Chapter 28
Chapter twenty-eight
The guards strapped blindfolds on Atlas and me before shoving us out of the dining room.
The moment we stepped outside, the wind sliced through my thick sleeves and froze me to the bone.
We were stuffed into a carriage as promised, which was definitely not insulated but still better than being exposed to the wind.
We rode for at least an hour, but it was hard to keep track of time when my head was aching more by the moment.
The carriage was small, and without being able to anticipate its swaying, I often found myself pressed against Atlas.
He didn’t seem to mind, fortunately, and secretly I found him more comfortable to lean against than the chilly window.
Even with the added warmth I was shivering like crazy, the first wave of the poison already showing no mercy.
I fought to keep my eyes open even from behind the blindfold; if I closed them, I couldn't be sure that I’d wake back up.
Once the carriage stopped, they threw the doors open, forcing us out into the bitter cold.
Atlas grabbed me by the sleeve, keeping me close to his side until the guard finally removed our blindfolds.
The white snow and morning sun were brutally bright, but even so it was nearly impossible to see through the blur of snow flurries swirling through the air.
“You’re on your own from here,” the guard said, already climbing back up on the carriage’s box seat. “Use your map to stay within the borders, and try not to die.” He flicked the carriage’s reins, earning an irritated whinny from the horse before disappearing into the winter storm.
I couldn’t help but shrivel up against the beating wind, my shivers increasing despite my blood starting to boil from the inside out. Atlas stood tall in the face of the storm, barely even squinting against the snow as he surveyed the area.
“They tossed us in the South Haven Forest,” he grumbled, looking back at the pitiful excuse for a road we’d arrived on.
“That’s why the wind is so bad. We’re at the base of the kingdom’s major cliffs, so the wind whips around the landscape.
They couldn’t have picked a more ruthless location for a storm to be rolling in. ”
Why am I not surprised?
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.” I clenched my back teeth, doing my best to keep them from chattering. He may have wanted to protect me, but I doubted that this was what he’d signed up for.
“Brisa is the one to blame for involving the royals,” he said. “If you hadn’t picked me, I’m sure Avalyn would have instead. You made the best move you could with the options you had. I applaud you for that.”
Was that a compliment?
“Thanks.” I took my first step forward, uncertain of where I was going but deciding that if I stayed still any longer my legs would freeze stiff. “I do wonder how Cedric will fare with Avalyn. They don’t really seem like the most compatible pair.”
“Not unless Avalyn is a secret bookworm,” Atlas said, following the pace I set while still scanning the horizon. “I don’t think Avalyn realized that not all the princes are as strong and resilient as our father advertises.”
Sweat beaded across my forehead, my cheeks growing too hot for even the snow to cool. I wiped at my brow, half expecting the sweat to have turned to frost already.
“If anything, I’m glad that Cedric has her to look after him.” I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry to make my voice comfortable. A harsh cough barked out of me, the icy air filling my lungs and providing an odd relief to my burning throat.
Atlas stopped to wait, hovering over me as he patiently waited for me to catch my breath.
This cursed fever was getting worse by the second.
I could feel my limbs succumbing to body aches, and between the fever and chills, I was certain I was on the verge of combusting.
The shaking intensified, rattling my brain in my aching head and making it harder to keep my eyes open.
I need to get it together. I can’t let this poison beat me.
“You don’t look good,” Atlas said, touching the back of his hand to my forehead.
His hand felt blissfully cold compared to my burning skin, and he discovered just how quickly the illness had progressed.
“This is what three vials does?” He sounded repulsed, pulling his hand away to start undoing the buttons on his coat.
“I-I’m fine.” I tried to straighten, but the violent shivering kept me doubled over. I took a rebellious step forward anyway, but Atlas stepped in front of my path, forming a frustrating hurdle that felt nearly impossible to overcome in my current state.
“I thought you were a better liar than that.” He tossed the coat over my shoulders, tugging it tight around my neck.
The added warmth didn’t make me feel much better while I was running hot, but it did lessen the shivering, which gave me a bit more control over my movements.
I was finally able to straighten, meeting his eyes with as much strength as I could muster.
This was a challenge of resilience, after all; I couldn’t let myself be so weak.
“Come on, I know where we are.” He took my hand, the gesture simple but still shocking enough to jolt another shiver through me. “There’re caves at the base of the cliffside. We need to find shelter before this storm gets worse.”
I didn’t argue, more than happy to let him lead the way while I could barely see straight.
I held onto him with one hand, keeping his coat pinched tight around my throat with the other.
Just when I thought the poison had reached its peak, another wave of pain ripped through my system.
The whistling wind turned into ringing in my ears, and dark spots started mixing with the flurries of white in my vision.
Nausea came next, making me grateful that I hadn’t had a chance to put anything in my stomach today.
I trudged on through the snow, counting the steps in hopes that it would be less than a hundred more paces until I could rest.
When a hundred came and passed, I dreamed of it being only two hundred more, or maybe just ten more after that…
I kept my gaze fixated on Atlas’s footprints, slowly losing count of them as they grew harder and harder to see. My eyes drifted closed, my lashes heavy with clustered snowflakes. The footprints got closer and closer, until I landed face-first into them.
It was softer than I expected, the cold powder soothing the fire in my cheeks. I was so thirsty. Flecks of snow snuck into my parted lips, melting on my tongue and soothing the dry ache that had stolen my voice. I wanted to eat more of it, but my face was rolled out of the snow before I could try.
The sky was so dim, mostly because it was blacked out by Atlas’s shadow.
I felt his hand touch my forehead again, but I couldn’t feel anything but the soft pressure of his touch.
Worry darkened his eyes. He was speaking to me, but it took me a moment to pick his words out from the ringing that flooded my ears.
“Stay with me, Diaspro.” He said it like a command, picking up my hand to rub it quickly between his fingers, the friction repairing some of the feeling I’d lost and rousing me awake. “I thought someone like you could out-stubborn even a poison.”
I should have. This poison was a cheap trick at best. I knew I needed to get up, but this cheap trick was kicking me where it hurt. My hand twitched, unwilling to put in the work to sit myself up no matter how nicely I asked. This was humiliating.
“Damon probably could have,” I breathed, my voice raspy and dry. “But Diaspro hasn’t been in the best shape lately.”
My vision started swimming again, and for a moment I hallucinated Atlas looking at me with a caring expression that would have warmed my frigid bones had it not been a fever dream.
He leaned over me, sliding his arm into the snow to slip it under my back, then digging his other arm under my legs.
He lifted me up, removing me from my cozy snow bed and holding me close against his warm chest. I melted into him, my pounding head fighting against the rhythm of his rapid heartbeat.
“You idiot,” he whispered, adjusting his grip on me so I could get comfortable.
“Diaspro is far stronger than Damon ever was.” He leaned his head down, using his teeth to tug his coat over top of me while his hands were full.
His face brushed against mine for a moment, and I felt just how cold his skin had gotten without the warmth of a coat.
Once satisfied with the coverage, he straightened and continued walking with a quicker pace than before.
“My father feared Damon enough to kill him, but he fears Diaspro enough to keep her alive. You’ve made yourself a threat in both this world and the afterlife.
Why else would he try to get rid of you through external resources?
He’s too much of a coward to face you himself. ”
He kept walking, his words echoing through my mind as we ventured deeper into the white world.
Did he really believe all that? Was I really stronger than Damon?
I wanted to believe it was true. I wanted to believe that a princess could be as strong as a prince, yet I was still the one who needed a prince’s arms to pass out in.