Chapter 2 #2
He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, before gripping me and looking deep within my eyes. “You're right. Let's keep going. We don't stop until we get to the next halfway point.”
“Can you keep going? I'm not the one who's wounded,” I reminded him. “We need to look at that.”
“No.”
“Crispin… Please. I can't do this without you.”
“Okay, let's go back to the inner chamber.”
When the cavern opened again, I sighed in relief. “We need to stop here. I need to look at your wound,” I said, forcing Crispin to sit down.
“I don't think it's that bad.” He winced as he sat on the ground.
“I'll be the judge of that.”
Dropping our packs, I unhooked his bedroll and laid it down so he could lie on top of it. Blood soaked the front of his shirt.
Carefully, I peeled back the layer of cotton.
A deep slash carved across his side, the skin puckered, an angry flash of red spreading out from the wound.
Blood welled at the edges. Thankfully, it was a clean cut, easy enough to stitch.
Then we would only need to worry about an infection.
If we were lucky, the Deathless One didn’t coat his blades in anything sinister.
“How did this happen?” Opening my satchel, I searched for the med kit I had packed in there.
“I didn't even see him,” Crispin said. “The guinea hens started squawking, and then when I looked up, he was there. He may be an immortal, but he wasn’t ready for these muscles.”
“Did you toss him across the valley?” I asked jokingly, taking out the bottle of whiskey and unscrewing the top and handing it to him.
“You know I did,” he said before taking three long gulps and giving it back. “Go ahead.”
I poured the alcohol over his chest.
He gripped my knee.
“Sorry,” I said, handing him back the whiskey.
Crispin took a few more sips before continuing. “We have a chance, Deirdre. A real chance.”
I gave him a smile that hid my doubt. I wanted more than just a chance of survival.
“Lie back.” Carefully, I threaded the needle and put one hand on his side. “Ready?”
He nodded and closed his eyes.
“Tell me how you tossed the Deathless One across our valley.”
“There was a portal,” Crispin said. “Kane came running out of it and his shadows… He can make them tangible and into weapons. He tried to stab me, but when he did, I grabbed him and then I…” Crispin paused as I pushed the needle through his skin, and he gritted his teeth.
“Sorry. I'll try to go as quickly as possible.”
Sweat beaded down his brow and traced his temple. His normally flushed cheeks bloomed redder from the whiskey.
“I grabbed him and then pretty much tossed him. That’s when he switched to creating that shadow arrow. I don’t think he was expecting a mortal to vault him across the grass.”
Crispin chuckled, and I used that momentary distraction to push the needle through again. His laugh ended in a murmured cry as his jaw clenched, and his fingers dug into my side.
“Did you see his face when I pulled him under the ground?” I asked.
“I think that was my favorite part.” Crispin gazed at me, the hair around his forehead slick with sweat. He reached over and rubbed his hand across my thigh. “You did good.”
“I hope it's good enough.”
Crispin’s face scrunched as I pushed the needle through again, sewing the wound shut.
“We have the upper hand,” Crispin said. “He doesn't know what we can do when we're together.”
I pushed the last of the thread through and leaned over to tie it, then ripped the last piece off with my teeth. “There.”
I hovered over Crispin and the hand that was on my thigh moved up to cradle my face. “You were amazing.”
“You sound surprised.” I leaned closer until I was lying on my side right next to him.
He thumbed my face, rubbing my cheek. “No, I'm not. I've told you since the day I met you that there's no one like you in this world. You amaze me every day.”
My eyes watered and I gripped his other hand within mine.
“Don't get sad on me.” His voice dropped a little and then he tugged me closer, pressing my lips to his. It was a soft kiss. He pulled away and pressed our foreheads together. “We need to keep moving. And no matter what happens, you know where we need to go. If we get separated, I'll find you.”
“I don't want to be separated.” My voice hitched at the thought of us not being together. “You gave up everything for me.”
“And I would do it again,” he said, his tone changing. “I love you. All of this is worth it.”
My chest tightened. “What are we going to do?”
“We're going to escape,” he said, “but…”
His face softened and he dropped his hand from my face and patted my thigh. “I need a few minutes.”
“Good idea. You rest. I'm going to go through our supplies and make sure we have enough.”
“We're fine. Trust me.” His voice trailed off as his eyes shut.
I held a hand to my mouth, not wanting to cry and wake him. He was so confident. So sure.
