Chapter 11
Alchera
We’ve walked for a couple of minutes when Raighne says, “Let me carry you.”
I shake my head. “I’m fine.”
My legs are growing numb, and my body aches, but I’m too stubborn to admit I need help. Everyone thinks I’m weak, and the last thing I need is my guardian carrying me like I’m a damn baby.
A minute or so later, we hear someone call out, “Raighne.”
He stops and turning, a smile spreads over his face, making him look way too hot.
Ugh. I don’t have the strength to stand around and talk to someone.
“Peace be, River,” he greets the other man, who’s a little shorter and leaner built than him.
“Peace be, my friend. Roark mentioned you were home.” He lifts an eyebrow as he glances at me. “You must be Princess Alchera.”
I’m starting to feel downright awful and can only nod.
“Yes, this is my Alchera,” Raighne replies, the word ‘my’ making my eyebrows fly into my hairline.
Like hell, I’m not some piece of property he can claim.
My mood sours even more, and feeling miserable, I wish I could just go to bed .
Raighne must see something on my face because he says, “I mean it in the way a guardian would refer to his charge.”
Not wanting to argue about it, I nod.
Just as I’m about to continue walking, River says, “Peace be, Princess. Welcome home.”
“Don’t call me that,” I snap, immediately regretting my harsh tone. “Ah…I’m going to go.” I don’t even glance at Raighne as I add, “See you around.”
“Walk with us,” I hear Raighne tell River.
Just great.
I have to suppress the urge to growl as I focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
My vision starts to blur when I hear Fleur call out, “Alchera!”
I don’t stop walking because I’m afraid I’ll just sink to the ground and cry my heart out.
“By Awo,” she gasps when she catches up to me. “When it looked like things were getting out of hand, I went to find Raighne but I see he’s already found you.” Her eyes are filled with worry as she glances up and down my body. “Are you okay?”
I hook my arm through hers so I can lean on her and whisper, “Just get me to the healers before I pass out.”
“Of course.” Wrapping her arm around my lower back, she tries her best to support me.
As she helps me walk, she smiles at Raighne and River. “Peace be.”
Raighne doesn’t say anything, but River returns her greeting, which makes a blush form on her cheeks.
If I weren’t dying of pain, I’d be curious whether something’s going on between the two of them.
I try to pick up my pace, but my aching body doesn’t want to know a thing. Chills spread over my skin, and I wipe sweat from my forehead.
Suddenly, an arm wraps around my waist and another slips beneath my knees. I gasp when I’m picked up bridal style, and my face ends up inches from Raighne’s.
He doesn’t look at me as he mutters, “That’s enough. I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”
The instant I feel his body heat, it somehow manages to ease the pain a little. Giving up on getting my stubborn ass to the healers on my own, I let out a sigh and rest my head against his shoulder.
“We’re almost there,” Raighne says, his tone comforting.
My vision blurs again, and I let out a groan before I lose consciousness.
I wake up with a start as a horrible sharp pain shoots through my shoulder and into my neck and back.
I’m unable to stop a cry from bursting over my lips, and feeling feverish, I can barely focus on anything.
“Be gentle with my charge,” Raighne snaps angrily.
“I had to put her dislocated shoulder back in place,” a man mutters. “It would be better if you waited outside.”
“Not happening,” Raighne growls.
I pry my eyes open and see a man wearing a white coat getting an injection ready.
“This will help with the pain,” he says.
When he brings the needle to my arm, I turn my head, and my sight falls on Raighne, who’s standing next to the bed, looking like he’s a second away from killing the healer.
I become aware of Raighne’s hand gripping mine tightly, and when our eyes meet, his features soften a little.
With his other hand, he brushes his palm over my forehead. “It will be over soon.”
God. I hope so.
My eyes fall shut, and as I drift in and out of consciousness, terrifying flashes of torture fill my mind until it feels like I’m sucked into the pits of hell itself.
I stare at a woman and watch as her face begins to change. It’s subtle at first, then thorn-like bumps form on her forehead.
Shit .
I can only stare in horror as small spikes appear on her ears and black veins run along her lips, creeping over the rest of her face.
Bile rises in my throat as I realize I have a front-row seat to the unveiling of the monster that wants to end all of humanity, and the odds are good I’m going to die now.
God.
As I begin to come to terms with the fact that I won’t be getting out of this hell alive, I slip up and think of Raighne.
Warmth immediately floods my chest, and it’s so comforting to feel him, I almost let out a sob.
For the first time since I was captured, I lower my head so they can’t see my eyes because I don’t want them to know Raighne’s able to sense what’s happening.
“Ares,” the woman hisses, “make her understand!”
A hand closes around my throat, and I wait for him to start squeezing, expecting to be suffocated. Instead of having my air supply cut off, an awful burning sensation starts at my feet, making its way slowly up my legs.
It feels as if my flesh is being scorched from my body, and I can’t keep the screams from tearing loose. I writhe in agony, the burn increasing as it crawls up my body.
By the time it reaches my thighs, it feels like I’m on fire, burning from the inside out.
“Stop!” I scream, my voice hoarse. “Please.”
I’m weeping from the unbearable pain, but there are no tears left to cool my face.
The man just stares at me, his eyes dead and merciless.
When I feel Raighne stirring in me, as if he’s trying to pass some of his strength into my body, I sob out loud.
