Thirty
CHAPTER
It was already too late. We were out of time. Neil’s guards ambushed us. Left and right, and all around, arrows of ash and fool’s gold were falling from the sky. Guards with swords were closing in on us. Zathrian gripped my wrist, pulling me onto the porch steps and into the cottage.
“We have to go!” Zathrian belted out, pushing the front door wide open.
Standing there wheezing, I watched chaos run amok.
Zathrian rushed to the other side of the room, grabbing Gelia harshly by the throat.
“You are nothing more than a rabbit in a carrot patch… I knew we couldn’t trust you.
I knew it. It was all a ploy, you are nothing more than a lowlife, soul-sucking bottom feeder. ” His eyes darkened, locked on hers.
Gelia tilted her head, acting innocent with big milky eyes, and smiled. Despite him depriving her of oxygen. “Whatever do you mean, High Lord?” she choked out.
Viotto stepped forward, grabbing Zathrian by the shoulder and pulling him back. “We don’t have time for this Zathrian. Please…” Viotto urged.
Acheron and Mateo were already at my side, attempting to help me dab the blood from my nose and steady me on my feet.
“We have to go. Now,” I repeated with urgency.
Zathrian tightened his grip on Gelia’s throat, cutting off her oxygen supply entirely. Her pale face quickly turned red.
“Zathrian, please,” I begged.
He let go, and Gelia fell to the floor with a loud thud. Half choking, half laughing, her hand slid to her neck. Rubbing the marks on her skin, she turned her head to look at me, eyes devoid of all emotion.
It was sinister, the way she stared at me.
“I already told you that I always hated you, Aerilyn. Since day one, your stupid smile and the disgusting optimism that seeped from your essence. No matter how horribly you were treated, you still smiled. I have always hated you for your happiness. You ruined everything. You were never supposed to be here. I never wanted you here. I wait for the day I get to watch you rot. I did what I had to do to prove to Neil that I love him, that he belongs with me, not you. He said if I did this, he would love me—and only me—until the end of time.”
I stared past Zathrian and straight at Gelia, unable to believe what I was hearing. As much as it hurt, it wasn’t worth it anymore. It wasn’t worth the fight.
“Let’s go.” I turned my back to her and everyone else, ready to get out of this Realm as soon as possible. They all stood there, speechless.
Glass shattered everywhere. An arrow crashed through the window, piercing the wall right beside Zathrian’s head.
“RUN!” Viotto called out, pushing past me and into the clouded ground. Lunging forward, he took on one of the guards, snapping his neck with his bare hands. Viotto picked up the deceased guard’s sword, gripping it tightly.
“Split up,” Zathrian commanded.
“No! Please,” I begged, urging him not to.
“Whatever you do, don’t look back.”
“What?” My breath hitched.
“Go, Airhead,” he said with a wistful smile.
Hesitating, I didn’t move. His eyes softened. Swallowing hard, I nodded. Turning toward the woods, I ran, ducking and dodging the guards that came after me. I kept running. As fast and far as my legs would take me.
Until I heard it.
Until I heard that sound. That haunting sound of flesh impaled and blood oozing.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart stopped. That buzz, the one that was always in the back of my brain, became clear as day. My eyes widened. Slowly, I turned around to see Zathrian in the distance, a sword pierced clean through his shoulder. Blood dripped down his body as he faced Neil, alone.
My heart raced.
That’s what he was trying to tell me. It was him. It was always him. I was never meant to be with Neil.
I was meant to be with Zathrian.
He was my Mate.
“Z-Zathrian—” I choked out. His head turned, looking at me, blood pooling from his shoulder.
The Bond finally snapped in place, didn’t it?
I slowly nodded my head.
I tried to reach you for so long.
I swallowed hard.
Now, run. I will find you. Trust me. I will. I promise.
Tears welled in the corners of my eyes. I didn’t want to leave him. I couldn’t. Not now. Not like this.
Go, Aerilyn.
I took off running. I didn’t look back. I didn’t dare look for Acheron or Mateo or Viotto.
I didn’t dare try to intervene. I ran with no destination in mind and nowhere else to go until my lungs constricted to the point I could no longer breathe.
Until my legs gave away and I dropped to my knees deep within the woods, at the very edge of the Wall.
Until I was completely and utterly alone.
I remained on my hands and knees for several minutes, panting and heaving. My throat was dry by the time I caught my breath. There was no one around, and it was far too quiet for anyone to somehow sneak up on me.
I was alone, I could sense it.
Yet I could feel the distress not of myself, but another.
Zathrian.
Inhaling deeply, I managed to stand back up again. It was cold, the breeze crisp and bitter against my flesh.
I didn’t know if Zathrian was okay, or Viotto or Mateo or Acheron, either. I could only hope that they were and that somehow, they would find me. I was completely and utterly lost, having never strayed this far before. For a Realm I called home for so long, I had no idea where I was.
Help me. Please.
Tears trickled down my cheeks. On my left, was the edge of the cliffs I remember watching from my window during my mornings in the Manor.
To the right were waterfalls and clear pools of water.
Behind me was the Wall, crumpled and missing a huge chunk out of it.
And in front of me was a vast forest I did not know how to maneuver.
I’m lost. Please, I’m scared.
Sitting down with my back against one of the trees, I pulled my knees to my chest, hugging myself in a failed attempt to soothe my nerves.
Everything went so horribly wrong, and I didn’t see an outcome that was anything less than a living nightmare. I was so tired, so hungry, so scared.
Please.
Neil had won. War was brewing and I was completely and utterly alone. My ‘best friend’ hated me, Zathrian was my Mate all this time, and I didn’t know if anyone I cared about was even out there. Were they captured? Killed? Were they as lost as I? Where were we to go, when there was nowhere for us?
It’s all my fault.
How was I even supposed to fix something unfixable?
My thoughts ate away at me.
If only there was a way to turn back time. If only there was a way for me to fix it.
But there was nothing.
All hope was lost.