RUNNING, AGAIN
WREN
I’m running.
Again.
Every time I think I’m done with this gods-awful activity, it pops back into my life like an annoying friend who won’t take a hint and go away. Not that I’ve had any of those, thanks to my Mark, but I can imagine how terrible that would be.
Running is bad on a good day.
Running in a ballgown through dark, cold, mazelike tunnels under a bloodthirsty king’s castle after leaving my dead friend behind is a whole new level of terrible.
Not to mention the fact that the Hunter is my guide and we’re being pursued by soldiers. The sound of their footsteps is the backdrop to our own, a constant reminder that we cannot stop or take a break because they’ll catch up.
Hence the running. I’m at the tail end of our group, with Marie and Violet filling the gap between me and Gabriel. I grip the dagger I scooped up off the floor—the soldier it belonged to won’t be needing it—and my lungs burn as I draw in as much air as I can.
A rock juts out from the floor, and I stub my toe on it.
Gods above. Will my life ever stop getting worse?
Even as the question enters my mind, I scoff. It’s fucking unlikely. At least, it won’t get better any time soon. If there’s anything I’ve learned since escaping my fated death, it’s that nothing in this life is easy.
And that was before flames erupted from my hands.
Something tells me that between my magic—which is a problem to be dealt with later, because I can’t handle thinking about that right now—the people I killed, the fury in the king’s eyes, and the odd hook in my gut tugging me towards the Hunter, my life will keep going downhill.
It feels foolish to admit it, but a part of me thought turning twenty-one would miraculously make everything better.
But guess what?
It’s not better at all. Granted, I’ve been twenty-one for less than a day, so I don’t have a wealth of information to pull from, but so far, it’s been pretty suns-damned awful.
Anger bubbles up inside me, burning hotter with each swish of my dress and each pound of my feet against the stones. It’s not fucking fair that these things keep happening to me. Why can’t I have a single normal day?
My chest heaves, and my forehead is hot. I’m fairly certain my Mark is shining brighter than before.
Because of course it is. Suns, I’ve never felt more cursed than I do at this moment.
I have so many questions, and there are so many things I don’t understand. Frustrated tears prick at the edge of my vision, but I refuse to let them fall. Instead, I focus on my sisters. I can’t cry, not right now. I need to get them away from the king.
Gathering my frustration and anger, I shove the feelings into a little box deep inside myself. It isn’t empty—I’ve already stowed my grief about Kadyn’s death inside it. That, along with my best friend’s murder, are events I cannot focus on at this moment.
If I hadn’t crammed my grief into the box, I wouldn’t have been able to move, let alone run from the king’s soldiers.
Before we left, even though our pursuers were coming, I took the time to say goodbye to Kadyn.
Drawing his eyes shut, I pressed a kiss to his palm before laying his hands flat on his chest.
May you find peace with your brother, my friend, I had whispered, blinking back tears. I’m so sorry.
This was never how I wanted our friendship to end. Kadyn had become a true friend, and even though I’d only known him for a short while, I will miss him dearly.
At another time, in another place, we could’ve buried him properly. But we hadn’t had the time—the soldiers had been on their way.
I’d stood, pushing my grief down, down, down.
Ready, Wren? Gabriel had asked.
What an unusual question. Of course I hadn’t been ready for this. Who could be?
If my sisters hadn’t been here, I might’ve broken right then. Shattered into a million pieces. Been destroyed. But they needed me to be strong. With them in mind, I’d nodded. Gabriel had taken off, leading us through the tunnels.
I’m keeping my eye on Gabriel, making sure he isn’t touching, talking to, or even looking at my sisters. Even though he is guiding us through this maze, I can’t forget everything that has transpired between us.
One would think that between my exhaustion and the running, I wouldn’t have time to think about anything else, but that’s not true. My mind has been spinning ever since we left Kadyn behind.
Even though I’ve pushed down my heartbreak and I’m trying to ignore the events of earlier, I can’t forget about them altogether. Tonight confirmed a suspicion I already had: I am dangerous. Hazardous to be around. Not only that, but people who become friends with me die.
Twice now, I’ve watched someone I’m close to meet their end. Both times, I’ve been the one left behind, unable to bury my friend and properly mourn them.
I don’t think I can watch anyone else I care about get hurt.
Violet yelps, the sound yanking me out of my thoughts. And just in time, too. She’s careening forward, her foot having hit a rock.
