Twenty-Eight
CHAPTER
Zathrian and Gelia went back and forth for what felt like hours, trying to make a plan for escape.
I didn’t say much. Half of everything they said went in one ear and out the other, especially the aimless, petty threats and endless bickering.
The conversation kept circling back to insults, and I grew tired of it rather quickly.
Tuning them out, I stared out the bars and into the hall of my cell, thinking of what Deus said to me, trying to dissect the meaning behind it.
Behind me, they couldn’t seem to come to an agreement.
I didn’t blame either of them. I wasn’t happy with the situation, either, but we were running out of time.
A sigh parted from my lips. This was absurd.
Just one day, that’s all I wanted. One day without some sort of conflict and betrayal. One day without torture and woe. One. Single. Day.
That was too much to ask for, it seemed.
My ears were ringing, my head pounding.
Something was off since the explosion. It was hard to think or concentrate. I hadn’t told anyone that yet, though.
Focus, Aerilyn. Pull yourself together. Now is not the time to be zoning out.
The lighting dimmed around us. The sun would soon set, which meant that Acheron would be coming to unlock the door, and we would all be making a grand escape together.
Gods, please let this plan work. I cannot listen to them drone on any longer.
“Aerilyn, come on, we really need to go. Like, right now. We’re on borrowed time.” Zathrian’s voice was soft, gentle. Smooth like silk and espresso.
“Huh?” I snapped back into the moment. Time passed me by far quicker than I thought it had. I turned, noticing the sun had already set.
Oh, huh.
Acheron was already here, and everyone was gathering in the hall to begin our escape. The door to my cell was wide open for the first time in… I could not remember how long. I didn’t even notice. Everyone was free except me. Zathrian knelt before me. Timid, his movements were made with hesitation.
Does he think I’m afraid of him? The same man who held me as I cried in this wretched place day after day? The same man who brought me comfort just by his touch?
His hands cupped both of my cheeks, searching for answers neither of us could seem to find. We didn’t say anything, but we didn’t need to.
Something between us shifted.
Zathrian pulled me forward and into his arms. Embracing me tightly, he rested his chin on the top of my head before dipping his head down to whisper in my ear.
“I will keep you safe. I promise.” I reached out, curling my pinky finger around with his.
His hands were much larger in comparison.
Pulling our hands to his face, he kissed my knuckles.
Helping me up, my knees nearly gave out.
Wobbly and weak. Woozy, even. With each step, searing pain traveled up my body.
I clenched my jaw, nearly collapsing, but Zathrian caught me before I could.
He pulled me closer, and I didn’t need to look at him to know he was contemplating carrying me.
I knew based solely on how firmly he grasped me against him.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He nodded, joining the rest of the group as we followed Acheron and Gelia who led the way down the hall and around the corner.
This felt almost too easy. Just walking out like this. Something about this ‘plan’ really did feel off. My eyes flickered to the others, quietly observing my surroundings.
Viotto seemed the most on edge. Both he and Zathrian were skeptical, and deep down, I was, too.
Why didn’t Gelia just go and tell Neil what we were doing to earn his affection back? Why was she accompanying us when all she wanted was him?
Walking down to the end of the hall and through the secret passage that was hidden behind a stack of crates, we reached a fork in the road.
“To the right,” Acheron instructed. He was about to head in that direction, but Gelia corrected him.
“No, the left. We have to go left if we want to escape. If you go right, it’ll just bring us right back to where we started,” Gelia said with almost a bit too much confidence.
“No, you’ve got it backward,” Acheron protested.
“No! You do, you forget your place!” she grumbled.
Acheron rolled his eyes. “You are wasting everyone’s time. We are to take the right path… No one asked you to come with us, anyway.”
“The left is the right path, dummy,” Gelia insisted.
I looked between the two, bickering about who was right and who was wrong. We really didn’t have time for this. “Guys, please… We seriously do not have time for your bickering.” I spoke up, and everyone turned to look at me.
Acheron and Gelia glared at one another. Gelia stuck her nose in the air, arms crossed, and in a huff, Acheron rolled his eyes and sighed.
“Fine, we will go left and when it ends up being the wrong passage, I will tell you all I told you so,” Acheron said, annoyed, gesturing for Gelia to lead the way.
Gelia smiled, looking almost giddy. She had quite the pep in her step as she took the passageway to the left. Everyone else followed suit, and I watched Zathrian and Acheron exchange glances. Acheron slowed his pace enough to walk at the back of the group with Mateo.
They exchanged words, but due to how quietly they were whispering, I wasn’t sure what they were saying. I hoped that whatever they were talking about brought them ease regarding the situation. I couldn’t imagine how either of them felt, given their place in all this. It wasn’t fair.
I made it six and a half steps into the passageway when Zathrian dipped forward and scooped me up into his arms. One arm wrapped around my back, the other hooked beneath the back of my knees.
“I got you,” he whispered.
I glared at him. “I am capable of walking.”
“You are, I know that, but I don’t want you to over-exert yourself in your state.”
“In my state?” I questioned, tilting my head.
His posture stiffened. “You know what I mean.”
The corners of my lips curled upwards. “I know.” Leaning my head against his chest, I was comforted by the warmth of his touch. I had longed for this for days, if not longer.
I squinted the moment we emerged from the dark shadows of the passageway and entered the outside world once more.
There it was, the Realm I once called home.
Billowing white clouds that filled the sky.
Rolling hills and towering mountains. Ethereal mist and waterfalls.
The ground was covered in a blanket of white puffy clouds and fog.
It was as light and bright as I remembered it to be. Heavenly, is what it was.
I closed my eyes, feeling the cool, crisp air I had nearly forgotten. Citrus and apples and… cinnamon.
I frowned.
Zathrian gently bonked his head against mine, pulling me out of my thoughts before I fell into them. I bonked my head back against his, giggling.
We actually giggled.