Chapter 1 #2
Kalix’s laugh travels through my body like the icy touch of a cold finger. With every cackle, she draws closer. The crows begin to dive bomb me, and I shout, attempting to avoid their claws.
A few more steps. I can do this.
I hear Silas shout again, encouraging me. “Keep going.”
You are Briar Blackbyrne. I repeat to myself. Push.
A sob breaks from my throat, and although the pain threatens to take me to my knees, I keep going, knowing the pain will be worse if I stop.
“Eyes only on me,” he screams.
The hiss from a distant creature fills the chaotic air, and my stomach rolls. The commotion has awoken everything visible—and not—in this realm, and our time is running out.
“That’s it,” he screams, breathless. “Ignore that.”
Another sob breaks from my lips.
“Get to me,” Silas pleads.
A few steps left, and my lungs nearly give out. His presence grows in the darkness, and my trembling hands fall to my side as my legs give out. I feel myself slipping, unable to keep going, but he catches me.
Silas and I crash together.
His scent overtakes those of burning ash and the decaying surroundings I’ve grown used to all these weeks. His warmth wraps around my body, and I weep. He’s here. I’m not alone. Relief floods my veins, but it doesn’t slow my racing heart.
I close my eyes, unaware and uncaring of the surrounding ruins anymore.
“I found you.” Silas’s voice dances in my ears. “Gods, I finally fucking found you.”
I listen, and the world around me begins to quiet; the burning smell fades, and Kalix's miserable laughter subsides.
“Keep your eyes closed,” he whispers, wrapping his hand around my head, pressing me against his chest.
The simmering crackle of the once-burning kingdom is replaced by the whooshing sound that hits my ears.
Silas’s arms stay wrapped around me. The warmth of his body floods into me like the heat of the sun—something I haven’t felt in what feels like weeks.
“Hang on,” he breathes into my ear, his strong chest heaving from exertion. “Never let go.”
I squeeze him—tighter and more desperate than ever before.
My nails dig into his clothing, and I fear that even this isn’t enough to hang on. I can’t lose him again; he can’t slip away. Panic rushes in my veins, like water from a dam that has just given way.
We dissolve into mist. The weight of my body—the world—seemingly becomes nothing, and I lose all sense of where we are. Where we’ve been. The torture I’ve been enduring makes me realize that the only thing that matters is Silas.
But I know a few things for certain, and they weigh heavily on my heart and soul.
Silas is with me.
He found me in the darkest of places. He awakens me from the darkness that lives deep within my soul. With him, I’m safe.
I also know that it wasn’t a nightmare; it was real—a world existing within ours, unseen by most and feared by all.
Iawaken in a small, dim cabin in the ship's hold, with the sun peeking through the small porthole, casting a flickering light that dances around the walls. The darkness has passed, but the motion of the boat on the waves immediately makes me feel sick. My head throbs against the warm sheets of the cot, and my dry mouth suggests that I’ve been unconscious for days.
But where am I?
Why can’t I remember anything?
A figure sits in a chair propped against the far wall, their silhouette blurred along the edges. My vision is blurry, as I expected it to be after days of sleep. After I wipe the sleep from my eyes, the figure comes into focus.
Rose.
She sits silently reading a book, not realizing I’ve woken up.
Her head snaps at my small movements as she quickly rises from her chair, nearly tipping it backward as she snaps her book shut. “Oh, Gods. You’re awake.”
Her voice flowing through the room is music to my ears.
I must be hallucinating.
Rose and Lang should be on their way to Brinkym with Oak’s father, safe and far from what’s to come—including the danger I seem to bring everyone. I lift my shaky arm and rub my temples, and my memory flares.
Rohhit. The pier.
We had to flee Daramveer.
Eden.
The memories come crashing into me harder than the waves outside, and I am seconds away from being sick. Everything comes together in a chaotic blow to my chest.
“You’re here?” My mouth hangs open as I gawk at her. “How are you here?”
More memories flood my aching head, and a throbbing sensation distorts my already unsteady vision.
She rushes to my side, smiling, and gently runs her fingers through my tangled hair. “We were leaving town when we ran into your friends. They told us that you had disappeared and shared the plan while Oak and his father said their goodbyes.”
She kisses my forehead, her touch so similar to my mother’s that if I close my eyes and settle back into the cot, I can pretend it’s actually her for a moment.
“I told you I’d never leave you.” Her eyes soften. “Plus, Arieste would haunt me if I let you do this alone, and I don’t want that happening.” Rose wipes a falling tear from my cheek. “I will serve you and help you rebuild Daramveer, whatever it takes.”
