“She’s right.” Zayden agreed. “Let’s go.”
We swiftly rode up the street, not stopping to look back.
“You better just get out of here.” Knox said as he walked out of the inn. “They’ll be coming this way.”
“Knox, please, they’ll kill you for helping us.” Adele said. “Don’t say you knew.”
“We all have our ends. I know what needs to be done and I’ll hold them off from leaving so you can finish it.”
Adele was just staring at him but Zayden seemed to know what he meant and nodded. “You’re a good man, Knox. We’ll miss you.”
“There’s no time! Get out of here!” He slapped the back of one of the horses and it went running with the rest following after it.
We ran off the pier, back to shore and stopped up on the hill.
“Do it, Love.” Zayden said.
Adele snapped her head to him with a look of confusion. “Do what?”
“Destroy it! Before they escape!”
“That wasn’t part of the job.”
“And I doubt your discovery was either. You must!”
“I can’t.” Adele’s voice lowered when she looked towards the pier again, thinking of Knox and Milee and all of the other innocent people that were trapped there. It was sad, wasn't it?
“He’s accepted it. He said his fate was to help us and he has. His purpose is complete. Just do it.”
Adele didn’t want to think that he was right and her eyes started to water. I didn’t want to either but what else could be done?
“Ruby.” I said.
“Hold my horse. This is my fault, I’ll do it.” I nodded as I took the reins of her horse and Ruby got down then started walking down the hill.
“Ruby, wait.” Adele brought her horse forward. “It must be done from a distance.”
“I can do it, Adele.”
“I know. Just take out the main dock so they can’t escape and I’ll submerge it in water to make it quick.”
“With this?” Ruby took a tiny bundle of cloth from the handle of her sword.
“I was thinking about attaching it to something big.” Adele looked over to a large rock sticking out of the hill with a smile.
“I think it will work.”
“You only have a few seconds after lighting it.”
Troy laughed. “You plan on moving that?”
Ruby glared over at him. “Did you just laugh?”
Her eyes turned red and I backed up with the horses. Things were about to get messy. “You might want to move.”
Ruby punched a hole in the side of the rock and Troy looked on in amazement. She placed the bundle inside the hole and let part of the string hang out and she lit it with her swords. She looked towards Adele and Adele nodded. Ruby put both her hands on the rock and began to lift it.
The ground cracked and the sound of roots snapping was heard as she removed the boulder from the hill.
“Does this look like I’m moving it to you?” Troy remained speechless and she threw it towards the pier.
“Doesn’t it make you feel threatened?” Darius smiled, seeing Troy’s wide eyes.
He still couldn’t say anything and watched the rock land on the dock then explode with fire, cutting off the access to the shore.
“Shit! What was that?!” Darius asked, surprised to see what had happened.
“My little discovery.” Ruby whispered.
“Don’t say it like it was fun.” I sighed. “You almost got us all killed when you fell into that.”
Ruby laughed to the truth. “Okay, Adele. It’s ready.” Adele was just staring at the old town over the water and it was like she didn’t hear her. “Adele!”
She blinked and looked over. “I know. I’m on it.” She got down off her horse slowly, taking her time. I knew she still felt wrong about doing it but a part of her must have knew something had to be done because she stepped forward and pulled the water closer to shore.
I expected to see the town swallowed by the giant wave but it just stopped right before wiping it out.
“Ah, Adele?” I asked, seeing the water like it was frozen from moving another inch.
“I don’t know.” She moved her hands again, trying to make the wave move. “It’s not—”
“Do it, Love!”
“I’m trying to!” She was only getting more frustrated with herself. “It’s not doing anything!”
“Oh, no.” Ruby muttered. “Adele, stop.”
“What?”
“That’s what.”
The water went back down and I felt it before anyone even turned their head. This was not good. Kole was standing alone on the hill with no one else in sight.
“What are you doing?” He asked with a voice of sheer disapproval that I’ve heard many times before. “Have you lost your mind?”
“We have to.” Adele tried to explain.
“Did they tell you that?” Kole took a quick glance towards the Great Seni Fighters and I just hoped he wasn’t here to do anything.
“There is no other way. Let me.”
“No. What do you think that will accomplish? That they’d finally be free? Everyone would be dead.”
“Kole—”
“Just get out of here. Your job is done. It’s not up to the Assassin to take it any further. You know that. Don’t listen to your bad conscience.” He met Zayden’s eyes for just a split second and Adele looked at him too, still seeming undetermined about what to do. “Just because they came here for you doesn’t make this any less enemy territory to them. They don’t care who dies. Even if it’s children. Don’t be them because you don’t want me as your enemy.”
Adele shifted her look back to Kole and they stared at each other. His eyes were still, easy but they were casting a threatening truth. She looked over at me and I was worried. I saw it and tried not to say anything about it while trying to get Adele to just leave it and go.
She knew exactly what I meant, also not wanting to make Kole a threat and got back on her horse. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t let it keep you awake.” Kole said. “I’ve got it from here.”
