Chapter 23 #2
The next time they stopped to allow her to relieve herself, Baumann followed her, as he had done so each time.
The sun was low in the sky, kissing the horizon and leaving behind a world colored in the stunning shades of late autumn.
Her breath fogged in front of her as she watched it continue on its path, oblivious to her shattering heart.
She was so far away from Aegea now—away from her friends.
As she walked to a place of relative privacy off the road, Alethea thought of Balthasar; of the way he’d held so much space for her, no matter the situation.
How he’d been the first person in so long to treat her like a person, not an untouchable princess or an Oracle.
He’d shown her empathy at a time when she felt undeserving of it.
She thought of Emi—of her warm, kind eyes and her brilliant smile. Of the way she’d adopted Alethea so quickly, standing up for her without knowing a single thing about her, without any cause at all. Emi had loved her from the moment she set eyes on her, and fiercely every moment after.
Tears welled in her eyes as she took step after step, autumn leaves crunching underfoot. Baumann hadn’t given her any explicit instructions this time—perhaps because they’d both accepted the inevitable.
As the sun continued to set, she finally halted, staring through the trees into the pool of molten amber on the horizon.
It was possible the others would be able to convince the Great Lord of Edysos to join even without her. They could still overthrow her mother, but Alethea knew the Crimson Queen would use her powers to defend herself to the very last moment.
Her plans with Nakir had always included leaving.
In all those tender moments when she’d looked at the Aeshlien with hope for a better world, she’d always wondered how she was supposed to say goodbye to him; how she was supposed to just leave when it was all over; how she was supposed to walk away when every moment she spent with him, he claimed another piece of her heart.
“Promise me, Thea...”
Now she knew, staring at that sunset when he was miles away.
Now, when it was too late for a long, tearful farewell.
She hadn’t even been able to say goodbye.
They would think she’d just walked away.
Now she knew what it felt like to have him ripped from her.
It was as if someone had reached inside her chest and carved out the parts of her heart that belonged to him—and the dreams they’d shared.
“Promise that you will never be a pawn in someone else’s game—that you will fiercely protect your freedom and agency.”
All that time, he thought she’d been sent to help him take back his throne. The truth became clearer with every passing minute that she had never been sent to save Nakir.
“Promise me you will never surrender your fate to the whims of others.”
He’d been brought to her so she could find the strength to save herself.
“I need to know you will always fight for yourself, no matter the odds or the challenges you face.”
Alethea swallowed the lump forming in her throat, steeling herself as she turned back to the Enchanter.
“Swear that you will seize control of your own destiny, that you will fight tooth and nail to free yourself from anyone who tries to exploit your powers.”
His face shifted into surprise, and his lips parted to speak—but before he could utter another word, she grabbed him by his elbow. All she needed was one moment of contact, and as soon as she had it, she closed her eyes and dove into her dwindling well of power.
In that single moment of connection, she let the Enchanter see a future for himself—a future of her own imagining, an imminent one, revealing his agonizing demise.
If you do not release me, she told him in his mind, it will be your undoing.
Alethea revealed to him a vision of Nakir Hasan swirling in darkness, running his blade through the Enchanter’s chest while lighting and fire and pain surrounded him and his men.
She tried to flood him with her powers; to overwhelm him and force him to let go of his hold on her.
“Promise me.”
She didn’t care what it cost her.
“Promise me.”
She’d made a bargain.
“Promise me.”
The enchantment broke with a snap.
“You bitch!” he cried out.
Alethea had no time to waste.
“Stop!” His command didn’t hold.
She flung herself away from him, but he was too fast, snatching her by her long hair before she could take so much as a step.
“Stop fighting,” he ground out over the effort of restraining her, but she was under no compulsion to obey.
Alethea’s smile bordered on maniacal. “You have no power over me. Not now. Not ever again.”
“We’ll see about that. I think it’s time I stop playing so nicely with you.”
The Enchanter began to haul her back by her hair. Alethea kicked and fought him, no matter how tight his grip remained. She cried out as her scalp seared with pain, and he dragged her back up the hill toward the road.
“Promise me.”
Alethea fell against him, fumbling at his waist for a moment before he shoved her back down with a few choice curses.
She dropped to her knees, letting his grasp on her hair tighten to the point the pain tore a scream from her throat.
Her legs dragged across the ground as she grabbed at the hand that held her, pulling hard away from her skull.
With her other, she raised the obsidian dagger she’d stolen from his belt.
He was speaking to her, swearing at her, calling for the others, but the ringing in her ears drowned him out.
It didn’t matter if the blade would be used against her.
There was too much at stake for her to go back to being that helpless girl.
In one long slice, starting at the base of her neck, Alethea severed the hair he’d imprisoned her by. The unnaturally sharp blade sliced through her curls in a single messy motion, instantly freeing her from her captor.
Relief surged through her as she scrambled away. She had the element of surprise, but it would not last long.
The second she was free from him, Alethea ran.
Baumann roared, calling back to the others.
Heart pounding, she tore off into the woods in the opposite direction—hopefully back toward Aegea.
She ran harder than she ever had before, shoving away the mens’ shouting from the carriage, taking off toward the nearest hillside.
Adrenaline pumped through her body as the sound of heavy footfall reached her ears from somewhere behind her.
She couldn’t stop.
Alethea flung herself over fallen trees, through the lush forest, tearing through bramble bushes and over several rocky outcroppings.
Branches whipped at her face and snagged at her clothes, but she paid no heed to the stinging pain.
The distant echoes of the men’s shouts were drowned out by the rushing wind in her ears.
She willed her legs to carry her, every muscle in her body straining to propel her forward.
The earth beneath her feet seemed to blur as she sprinted, her entire being focused on one single goal: escape.
Alethea ran. Farther and farther, until her lungs seized and her body faltered.
After several hours, the shouting faded.
Shivering, stumbling, she found a large boulder to stop and lean against. The hem of her dress was in tatters, but as she hyperventilated against the freezing stone, she was overcome with the sheer, unbridled relief she was alive.
And free.
Alethea collapsed to her knees in the dirt, illuminated by only the faintest sliver of moonlight.
Leaning against the massive boulder, she wrapped her arms around herself, desperately needing the shelter of her own embrace.
In the hushed night, she allowed herself a few precious minutes to confront the rush of adrenaline that had driven her here.
Alethea clung to the obsidian dagger as a chill from her newly exposed neck ran down her spine.
She didn’t know if it would work, but she closed her eyes and focused the last of her energy.
Summoning the final dregs of her magic, she pictured her friends in her mind and called out to them, sending them a message from the most painful, desperate, urgent part of her soul.
I’m here. I’m coming.
Summoning every ounce of determination, Alethea rose from the ground, her legs trembling beneath her, and took a faltering step toward the fading remnants of dusk.
With each labored breath, she propelled herself forward, her weary feet dragging her back toward the west—back toward her uncertain future. Toward her family.
In the quiet of the night, beneath the vast expanse of the darkening sky, she whispered the words, her voice a mere breath, yet it was filled with unyielding resolve.
I’m here. I’m coming.
With those words, she embraced the darkness and the unknown, a silent promise etched in the starlit canvas above.