Chapter 61
Sixty-One
- LYRA -
One month later
I found it.
I don’t know what it means, but as I crouch down near the river’s bend, I trace my fingers across the grass.
It’s just as I’ve seen it countless times before.
Birds chirp and flit through the canopy of leaves above me, pulling my attention off the ground and up to the trees.
A soft breeze sways the branches, leaking in patches of sunlight.
The sun is warm on my cheeks, and for a moment, I anticipate what I’ve seen in my visions as I close my eyes.
Of something creeping within the forest hunting me.
And then that haunting voice lifting out from the trees. “You cannot run from me.”
I open my eyes and glance over my shoulder. Sweeping my attention across the trees surrounding me, and the gurgling riverbank, I find nothing but serenity.
The two crosses posted near the water’s edge are missing. And that creeping feeling of being watched, of the pulsing draw of magic to the beast, is gone.
Marcella had told me months ago visions were vague and open to interpretation. Perhaps all along my visions were trying to lead me here, and that if I didn’t follow it, those two crosses could have been Marcella and I.
Or…
I check over my shoulder, straining to listen to silence beyond the forest sounds. But I’m utterly alone.
Or Devin and I.
He’s been kind to me. Always has. Over the last month, we’ve managed to travel south on horseback from Vitalis through Dragon’s Back Ridge and into the kingdom of Arterias.
Devin assured me that we’d be safe here.
Though, he never specified how. The both of us assumed that the beast wouldn’t follow me into enemy territory.
But at the same time, neither of us could speak of the possibility that the beast is dead.
That Cyrus is dead. Or what could have happened to Marcella.
Sometimes the truth was better left undiscovered. Or, at least that’s what I told myself. I had to trust that the Gods showed them both mercy. That somehow, the two of them survived and found happiness.
A branch snaps in the distance, and I whirl to the sound. Heart slamming against my chest as I rise off the ground, ready to run. Ready for what happens every time I’m near the river in my visions.
“There you are,” Devin says, walking through the forest with a smile. The same smile that got me to fall for him all those years ago, and each time I see it, it thaws what ice is still left in my heart. “I was wondering where you ran off to.”
My shoulders relax as I exhale. Nodding toward the river, I say, “Sorry, I hadn’t meant to leave without saying anything.”
He stops a few steps away from me. “You don’t need my permission, Lyra.
I just worry about you is all.” He holds my gaze for a moment with a smile before motioning out behind him.
“This is nearly a midpoint between the Vitalis and Arterias castles. And there’s a few abandoned houses close by.
They would need some work, but I’d be happy to fix up whichever one calls to you. ”
I knew that my life in the Vitalan kingdom was over the minute we stepped over the border. But I still can’t stop my hesitation.
He must see it on my face, because he takes the last few steps between us and grabs my hands, pulling them to his chest. “We can start all over. Just you and me, how it’s always meant to be.”
“My family…” I whisper.
“I know.” He brushes a strand of my hair off my cheek, tucking it behind my ear. “That’s why I have a proposition for you.”
He leads me away from the river. Through the forest to where the treeline thins, and our horse is tied to a tree trunk. It’s black tail floats in the breeze as it nibbles on the grass, head perking up as we approach and its dark eyes lock immediately on me.
We’ve gotten to the point of tolerance—me and the horse, Benedict. Not that I don’t like horses, but for some odd reason, this one is skittish around me. Any time I approach, Benedict freezes, until Devin coos him into submission.
We ride as we have over the last few weeks.
Me sitting between Devin’s legs, his arms wrapped loosely around me to hold the reins as we trot through the lands.
Devin is usually quiet, allowing me to take my own pace around conversations.
As I began to remember more and more about our history, the tension between us seemed to ease.
His body pressed against mine became familiar again.
And as we laid on the same bedroll, night after night underneath the stars, close enough but not touching, I couldn’t help but stare at him as he slept.
I was in love with him. I know that. The depth of it, the warmth, still lingers in my heart.
I might not have completely forgiven him for the trials he allowed me and the other women to go through, but knowing that I had prior knowledge and agreed to it in addition to the whole scheme of marrying Cyrus…
Perhaps I haven’t entirely forgiven myself, either.
What if we’re both bad people? Or, what if what we had was beyond redemption that we’d do anything for each other?
