric’s strength and the safety of my friends.
I woke with a start in the night. Something had clanged just outside my door—metal on metal. I sat up and threw the covers back, grabbing the only thing nearby that I could wield against them, a held up a wrought iron candlestick. It could totally be a club. I heard a key turn in the metal lock of my door and positioned myself behind the door. A dark silhouette slowly stepped into my room. I couldn’t tell who it was. Male or female. But I figured it was probably more foe than friend. I raised the candlestick and prepared to swing it at the head of the intruder until he turned around.
“Matthias?” I said, lowering the candlestick slightly. “Why are you here?”
“I’m going to take you to Faric, but we must leave quickly. Here”—he thrust a gray wool cape toward me—“wear this. It will help cloak you. You look like a flower.”
“What? Thanks,” I muttered, throwing the cape on. I kept my grip on the candlestick and pulled the hood over my head.
“Faric and I are friends. He explained everything last night.
Altair is a mad man. I know you are the chosen. So we need to get you to safety,” he said as if asking a question. His light brown eyes illuminated against his dark skin and cloak.
I nodded. He bunched the cot’s blankets and pillows to look as if someone were sleeping in them and then locked the door behind us. Enveloping my hand in his, he led me down stairways, through hidden passages that lay behind enormous draperies, down narrow corridors, and into a basement of sorts. He lifted a wooden door in the floor ahead of us and stepped down before me to keep the door open as I ducked under and stepped down into the darkness of an underground tunnel.
We ran through tunnels, twisting and turning in the earth. I imagined the hill of the ant with its passageways weaved through the ground with precision. Emerging in the forest near a huge glistening lake just before dawn, a horse awaited us. Wait, one horse? Reading my face, Matthias winced and explained that it was his own, and he only had one. To take another would have drawn too much attention. He explained that the strong stallion could handle our weight without any problem. I brushed my fingers through his caramel mane in apology for the extra weight he would have to carry. Matthias climbed onto the stallion’s back and held out his hand, helping me up. I sat in front of him. He grabbed the reins around me and led the horse forward, around the lake, and further into the forest ahead.
It was almost dark when we stopped. A river rushed past nearby and several large moss-covered boulders dotted the valley floor. We decided to camp in the middle of five megaliths, hoping they, along with our campfire, would deter forest animals. I gathered firewood from nearby trees, and Matthias grabbed some food from his bag. He made our fire in silence and then began to prepare our meal. He split amongst us fresh rolls, a pear, some jerky and a lemon pastry. We ate in silence.
“So how did you know? Or when did you know?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “Well, I didn’t know until after the reveal. Faric, or who I thought was Faric, showed up at my and Wesley’s house and told us he needed to get me to safety because I was the chosen.” I explained how he had manipulated the calendars and the reveal happened a day sooner than it should have, buying me time to escape before I was marked. I explained how Riven had impersonated Faric, how I had been marked by both heaven and hell, and that it was not near as pretty as my tattoo looked. It was hell. Both portions of the mark were hell, painfully and mercilessly given.
contemplated my explanation for a while. “Your eyes are neat.” He smiled.
“I thought they were weird, but when they freaked Altair out, I think I fell in love with them.” I smiled and laughed at the thought. He laughed with me.
“They definitely freaked him out”—he laughed—“but they freaked me out too. You scared the crap out of me!”
“I know,” I said, smiling with satisfaction as I bit into the luscious lemon goodness.
Matthias stood up and dusted off his pants. He turned to me, the smile fading fast from his face and said, “Solara, I’m really sorry about Wesley. I knew Altair was a monster, but I didn’t know he would do that. I wish I could’ve snuck the others out, but I had to make sure you were safe and could escape. I was told you were the chosen, and I knew it was my duty under God to protect you.” With that, he turned and walked away. My lids were unable to contain their flood, and tears splashed down my face. It wasn’t Matthias’s fault that Wesley was dead. It was mine.
I cried for my friend. My husband. I remembered how sweet his smile was, how he played his cello so hauntingly perfect and his dimple and his beautiful green eyes. I remembered how he asked for permission to apply for my hand, how I’d agreed to the same and prayed he would be awarded it and how relieved and happy I was to marry him. Had I loved him the way he deserved?
No. I wasn’t in love with him yet, though I did feel confident that my love for him would grow in time. I think he felt the same. Attraction was definitely not a problem for us. Recalling our wedding night, I blushed and brushed away more tears. His touch had been so gentle. He was
so selfless, drinking the elixir to put himself into a sleep, a vulnerable sleep. One that Altair, being the snake he is, undoubtedly took advantage of. It made me sick.
