Chapter Seventeen
“What is your family name?” I ask.
Our horses’ feet brush the grass under us as we make our way back to the castle.
“Silver,” he says.
Draven Silver. What a lovely name.
“What is yours?”
“It is Jourdain. My family has a French descent,” I say.
“It fits you well.”
I smile to myself.
We continue our ride back to the castle, unsure of what the time is.
We stayed looking at the stars for at least another hour.
Draven spent most of the time pointing out stars and constellations, naming them for me.
He also spent some time trying to convince me to go swimming in the pond. It did not work.
I told him when we come back next time, I will.
“There is something I need to tell you,” I say.
He turns and looks at me, concern flashing across his features.
“Some things happened while you were gone. I do not think it is coincidence that they started right when you left.”
“What happened?” he says, voice tight.
“Well… to start, I think someone has been watching me. I felt it in the woods that night and every day since. I have also been having nightmares every night since you have been gone.”
I explain to Draven both dreams I had in his absence. I made sure to leave out the part about how I woke up empty and distraught, full of tears over his death. I can still feel how it was to look down and know that I lost him.
“So, it is the same concept every time?” he asks.
“Yes. I am running from someone, knowing that I am running out of time. The sun is always in it while I am stuck with nowhere to hide.”
Draven nods, contemplation set in his features.
“The last dream it was like someone forced me through the wall into Faeria. I went right through it like it was nothing,” I say.
“Well, to give you some reassurance, you can only get into Faeria if you have a Valelily Stone. It is the only way in or out and I promise no one is getting through it without it,” he says.
My shoulders sag with relief. Well, that takes that possibility off the table.
He looks forward again, quiet with contemplation. I see a muscle tick in his jaw
“Also, someone followed me to my room one night.”
He whips his head back toward me.
I keep going.
“Also, someone left a vase of pink flowers on my bedside table while I was not there. The flowers matched the scent in the air that day we walked into the room of the missing man.”
He raises his hand to his head, rubbing the tension out of his forehead. I can feel his anger radiating off him from over here.
He blows out a heavy breath. “I will keep guards posted outside of your room at all times. I also want a guard with you everywhere you go. I will notify them first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Draven I—”
“Please, Solene. I do not want to negotiate this with you. No one is to touch you.”
I look over at him and see such fierce determination in his eyes, that I do not even try to argue it. What could a few extra guards around really hurt.
The guards who attacked me and Gracie that night are dead and I have been around plenty of them since. It would probably give me the peace of mind that I need.
“Okay, fine,” I say.
We approach the castle silently, making our way toward the barn. Draven helps me off my horse then quickly feeds them before putting them up.
We sneak back into the castle the same way we snuck out.
Once we get inside and start walking to my room, I find myself not wanting to go back. As if I do not want the night to end.
There is always tomorrow.
“Are you going to be okay in here tonight by yourself? I can sleep on the couch,” he says as we stand outside of my bedroom door.
I look up at him, debating whether to accept his offer or not.
My head shakes.
“Thank you for offering but you do not need to do that. Go sleep in your own bed, you have been traveling. I will be okay for the one night.”
He looks at me for a few seconds, as if he is not going to accept no, as an answer.
“Very well then,” he says with a nod.
Draven opens the door to my room for me and we say goodnight. Our eyes lingering on each other a second longer before I step into the room.
I look up at the clock and see that it is an hour past midnight.
As I settle into bed, fear starts to slowly creep into my head over the thought of having another nightmare tonight. The idea of sleep is replaced with paranoia.
Maybe I should have let Draven sleep in here, just for tonight. But what happened between us tonight has made me feel, different. Different in a way I cannot navigate right now because I do not know what to make of my own feelings.
So instead of deciphering my feelings, I close my eyes and think of him instead.
I replay every conversation as I think about the way he looked underneath the starlight. How open he was with his emotions in the quiet of the night. How vulnerable he was with me, and not shying away from it.
Feelings buried deep within my chest, start to subtly catch flame.
? ? ?
A scream echoes in my ears as I jolt awake in bed.
Was I having another nightmare of someone screaming or was that real?
I look around my room in a panic then glance up at the clock. It is three in the morning.
I shake my head and go to lie back down, deciding it must have been a dream. Then, I hear it again. The scream is sharp, so ear piercingly loud that I put my hands over top of my ears.
My eyes widen at how close the scream is. Almost like it is coming from the room next to me.
Oh no. Ivorie.
I rip the covers off and jump out of bed, running over to the door connecting our rooms. I go to turn the handle, but the door is locked.
She screams again.
I start to bang on the door so hard, pain shoots up my hand.
“Ivorie!” I yell.
She does not reply to me.
“Ivorie, I am coming.”
I hit my shoulder up against the door, but it is not budging. Over and over again I try, but nothing works. I slam my shoulder up against it one last time, hearing a crack and feeling a sharp pain shoot across my chest and down my arm.
That did not sound good.
Ignoring the pain, I walk over to the sitting area and grab the closest chair. Running back to the door, I slam it against it as hard as I can, breaking the lock. I kick the door open, frantically stepping into the dark room.
The taste of iron immediately hits my tongue.
I turn the lamp in the corner on, looking around, but I do not see her. Panic settles deep in my stomach as I realize where she might be.
I walk slowly over to the bed. Something shimmery catches my eye and my gaze travels up the wall behind the bed.
I gasp loudly, throwing my hand over my mouth.
Above Ivorie’s bed, carved into the wall, is an obsidian incantor signature in the shape of a broken crown.
I slowly back up, looking around the room with the feeling that someone is watching me. Fear seizes my entire body as I look over and see Ivorie lying in the corner of the room, her forehead split open and bleeding.
I do not think twice as I run over to her.
I have made the mistake of seeing someone I care about close to death and not doing a thing about it. I will not lose her like I lost Gracie.
Dropping down to my knees in front of her, I shake her, but she does not stir.
“Ivorie, please wake up,” I choke.
She still does not wake. I press my hand against her neck and feel her artery pulsing.
I stand up and grab her legs in an attempt to drag her out of the room with me. Too scared to make any noise, I start to quietly pull. Her body slowly starts to slide across the floor. Pain shoots down my arm so intense, that I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming.
I get halfway to the door when a shadow forms in my peripheral.
I freeze, slowly turning my head. My eyes meet a tall figure swallowed completely in a large black cloak. I cannot see a face beneath the hood.
My mouth opens to scream, but the figure is faster. It raises its arm up, swinging toward me. I feel the crack in my skull as a splitting pain radiates through my head.
Then, the world turns a familiar shade of black.