Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ALINA
Iblinked and looked down, the never ending landscape rolled past as Tynan carried me. The changes of colors and shapes made me almost dizzy. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had stopped feeling my body and what I was doing, my mind floated between the world of reality and dreams.
There was a vision of me back home, walking through the field of wildflowers with the palms of my hands brushing the silky, smooth grass.
Shimmering light touched the endless fields and my suede shoes stepped so softly that I could imagine walking on a cloud.
Memories of quiet nights in the library, enjoying the soothing heat of the fireplace.
My heart immediately ached when I thought about my brother and his wife, my family; everything I had ever known.
My body was so incredibly tired that I did not know how much longer I could go on. I belatedly realized that I was nearly passing out and my hands were not holding on to Tynan for moments at the time. It was a miracle I did not slide right off.
The temperature dropped as the sun nearly disappeared behind the mountains.
My tired eyes examined the outlines of the new landscape without much interest. I used to dream about the mountains, but I was too exhausted to admire them.
Involuntarily, my eyes kept closing and I did not know how much longer I could stay up.
“Not long now!” Tynan shouted.
I nodded, forgetting that he could not see me.
Suddenly, my head snapped up when I realized that I was leaning into Tynan as we lowered down to the ground. My frozen fingers clenched to his neck. Tynan sighed and turned his head to look at me.
“Are you alright?” he asked and I nodded, not trusting my voice to respond.
I examined the cliffs below and noticed the flat surface of the carved rocks. There were stairs going down the edge of the mountain, the sharp points of the black misty surfaces looked almost surreal.
I slid down to my feet, and stumbled when my legs went completely numb under me.
Everything was quiet, there were no signs of people, but the others acted like we were not alone.
“Who are you and why did you come?” a loud voice hollered, and it echoed in my ears.
Tynan transformed to his human form and stepped forward, raising his hand.
“We came to ask for shelter and protection.” He moved his head surveying the rocks around us.
“Why would traitors expect that from us?” the same voice returned.
“Darragh never leaves its own behind!” Tynan shouted back.
Silence followed his statement and the next moment, a group of five separated from the black wall and approached us.
They wore dark leather suits and I quickly spotted swords and knives strapped to their belts.
One of the men, who was older than the others, approached us and examined our weapons before speaking directly to Tynan, as if the rest of us did not exist.
“Any infected?” the man asked.
“No,” Tynan said.
“Your brother will decide if you can stay,” the man continued.
“Is Quirin in charge now?” Tynan asked.
“Quirin? No, Hanoch is our leader,” the man replied.
“Hanoch? How is that possible?” Tynan furrowed his eyebrows.
“I am not here to spread gossip.” The soldier turned away and made a signal to the others.
We followed the men to the stairs carved in the black rock. I bit my lip, directing all my mental efforts on not taking a tumble down, because no one would be able to survive the drop that stretched out for what looked like miles below us.
“Can you walk?” Tynan paused, waiting for me.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
Instead of answering, he took my hand and helped me navigate the slippery rocks.
The warmth of his skin, the calm confidence of his posture made me feel strangely protected.
I did not want to examine why my body reacted that way, but it was as if after a long time of searching, I had found something that was final and inevitable.
Every time we touched, the wildfire of my emotions subsided and I experienced peace.
“This way.” The man ahead of us pointed and I could feel the tension that spiraled through the whole group.
We descended the steep wall, lower and lower, and it almost seemed like it would never end.
After yet another turn, an explosion of bright green made me stop and Tynan paused, turning his face toward me.
The valley that opened up in front of my eyes resembled the image from a dream I had many days before.
The low clouds and the sun that managed to shine through the thick, misty air turned into the bend of an iridescent half rainbow.
The luscious grass and the expansive space, the magic and beauty of the sight made me want to stay glued to this spot forever.
“Gods,” I whispered.
Tynan’s eyes were on my face, he stood two steps below, looking up at me as if he had encountered something he could not quite interpret.