I reach out, grabbing her pinwheeling arms and steadying her before she can slam into the ground.
Violet glances over her shoulder, smiling faintly at me. “Thank you, Birdie. It’s just so dark.”
We didn’t bring a torch. Gabriel said the light could tip off the soldiers as to where we were headed, and even though I hated doing it, I agreed with him. My Mark’s glow is our sole source of illumination.
“Of course, Vi.” I smile tightly. “Keep going, you’re doing great.”
She nods, returning her attention to the front and running to catch up with Gabriel and Marie.
Pride warms my chest as I watch my sisters. In the past few hours, the twins have already proven that they’re much stronger than I used to think they were. They’ve dealt with this whole situation remarkably well, considering their night has gone in a dark, deadly direction.
Drawing strength from the twins’ resilience, I keep running. It’s all I can do.
Giving up is not an option. If I do, who will look after my sisters? They’re in this mess because of me.
As we turn a corner and run down yet another dark tunnel, I make a vow—I will defend my sisters until my last breath. Judging by the events of the past day, I probably don’t have long to live, but I will not abandon them. I will fight for them with everything I have, because they’re my family.
I lose track of how long we run. It’s hard to tell time when everything looks the same—stone, stone, and more stone—and the sounds of the soldiers chasing us never seem to grow any quieter.
They’re on our tails, eager to catch us and bring us to the king.
The corridor splits into a fork, and the passage on the left is significantly darker than the one on the right.
“This way,” Gabriel grunts, leading us down the darker corridor.
Because of course we’re going to keep running down the creepy-looking tunnel. Why not? I would groan my displeasure, but staying upright is taking every ounce of concentration I possess.
And so, I just keep moving.
The temperature drops the longer we run. A chill burrows into my bones, my dress an inadequate barrier against the cold. Goosebumps have taken up residency on my exposed flesh.
There’s no time to stop or try to warm up. Every time I think we’ve lost our pursuers, another shout comes from behind us.
Soon, placing one foot in front of the other requires all my concentration. My aching limbs burn, a vise is clamped around my heart, and the walls are getting tighter. Closing in on us.
I don’t think it’s just in my head.
At the front of our group, Gabriel is ducking. The tallest among us by far, his massive shoulders brush up against the walls, and the top of his head is dangerously close to the ceiling.
Still, we run.
How far do these passages go?
I’m not sure, but it’s clear Gabriel knows where he’s going. He moves with confidence, taking each turn as though guided by an invisible map.
Suns save me, but as much as I don’t trust the man, we follow him without question. What other choice do we have?
It’s fucking laughable that earlier, I thought getting my sisters out of the Winter’s Eve Ball would be the hardest part of getting them away from the king. I thought Kadyn and I could leave with them and head to the Sapphire Coast, fleeing this gods-forsaken country.
I’d assumed that once we were gone, we could figure out why the king had taken the twins in the first place, why the Given are killed, and why our country’s foundation is built on lies.
But now I know the awful, fucked-up truth. Nothing is easy. Nothing is good.
We’ve been running for a few hours, which is as terrible as it sounds.
Dawn must be approaching, although there is no hint of it, or any other form of light, down here.
I’m listening to the steady drumbeat of the soldiers’ footsteps, trying to figure out if they’re getting quieter, when Gabriel turns a corner and skids to a stop.
The twins manage to avoid him, piling into each other, but I’m not so lucky.
“Oomph,” I grunt, smacking into Gabriel’s side.
A warm, steadying hand lands on my shoulder. The Hunter’s hand.
I inhale sharply, my heart hammering for a different reason. I should pull away and shake off his touch. After all, I’m fine now.
But I don’t.
I’m not sure what possesses me to do it, but I crane my head up and look at Gabriel. Why? Why am I doing this? Why aren’t I putting space between us?
I have no idea.
Maybe I left my common sense back with the soldiers I killed.
As I look up, I’m reminded that even though I’m tall for a woman, the Hunter is taller than me. The top of my head barely goes to his shoulders, and there’s something about the way he carries himself that makes me feel small.
And I . . . don’t hate that. Why is that?
Gabriel’s eyes lock on to mine, more mossy than emerald in the murky darkness, and a blue sheen illuminates his face. His features are caught in a serious expression that I don’t quite understand, and I’m . . .
Frozen.