Severn
From where I sat, I could take in all of my surroundings. I was tucked into a corner, as usual. Everyone’s attention was on me. Normally I was invisible to these people. A being to never even be perceived. But now, everyone’s eyes were firmly on me.
“Well, so you have anything to say for yourself?” When Ceril stopped in front of me, he bent down. He didn’t look as perfect anymore. His age was more apparent. Crows' feet rimmed his eyes and wrinkles lined his forehead. Small bits of white hair even sprouted from his temples.
“Did I ruin everything?” I asked, looking Ceril directly in the eye. “Or did I just ruin everything for you?”
Ceril pulled his hand back and slapped me across the face.
“The latter then. Got it.” I wiggled my jaw to ease the pain.
Ceril leaned down and got right in my face. “Since when did you get so mouthy?”
I jerked at him and realized I was bound to the chair. Everyone in the room started laughing.
Tirah walked out from behind me and stood behind Ceril. When she smiled, she looked directly at me. A black pulsing aura grew around her before she pulled out a dagger and held it to Ceril’s throat.
“I think we should have a chat, Ceril.” Tirah hissed.
My eyes blinked open, and the city lights of Noirhaven were bright. Groaning, I stretched, and Aiden placed his hand on my side.
“Sev, are you okay?” I nodded in response, unable to formulate a sentence quite yet. “Was it a vision?” I nodded again, closing my eyes and shifting to sit up on the bed.
“Tirah,” I said before clearing my throat. “We have to find her.”
“Who is that?”
“She knows what Ceril has planned, but she will be on our side.” When I touched Aiden’s hand, his eyes closed. I was able to show him exactly what I saw in the vision. Our bond was growing stronger. Our special senses were starting to bond as well.
“What the fuck?” Aiden’s eyes popped open. “We have to go.”
Letting out a heavy breath, I nodded before getting up and going to my room to get dressed in something other than joggers and a t-shirt.
I knew nothing about fighting or defending myself.
To say that I was fully relying on Aiden was an understatement.
When I followed Aiden up the ladder onto the garden area above the noodle shop, I took a deep breath of the fresh night air.
I didn’t go out much with Ceril, so staying cooped up inside wasn’t that much of a change for me.
But I wasn’t going to complain about the fresh air up on the mountainside like this.
“We just need to be as quiet as possible, look for any signs of them.” Aiden began walking down the stairs leading to the alley. “Just stay close.” I nodded in understanding, not wanting to mess up any part of this.
It wasn’t too late yet. Cars still drove the mountain road and passed the alley regularly. We walked casually down, in the direction Mitz and Vea would have traveled, to see if we saw any sign of them.
A dense wooded patch was to the right when we rounded a corner.
“Should we be checking in the trees?” I asked quietly.
“Packs tend to thrive in trees like that.” I gestured toward the dark area, and Aiden agreed that it was a good idea.
He reached his hand out, and I gripped it tightly as we walked into the trees.
It didn’t take long for us to come across Mitz’s black sports car. “Shit,” Aiden mumbled as he dropped my hand and rushed to the car.
The car was destroyed. It hit almost every tree on its way here. The passenger’s door was pried open, bent in half.
“They got them,” Aiden said, and he pulled out a piece of paper from the windshield.
Well, that was fun. Be a little more careful next time. See Ceril if you want them back.
Aiden crumpled the paper in his hand and shoved it in his pocket. Pulling out my phone, I scrolled to Milo’s name and tapped it.
He picked up on the second ring. “Severn?”
“You guys should come up here.” Aiden held his hand out for the phone, and I handed it to him.
“Milo, a pack took them to Ceril. We have to move now. Come pick us up.”