We started moving away without another word and Kole watched with a growing victorious smile.
We traveled back east through a long silence and all I thought about was what Kole had said. Did he mean it? Was it real? Is that really what they thought? It started to make me realize that it was and we’ve been blind to notice. Adele must have hated herself for even thinking of destroying that town. Not everyone in it was at fault and she could have just made a huge mistake.
“What is it, Love?” Zayden rode alongside her, watching.
“Nothing.” Adele muttered, keeping her eyes from his.
Zayden looked around at us and we all seemed to know that was a lie but even Ruby and I kept our looks short without any real answers.
“No, really. What’s with you three?”
“I can’t believe what you almost had me do!” Adele bursts out.
“It was necessary.”
Adele laughed but the sound was more in anger. “No it wasn’t! Kole was right, wasn’t he? You really don’t care.”
“And why should we?”
“You’re here. I thought maybe you changed but you can’t. War is your life and that’s always how you’re going to see it no matter where you go.”
“If that’s how it really was, I wouldn’t be here right now. I came for you. War or not.”
“Why?! So you can turn me into you?! A careless, heartless being with no soul! Well, save yourself some time because that will never be me!” She sped off on her horse before anyone could have gotten out a word.
“Nothing like making it worse, isn’t it, Zayden?” Ruby asked as she started riding after Adele.
I sighed while staying behind and watched them ride ahead. “This is going to be the next longest days of my life.”
“Are you mad?” Troy asked.
“Why? Because Kole was actually right? That’s no
t really what I’m worried about right now. I don’t care what he thinks about you even if it is true. What I care about is trying to fix Zayden’s problem.”
He looked confused. “I have a problem?”
“You haven’t noticed? You fight too much.”
“That’s not completely my fault.”
“I know that but that doesn’t exactly help with our test, the actual reason you’re here. You have to know Adele’s been hurt too much and that’s why she hates everything. It takes her a long time for her to trust someone so when she does, it means something. If that’s ever taken away, she makes sure it’s for good. You shouldn’t want that.”
“What do you expect me to do? Take away her opinion? I think that would lead things in the wrong direction.”
“No. This time you’ll do nothing. I’ll fix this.”
“You?” Darius laughed.
“Well, she listens to me and it’s wise to consult an expert on these things.”
“What things?” Zayden asked.
“Guy problems. I’ve been through it all so that makes me the expert. I’ll see if I can get through to her but you better hope she still loves you as much as I think she does because I know you didn’t give up your life in Seni for this.”
“Good luck.”
“Well, not everyone can be as perfect as Troy!”
“Too bad.” Troy smiled.
“But I have hope for you. Either that or she’ll go back to Ryon and I doubt you want that either.”
“Of course not!”
“Was he with Kole?” Darius asked. “I didn’t see anyone else.”
“No. Kole was alone. He can get down here within a day if he needed.”
“Like how? Does his gift allow him to run crazy fast?”
Crazy fast? I laughed. “No. He doesn’t run. I’ll tell you but you’ll have to open your minds.”
“Okay.” Zayden said oddly.
“Are they open?”
“Enough.”
“Okay. He—flies.”
They all looked over at each other with eyebrows raised in the same surprised expression.
“Flies?” Darius wondered like he was just trying to make sure he heard me right.
“Yeah. He has wings. How do you think they got into Seni so quickly?”
“Like a little bird?” Zayden asked.
“Yeah but they’re not little by any means. They’re huge. They have to be to carry his weight.”
“You sound happier just talking about it.” Troy pointed out, not sounding too thrilled with doing so.
“Someone’s jealous.” Darius whispered.
“Shut up!”
“It’s nothing like that.” I assured Troy. “I’ve only seen them twice and the first time was on accident. He doesn’t show them to anyone.”
“Then you’re sure he was alone?” Zayden asked.
“At least this time, yeah.”
“This time?” Troy asked.
“We’re not stupid. We know they follow us sometimes and this time proved to be worth it.”
“I know.” Zayden sighed. “Because we’re careless, heartless beings with no souls.”
“Don’t hang on to that. I’ll fix it, remember? Just be patient.”
“He can’t.” Darius laughed.
I returned the laugh and started to speed up on my horse, making them give chase. “Then learn!”
Chapter 39
Zayden
We rode in silence for several miles. Adele wouldn’t even look at me, not once. I really screwed things up this time and I knew I was the only one to really change it. I couldn’t let Jaylyn do it. It had to be me.
It wasn’t until sunset that Adele stopped on her horse and hopped right down. She took a few steps away and created an underground shelter for us to stay in like always so I guess that meant we were stopping.
“We’ll get to Madam Carla’s in the morning.” She said with no expression.
“Okay.”
She walked away from us but not into the shelter.
“This might take longer than I thought.” Jaylyn muttered.
“Go inside.” I said, getting down off my horse. “I’ll do it.”
“Zayden, I don’t think—”
“It’s my fault!”
