Chapter 20
Daegal strode towards me, an unreadable expression on his face. “I’m to be your guard,” he grumbled, grabbing my wrists when I didn’t immediately lift them for him to chain.
He clasped the metal around my wrists, then rattled the chain attached to them to check that they were firmly in place.
“You’ll make a pretty little distraction for the prison guards,” Daegal smiled venomously sweet down at me, lifting my chin with his thumb and forefinger. His dark eyes bore into mine. “Unfortunately for me, that means I’ll be stuck with you for a month.”
I freed my face from his grasp with an irritated jerk of my head.
My stomach dropped at his words. A month in the desert with the person who’d ruined my plans.
My life. My gut jolted for a second time.
Felix would be there, too. I could try to explain myself to him and get him and Felicity back on my side.
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Verena warned, eyeing me with those cold, purple eyes. “She’ll run off to Erobred the second she gets the chance.”
“To save my family,” I spat, whipping my head towards her. “I’m sure you’d understand.”
Her eyes widened. I regretted saying it the moment those words left my mouth, even if I hated her for not letting me go.
Verena’s eyes flickered between me and Hannan. She closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath.
“Go, Daegal. The group is leaving soon.”
Daegal nodded and left the room, dragging me along with him with a firm grip on the chains.
My cheeks burned with humiliation as everyone’s eyes landed on me, then the cuffs around my wrists. Then to Daegal, who looked utterly unperplexed as he dragged the traitor along behind him.
The hand that wasn’t clutching the chain was stuffed unconcernedly into his pocket. Jax did a double take as he saw me, his mouth falling open in surprise.
“We’re taking her,” Daegal explained. “She’s going to show us the way. Then we’re going to use her as bait.”
I saw Jax’s throat bob, his wide eyes not leaving mine. I knew what he was thinking. What they were all thinking.
The liar. The betrayer. The traitor.
And I was stuck with them for over a month.
“Let’s go!” Daegal called before Jax could answer, starting towards the forest exit and taking the familiar trail to the river.
Daegal didn’t speak again until we reached the boat that Hannan was talking about, but I heard the rebels behind me muttering in disbelief and, mostly, disgust.
My feet felt heavy as Daegal grabbed my bicep to pull me onto the boat. It was crammed as all one hundred of us sat there.
I was pressed so closely against Daegal that I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. Jax had occupied the seat next to me, which I was thankful for. If he hated me, at least he didn’t make it abundantly clear.
Jax, along with the other mooncasters, hurried the boat along with their magic.
I wanted to turn my head and see how they did it, but I remained seated, completely still. The dozens of eyes already boring into me was enough. I didn’t need to draw further attention to myself.
Felix was seated almost directly across from me next to Felicity, pale eyes flicking between me and the chains around my wrists. His expression was softer than when he’d first found out I’d tricked him. He almost looked confused.
“Felix,” I pleaded, but he looked away, out into the horizon. He didn’t want my explanation. Not yet, anyway.
I remained quiet the rest of the trip, watching the veins in Daegal’s hand grow more prominent with each minute he clutched the chain binding me to him. As if we weren’t surrounded by water, which made it impossible for me to escape.
With the combined effort of Jax and the other mooncasters, we crossed the river in just a handful of minutes.
The group filed from the boat, with Daegal guiding us down at the end of the line. He jumped off, landing gracefully on the grassy shore.
Then he looked up at me, waiting for me to make the jump as well. I teetered on the edge of the boat. My feet were unsteady, and I was unable to balance myself with my arms as they were bound in front of me.
Daegal rolled his eyes before reaching up to grab me around the waist. A protest was ready on my lips when he lifted me down effortlessly, placing me on the ground next to him.
His eyes searched mine for a second like he wanted to say something. His hands still rested at my sides, his mind apparently too preoccupied with his thoughts to remember to take them off me. My skin blazed where he held me.
Before he’d caught me stealing the crown, I’d actually started to slightly enjoy his company. I’d gotten the feeling he’d felt the same way after the bonfire party. But when he’d exposed me, that changed in an instant.
He’d felt hurt, just like the rest, I was sure. Only he was too stubborn to admit it. Too stubborn to listen to my side of the story.
“Come on!” Jax called. Daegal dropped his hands at once, walking away without a second glance at me. I caught up before the chain could pull taut.