I want to push him away because I don’t want him feeling any of this pain. Unable to stop Raighne, he flows through my mind, and as he floods my body, his warmth battles the fire, easing some of the blistering pain.
“Raighne,” I groan internally. “I don’t want you here. Leave.”
“Never.” His voice is clear in my mind. “I’ll find you. Don’t give up.”
My whole body slumps, and totally exhausted, I just soak in Raighne’s comforting presence .
Then another voice enters my mind, sounding threatening, “Tell her, or I will be forced to kill you slowly and hand your soul to her.”
I shake my head as more sobs spill over my lips.
The sadistic bitch steps closer, enjoying my pain and despair. “You may stop, for now, Ares. Let’s see whether our little bird is ready to sing.”
The excruciating pain stops the minute he removes his hand, and I hang limply from where a rope is tied around my wrists.
“Tell me who the chosen ones are,” she demands.
My body jerks as I come to, and it takes a moment before I realize Raighne’s carrying me somewhere.
The vision I just had shudders through me, and I’m hit with a wave of utter despair.
Raighne must think I’m reacting to the pain of the wounds Brenna inflicted on me because he presses a kiss to my forehead and murmurs, “We’ll be home soon, then you can rest.”
I press my face to his shoulder, and unable to stop the tears, they soak into the leather of his shirt.
The sound of voices drifts to us, and soon, we’re moving through the camp.
When we enter my living quarters, I pull my face away from his shoulder.
He carries me into the bedroom and lays me down on the covers. “Try to get some sleep.”
I shake my head and stare at nothing in particular as the visions I’ve been having replay in my mind.
Raighne sits down on the side of the bed, and leaning over me, he braces a hand beside my hip. Tilting his head, he catches my eyes and says, “Talk to me.”
I stare at his face, that’s so familiar but at the same time foreign, and I remember how his strength flowed through me while I was being tortured.
My entire life has been thrown into chaos and the visions are only getting worse.
His eyes soften on me, and bringing his other hand to my face, he cups my cheek. “Talk to me, Alchera. ”
I hate it as the words leave my lips. “I’m scared.”
“Of Brenna?” he asks.
I shake my head again, then admit, “I’ve been having visions.”
Frown lines appear on his forehead, and his thumb brushes tenderly over my skin. “Want to tell me about them?”
I lean into his palm, and closing my eyes, I say, “The one I’ve had twice, I’m in a foreign city, and people are running around. There are bodies, their faces burned.” I suck in a deep breath, trying to fight the despair flooding me just from thinking about it.
“Go on.” Raighne encourages me, keeping his tone gentle.
“It’s raining ash and debris,” I whisper, my tone raw. “At some point, I look up to see where the ash is coming from, and there are dark clouds. The middle is swirling, and the edges of the black clouds are dark red as if it’s been dipped in blood.” I try really hard to keep my voice from trembling. “The clouds look like they’re on fire.” I take another deep breath, and my ribs feel tender. Exhaling, I continue, “I think a volcano is erupting.” I glance down at my hands. “It erupts, and I’m not concerned about my own safety. I just feel empty…like a wasteland.” I swallow hard. “I feel dark inside.”
When I lift my eyes, it’s to see a very concerned expression etched deep into Raighne’s features.
I stare at him for a moment, wishing we could go back to being Jane and Ryan, just two teenagers without a care in the world.
Even though it’s only been a day since he dragged me back to this world, it feels as if an eternity has passed.
Pulling away from Raighne, I scoot off the bed and walk to the window. Looking outside, I see the old oak tree’s shadows in the dark.
I hear him stand up, and I take a deep breath, or as deep as my bruised ribs will allow, before I continue, “The part that bothers me most is when I turn around, and something slams into my chest.”
I turn around to face Raighne, who’s standing by the side of the bed.
Maybe I shouldn’t tell him.
I contemplate it for a moment but then decide against keeping it a secret.
“I think someone is going to shoot me. ”
Looking at his worried face, I wait for him to say something.
“Did you see the person who’s going to shoot you?” he asks, his tone tense.
I shake my head. “I only remember feeling an overwhelming need to get this person away from danger.” I try harder to remember, then say, “You’re there.”
Raighne shakes his head hard. “If I’m there, then you won’t get shot. If I’m with you, no harm will ever come to you.”
“Really?” I wave my hand over my body. “What do you call this?” I regret the words the moment I say them. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it. I’m just saying you can’t stop everything that will happen to me. Shit happens.”
His muscles strain as he stares at me, his expression downright scary.
Suddenly, my body jerks forward. I let out a startled shriek as I’m yanked through the air until I collide with Raighne. Pain shudders through me from the sudden movement.
Holy shit.
My hands slam against his shoulders, and I grab hold of them.
His arms wrap around me, and I’m shocked out of my everloving mind about how I just flew through the air.
“What the hell just happened?” I whisper, feeling panic bubble up inside of me.
It’s only then I remember earlier on the field when the knife was ripped away from my throat, and I flew backward.
Oh my God.
His breaths are coming fast, then just as quick as it happened, he lets go of me and puts a safe distance between us.
“I’m sorry,” is all he says before he turns around and leaves the bedroom.
Shit. Raighne just moved me clear across the room without touching me.
He has the power to move things.
Shaking my head, I wonder what else he can do that I don’t know about.
Exhausted, I sink down on the side of the bed and stare at the floor. I wipe my hand over my forehead and once again try to make sense of the chaotic mess my life has become.