41. Traps
forty-one
Traps
*AZADEH*
I didn’t even hear when Endellion returned last night. It probably was pretty late. To my surprise, I slept really well, and I didn’t have any nightmares either. Seems like our little actions last night truly helped me.
“Late night?” I ask him when we walk to the dining hall for breakfast. “I didn’t hear you return.”
“It took a few hours,” he sighs, taking my hand in his and entwining our fingers.
“Did you get any results?”
“Not really. Aylin was able to get a hint of a connection to Royan, but we couldn’t keep it up. It seems like she has more up her sleeve, though, and will try it.”
“Maybe the creature is the key,” I tell him.
Endellion seems to be surprised. “The creature.…”
“Yes, Artio,” I say. “He is clearly being enchanted by something. Maybe if we followed him, we would find out more.” I pause when I see him staring at me. “It’s probably a bad idea. Too dangerous.”
“It’s… the best idea we had in a while,” he says.
“But, it’s dangerous,” I point out, almost regretting that I brought it up. The last time we had a run in with the creature, it ended with Alana’s team dying, and Alana almost dying too. We had quite a high number of casualties.
“We could follow it secretly,” Endellion says. “I need to talk about this with Aylin. Maybe she can find a way. Maybe she can even find a connection to the creature.” He smiles at me. “You look well rested, by the way.”
“I am.” I toss him what I hope is a seductive smile. “I think our night activities had something to do with that. We should repeat that… after all, I have a favor to repay.”
Something flashes in his eyes, his silver eyes turning almost black for a moment, and a possessive growl leaves his lips. I’m amazed I have this effect on him and Caspian. It still strikes me as such a mystery as to why they want me, as to why they’d take a chosen mate, but I’ve decided not to feel self-conscious anymore. I have no reason not to trust Endellion.
I take a step further to kiss him when we get interrupted by an angry voice coming from further down the corridor.
“How am I?” Tynan huffs.
Endellion and I turn around, spotting Flinn and Tynan. Flinn looks calm but worried, while Tynan seems to be fuming.
“Wait, let me think. One of my best friends is dead, the other best friend is in a coma, and my mate is in the claws of a cult.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Ty.”
Endellion takes my hand as we step closer. “Alana will recover,” Endellion says with confidence. “Believe me, as her brother, I’m incredibly worried too, but she is a warrior.”
Tynan sighs tiredly. “The Warrior Princess.…”
“She won’t give up.”
Tynan lets his head hang down. “I know, but it sucks I can’t do anything.”
“But you can,” Flinn says. “You can keep it together and help us track them down. Shayan is your mate. You feel a mate bond.”
“I haven’t marked him though.”
“That doesn’t matter. There is still a bond between you.”
“Actually, that’s not a bad point,” Endellion says. “We should ask Aylin if she can track Shayan through your connection.”
Tynan and Flinn look at Endellion in surprise while his words sink in. Slight hope flashes in Tynan’s eyes.
“Flinn is right,” Endellion continues. “You need to stay strong. Shayan might feel your troubled emotions and your pain through the bond. I don’t know how the bond to a human works exactly, but there is a chance that it affects him.”
“Tynan, I’ve known Shayan almost my whole life,” I say. “He is one of the most experienced soldiers my father has had. His rank as general doesn’t come from nowhere. To us, this means something.” I pause. “Shayan has a lot of experience. Don’t give up on him.”
“And, Royan is there too. He is one of our strongest elite warriors,” Flinn adds.
Our words seem to have some effect on Tynan, because he straightens his back and looks at us.
“Alright, I will stop moping and throwing a pity party. I want to find my mate! I will go to Aylin now.”
“I will come with you,” Flinn offers. He chuckles softly. “Knowing Aylin, she won’t be too happy to be woken up so early. You are better off with some backup.”
Endellion and I meet King Gillean, Nevyn and Kilah for breakfast. Eibhlin is with Alana, keeping an eye on her, while Caelan runs late because he had an early morning training with the warriors. He, Flinn and Endellion have upped their training to an extent I’m starting to worry for them. They keep pushing and pushing themselves.
Endellion will take over training until lunch and then do individual training, too. “I will be running and building up stamina,” he explains to me. “We are all pretty good fighters, but we can’t just rely on our muscles.” He pauses. “Alana survived because she had resistance and stamina.”
“That’s true,” Gillean agrees.
“I should probably do that, too,” Nevyn says. “I… I always thought I didn't have it in me to be a great warrior, and I still think it’s not my main forte, but I can still train my strengths.”
“I agree with that,” Gillean tells him. “Your mother always says that our brains are muscles too, so it’s good that you train them. Being a scholar is what you were made for, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything else.”
“Why don’t you join me, Nevyn?” Endellion offers.
“I can never keep up with you,” he says, clearly nervous.
He is so sweet. I haven’t had much time to spend with Nevyn or Eibhlin. I hope in the future I can change that—they both seem to be such unique personalities.
“Don’t worry, we won’t go full out,” Endellion promises. “I just want to build up some endurance and will run laps around the lake. You don’t need to join me for the whole time.
Nevyn takes a deep breath. “Good, let’s do it.” He turns to his father. “After training with Ende, I can help Aylin.”
“Yes, do so,” his father approves. “Maybe take Eibhlin with you. I don’t want her to be too involved in all this. She is too young, and I want her to have fun, too, but I know she wants to help.”
Endellion and Nevyn both laugh, while Gillean looks at them, slightly disgruntled. “What’s so funny?”
“Doing witchcraft with Aylin is pretty much what Eibhlin deems as fun,” Endellion says.
Gillean smiles. “Then it’s settled.”
