chapter twenty-four #2
We continue our journey in silence for some time, and I must have drifted off to sleep, because when I wake up, my chin nestled in Maeve’s mane, Reü has decided to stop for the evening.
The sun is setting, casting its fading rays behind the mountain range to the west, and by the time we have our campfire going, the light is completely gone.
“You should rest as much as you can,” he says, handing me a piece of flatbread and a bowl of stew. “It will still be a couple days before we reach the Eldenpillars.”
“What are the Eldenpillars, anyway?” I say in between mouthfuls.
His eyebrows shoot up. “You don’t know?”
“If you haven’t noticed already, I’ve chosen to live my life in blissful ignorance,” I say.
He laughs at my dry tone. “It’s the highest assembly of Reā,” he explains.
“Each of the nine realms has a smaller assembly of their own, of course, but the Eldenpillars are the most sacred and the only one that can overrule the law of a given realm. The ealdormen and high priestesses of the eight realms of Reā, and the ashina—their highest leader and ruler of the ninth realm—together with her keeper, will meet to decide the outcome of cases of disputes within the overall law of Reā. Humans may pledge their cases too. The assembly usually meets at specific, regular times throughout the year, unless it’s something extraordinary, of course.
Next in command after the ashina is the keeper of the law.
That is my uncle, C’elēn Marduk. It’s quite impressive how he can recite every Reān law there is from memory.
Anyway,” he says as he pours himself a bowl of the stew, “that’s why I was headed there. To deliver a scroll for my uncle.”
I nod. That makes sense.
He hands me a waterskin. “Why don’t you get some more rest? The more you sleep, the quicker your wound will heal, I’m sure.” He gives me a reassuring smile. “I’ll watch out for us.”
I curl up on my bedroll next to the fire, suddenly taken aback at how tired I feel. I can barely keep my eyes open long enough to whisper a thank-you to Reü, and then I’m out.
I’M HURTING.
Drowsy, I struggle to change position, but I can’t move. My head hurts, and I have a hard time opening my eyes. I tug at my hands, but they’re stuck, a coarse rope digging into my wrists. I tug again, and I jolt awake as fear slams through my body.
I’m bound. Captured.
As the reality of my situation hits me, I find myself desperately gasping for air, my breath coming in short, shallow heaves as I fight to fill my lungs. Tiny lights flicker before my eyes, and a sense of dizziness washes over me. This cannot be happening, not now.
I writhe in the chair, my tied wrists chafing against the rough rope as I tug at them again and again.
In my frantic state, I barely notice when the stiches of my wound tear open—not until the rapidly bleeding wound has soaked my bandage and warm blood runs down my belly, dripping onto the floor.
Still, I don’t care. The thought of losing my freedom, of being someone’s slave again, makes me lose all common sense. I cannot be captured. I cannot.
I yank at my ropes again, my wrists now sore and bleeding from the effort of trying to pull them free, the coarse rope digging deeper with every tug.
Breathe, La?na. You’ve been treated worse. Breathe. Calm down. Save your energy. Breathe. I raise my pounding head to look around the room, narrowing my eyes at the harsh light filtering in through the window.
Where am I?
With its wooden panels and small window, the space could have been cozy if I weren’t so clearly a prisoner.
I shake my head, clearing the fog from my brain, ignoring the dull ache behind my eyes.
Whatever I’ve been given, it makes my brain cloudy, and between that and calming my breathing enough to not have another panic attack, I’m struggling to form a single thought.
I’m also parched. My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth, and my throat is scratchy, like I’ve been swallowing sand. What I’d give for a cup of water.
Sunlight reflecting off a polished black surface catches my attention. I squint toward a small table. What is that? I close my eyes almost immediately; the harsh light causes almost unbearable pain.
I bite down hard. You’re used to pain, La?na. Stay focused.
When I look again, my eyes widen despite the pain it causes.
It’s the shadowshard. Has it been placed there simply to taunt me?
Whoever my captor is, they must be confident I won’t get ahold of it.
I close my eyes again, struggling to push through the brain fog.
How did this happen? All I can remember is falling asleep by the fire with Reü, and now this.
Did they take Reü too? Is he being held captive like me?
I blow out a heavy sigh. I shouldn’t have let him help me.
With everyone after me, it would have been better to send him away.
If he’s dead because of me . . . I don’t dare finish the thought.
