Chapter 10 #2
The second I broke free on the other side, sunlight washed over me.
Rummy’s horse, still tied to mine, pulled up beside me, but I kept moving, desperate to escape the damn voices.
The others followed.
It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. I replayed the words a dozen times.
But it felt pretty fucking real. If it was all in my mind, then why did the rest of the group look as stunned as I felt? Why were their faces ashen and their eyes wide? Why was my body reacting like someone was holding a sword to my throat?
Matthias, who was several paces ahead, mumbled incoherently. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, willing the cool air to clear my mind. Then I pulled my horse up to his.
“Hey,” I said to him. “Are you all right?”
For a moment, he only blinked into the distance, like he hadn’t heard me, but eventually, he cleared his throat and shifted in his saddle. “Yeah, mate,” he answered. “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s just get the fuck away from here, okay?”
I pulled my horse around to check on Rummy and Jessiah, who lingered behind us.
“What about you two?”
Xavier shook his head and pulled his shoulders back, swearing he was fine.
But Rummy wouldn’t meet my eye. She stared off into the forest somewhere, gaze unfocused. She’d heard something, too.
Heard or seen something.
Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Don’t fucking ask.
“Rummy?” I asked. Good job, Jessiah.
Her breathing hitched, and she straightened against Xavier, as if she only now realized where she was and what we were doing here.
“I’m fine.” Her voice was thin, reedy. Not at all like the strong, sharp tone I expected from her.
Xavier gave me a knowing look. Neither of us were going to push the topic. Whatever the hells she had seen in that cave was her own business.
“All right, then,” I said. “Let’s keep moving.”
We passed through an expansive, open field after we left the caves. It was nothing like the quaint coverage of the forest trees. Yeah, the forest had been eerie at times. But out here, we were completely exposed.
The wind ripped at my jacket, roared against my ears.
Still, we kept moving. Matthias led us, but I checked our map every few hours to ensure we were still heading in the right direction.
“We need to rest soon!” Xavier yelled over the wind. The moon put off enough of a glow to allow me to see my three companions. “Rummy won’t make it much longer.”
I waited for the argument she’d surely make, but none came. Instead, she grunted unintelligibly.
That response made my stomach plummet. It must have been bad if she didn’t have it in her to argue. I twisted at the waist and eyed the two of them. Her head was tipped back, resting on Xavier’s shoulder, while her hand hovered over her injury, her shoulders sagged, her body almost limp.
“Fine.” I scanned the surrounding area. We were still out in the open, exposed, but it’d likely be another hour or two until we found cover. “Pitch a tent for the night. We need something to break the wind.”
Matthias sighed and slumped, obviously not wanting to stop. If it were up to him, the male probably would have made the entire journey without sleeping. He was restless, his demeanor a bit unnerving, though I couldn’t pinpoint why.
Maybe it was desperation. He wanted to save his sister, and getting back to Pericius was the first step in the battle he’d face to do that.
“We’re exposed out here,” he said. “Anyone for miles will see us.”
The wind still whipped around us, though it calmed enough to make conversation possible. “Then we’ll be ready for them. Besides, it works both ways. We’ll see them coming, too.”
He pressed his lips into a tight line, but he didn’t argue anymore.
Instead, we roped up our horses and I helped Xavier pitch the one tent we had brought with us. It was small, but three of us could fit, leaving one to keep watch outside.
My eyes were dry from the wind and from exhaustion, but I blinked it away. I would rest when the journey was over. I would rest when we’d made it to Pericius. Hopefully without enduring another animal attack, or something much, much worse.
While we worked, Rummy stood near the horses, leaning on one for support. Once the structure was set up, I hiked over the tall grass, making my way toward her. “Tent’s ready,” I said. “Go lie down. I’ll get you some food.”
Her eyes met mine, her face gaunt in the light of the small fire Matthias started.
“So chivalrous,” she joked, but her voice was weak.
“You don’t look great,” I said. “Are you sure you’re okay? What happened back in—”
Dammit, Jessiah. You’re supposed to not ask her about what she saw in the caves. You’re not supposed to care.
Her eyes lazily found mine, as if she was unsurprised by my half question. “That depends,” she answered. “What happened to you?”
My gut lurched. “What?”
“What did you hear back there, Jessiah? In the whispers?”
Her eyelids drooped. She was minutes away from passing out, and her bandages needed to be changed before an infection set in.
So I ignored the question, pushing away memories of the riddles, of the caves.
“Just go rest,” I ordered. “I’ll be inside in a minute.”
She rolled her eyes—at least she hadn’t lost all her fight—and took a tentative step toward the tent. A few feet away, she spoke, and over the wind, I could have sworn her words were familiar.
Darkness becomes the chain that binds.