“Do you need help with something else?” I ask Gillean. “With Alana, maybe? Or Aylin?”
“No dear,” Gillean says. “You worked so much recently, I’d like for you to take a rest.”
“I could use the time and meditate a bit. Erin showed me some tricks.”
“It’s probably quite valuable for us if you work on establishing a connection to the dragons,” Gillean agrees.
“Maybe I could work together with Elio.”
Gillean and Endellion both seem to fancy my idea and encourage me to do it. Everything was so crazy recently, with all the wounded warriors needing help and the fallen ones needing to be sent off, that I actually didn’t have any time to spend with Elio.
After breakfast, when everyone heads towards their tasks, I go looking for Elio. I find the teenager outside, covered in a thick jacket and with a canvas. “They all left you alone?” I ask.
He beams when he sees me. “The princess!” Then he shakes his head. “I’m not used to so many people,” he says. “Prince Caelan told me to take a little break and get some well-deserved alone time.”
“I’m sorry for disturbing your alone time,” I say.
He shakes his head. “It’s different when it’s you.”
“Elio.” I sit down next to him. “I dream of Favian. Of your brother.”
He looks at me with interest. “I know,” he says. “Aylin and King Gillean told me about your part of the prophecy.” He tilts his head before continuing to paint. I watch him for a few minutes until I realize who he is painting.
“That’s him!” I exclaim.
He smiles sadly. “Then it’s true. You can connect to my older brother. I wish I could too. I don’t have a big family, not like the princes and princesses here. It’s me… and Favian.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say quietly, feeling a lump in my throat when I remember how many dragons probably died. “You’ve lost so much.”
“Princess of the Desert,” he looks at me imploringly. “I know I can’t ask you to promise to save my brother. I know no one can promise something like that, but please promise me you will try.”
“I will do everything I can to help and save him!” I say with conviction. “I've been connected to him ever since I set foot in these lands. And he is connected to me. Our fates are intertwined.”
“You are my only hope,” he whispers, his eyes filling with tears.
He looks so young and vulnerable. He is just a kid, who had to grow up in solitude and in hiding, and with constant fear for his brother. Probably two-thirds of his kind were wiped out of existence. I take his hand in mine. “I promise you, Elio, I will give my all to set your brother free from this curse. And then you will be reunited. You were so strong in how you followed his plan and how you saved Alana. I’m sure he and your people will be proud of their young prince.”
“Do you really think I was brave?” he asks curiously.
“I think you are incredibly brave,” I say. “Without you, we would have still been without any real leads. You are crucial to the end of this war.”
My words apparently stirred something in him because he looks at me with newfound motivation. “I think I will join Aylin,” he says. “I’ve had enough rest. I want to see if I can help. They said they want to use Tynan’s bond to his mate to find him. Maybe my sibling bond with my brother helps, too.”
“That’s a good idea!” I exclaim.
He beams at me and jumps up, running off immediately. I chuckle, he forgot his painting. I decide, though, that this is the perfect place for me to meditate for a while and to try my relaxation exercises.
I get myself comfortable on the bench, pulling my knees up and wrapping myself in a warm blanket before evening my breath and trying to focus on all the tricks Erin showed me. I’m not sure how much time passed, but eventually I can hear someone calling out for me. I lift my gaze, noticing that Elio is approaching me again. He is taking the shortcut over the frozen lake. This whole area is the pride of the royal pack. With the goddess’s tree here, and the huge frozen lake, sparkling and glittering in the sun, it looks like a painting.
“Azadeh!” Elio calls me and waves at me excitedly. “Come please, we need your help!”
I blink, a bit surprised that Elio finally dropped the formalities with me and uses my first name. It’s not an unpleasant surprise, though. I put my blanket aside and get up from my spot, walking towards him. It always feels so surreal to walk over the lake… though I got used to it by now. It’s just the feeling of the deep water beneath me that’s humbling… and slightly terrifying. Some of the pack members sometimes use it to ice skate, sometimes they even ice fish here as the lake is deep and broad.
“Here,” Elio waves and laughs. “We made some progress. Hurry up.”
I nod, picking up my pace.
Weirdly though, the closer I seem to get the further away Elio seems to be. This can’t be. I’m moving towards him. Is it an optical illusion?
There is a silent voice in my head, whispering to me, almost like it tries to warn me. I instantly halt, looking up and noticing how Elio has stopped too. He looks at me now and tilts his head. “Why are you not coming?” he asks. “Azadeh?”
I can’t believe it. I’m so stupid.
He never uses my first name.
I can hear a slight cracking noise beneath me, snapping me out of my thoughts. As my gaze wanders downwards, I notice a crack going through the icy surface. Below it, the water is dark blue, almost black. My heart beats so fast I can almost feel it jump out of my chest. I take a careful step, which is followed by yet another cracking noise, the crack expanding.
I halt, trying to hold my breath and feeling how the ground beneath me loosens.
Around me I can hear silent laughter all of a sudden. Raising my gaze, I meet her eyes again… Cailleach, or what she has become.
I need to run, run!
I swiftly turn on my heels, searching for the shore closest to me before making a run towards it. My training with Caelan and the horses has paid off, because my stamina is far better than it was before. I almost think I can make it before I can hear yet another loud crack.
The ground beneath me opens itself up as the ice breaks. Without anything beneath me, I drop into the dark. The water is so cold that I almost can’t feel my skin anymore. Within seconds it has already made me numb. I try to swim back to the surface, but my coat and clothes are soaked by the cold water, pulling me further downwards. I want to scream, but it’s just pins and needles.
I can see Cailleach standing in front of me, a smirk curling her lips as she purses her lips and breathes something towards me.