Chapter 33
Von
“T his is it,” Ryker said hours later as we approached a section of the tunnel partially caved in on one side.
The crumbled stone had fallen into the river, squeezing off the passage of water and forging it into turbulent, angry rapids.
Rubble was strewn about, making the terrain treacherous and uneven, a good place for a mortal to break one of their many brittle bones.
Through the jagged hole, daylight beamed, giving the reddish rocks a yellow glow.
“Finally!” Kaleb exclaimed as he jostled Fallon further up on his back. Lyra leapt up and down beside him, sharing in the small victory.
“There are plenty of plants and game on the other side. A freshwater stream as well,” Ryker said, an unconscious Harper in his arms. “Fallon and I made a camp out there where we stayed during the nights. During the day, we’d come back inside the tunnel to try to find you guys.
Little did we know we were going to find a fucking hydra. ”
“Did you ever travel further downstream?” I asked, my gaze set ahead, while the rest of them looked at the exit.
Fallon picked up her head from Kaleb’s back. “No,” she rasped, her voice weak but slowly improving since Folkoln had sucked the venom from her wound a few hours ago. “We had planned to go tomorrow if we didn’t find anyone today.”
“Soren could have floated further down the river,” I stated, hating the idea of remaining in this fucking tunnel any longer, but it was something that might be necessary—Soren was essential because he was the only connection we had to Sage.
Since we arrived, I had tried to speak to her through our bond, but that private bridge remained broken.
So, if I was going to find Sage, I needed to find Soren first.
A truth I despised.
I studied the weary faces, now turned toward me, waiting for me to decide. They did not possess the same immortal stamina as me or Folkoln, although I’d seen bits of it shine through Harper and Ryker, as they were descendants of Dameon and Zahra. But all in all, the group was tired.
“We’ll spend a night at Fallon and Ryker’s camp so everyone can rest up,” I decided. I could see the relief spread from face to face. “We’ll reassess in the morning.”
Fallon and Ryker’s camp was fairly simple.
They had crafted a small shelter, just big enough to fit the two of them—something I know made Kaleb do a double take.
Small, slender tree trunks stacked together formed the sides.
The roof was made out of large, leather-like leaves.
Those same leaves were what Fallon and Ryker had made their laughable clothing out of.
The leaves were placed over top of one another and slanted to the side for runoff.
In front of it was a small stone pit. Inside, the ground was untouched, not a speck of ash to be found—which meant Ryker had been using his own flame to create a fire within it.
Lyra watched with solemn eyes as Ryker gently placed Harper’s unresponsive frame inside the shelter.
When he backed out, the leaf he wore failed its job, causing Lyra to swiftly look away.
For her sake, I would make him clothes—as well as Fallon.
However, I would have to wait until later because the regeneration of my arm was chewing up a great deal of my power.
I rested on a fallen log, eyeing my stub, which had grown about halfway between my shoulder and elbow.
My old tattoos began to stitch themselves back into my skin.
The top of the tattoo of Sage’s hand holding an apple was starting to form again.
Seeing it there was like oxygen to my lungs, breathing life into me. Reassurance.
Folkoln sat beside me, his sights set ahead on Kaleb and Fallon.
Slowly, Kaleb lowered her onto the mossy ground. She winced as he slid his arms from underneath her. When Kaleb pulled back, she caught his hand, a silent conversation taking place between the two of them.
My gaze shifted to Folkoln, who was still watching them.
What am I looking at right now? I asked, shoving the words through the cracked door linking our minds.
Absolutely nothing , came his reply.
Absolutely nothing, my ass. Sucking the venom out of her leg could have put you at risk, and yet, you did it anyway. Why?
He shrugged. I was doing my good deed for the decade.
You, my brother, are many things, but selfless is not one of them. You haven’t taken your eyes off her since you sat down beside me. So, I’ll ask again, what am I looking at?
At first, he said nothing. Which was unlike him. Then, Fallon and I never shared a personal connection; it was always just intimate. When Kaleb came into the picture, she called things off. Which I was completely fine with, but then we came here, and it’s like something has shifted in me.
I raised a brow. How so?
That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I don’t know if it’s because I like the idea of being with her, or if it’s broader than that. But I find myself wondering things that have never crossed my mind before. Like what it would be like— he nodded to Kaleb and Fallon— to have someone.
