“Where is everyone?” Darius asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Something feels wrong.” Troy said. “It’s too easy.”
“Let’s just get there.”
We approached the other gate and just as I thought, it was closed.
“Shit.” Darius muttered. “We have to open it.”
I looked up to the wall where the doors needed to be opened. “Take my horse. I’ll do it.” I did design the wall after all. If someone could bring it down or at least get through it easy enough, it would be its creator.
I got down off my horse and used my senses to climb the wall to the top. It didn’t seem too difficult. All I had to do was turn one handle for the locks to be removed and turn another to open the doors.
It was loud like I’ve heard before and I looked down over the wall to make sure it was working. That’s when my senses caught something else. I looked up to a tower adjacent to where I was and an archer had just drawn back his bow, pointing it at me.
Our eyes were on each other and I could feel he was very shifty about letting go. The sound of the door was blocked out of my mind as my eyes were on his and his hand began to shake.
Just like the soldiers before, I don’t think he wanted to do it. Would killing a Prince based on false orders make him a hero? I felt questions such as this were going through his mind, knowing the King would surely be furious with the one that done it.
We stood there for what seemed to be the longest seconds of my life and he slowly began to lower it with his eyes still on mine. I was relieved for all of half a second until his eyes moved from mine to down below and drew back the arrow again.
I didn’t have time to let out a sound of a reaction before he let it go and my focus shot down the wall.
Just a muffling sound of yelling echoed in my ear and I didn’t seem focused to make out the words but I saw Darius completely turned around as if he just came through the gate with blood on him.
My reaction was quick. I kicked the handle to release the door and shouted down to them as I hopped over the other side. “Go!”
The doors were closing fast but they made it out before the archer had time to shoot another arrow. Darius’s breaths were quick but he mostly just sounded angry as he broke one end of the arrow that lodged between his shoulder armor and breastplate.
“Are you all right?” I asked, getting back up on my horse quickly.
“Do I fucking look all right? Damn it! That’s going to leave a mark!”
“Let me see.” I got closer and saw that the arrow head had pierced all the way through and was sticking out the back. “We have to get that out.”
“Perhaps farther out.” Troy suggested. “Others are coming.”
I sighed. I really didn’t want to have to do it now with Darius wounded the way he was but we had no choice. “All right. Can you ride? You’re bleeding fast.”
“I’m fine.” He assured me. “Let’s just get out of here please.”
I admired his determination greatly and knew leaving would have been the best choice. We could get out of firing range fast enough now that we had the horses and he could be taken care of then.
We rode for just a couple of miles with my eyes occasionally peering back to make sure we weren’t being followed.
I never thought we would have gotten this far or at least a few days ago that seemed to be impossible. Now getting to you was easy. We knew that you wouldn’t have waited anywhere for us unless it was on the other side of the border and we had a new goal, getting there.
It soon became that getting Darius to Jaylyn was added to that goal. He lost a lot of blood and taking out the arrow helped only enough to wrap it.
Stopping for long periods of rest probably would have made it better for him but we couldn’t take that risk. We had to get over the border. If we were in fact being followed, they’d never follow us there.
He hung on quite well for what he went through. I could only imagine what that was like but I was proud of him. He was really the one that didn’t let us stop. Determined to see Ruby again might have had something to do with that but still. He was strong about the situation even until we made it to you. Something I didn’t know that would really happen but when it did, I couldn’t have been more glad despite everything we’ve done.
Going back would only make things worse for us. We know that but just being with you is what really got us to stay.
Chapter 31
Darius
I didn’t enjoy hearing it again but I think he told it well and things finally settled with Adele—for now at least. I’m sure it would be about something else later the longer we’re together but I still couldn’t believe that he didn’t tell her. Sure, it wasn’t a fun topic. I certainly didn’t want to think that we would never go home but I have already agreed to it if it meant having Ruby. They were together a lot, alone a lot. I just didn’t get how it couldn’t have been mentioned.
At least things were better now. It was obvious she still didn’t like it since she kind of went a bit crazy when she found out but she’s probably thinking about that test. She’s a very determined woman and probably always had it on her mind. No one seemed to worry about it as much as they did but we had a reason not to. Just keeping them alive through this trip was more important. I didn’t down on our return this early. I already knew we would come out victorious. When haven’t we ever been?
The sky lightened—sort of the next morning. There was a constant cloud cover that I hear made all of Kalu fall into an endless night for the first few weeks of spring. It sucked to be brutally honest. I missed the sun.
We endured two more days of travel through the storms before finally coming up on what they called Daeu Lake where there was a house in the middle of nowhere.
“We’ll stop here for the night.” Adele stopped her horse first and started to walk to the stables. “We could all use the rest.”
“What is this place?” Zayden asked?
