AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I heard a rustling nearby, followed shortly by the hiss of a lantern. Demos appeared at my side.
“I’m here. Thirsty?” he asked.
Embarrassed, I shook my head. “Um… I need to use the privy.”
He set the lantern down on the little table beside me, then pulled out something from under the bed. A chamber pot. Lovely.
Thankfully, I managed to do my business with as much dignity as I could, needing no assistance. My relief at emptying my bladder superseded any shyness. Demos helped me back into bed, then handed me a cup of water.
I almost rolled my eyes at him—he was always pushing me to drink—but even that took effort. I drank it all down, though, then laid back against the soft pillows, breathless, closing my eyes. He took back the cup and let out the flame in the lantern, leaving us in darkness. I sensed he was still standing near the bed.
“Get some sleep, Sierra.”
I tried to get comfortable, but something was missing. After several minutes I knew what it was. He wasn’t beside me. It was like I was missing a limb.
“Demos, lie down with me?” My voice sounded timid, and I hated it. I felt stupid. Part of me knew that whatever it was we had been to one another had changed. But another part of me, my body, knew his like the back of my hand and expected him to be there, always.
In the silence, I could hear crickets chirping and a breezy, soft rustling of trees. The window in the cabin was open, and I could smell the mineral-rich scent of a stream.
“I’ll be near if you need me, Sierra,” he said. The floor creaked as he walked away.
Gods, his rejection hurt. My eyes filled with on-coming tears, but I fought them down, swallowing what felt like a giant lump in my throat. I turned to face the wall and curled up on my side, my heart breaking.
I just wanted to go home.
How had this happened? Pieces of memories hovered at the edge of my awareness but were too out of reach, frustrating me. I knew if only I could put them together, things would become clear. But the more I searched, the further they fled. I hated how my mind felt thick like wool, how my body had lost its strength. I hated wanting Demos. I hated how he didn’t want me.
Sleep finally claimed me. I dreamed I was back in the coach, on the road to Great Mountain. Lucinda was with me, her hands busy with her needlework. I looked out onto the landscape through the coach’s window. Snow was falling, the sky a swirl of gray heavy clouds.
The coach stopped with a lurch, and Lucinda and I fell forward. I banged my head and felt blood dripping from the wound. I asked her if she was hurt, too, but people were shouting—an angry, bitter sound. The coach rocked as if by a giant hand. Lucinda screamed, and I looked over at her, only to see the coach door ripped open by an Ongahri warrior. Blood marked his cheeks and mouth, his eyes dark and filled with intense menace. He pulled Lucinda out of the coach and tossed her over his shoulder.
Next to me, the coach window shattered, leaving only its frame. A muscled arm reached through it and grabbed at me. I screamed, trying to scramble out the other side of the now ripped open coach. I pulled away from him, my arm practically tearing at my shoulder, and escaped outside. I ran as fast as I could, calling out Lucinda’s name.
“There’s the princess!” someone yelled. Howls rent the air like a pack of wolves had joined in on the horror. I ran faster, snow falling in my eyes. A maze of trees passed by as I ran, my feet blistering on the soles from rocks and sticks. I tripped on a tree root, falling to my knees, but I got back up. I ran faster. A gush of liquid ran down my legs, causing me to slip and fall to the ground once more.
“I found you,” a dark voice growled, and the sound clenched my stomach in fear. I scooted back, on my bottom, attempting to escape. “You can’t run anymore, woman. You belong to us.”
I searched the man’s face and recognized Fadon. “I belong to no one!” I screamed at him.
He laughed, throwing back his head. “No matter where you are, Princess, your fate is sealed now. You know I speak truth.” He walked closer.
I had to get away, but how?
My back hit a tree and I looked up. The tree was massive, its branches low. I eyed Fadon, then the tree above me, wondering if I could climb fast enough, high enough, to get away from him.
The branches moved, raining down leaves. An owl. White as snow, and larger than my arm, it flew straight at me. Its yellow eyes were on me as it landed on the ground between me and the Ongahri captain. I watched in awe as it spread its wings. Higher and higher they unfolded until the wingspan was wide enough to block out everything before me.
My attention was caught by someone calling me over and over. Someone grabbed my shoulder and I screamed.
“Sierra, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
Demos.
Gasping for air, I sat up. The cabin was dark. Demos pulled me to him, and I laid my sweaty head on his shoulder.
“Breathe,” he said against my hair.
In and out, in and out. My heart was galloping in my chest. My lungs felt useless, but I kept pacing my breaths until, finally, they became even.