I thought of Sage, of how much she had enriched my eternal life.
She brought me happiness I had never known was possible.
Understanding, patience, kindness, love.
And above all else, she had shown me the power of forgiveness.
She wasn’t just forged from the moon—she was the moon, and it was my world that revolved around her, not the other way around.
I believed she could learn to live without me, something I would want for her if that were to happen, but I could never do the same.
What I was doing now was a testament to that.
The truth was, I needed Sage. Like an addict needed their next fix. Like the birds needed the sky. Like a beginning needed an end.
She was the light to my darkness.
She was my everything .
My attention drifted to my arm, locking on my vine tattoo, my brows lifting ever so slightly as I breathed out the words, “There is no better feeling.”
“I never understood your and Saphira’s infatuation with the stars, nor did I understand why either of you wanted to find your mate so badly. But now, I feel this strange . . . tugging.” He rubbed his hand over his chest.
“I know that feeling. I feel it with Sage. Like a rope is tethered to my insides and I’m being pulled toward her.”
“I was thinking more in terms of a boat seeking a lighthouse, but that’s a good way to describe it.” He glanced back at Fallon and his hand stilled.
I could see the mismatched wheels beginning to rotate in his chaotic mind. Before they could start to spin any faster, I said flatly, “She’s not your mate. If she was, the bond would have forged the first time you slept with her.”
“I’m not a dumbass. I know how the bond works,” Folkoln said, his gaze still fixed ahead. I followed it—
Fallon and Kaleb seemed to be having some type of dispute, but before I could listen in, Kaleb spun and started for Ryker, who had his back turned to him. Kaleb’s fists were clenched so tight the skin over top of his knuckles had turned white.
Folkoln leaned over, saying, “This ought to be good.”
I nodded.
“Hey! Ryker!” Kaleb shouted.
Ryker turned to look at him, but just as he did, Kaleb’s fist smashed into the side of his face. Blood and saliva misted the air as Ryker swirled and fell onto the ground.
“You are a real asshole, you know that?” Kaleb spat out the words, his face glowing cherry red.
“I deserved that,” Ryker said as he rubbed his jaw.
“You deserve that and so much more,” Kaleb hissed, voice laden with anger, raw and deep, like a jagged shard of glass, ready to cut.
Ryker held up one hand in defense. “I know this is shit for you, but Fallon and I had something in the past and we’re just trying to figure things out.”
Kaleb bit back. “Fucking each other when she is with someone else is not figuring things out.”
Lyra, who had popped her head out of the shelter, watched the scene unfolding before us all, her mouth wide open.
Fallon looked rather pitiful as she dragged her leg behind her, making her way over to the two of them.
She stepped in front of Kaleb, her eyes pleading as she said, “Kaleb, I know you’re mad at me, and you have every right to be, but please try to understand.
What Ryker and I had in the past was real, and we never got to see what could have been.
I won’t deny I have feelings for him, but I love you too. ”
“You love me too ?” Kaleb’s eyes narrowed. “Does that mean you love him?” His slit pupils shifted to Ryker before they landed back on Fallon.
Fallon’s mouth went slack, tripping over her words as she said, “I-I-uh, I’m trying to figure that out. Those feelings don’t just go away.”
Kaleb went to take a step back, and Fallon tried to grab his hand, but he pulled away. “Don’t touch me.” His voice was as cold as the dead of winter.
“Kaleb, just hear us out,” Ryker interjected. “We never would have gone that far—”
“No,” Fallon cut in. “We wouldn’t have, but the berries we found that night messed with our thoughts. It loosened our inhibitions, and next thing I knew, it just happened.”
“I feel like I’m going insane. You are blaming your infidelity on . . . fucking berries ?” Kaleb shook his head in disbelief.
“Kaleb, it’s true, please,” Fallon pleaded.
“I’m done,” Kaleb said, and then turned to walk away.
Fallon and Ryker called after him, but there was nothing they could say to keep him from walking off into the trees.
I sighed and said to Folkoln, “Look after the others. I’ll be back shortly.”
My right hand propped up my nub as I made my way through the forest, the mossy floor covered in small twigs that snapped underneath my boots. The earthy scent of decaying leaves and fresh pine hung heavily in the air, a welcome change from the briny tunnel.
When I caught up to Kaleb, I slowed to match his pace.