Heat rose up to my cheeks and I lowered my gaze, not ready to explore what I was feeling.
It was too much, too soon, and I was tired.
So tired from running, hiding, and being scared.
I wanted to put everything on hold and stop worrying, stop thinking.
In the past weeks, months, years, I had lost who I was and I did not know if I could find my way back.
I did not know if that girl was still within me or if her very existence was no more than a distant memory.
Tynan turned and gently pulled me down. I followed, still gaping at the valley below. With every step we took, I could see more of what Darragh was. There were no structures protecting them from the undead, as if they were not worried about the monsters.
In the valley, there were thickly settled, moderate looking homes made of stone and brick with roofs covered with dry grass and pine-like moss.
On the furthest side of the valley, as far as my eyes could see, were cattle with shiny, cinnamon-colored coats and hair so long that it almost covered the animals’ faces.
When we encountered other people walking down the stairs, my eyes could not stop examining the simple cotton clothes and the long braided hair women wore.
The men mostly wore their flying suits. The abundance of weapons they carried reminded me that even if this place looked like magic itself, we were not safe here.
When at last we passed through the valley, I stiffened, noticing another set of narrow stairs carved into the stone as black as coal.
Moisture made the surfaces wet and slippery and when Tynan’s hand landed on my back I did not even think about protesting.
After what felt like another five minutes had passed, I realized that what we were climbing toward was not a random rock formation, but something else entirely.
I paused, staring at the pieces of glass that were attached to the surfaces.
They did not look organized in any way, but blended seamlessly with the inky black walls.
It was inhabited, and with my inquisitive eyes I saw dark passages lit up by numerous wax candles.
Suddenly, I could clearly see irregular shaped windows with not all the way transparent glass.
It wasn’t just a building, it was a castle.
I had never seen anything even remotely close to it.
The grotesque and misshapen structure made up of hard, unpolished rock with sharp edges that appeared to be a stone formation from afar, was an actual palace up close.
The entire building looked like something from the realm of dreams or nightmares.
We were stopped by a ponderous wooden door, decorated with steel inclusions interconnected to create an ornament of a scowling dragon looking straight at everyone daring to enter.
I shifted my weight, not feeling the warmth of Tynan’s touch any longer.
Then the door opened with a deep, continuous rumble.
We were ushered inside, and my mouth dropped open when I saw the rich, cherry red carpet.
The light of numerous candles illuminated the exquisitely decorated tall chairs and benches, tables that looked like they were carved during different periods, and chests and coffers.
Multiple paintings in heavy golden frames filled the walls, as well as enormously sized tapestries with scenes so beautifully depicted that my eyes could not pull away in time before we needed to move on.
I stopped to gaze at the family portraits.
One was a painting of a husband, wife and three boys.
Even without taking a closer look, I could spot Tynan as a younger version of himself.
He had a similar expression in his midnight black eyes, too serious and uncompromising, as if he had to fight for everything he got.
His small hand was just resting on a sword, but the position of his arm, the angle of his body, clearly showed that he was on high alert, as if he was ready to spring into action at any given moment.
His older brothers looked bigger, stronger, more confident with their broad bodies and the slight curves of their mouths.
Yet, there was something in Tynan’s eyes that clearly marked him as a leader, the traces of untamed power and stubbornness that I saw every time I looked at the original.
Tynan placed his hand on my forearm and I turned away, following the others into a spacious, brightly lit hall, where on a slightly raised platform sat a young man in the middle of his dinner.
He was broad, with long dark hair and a sharp, scrutinizing look on his face.
His eyes reminded me of a bird of prey; assessing, hard, intensely dark and almost glassy.
He was wearing a black flying suit not much different from other men we saw in the valley.
Everything about the man screamed that he was in charge, from the slight turn of his head, to the angle of his shoulders.
As soon as he saw us, his gaze stopped on Tynan.
“You?” the man said.