Chapter 60 Ezra
We emerged from the tunnel just as the sun began to rise. We stumbled onto the Torezian side of the wall utterly spent. Helena perhaps more than the rest of us. Dark circles rimmed her eyes and she looked as though she may faint.
“Are you alright?” Just as Liv asked the question, Helena collapsed into Raf. He caught her and helped her to a rock.
“I am fine. I just need to catch my breath.” We all glanced at one another. She was certainly not fine.
“What is wrong with her?” Raf asked.
“She healed you.” My answer was simple, and I could tell by their confused looks that it needed further explanation. “That is how the soul bond works. You can strengthen each other through it. But that magic does not come without cost.”
“At the risk of sounding very Stanhope-ish,” Liv said.
“It is about balance. The ancient texts were very clear. The soul bond is meant to create balance by binding the souls of the gifted.”
Rafael blinked at her. “You can absolutely heal the other person. You can pass what they require through the bond. But it has to come from somewhere.”
Rafael looked down at Helena resting against him, as though he was seeing her for the first time all over again. Then he hooked his arm around her legs and lifted her as he stood.
“I can walk, Blacksmith!” She groaned.
“It is Blacksmith again then?” He tightened his hold around her and continued toward camp.
When we arrived, the wolf immediately danced around Raf’s legs, weaving in and out of them and almost toppling him.
He still did not release Helena. We gave ourselves only enough time to change our clothes and eat the stew Dinah had prepared.
Rafael objected to Helena leaving bed, so we gathered in her tent.
It was much smaller than the one we used for gatherings and rather cramped with all of us in it.
Raf sat in a chair beside her bed and the wolf was curled up on her lap, as though he were a puppy and not a fearsome creature of the forest.
“I know that we are all tired.” I looked at Helena and Raf.
“But we must discuss what happened in Verith.”
Rafael’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Rafael, I do not believe your brother is to blame, and neither are you.”
He nodded, but there was no relief in his expression.
I doubted forgiveness, particularly of himself, would come quite so easily.
“Stanhope is radicalizing people. I truly thought that he was reaching for power, which he is. But it seems that he may actually think he is the savior in this situation.”
That frightened me more than any hunger for power could have.
A man who knew himself a monster might eventually be reasoned with, frightened, bought, or defeated.
But a man who believed every horror he committed was salvation would never believe he had gone too far.
I pinched my brow. “I do not need to tell you all how much more dangerous this makes him. This is how tyrannical reigns are born.”
“He is using fear and manipulation to control people,” Liv cut in.
“It is no longer going to be enough just to extract one person at a time. It takes too long, and it is not sustainable. Last night was proof of that.”
Helena rested her hand on Raf’s arm as though she needed a reminder that he was still here.
“What are we supposed to do then?” Helena sat up. “We are too few in numbers. We have no home. Our resources are dwindling, and I fear our people are tired.” She sighed. “I am not trying to be pessimistic. I only do not see how much more we are able to help.”
“You are not being pessimistic. You are right,” I said. “We alone will not be enough. Not even close.”
“We require allies,” Liv continued. “We need an army.”
“Where are we supposed to find an army? Time is not exactly on our side here.” Helena rubbed at her temples.
“Here.” Liv unrolled the map she had brought with her.
She traced a circle around a point on the map.
“The Torezian Coalition.” She tapped the spot.
“When the war happened and the Great Reckoning resulted in near genocide, the Torezian Coalition was formed. It is essentially their council. Only, they do not rule over people based on power or bloodlines. They are elected into their seats of power by their people,” she explained.
“I believe that if we bring the matter before them, and explain that history is repeating itself, only worse now, they will stand with us.”
“It is a three-day journey to the capital of Torezia and the Coalition. I know that we have just gone through an ordeal. But Helena is right, time is not on our side. And it is certainly not on the side of Veritheans. I would like to leave in the morning. But if you are not up to it.”
I looked at Helena. “I understand, and I am more than willing to give you time to recover, or take a couple of the girls along for the journey.”
Helena stood and Raf stood along with her.
“I have already told you, I am fine. I would never willingly stay back at camp while the rest of you lot are out raising an army.” She wavered slightly, but Rafael held her steady. “I will be ready to leave come morning.”
“It is settled then.” Liv smiled up at me.
“We will leave tomorrow at dawn. And we will secure an army to end Stanhope’s campaign of terror. Everyone get a good night’s sleep.”
We left Helena’s tent, but Raf did not. He did not move from her bedside for the rest of the evening and was still there when we retired.
Liv and I settled into our small cot and tried to put the events of yesterday behind us.
She relaxed against me and I felt her through our bond.
I reached for her hand, tangling our fingers together and confirming she was truly there with me, safe.
Though we faced so much uncertainty, I felt lighter than I had in weeks.
It seemed that this war would soon come to an end.