“It’s my father’s. We used to spend summer’s here.”
I guess it was better than being underground for another night and I bet this place had rooms. I could finally be alone with Ruby again.
We went inside and Ruby went right over to light a fire in the fireplace that was on the right side of the room with two gold-colored couches and a table near it. The left side of the room looked exactly the same and there were two doors along the back. It was spacious so we could also see three doors upstairs as well as two open entryways just below them.
We were all ready to get comfortable but Adele was still standing by the door and she seemed distant.
“Love?” Zayden went to her to get her to move.
“Hmm?”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I just—maybe it was a mistake to come here.”
“Why?”
“Oh, Adele.” Ruby laughed. “Relax. It’s fine.”
She didn’t seem like it was fine and I had to ask, not yet sure if I was sorry about it. “Did something bad happen here?”
Adele hesitated to even answer.
“Bad memories maybe?”
Jaylyn laughed quietly, maybe a little nervously too. “I highly doubt you want to hear about that.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Zayden said. “Maybe we do if you’re making such a big deal out of it.”
“We’re not making a big deal out of it!” Adele snapped.
“Yes you are! You haven’t really even came in yet!”
He did have a point and tried to get her to walk closer towards the couches so maybe she would relax.
“You really want to know? Then fine, I’ll tell you.”
She snatched her hand away and was borderline anxious angry. This should be a fun tale.
Chapter 32
Adele
Why? Why? Why? Why was I doing this? Just to get Zayden to drop it? Not really because I would be telling him about it anyway. I know he really didn’t want to know but he just kept insisting.
“It was almost seven years ago when we decided to take our last vacation together before our official training. We decided to come here again because we spent a couple of weeks here the year before and it was worth it so we asked my father if he could take us. He, of course, was too busy and because we were only fourteen, he didn’t want us going by ourselves. So, to make him feel better, he cleared Trever’s schedule for the summer so he could take us.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Troy said. “It made him feel better to send another kid with you?”
I laughed. “What? Trever wasn’t a kid.”
The Great Seni Fighters looked at each other.
“Oh no.” Ruby smiled. “This is probably going to make things worse if you don’t already know.”
“Already know what?” Darius asked.
“How old they are.”
“Then Trever isn’t your twin?” Zayden asked.
Jaylyn huffed like she was insulted. “No.”
“We knew he’s older. I just thought he was born first or something.”
“He was born first. By like seven years.”
Expressions of the Great Seni Fighters immediately changed. “Seven years?”
“I guess it would be hard to believe because they don’t really act it.” Ruby laughed. “But, yeah, right now Trever is twenty-eight, making Ryon and Kole both twenty-seven.”
“What?!” They shouted it at the same time, leaning a bit forward, only making all of this worse.
“Oh, now you’re making it sound really bad.” Jaylyn muttered.
“Well, it kind of is!” Troy cut in. “That would have made them almost our age when you were―really young.”
Jaylyn let out a smug laugh. “That may have been Adele and I but Ruby has been with my brother since two years prior.”
“What?” Zayden seemed really shocked about all of this. “You were twelve when you were first with him?”
Ruby shrugged, trying to keep the mood light. “We kind of just looked passed that.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Darius muttered. “Even I wait until they’re adults.”
“Well, you’re the ones that wanted to know.” I said, not wanting this to go on for another second. “Trever took us that summer and he brought Ryon and Kole so Jaylyn and I would have some company. There, end of story.”
“And was that the last time you were here?” Zayden asked. “Being why you’re so upset?
“No. The last time we came here was three years ago on our way back from seeing Madam Carla but it was just us then.”
Jaylyn got excited and put her feet up on the couch. “Oh! I’d hate to change the subject—actually not really but we probably didn’t tell you that we’re going to see her!”
“See who? The enchantress?” Troy asked.
“Yeah. We always stop in when we travel south because she knows we’re here.”
Ruby smiled and moved her eyes around the room. “I just had a crazy thought.”
“No.” I said. I knew what that look was insinuating.
“Why not? Shouldn’t that be their choice?”
“Not just. She’ll have to agree.”
“And why wouldn’t she? She’ll know who they are.”
“What exactly are you talking about?” Zayden asked.
“She’s suggesting that when we go see her, you should get a gift from her.”
“Like what you have?” Darius wondered.
“Well, it doesn’t have to be exactly that.” Ruby said. “I’m positive that she knows you’re with us by now so she probably already has something picked out for you, if that’s what you decided.”
“And you really think that’s a good idea?” Troy asked.
Jaylyn smiled and took his hand. “Why not? Being the best in the world only gets better after seeing Madam Carla.”
“But I already have one.” Zayden said, looking at me.
