Chapter 27
“We will camp here.” Kaden’s voice pulled her out of her daze she had put herself in for the last few hours and she tried to make herself aware of her surroundings.
They had climbed up the mountain for miles now and she could see some snow still at the highest points. Luckily for them, the road cut halfway along the mountain side, a river down the ravine next to them.
They stopped next to an alcove in the mountain side, the large cave being plenty big enough for their group.
Another spot that they could guard better and she could hear a waterfall nearby. Her ears perked at the sound and a smile crossed her face. She hadn’t seen a waterfall since she was home, and she knew instantly she would be searching for it before they left in the morning.
“Let’s get set up and then I need to train with Alyra.” Kaden spoke in his commanding voice, the rest of the group dismounting and starting to unpack.
Her feet hit the ground and she felt a shock go up her legs when she landed. Being in the saddle for so long was making parts of her hurt that she wasn’t used to.
“I feel the same.” Raine chuckled beside her. “We will be used to riding about the time we arrive.”
She smiled back at her and started to loosen the saddle on Zuri, the mare relaxing instantly at the pressure release.
“So, how was your ride with Finnley?” she teased.
She could see Raine’s face go red instantly and she shoved her lightly with a chuckle.
“He is.. Nice.”
“Nice?” she giggled. “I already knew that.
“Ok fine, he’s adorable and so easy to talk to. If half the guards in the castle would have been like him, I might have stayed. I'm really glad I didn’t now.” Raine’s face beamed with happiness and she tried to keep her smile genuine.
She remembered that feeling with Silas, a twinge of pain stirring inside her. How could she still feel something for someone that broke her so badly? She pushed the memories away as fast as she could that made her miss him, even for a second.
She pulled the saddle fully off Zuri now and set it on the ground a few feet away. There was a small grassy area closer to the road and she led the mare to it, hobbling her legs before taking her bridle off to graze.
Voices sounded behind her and she kept her eyes on the mare, not wanting to be obvious she was listening.
“You can take Alyra training if you want, we can get things set up here.” Finnley’s familiar voice caught her ear.
“I think that's a good idea, we need as much time as possible for her training.” Kaden replied.
“You think she will be ready in time?”
“I hope so.” Kaden’s voice was hesitant and she felt guilt punch her in the gut.
She still wasn’t making much progress with over two months of training behind her and she knew she was the problem, not him.
Footsteps got closer to her and she casually turned to see Kaden watching her carefully.
“Ready to train?”
“Yep,” she said quickly and waited for him to escort her to wherever they were going to go.
He turned and started walking towards a small path between the mountain and alcove, taking them higher up the mountain side. When they reached the top of the small hill, she gasped in surprise.
There was a small forest valley with a waterfall coming down the opposite mountainside making a small pool of water at the base.
There wasn’t much room for training, but she thought maybe that was the point and Kaden would use it to challenge her. It was a smart move, especially considering they had only been training in a flat circle with no obstacles.
They stayed silent while maneuvering down the embankment to the trees, her feet sliding on rocks here and there.
Once down among the trees, Kaden walked towards the water and stopped at the edge of it. The water was raging a few yards from them, the waterfall dropping thousands of feet from above and she could feel the mist from the water colliding at the bottom.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“I thought you might like it, I heard there were many of them in Mydalsa.” His voice quiet next to her, barely audible over the roar of the water.
“Yes, the mountains give us many waterfalls because of the snow melt. A few of them flow year around and were usually the places I would sneak off to for a swim.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” he chuckled.
She glared up at him and then looked around, the quiet surrounding them somewhat eerie and unnerving.
“We better start training.” She cleared her throat and walked a few feet into the woods, pulling her sword from its sheath.
“No sword,” he said behind her and she glanced at him confused. “You need more hand-to-hand work, if you lose your sword at this point, you will be at risk.”
“Whatever you say.” She shrugged casually and stabbed her sword into the dirt next to a tree.
“Axe too,” he added.
She gave him a playful glare as she tugged her second favorite weapon from her hip and tossed it next to her sword.
He rested his two swords against a tree near him before facing her, eyes instantly connecting with hers.
“Charge me,” he demanded.
She narrowed her eyes but nodded, her feet moving on the dirt and she tried to aim her fist at his face.
He dodged, his arm colliding with her back and she fumbled to keep herself upright. As soon as she got traction she swung around and landed a blow to his side, a grunt sounding from his but he swung back quickly.
She was able to duck her head out of the way and roll onto the ground, spinning to face him head on again.
“You need to maneuver better.” He grunted at her.
She growled and charged him again, this time sliding before he could swing and knocking his feet out from under him. She followed by pulling a dagger out of her thigh before straddling him with it at his throat.
This time, when he tried to throw her off, she was ready and shoved her leg to the ground so he couldn’t roll her and the blade pressed into his throat more. A small trickle of blood flowed onto her knife and trickled down its blade.
She tried not to flinch, the first time she had seen another fae bleed since the war, but she knew her body tensed instantly.
“You learned from last time.” He smirked.
“Well, I have you to deal with if I don’t.” She pulled the blade from his throat and rose to her feet. “I’m already failing enough with my power, I might as well try to fight better without it.”
His eyebrows raised while he stood, his hand wiping his neck and glanced at the red coloring from his throat.
“You’re not failing.” he muttered.
“We’ve been training for two months and I’ve barely been able to get a quarter of my power back. How is that not failing?”
He walked up to her and reached for her but paused for her approval. She nodded and his fingers gently gripped her chin, his eyes now dark and body tense with what seemed like anger. She didn’t know where his sudden emotion came from.
“You were tortured and beaten when you locked it up, it’s going to take something just as emotional to finally break it all the way back down.
” His eyes didn’t waiver from hers and she could feel her heart start to race from the intensity of his stare.
He had remembered what she said to Emris that day in the throne room, but he never asked her about it since.
He leaned closer to her, their faces only inches from each other and she found it hard to breathe knowing how close his lips were to hers.
“You are worthy of everything you desire, Alyra, don’t let your past define who you are now,” he whispered.
“Who am I then?” A tear slid down her cheek. “Because I am lost now more than ever.”
He slid his hand from her chin and caressed her face, his calloused hands surprisingly soft. She was expecting some sort of panic as a response, but instead she found herself gently leaning into his touch.
“You are the princess of Mydalsa, wielder of the Ivory Flame, and stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
His voice was haunting, but she was also distracted by his touch on her face and his thumb that had brushed the tear from her cheek.
“Kaden,” she whispered, her chest tightening with every breath.
“Hey!” Finnley’s voice cut through the air and she jolted backwards, her back slamming into a tree. “We need you back at camp.”
Kaden tensed and she could even see the look of worry on Finnley’s face. Something must have come up or maybe someone passed their camp on the road.
“Let’s go.” Kaden snapped and they all moved back to camp as fast as possible.