How would I ever be able to face Rachel? They’d probably arrived at Jacob and Ruth’s house by now. I wasn’t sure how much further we would travel, but I would undoubtedly be looking at her light brown eyes and strawberry blonde hair soon. I was so afraid that all the bubbly, bouncy energy that was Rachel had been extinguished. I buried my face in my hands.
What about Lillian? What would she think? She was so afraid. She shook and huddled into herself and rocked back and forth like a scared child—tiny and afraid. Her once light blonde hair was dingy and matted, her clothing torn, dirt smudged on her elfin face. Would she be crushed by the weight of Riven’s deception? Did she love her husband? Had she romanticized him in her mind? Was she thankful that he’d ridden into the kingdom and saved her? Her knight in shining armor.
Annette looked broken wobbling on the cold stone floor in front of Altair. Her body was weakened and her spirit was broken. How would one mend such deep rooted wounds? Where would I even start? Was it my place? Would Riven and Faric hate me—Ladybug who had taken Annette from them in their childhood? I curled up between the gnarled roots of an oak tree and fell asleep, tears streaming over my temple into my hair.
I was walking along a beautiful wide path in a colorful fall wood. Rainbow leaves fell all around me. A brook sang nearby. Birds chirped as they migrated south in search of receding warmth.
I smiled and spun around in swirling, falling leaves. I heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Wesley walking toward me with one hand in his pocket. The other ran back through his brown wavy hair. His green eyes sparkled with life just as I remembered them. He smiled and my heart leapt. The ice around it melted instantly. “Wes!” I shouted. “You’re alive!”
He grabbed my waist and spun me around. “No, Lara. I’m not alive. But I have something important to tell you. First, my death was not your fault. It was Altair’s, and he will pay for his deeds. Second, you are in danger. Wake up!”
I startled and looked around me in the darkness. The fire crackled in front of me. Matthias was asleep opposite me, the fire between us. Looking frantically around us, I saw nothing out of place.
Nothing dangerous, though dangerous and evil things loved to cloak themselves in darkness. They fed on the black like starved ravenous beasts. Then a low growl erupted from the trees just beyond Matthias. He stirred and rubbed his eyes. Another growl, low and guttural. He stumbled back toward me and pulled a long knife from his boot. What is with all the boot knives? “What was that?” he whispered.
I shrugged, wide-eyed, trying to peer into the darkness. It was impossible with the campfire in our line of vision. Then a large tan paw stepped out of the shadow followed by another. Then we could both see it and both tried to climb back into the tree behind us. A cougar. It was a sleek tawny muscle, save for its green eyes and sharp white teeth licked by its pink tongue. It growled again, deep and menacing as it stalked forward.
We were trapped. Nowhere to run. The animal had the advantage. It would be faster than we could possibly run. It could climb faster as well. My heart slammed angrily in my chest. Matthias extended the knife toward the stalking animal. It apparently did not appreciate the threat, releasing a menacing, guttural growl. It crept alongside the fire and began to crouch low to the ground. I knew what was coming and braced myself.
As the cat began to leap forward toward us, time seemed to slow. I screamed and grabbed hold of Matthias, pushing him behind me. My scream was not my own. It sounded as though a thousand voices were screaming from my mouth. The giant feline twisted itself in midair and turned, grabbing claws full of dirt and ran as fast as it could away from us. Matthias, who had gripped his ears, turned to look at me. He shook, even his lips shook as he took me in. He backed away from me, and I let loose of him.
“What...what was that?” he stammered.
“I think it was a cougar, mountain lion, or whatever. Good grief,” I said, grabbing my chest to steady my heart and breath.
“Not the cat! Solara, what was that? You sounded demonic or something. Did you hear yourself? Am I going crazy? Maybe I’m going crazy. Am I still dreaming?” He stood and started to rapidly pace back and forth in front of the fire.
“I heard it, and I don’t know, okay. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know why I sounded like that, but I am glad I did, or we’d be kitty food for a big freaking cat, Matthias!” I yelled.
He calmed down and said, “Yes. Okay. Thanks. I think. Sorry. Sorry, I yelled.” His pace slowed, and he raked his hands through his long hair. “I think we should get going.” As he uttered those words, the sky opened up, and the storm that Jacob and Ruth had warned us about crashed down upon us.
We wound through the darkness, soaked to the bone, into a thick section of forest. Thorns grabbed my cloak and dress, ripping into my flesh. I prayed Matthias knew the way, especially in the dark, in a storm such as this.