“It’s up to you but if you’re going to you’ll have to let us know because it’s going to take more of our time. It all depends on what you get and how long it takes you to control it. It took us a little less than a week but that’s not really that long. Time goes by fast there.”
The Great Seni Fighters looked at each other and Zayden started getting a smile on his face. “Okay, I guess it couldn’t hurt to try it at least for them.”
“She might be able to give you something else.” Ruby said. “We’d have to ask. She usually doesn’t double-up powers on a single person.”
“Asking may be worth it then.”
Jaylyn smiled. “Good. Then we better get some sleep while we can.” She got up and pulled Troy to his feet then started taking him towards the stairs.
“Go ahead.” I said.
“Me too.” Ruby got up as well.
Darius got up with her and left me down here to fend for myself while Zayden stared at me until the obvious question he was going to ask came out. “So, what are you doing?”
“Concerning what?”
“Where you’ll sleep?”
“Right here.”
“Come on, Love.” Zayden got up and held out his hand. “Come upstairs with me.”
“I’d really rather not. Being in this room is hard enough.”
“Because of the memories?”
It wasn’t just that. His words frustrated me and I just came out with it. “You really want to know why?” My tone made him lower his hand and he just stood there to listen but my voice began to sound more upset with the more I said. I couldn’t stop it. “It’s because this is where it’d all started. My years with Ryon that just led to me ripping out his heart and eating it! He wouldn’t even look at me when we left.”
Zayden let out a breath like he wanted to help me and kneeled down in front of me. “That’s because he’s an ass.”
“It’s not his fault. It’s mine because I’m with you.”
“You regret being with me because you hurt him?” He sounded confused like he was trying to understand it or maybe it offended him.
“No.” I snatched, reaching out to him. “I just—no. I know it’s probably difficult for you to understand or you just don’t want to but I do care about him. Back when he was mentioned the first time to you and I said we weren’t together, I may have been wrong. I didn’t really feel that way but in reality, I haven’t been with anyone besides him in years. Then I was with you and—he saw it and—”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Zayden reached for my hands, holding them firmly in his. “You don’t have to—”
“I just feel awful about it, okay and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s too depressing. None of it can change now. I’m with you. That’s not going to change.”
Zayden smiled and leaned into me, kissing my forehead. “I should be at least glad for that. Now come on. I’m sure I can get your mind off it.” He stood up and held his hand out again but I just couldn’t find it in me to push Ryon’s feelings aside and take it.
“Zayden—”
“I want to help, Love and I know there’s something I can do if—you come upstairs with me.”
He was right, wasn’t he? He always seemed to be but then why was I still feeling like this? Of course I wanted to be with him. I love him but—no. I’m not going to push Zayden away too. He was right and I took his hand.
“That’s my girl.”
And that I was. I would never sacrifice that for anything. I couldn’t no matter how sorry I was and he only proved to me how much I needed him. The way he treated me was an even greater pleasure each time. I could never give this up. His touch brought chills and the love we made brought us both physically and emotionally closer. I knew this is where I wanted to be.
Chapter 33
Zayden
We traveled south for the next four days and rode west for another day just a distance from the southern coastline. I could hear the ocean hidden away from the hills and travel would finally come to a brief end when we saw the water with a town just over the other side.
We stood silently and took in the sight. Every structure was standing above the water with the tide brought in right up to the base of the docked streets, a sight that is surely not seen by anyone living inland but I still had my doubts, not really finding it to be great at all.
“Whose bright idea was that? Building a town over the water?” The others laughed to my insulting tone for its creator.
“Poor location but would you just look at that water.” Troy replied. “I’ve never seen water so blue.”
“Huh, it really is the color of your eyes, Zayden.”
I didn’t have to look to see Darius’s humorous expression and know everyone turned to me. My eyes were still glancing forward, cast in the Maakian sun. I could only imagine how they were comparing the color to the water. “All right. Are you done so we can go?”
Adele smiled and started moving her horse forward first and others followed down the hill toward the pier with the same expression.
Thank you for the compliment but I didn’t need to hear it. I already knew what a spectacular color my eyes are. Having others point it out was pointless to me but the looks didn’t stop. People in the town were watching us as strangers when we rode through like a group of people on horses was something they haven’t seen. Horses in this town seemed pretty scarce and probably unnecessary due to its location. We were sure to draw that unwanted attention to ourselves just by riding on them.
Luckily, we didn’t need to ride through much of the town before we came to the local inn on the right. It was an old shabby place with crooked window and door frames. The windows seemed to have a fogged effect on the exterior from the constant exposure to the salt air and the wood from whence it was made was cracked and coming loose in several places.
“Okay, this time I’d rather stay underground.” Darius muttered.
Ruby pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t laugh loudly and cause more people to look over. I strained to do the same.
Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) Page 15