My heart soars at the sight of her face, yet a lingering darkness weighs heavily on my chest. My thoughts feel fuzzy, as if I’m walking through a haze.
What happened?
I turn my head to glance out of the round window, watching the waves crash against the ship's side, the wide world ahead of us.
I’m safe.
For now.
“Wait. Lang can’t be here.” I snap back into the harsh reality of where I am. “This would be too hard on him.”
“Don’t worry,” Rose chuckles. “I sent his old ass to Brinkym with Oak’s father. He didn’t object, either.” She keeps rubbing my head, trying to calm my nerves. “Lang knows he would slow us down.”
“Thank Gods,” I sigh out, relaxing into her touch.
“He and Oak’s father have become quick friends. The King of Brinkym is very excited to have a new chef in the castle with his experience.”
I smirk.
She squeezes my hand, her smile thawing my cold heart.
Rose pauses for a moment before continuing. “This will be the longest I’ve ever been away from him. He’s been like a father to me all these years, but he will be safe.” She nods, almost as if convinving herself. “Oak’s father will make sure of that.”
I sit up further, a memory flashing into my mind: the boat.
“Silas—is he okay?” I try to lift myself off the cot, but fail to do so, my muscles too weak to hold me up. “His arm. It was horrible, so burned and mangled.” I flinch at the images flashing through my mind. “Where is he?”
She pats my hand, rising from the seat beside me to help me sit up, slowly. “He’s fine. He is standing outside the door, impatiently waiting for me to invite him in. I can practically hear him pacing.” Rose nods toward the heavy wood door. “Nosey one, that boy is.”
I glance toward the closed door.
“I had to threaten him to keep him out of here,” Rose says, smiling as she rubs my head again. “He woke up two days ago, and he’s been desperate to see you. Barely sleeping or leaving your side most days.”
“Sounds about right,” I say, affectionately.
She smirks. “You have some kind of hold over him, Briar,” she says, continuing to smirk as she glances over her shoulder. “Alright, boy.”
The door immediately creaks.
“You can come in now.”
The door opens as Silas walks in. His dark hair is a mess, his shirt wrinkled, and dark facial hair peppers his face, casting a shadow to line his jaw.
Even with his arm heavily bandaged and tucked into a sling, he stands tall and strong—as if the events have unfazed him. However, I know better. I can see the faint signs of worry settling deep in this demeanor.
“This is the first time I’ve ever waited for an invitation to enter your bedroom, I suppose.” He smiles, his face hard, but those beautiful eyes pierce into mine.
Rose huffs at that comment.
“This one is tough, but she’s a good guard dog.” He smiles, touching Rose’s shoulder.
Rose chuckles and moves toward the door, smiling like a proud mother taking her leave. “He will fill you in on everything. I’m going to check on the horse.”
She leaves, shutting the door behind her. The crashing sound of waves echoes throughout the room as we sit silently for a moment.
My eyebrows raise, “Horse? Myah and Xena. You got them?”
“Yes… and no.” Silas lowers his head, pausing momentarily. “Oak was only able to get one… Myah is here with us.”
My body goes rigid.
“Xena was left behind.”
Dread washes over me like a wave. “Oh Gods,” I whisper. I cup his face, gazing into his eyes, which are filled with sadness. “We will get her back, Silas. I promise.”
In an instant, his eyes darken, filled with a desperate rage. “Oh, I’m sure of that.”
I lean forward on the edge of the cot, sleep still heavy on my mind. “What happened?”
He brushes my hair away from my eyes, and his lips form a thin line. “You’ve been asleep for six days.”
Reality and my nightmares blur in my memories, and as hard as I push in my own mind, I can’t make sense of either.
“You don’t remember, do you?”
“You almost lost your arm.” I glance down at his sling. “I remember getting you on the ship.”
He nods, and sadness settles behind his eyes. “You saved me, but in return, I almost lost you.”
I lower my head, and at this moment, the world around us is calm and quiet.
There are no storms, no danger, just us.
Together. My heart aches, knowing these moments are limited.
I stare at my hands, noting that the veins are still dark and haven’t faded as I had hoped.
I glance up through my lashes to find him staring at me, a burning intensity in his bright eyes.
“Kalix,” I whisper. “It was all her.”
He nods, glancing at the black marks tattooed on my hands and up my wrists, the tips of my fingers nearly black.
The memories become clearer as they flood my mind, hitting me like blows to the face.
The ash.
The ruin.
“My nightmare… I waited for you. I couldn’t wake up.” A quiet sob leaves my throat. “It felt like weeks passed, and I never heard you call to me.”