Chapter 7 #2
Xavier excused himself, and I moved closer to Emilie. Hidden between two horses, I reached up and tucked a piece of wavy hair behind her ear, then cupped her face. “Is there any point in my begging you to stay here where you’ll be safe and I won’t need to worry about you?”
“I think you know me better than that.”
I did, but I’d had the tiniest sliver of hope that she might listen for once. “Fine, but stay close to me.” When she gave me a look, I added hastily, “For protection.”
She grinned. “For protection? Not because you enjoy my company?”
I chanced a glance around and, finding no one near, I said, “That too.”
A short time later, our convoy was packed and ready to set off. Two warriors led the way while Emilie and I rode in the middle, with more warriors to our sides and following behind us.
Renoa was still quiet as we rode through the empty streets.
Only a few lights illuminated the shops as the workers inside prepared to open.
Farther away, stores gave way to houses of varying sizes but all in the same shade of sandstone.
Doors and window shutters painted in bright shades of blue, green, and red broke up the sea of beige.
That and the colorful flowers and trees planted between houses.
Slowly, the houses became scarcer until we crossed the bridge that marked the end of the city border. Here, in the cool morning air and wide-open space, a shiver ran down my back. It finally hit me we were returning to Murvort—something only an insane man would do.
My throat closed, and I loosened my jacket around my neck. Counting my breaths, I focused on the path ahead of me. On the sound of my horse’s unhurried trot. On the pinks and oranges melding into blue with the rising sun. Anything but the mountains in the distance and the nightmares within.
I felt Emilie’s presence and her gaze on me.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I muttered. We didn’t have a choice, though. Cyrus’s life depended on it, and he would’ve done it for me. He did do it for me, and my love and allegiance to him would keep me moving forward.
“We’ll get through it,” Emilie said just as softly. “She’s not there. She can’t hurt us.”
“A shame she isn’t. I could kill her and save my brother in one trip.”
That earned a slight chuckle from Emilie, and I finally looked at her. The warm glow illuminated her skin, and her freckles were like sparkles across her cheeks and nose. Her eyes glistened as she studied me. “So is the new leader…”
“Jesse Holden.”
“Right. Does he know we’re coming?”
“Yes, I sent a messenger falcon ahead. He’s been informed of our arrival, and I expect he will send a convoy of his own to meet us at the border.”
“Oh?”
I nodded. “Can’t let us run amok in his territory, now, can he?”
“Right…”
Silence filled the air, and I resisted the urge to fill it. I was curious about what else was running through her mind—if she was struggling like me—but I wouldn’t push her if she wasn’t ready to talk about it.
“What if he’s worse than Reyna?” she finally whispered.
“He isn’t.” No one could be. “The Holdens have opposed Reyna for years.”
“Is that enough to trust them?”
“No,” I admitted. “But we also know their focus is on stabilizing Murvort. And if we can help, financially or otherwise…”
“Then they’ll have reason to meet with us and give us whatever we ask for.”
“Exactly.”
I gave her a reassuring smile, but she seemed lost in thought. If only there were something I could say to ease her doubts, but everything was uncertain. My decisions were based on limited information, and I could only hope for the best. What other choice did we have?
Emilie and I took turns distracting one another during the otherwise dull ride.
We stopped only once for a quick meal and to relieve ourselves before we carried on.
Although we were safe within Osavian’s boundaries, we still didn’t want to travel at night.
The closer we got to the border, the larger the mountains appeared—like giant beasts looming over us.
The sun was low in the sky by the time I caught sight of a structure in the mountain’s shadow—Fort Malek. Its towers stood tall above the trees, and Osavian flags whipped in the wind on the tallest turrets.
Beside me, Emilie sucked in a breath. The reins slipped an inch in my sweaty palms, and I gripped them tighter.
Visions swirled through my mind of the night Emilie and I had been taken.
We were ambushed in Fort Malek after walking into a trap with bodies strewn about the entire place.
It was the grisliest scene I’d ever encountered, and I’d seen a lot as High Commander.
The fort had been restored and the bodies laid to rest, but I could still feel the presence of their ghosts. Every life lost was personal to me. They were all reminders of my failure to keep them safe.
My failure to keep my brother safe… to keep Emilie safe…
Turning to face her, I noticed she’d gone pale. Was she even breathing? I nudged my horse closer to her. “Are you all right?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she nodded.
“We don’t have to stay inside the fort,” I told her.
“Where else would we go?”
“We can set up a camp outside the walls. Have a couple guards rotate watch overnight.” I didn’t care if it made us look weak or silly. I’d do it if it made Emilie more comfortable.
She shook her head. “No, I think it’s best we stay inside. It’ll be practice for Murvort.”
“Practice?”
“You know… entering the gates of hell will be so much worse than residing in an Osavian fortress for a few nights. If I can’t survive this, then I have no business stepping foot into the territory of Murvort, let alone Reyna’s estate in the mountains.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“So we’ll stay inside,” she said resolutely, her chin held high. It almost brought a smile to my face, but a cool breeze ran across my skin, and I swore it was the ghosts of those lost souls telling us to turn back.
I wouldn’t. It might cost me my sanity, but I would save my brother one way or another.