“You’re right about that.” Ruby laughed.
I turned my head to her with eyes narrowing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That it’s your fault. Was that not clear? It always seems to be you these days.”
“And I’ll fix it.”
“You say it like it will be easy. Nothing about Adele is easy and you take her for granted.”
“I do not.”
“Really? Show him, Jaylyn.”
Jaylyn was quiet and shook her head like she was hiding something and I wanted to know. “Show me what?”
“Fine, then I will.” Ruby reached into a bag of Adele’s stuff and pulled out a bundle of cloth. “On every mission we always return with a souvenir. This time, it was this.” She unwrapped a bloody dagger and showed it to us. “Do you know whose blood this is?”
“Chan’s?” Troy guessed.
Jaylyn let out this slow breath while taking the dagger from Ruby. “No, it’s Adele’s.” My heart collapsed. “I pulled this from her back only moments before Ruby killed him. She’d be dead right now trying to save us if I couldn’t heal her. It’s happened like this many times before but the difference here is you. She didn’t care if she died this time. Maybe she wanted to. Maybe that’s what she was hoping for.”
No. It wasn’t that bad. I wanted someone to tell me that it wasn’t but no one did. I had to do something. “I’m going to find her and I’m going to fix it. You shouldn’t have to do it for me.”
“Okay but please just be patient with her and let her say what she has to say.”
“I will.”
I walked off, ready to find her. It was easy. She wasn’t far.
She took the relaxing silence of the coming night to sit up on a rock, looking out to sea and didn’t even seemed startled or surprised when I approached from behind her. “Is this rock taken?”
I could feel her heart pounding hard like she wasn’t ready for this to happen so soon but she seemed normal while speaking. “I don’t own it.”
I took the phrase as a no and sat myself on the rock next to her. She hadn’t looked over. Her eyes remained out to sea and I knew I needed to get some kind of conversation going if I was ever going to get her to forgive me but I didn’t know where her mind was. She seemed to be mad about two things, what I mistakenly said to her a day ago and what I almost had her do just recently.
I sat there for a moment longer and thought I’d start with a simple apology. “I’m sorry, Love. You don’t have to believe me or even say anything because I know you won’t but I am. I did come here for you but that doesn’t mean that the war has changed. I wish I could say that it has but it hasn’t and I wasn’t trying to turn you into me. Most of the time one of me is too many.” I paused, hoping to get some kind of sarcastic remark out of her but she remained still and said nothing. “Love, I know you’re mad but I can’t do this myself.”
“I’m not talking because I have nothing to say, Zayden.”
“Well, I disagree.”
“Of course. Something we do a lot.”
“Maybe but that’s what makes us, us and I love that. I love how different you are and I would never try to change that.”
“Really?” She finally looked over and I saw the hope in her eyes.
“Of course. There isn’t a thing you do that I don’t like except hating me.”
“Zayden, I don’t hate you.”
“Could have fooled me.”
My plan started to work. I switched our behaviors. “I don’t.” She was urgent to get me to understand. “It’s just that you say things and I don’t know what I should be believing.”
“I didn’t mean it when I said—”
“I know. It’
s all I’ve been thinking about and now that I have, it makes sense.”
“No, Love. It doesn’t. I never should have said it because I really do think there is some kind of tie between us or maybe at least I want there to be because—”
“What?”
I slowly brought up my hand and touched her face. She was so easy to talk to and I told her exactly what she wanted to hear and it was all true. “I love you and I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to say it.”
Adele slowly started to smile and inched herself closer to me. “You don’t have to be sorry. I know it can be hard to say. When I did, it was in an anxious rush to save you but I meant it. I love you too.”
I smiled from hearing her say it right to me for the first time and I moved my hand to the back of her head. I was going to pull her closer to me for a kiss but she pulled away with her own smile and started to get up.
“Where are you going?”
She didn’t say a word. She just smiled and walked down onto the beach, getting out of her clothing along the way. I couldn’t seem to blink as my eyes traced her body and she kept her soft smile while taking her hair down next and letting it fall over her shoulders. “Want to go for a swim?” I still couldn’t take my eyes off her and it seemed I lost my voice while watching. “Zayden?”
“I’m coming!” I got right down off the rock in a hurry and followed her down onto the beach. I wasn’t about to let this opportunity get away.
Adele laughed and dove into the water. She swam out to sea until the water level just covered her breasts and looked back towards the shore.
I was already in the water and swam right up to her. “Don’t start without me.”
She put her arms around my neck and got as close as she could. “Wouldn’t dream of it but you have to promise me.”
“What?”
“Don’t ever take it back.”
“Why would I ever do that? I love you. That will never change.”
Adele smiled and tangled her fingers in my wet hair at the back of my head and kissed me with the passion and desire I’ve been missing. The motion of the water stimulated my senses and I brought my hands down around Adele’s hips and lifted her up. The water made her feel weightless and I effortlessly penetrated her body. Our fight was over and I was glad of it.
Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) Page 19