Why couldn't I have that confidence?
We were both powerful, and we were prepared. Kane obviously knew nothing about me or Crispin. Otherwise, he wouldn't have treated us as if we were ants.
Maybe Crispin was right, and we'd not only survive, but we would disappear again.
I closed the can that held the med kit and shoved it back in the bag. Each pack held the same items. There was even a little coin in there, along with two jars of pemmican, an extra set of clothes, candles, my healing salves that seemed to cure every rash, and a small dagger, just the essentials.
I thought of taking my bedroll out and trying to rest. Without the sun guiding us, there was no way to know how long we'd been here. It felt like forever, but I wouldn't be able to sleep.
There were no sounds, so different from the mornings and afternoons and then nights when our home came alive. Every sound signified the time of day, like the crickets at dusk, letting us know soon it would be time to turn in. There was nothing but Crispin's slow breaths.
At least he was stitched and the wound cleaned.
I couldn't believe this was happening.
When I ran from the temple with my grandfather and Crispin, I didn't think Kane would ever come for me. I’d been so convinced of the rumors, especially the one saying my birthmark was a stain that could never be hidden.
I traced the star-shaped mark around my eye. The thing that marked me as the child of prophecy. Something I grew up being proud of… until the people’s belief in the prophecy faded and the blame for every calamity was because of me.
I ran my fingers through my thick hair, trying to untangle the unruly strands.
Why has he come now? After all this time?
It had been over a year since I had run away and nothing.
We weren't near any villages, and we had seen no travelers.
My grandfather had used a transporter rod, creating a portal to the valley.
Though I begged him not to, he said he was destroying it after we went through, making sure no one could track the location.
So how did Kane find us?
I tapped my feet against the stone, needing some type of sound other than Crispin's labored breaths.
No grass or deep roots to connect me with the world. There were bats and fungi and strange worms and things like that, but the beauty of nature didn't exist here and it made me itchy for the sky and grass.
Crispin stirred, then shot up, his eyes wide. He grabbed his side.
“What's the matter?”
His wild gaze went to me, and his shoulders relaxed. “Nothing.”
I had known Crispin for a long time. I didn't want to prod, we had enough to worry about, but I knew he was lying.
“We should get going. Keep moving,” he said and attempted to stand.
I stood, grabbing him, helping him to his feet. “We don't have to go right now. You should rest for a little bit longer.”
“No.” His stern voice ended the discussion. He quickly rolled up the bedroll and refastened it to his pack.
“Are sure you can carry that?”
He scrunched his face at me as if I had insulted him. “Let's go. It shouldn't be much farther.”
Crispin may have wielded the element of force, giving him extreme strength, but wounded, his magical reserves were depleted.
“This path is shorter.” He pointed to the right fork. “It'll take us out by the river, and we'll have to cross it.”
I nodded. We were both strong swimmers, so I wasn't worried about that. There were fewer trees, though. We'd be out in the open.
Crispin stepped in front of me and grabbed my hand.
Together, we walked in silence.
At times, the rocky path became so tight we had to get on our knees and crawl through, the walls closing in and making me want to scream.
“We’re almost there,” he said after what seemed like hours of maneuvering.
The lantern light flickered; our oil was almost gone. We had one more canister of oil in our bag.
Sweat slid down my neck and my knees burned from scraping against the stony ground.
“I can see the stars,” he said, rising to his feet as the tunnel got tall enough for us to stand. “The night will give us cover.”
A breeze of fresh air filled my lungs, refreshing and crisp.
Not the dankness and mustiness of the place we had been in.
The cavern widened, getting bigger until we stood at the mouth of a cave, staring out.
A waterfall plunged to our left, the thundering sound calming.
Jagged rocks jutted out from the grassy cliff and adorned the sides of the river below.
My mind replayed the first time Crispin and I had found this place, and the intimate night that followed.
He slid his hand into mine, fingers threading around me as if the same heat-filled moment ran through his thoughts.
“We did it.” Crispin smiled widely and squeezed my hand. “We made it. I told you we would.”
A slow clapping came from somewhere near the trees, shattering the reprieve.
My stomach dropped.
No. It can’t be.
Crispin moved in front of me, a protective shield to what approached.
Then the voice came, a silky tone of death.
“A valiant effort indeed,” Kane said as he stepped out of the shadows. “But I’m afraid you’re wrong.”