The tall trees shielded us from the sun above us. I savored the last bit of shadow because, in a few hours, there would be nothing but sand, heat, and drought.
I thanked the Goddess that I was at the very back of the group. That meant I could escape everyone’s judgmental stares, at least for now.
The group was chatting merrily, forgetting about the traitor their friend had in tow behind him.
“Why did you do it?” Daegal asked, keeping his gaze determinedly fixed in front of him.
“I already told you,” I snapped, staring daggers at the dark curls at the back of his head. “To save my sister.”
He tsk-ed at me. “Sticking with that story then?”
I caught up to him, walking beside him and staring up at him with reddened cheeks. “Because it’s the truth!”
The people in front of us looked over their shoulders, clearly disgusted by my audacity to have an outburst.
“I wouldn’t be at all sorry if I had to gag you, Prudence. Please keep your voice down,” Daegal said coldly, finally looking sideways down at me with a twisted sneer. “Working for Elio Boaz... No decent person would do that.”
Grass turned to sand. My feet dragged as if my body was begging me to turn around, remembering the days of hunger and a mouth so parched I’d neared fainting. The sun wasn’t as insistent as I’d remembered it being. Perhaps it would be a more tolerable trip this time of year.
The group’s pace grew steadily slower, but Daegal plowed on.
He yanked at the chain binding my wrists before speeding up his pace to reach the front of the group.
I stumbled, barely catching myself on his back.
But I regained my balance quickly, following along with him.
I was sure he wouldn’t mind dragging me through the sand if it came to that.
“Felix!” he yelled, getting his attention. Felix spun around, not sparing me a glance. “I think we should take a break.”
Felix nodded, then looked over the huge crowd of rebels who’d stopped, all panting, sweaty, and tired. Though the sun was still high in the sky, some of them looked like they could sleep through the day until the next morning if the leaders would let them.
I’d gathered now that Felix, Felicity, and Daegal were in charge. They were hunters, which meant they were the ones most often leaving the base.
Water was being passed around, coincidentally skipping right by me every single time. I sighed and sunk down onto the ground, rubbing my sand-filled eyes in irritation.
I was surrounded by a hundred rebels, and it was the loneliest I’d ever felt.
I drew a shaky breath as my mind wandered to Lili.
A quiet sob escaped my lips. Was she even still alive?
I hadn’t heard a thing since Kenric contacted me that very first time.
I consoled myself slightly with the fact that if he had actually killed her, he’d be sure to tell me.
A silver-clad hand waved something in my face. I looked up to see Daegal offering me a jug of water. Gratefully, I took it with both hands before he had time to change his mind.
His brows furrowed as he looked down at me, and I realized my cheeks were wet with tears. Gulping down a bit of water quickly, I looked to the side to avoid his gaze, then passed the jug back to his awaiting hand.
“Thanks,” I muttered, burying my face in my hands to escape the judgmental stares from the rebels around me. If only I could block out their sneering comments as well.
After several breaks and so much walking that my feet were starting to blister, day had finally turned to evening. Though the air was still dry, the lack of sun left my body feeling slightly chilly.
We’d set up camp for the night. Not that I’d been a lot of help with that, with my hands still bound tightly in front of me.
After sundown, it got dark quickly in the desert. The group had split up into smaller crowds, all nibbling on the fresh food they’d brought from the base, saving the less perishable goods for later.
I felt a gaze at the back of my head and caught Felix hurrying to look away from me to continue to hand out blankets and food.
Daegal handed me a thin bedroll, the leather straps keeping it rolled up still in place.
I raised a questioning eyebrow at him, watching him unfold his own makeshift bed.
“How am I supposed to do this?” I asked, annoyed, the clunky, waxed canvas slipping out of my exhausted grasp.
He looked up, stray curls clinging to his eyebrows. “Figure it out.”
I huffed and kneeled on the ground, fidgeting with the fastenings. Grunting in irritation, I managed to loosen the first strap, then moved to work on the other one.
Daegal had been either cold or demeaning towards me all day.
It was exhausting, seeing as he was the one who held the chain connected to the cuffs around my wrists.
He’d not been more than a few feet away from me, and I was getting sick of him.
It’d been a relief the few hours he’d decided to just blatantly ignore me.