We stopped at dawn to rest and feed the horse Matthias had ‘borrowed’. We ate our breakfast, which were apples and chunks of bread, as the rain steadily beat down, but the torrents stopped. My cloak and dress hung heavy and loose from my body. “How much farther?” I asked. “Not that I’m not enjoying your company.” I smiled, and he returned the favor. He didn’t seem freaked out by me anymore.
“Maybe another ten miles or so. It’s hard for me to estimate. I know where they live, but it had been awhile since I’ve traveled it, especially by horse, and I’ve never traveled horseback with another.” He glanced up at me with those light brown eyes, and I could see gold flecks swimming in them. “What?”
“You caught me looking. Your eyes are very unique. They’re stunning,” I admitted, feeling a bit bashful that I’d been gawking at his irises.
He laughed. “You’re one to talk! Your eyes are purple. Very purple. And do you realize that you smell of lavender? Maybe your eyes influence your scent!”
We laughed and stretched, letting our horse gather his strength.
It was midmorning when we found the woodland trail that led to Jacob and Ruth’s home. I could see the roof of their home in the distance, smoke rising from their fireplace. Salt hung in the air as we drew nearer. I’d grown to love that smell of brine and ocean. If magma was the earth’s lifeblood, the ocean was its soul. I begged its calm to envelop me as we approached the house—the house that held my loved ones. I envisioned Rachel with tears flowing down her soft cheeks. She would never forgive me for her brother’s death. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the waves I could now hear lapping the shoreline.
Matthias guided the horse to a tree just beside the house, jumped down, then grabbed my waist and helped me down as well. I was still sopping wet, although the rain had ended somewhere in the last mile. He tethered the horse to a tree, and then disappeared into the house. I heard pans clanging inside the window next to me. Ruth was rummaging around the kitchen. Matthias moved toward Jacob, and the two embraced as two old friends would and slapped each other’s shoulders, laughing.
Ruth looked out the window at me, and I turned my head. The next thing I knew, she was outside, running toward me. Tackling me in a huge and surprising embrace, she squeezed me tight and told me how happy she was that I was safe and had made it back. She dragged me inside. My sopping wet clothes hung ever closer to the ground. “This won’t do, honey. Come on in. You need dry clothes and a seat in front of the fireplace.” With that, she grabbed my elbow and jerked me back into her bedroom. She found a long-sleeved royal-blue gown for me. It was dry and warm, and for that, I was thankful.
I peeled off the wet cloak, dress, and undergarments. She threw some of her old ones at me and turned to grant me some privacy as I dressed. I dodged a towel she’d thrown at me and wrapped my hair. “Blanket. Fireplace. Now,” she barked, pointing toward the fire. She went to work in the kitchen, and before I knew it, she thrust a bowl of chic
ken broth in front of me, smiling sweetly. Her bump was a little more pronounced, and she tucked dark wisps behind her ears.
“Thank you, Ruth. You’re always so kind to me.” She smiled and went back to work in the kitchen. I hadn’t seen anyone but Ruth. Jacob and Matthias and the guys were outside. Looking around, I wondered where everyone else was.
“They’re visiting Rafe, Athena, and Aniya for a bit. They should be back in a few hours,” she said as if reading my mind.
“Oh. Okay. Um, how are they? I mean. Rachel, is she...”
Ruth pursed her lips and tried to smile. “She is doing fair, considering.”
Tears streamed down my face. “She hates me, doesn’t she? I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.” My body shook with sobs. She came over and hugged my shoulders and shushed me.
“She isn’t angry with you at all. She’s angry with Altair. As she should be. You are not responsible for the actions of a mad man.”
I cried until my tears would no longer flow, and I curled up in front of the fireplace wrapped in the warm blanket and fell asleep.
I awoke to the sound of several voices around me and blinked the bleariness from my eyes. No doubt they were red and swollen. I’d cried more in the past two days than I ever had in my life. Jacob stood behind Ruth at the kitchen table and rubbed her belly, her hands atop his. Matthias and Faric were standing near the door, talking, looking out toward the ocean trail. Aniya sat by herself in the windowsill to my left, and Athena sat beside Riven on the small sofa behind me. She might as well have been sitting on his lap. His arm lay around her shoulders. Her head lay on his shoulder, her arm slung across his stomach tracing circles onto his abdomen. She wore a smirk on her face while his face was stern and devoid of emotion. Lillian and Annette sat on a small bench near Aniya’s window.
Pariah (The New Covenant Series) Page 20