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“But how can I trust you? You work for the Queen–”
“I don’t.”
“But how–”
“Please, Elara,” he whispered, his lips still shuddering against my skin. “Trust me. She will kill her if I fall out of line.”
“She will kill who?” I tried to pull away, to look at him, to beg for questions, but he held me there, his lips pressing against my forehead again.
“She will kill us all, Elara. I need you to trust me.”
He didn’t need to say more. I knew. I knew who he meant, I may not know who the ‘her’ was that was being threatened, but it didn’t matter. We were all trapped in the same hell.
Me, the Boy… My father.
Perhaps even Batian. Batian who had always been so happy, so calm, so loving. Batian who had… changed. Something had happened. I wasn’t sure what, or how, but something had happened. That man, that angry man, it wasn't my brother. It couldn’t be.
“Know I’m always with you,” he said, the wetness against my hands increasing. “Even if you never hear my voice again. I will never leave you. I will always be with you, until the end.”
He kissed my forehead again before he pulled away, the shroud drifting back behind his partition. Leaving me standing there, alone.
Chapter 29
Caspyn
They had all had gathered on the far end of the camp, the tattered and stained tents had been put away, fires extinguished, wagons packed and animals bridled. A few sheep had wandered away from the herd to eat some tall grass near a few of the wagons, but everyone else had gathered together in a large circle, listening to whatever Ryndle was telling them in some early morning prayer before we were to set off.
I was not going over there, especially with the way they rocked and mumbled in some ritual I had no interest in learning. It turns out that they didn’t actually howl at the moon as I had been led to believe, but this was somehow worse. I was content to watch them from where Lyani had placed me, settled on the hard wooden seat of the wagon I had spent most of my time healing in. Now I was to drive it.
This must have been what Ryndle was talking about with his insistence that I ‘pay my way’. Grumbling, I shifted my weight, and adjusted the ill-fitting clothes I had been given. My leathers and shirt had been soaked with blood and burned from what Lyani said, so now I was stuck with light colored breeches and shirts that wouldn’t hide any amount of blood. I guess that wasn’t really a concern of theirs, but I felt naked and exposed in clothes this light. I needed a cloak, my knives and new leathers.
I pulled at the dirt smudged beige shirt again, watching as a few of the Lightens lifted their hands at whatever Ryndle had said. The intricate swirls that were inked into their skin caught the light of dawn in a golden spark that was as bright as the sun that was only starting to peak over the tops of the trees of the forest that we were traveling by.
After a few moments they all froze, all of their hands lifted to the sky in some unified holler. The horses whose reins I held gave a whinny as though in answer.
“Damn Lightens,” I mumbled in a feral grumble, shifting my weight again as everyone broke apart. The children danced and skipped toward their wagons as the adults followed behind, all of them glittering in the sun. All of them were happy, joyful. It was unnerving seeing so many happy people in one place at one time, as if they didn’t care about what was happening in the world. No, as if they had no idea what was coming. If they knew what was coming for them, they would be as horrified as I.
I gave another scoff, one of the horses pawing at the ground in response.
“Good Morn,” Ryndle said, that same disgusting joy I saw in each of their faces plastered on him. He was grinning broadly as he jumped onto the wagon seat beside me, sending everything rocking. The horses whinnied again, the one on the left kicking his feet as though he was impatient to get going.
I didn’t respond, I just grumbled, shifting again in an attempt to get comfortable on this Goddess forsaken seat. Thanks to the still healing hole in my gut everything ached, every inch of me was sore and uncomfortable and we hadn’t even started moving yet. My fíra magic flared as though in answer, even in its weakened state the warmth of the magic flooded right to the injury as if to soothe it, thankfully it did.
“A pleasure to see you, too, Caspyn light bringer,” Ryndle responded to my growl. He was still grinning.
“Don’t call me that.”
“So nice to see you are as happy as I have come to expect from you,” he continued on as if he hadn’t heard me.
I would have punched him in the face and flattened his pretty little nose if it wouldn’t have caused quite a scene, especially considering what I had learned, what I should have figured out on that first day, or when talking to Lyani and Ziah the day before.
“So, you lead this batch, do you?” I grumbled and shifted my hands against the reins, trying to pass them to Ryndle who lifted his hand in refusal.
“I suppose. Lead is an interesting word, however. I don’t lead them so much as I happen to be where I was told to be. Where I was told to be was with this lot. I do my best to keep them safe, to make sure they don’t get into trouble, and to spread the knowledge that I have.”
“That sounds a lot like leading to me.” I tried again to give him the reins, and again he refused. The heat that was waving over my skin flared as I again fought the need to punch him.
“Perhaps. But they truly do lead themselves.” The muscles in his arms flexed as he sat back, folding them over his chest again.