That uncontrollable, undeniable love scares me. Would it be a mistake if I fell into it again?
“We’re here,” Devin whispers behind me and pulls the reins to a stop.
He dismounts and helps me off Benedict before tying the reins to a tree.
Then he leads me to a battered stone house.
Ivy creeps up its walls, the windows are broken, and parts of the roof are missing.
When Devin pushes on the wooden door, it squeaks open.
The inside of the home smells of must, with puddles of water rippling every time the open roof leaks.
“I know it’s not much, and it would take me some time to fix but…
” Devin grabs my hand gently and leads me further into the house.
“We could make it exactly how you envision it. When the sun sets the light will come right through these windows here.” He motions to a set of them overlooking the Northern Forest where we came from.
“The main bedroom is over here, and other bedrooms…” He nods toward some of the open doors.
I slip my hand out of his. “Are you saying we could have my parents come live here?”
The hope in his face falls slightly. “I’m not sure it would be safe for us to contact them. Or at least not yet. But…” He motions to another door that leads out of the house.
We step out into a side yard with an overgrown garden. Beyond it, is a large structure in the distance. We follow a cobblestone path to it, and he opens the double doors for me. It’s somehow in a much better state than the house, just needing a good scrubbing and to replace the windows.
“If you wanted to, we could open a bakery like you had back in Kilamber, or…” Devin slides a cautious look to me. “It would do wonderfully as a dragonblade forge.”
I snap to him, stunned at such an idea. “We can’t—”
“We can,” he murmurs. Then he walks through the room, the fall of his boots echoing in the emptiness. “Dragonblades are legal in the kingdom of Arterias, unlike Vitalis. Not only that, but if we made our own dragonblades, we could protect ourselves.”
“Protect ourselves from Cyrus if he tries to come after us?” I ask quietly. “If the beast is still out there?”
He stops wandering around the room, then turns to me. “We could protect ourselves from anyone. Anything.”
I shake my head, looking out the window to the rolling green hills beyond. “I can’t.”
“You can,” he whispers back, walking to me. “Think about it for a moment. If we produce dragonblades—we can sell them here legally. We can make a fortune. We can send money across the border to your family. We can build a life here you’ve always wanted. I can take care of you, I can protect you—”
“And what if King Aaric finds out we’re here?” I challenge, turning to face him. “If he finds out that Cyrus wants me, I’ll become bait. Or a bargaining chip.”
In the last few weeks, I’ve had time to deconstruct my relationship with Cyrus. I care about him—that much is true. Perhaps was on my way to falling in love with him. But the draw to the beast living within him isn’t something I can conquer—it’s something that would consume me.
Devin’s smiling again when he digs something out of a chest pocket and presents it to me. Flat in his palm is a simple ring. “Even if he did find out, this is our guaranteed freedom. King Aaric won’t put you in harm’s way if you wear it.”
I flick my eyes from the ring up to him. I don’t want to assume what it is, but I can sense it. The pulse of power, of magic, lifting off it in waves.
Devin drops to a knee before me. “Lyra Goldbrook, I will spend the rest of my days making up for all the wrongs I’ve committed.
But I can never apologize for falling in love with you.
Maybe you can’t trust my word yet, and that may take some time, but with this ring, you can trust that I am tragically in love with you.
You don’t have to be my wife—not yet. Not ever, if you don’t wish to be.
But please, give me the chance to make it up to you.
And maybe one day, you’ll forgive me. And we can live a life we’ve always dreamed about, together. ”
Past Lyra would be falling to her knees, sobbing at the chance to be with Devin. Taking him into her arms and never letting him go. It would have been easy for her.
But for me, it’s slower.
Devin’s eyes search mine, soft with an endless hopefulness. Never faltering. Waiting for my decision.
I was in love with him once. All of this was a dream for me before I went to Vitalis. The visions of the river tug on my attention, and then I can’t deny that perhaps this is where I’m meant to be. That this is fate.
A slow smile spreads across my face. I nod, dropping to my knees before him. He captures me in an embrace, and I slowly melt into him. His scent rolls over me, his warmth. It’s like coming home after a long journey.
When I pull back from him, his eyes are glossy with tears. I take his stubbled face in my hands, and for the first time in a long time, I kiss him.
Again and again.
Until again is all I can do.