What a way to repay him, La?na. I close my eyes and send a silent prayer to whoever is listening that I am what they want and that he should be left alone.
“Ah, you’re back.”
My head snaps toward the door at the sound of the familiar voice.
“It took you long enough,” Reü says, leaning against the doorway. His eyes, which were so caring last night, are now devoid of emotion.
My heart drops. My concerns for his safety were clearly unfounded. “What do you want with me?”
“You ran away. What do you think I want?” He’s twirling something between his fingers, but I can’t tell what it is from here.
“To bring me back?” At least that means he won’t kill me.
“We’ll see.” His smile is cold, calculating.
“Although I must admit, I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.
What they want with you.” He doesn’t even bother to hide his disdain for me, and I wonder how it’s possible to be made to feel so worthless and yet be the very thing everyone seems to want a piece of at the same time.
“Human piece of shit,” he spits. His teal-blue eyes, hard and cold with disgust, bore into me, and despite my best efforts, tears well up and threaten to spill. I tug at the ropes to free my hands so I can dry them before he sees it, but it’s futile.
I want to kick myself. Considering all I’ve endured, how could I have been so foolish? So naive? Anger flares—at my stupidity, at his cruelty.
Burn him. Burn this life. Burn fucking everything.
I spit at his feet. “Fuck you!”
I should have seen it coming. The backhand leaves me gasping, and I spit again—to the side this time—as blood pools in my mouth.
“Behave,” he seethes. “Do not make this worse than it has to be.”
“How—”
“Dreamroot in the water,” he replies before I can finish my sentence, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips as if he’s proud of his achievement.
Dreamroot. That grows in Bronich. Dried as a powder, it holds no flavor at all, and it’s commonly used by people of all ages to aid with sleep.
“So, what are you getting out of this?” I ask. If I’m to escape, I need to keep my head calm. Be smarter than him.
“I am tired of being humiliated by my uncle,” he says, to my surprise. “By all of them.” He paces the room. “If they will not respect me, I will make them.”
I scoff at him. “I’ve seen your glyphs,” I say. “You’re not very powerful. I doubt they’ll let you near anything of importance, regardless of how hard you try.” I don’t know why I say it, other than wanting him to feel as low as I do, and based on his angry expression, I hit the mark.
“Who are you to speak, human scum? A powerless nothing?” He fixes me with a look of pure hatred. “What do you know about anything?”
Although he doesn’t truly want an answer, I can’t help myself.
“I know that the moonborn, and especially the C’elēn, although no one talks about it, follow a strict ranking system based on their strength with elēn.
I doubt whatever you do will change anyth—” The words die in my throat as his backhand slams into my jaw again, and I fight the urge to scream at the searing pain that splits my bottom lip.
“You’re wrong,” he says. “I have the one thing they want the most, and I will use you as a bargain.” He speaks with conviction, yet I’m unsure if he’s trying to convince himself or me.
“Sure,” I say. Despite the mix of blood and saliva dripping from my mouth, I push all my sarcasm into that one word.
He narrows his eyes at me, as if trying to figure out if I’m being honest or not, but at least he doesn’t hit me again.
“How long have I been asleep for?” I need to know how much time has passed if I’m to make it to Anam’gate in time. Although that seems to be the least of my troubles right now.
“Two days,” he says.
Two days. That means I can still make it. “So, you’re not going to the Eldenpillars, then?” Distract him. Make him share his plans. Use it against him.
“Correct.”
Was it a coincidence that he ran into me?
Somehow, I doubt that. He has too much of a plan and purpose.
“You must have quite the tracking skills to have found me,” I say, not sure if he’ll respond to my bait, but hopeful that his ego will compel him to do so.
If he has a well-thought-out plan, I’m sure he won’t be able to resist boasting about it to me, his unfortunate victim.
I’m right.
“Your necklace,” he says, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
My hand automatically wants to touch the beautiful crescent moon he gifted me. Instead, I’m again reminded of how stuck I am, bound to the chair.
“I didn’t think you’d accept the gesture, so I was pleasantly surprised when you thought we were close enough for a gift.
” He releases a harsh, humorless laugh. “I’d completely forgotten how utterly stupid humans are.
” The utter disdain on his face makes my skin crawl.
His contempt for humans surpasses that of any Reān I’ve known; it’s a chilling thing to witness.