Chapter 16 #3
“Why was I on the border?” I ask, thinking this question the first step.
He removes a glove and draws a rough shape into a dry dirt patch between us.
“This is the continent, roughly. Not a cartographer, I’m afraid.
Here is Lux.” Then, he makes a shape in the bottom, jutting off the map.
“Here is Duresden.” He sketches a line between Lux and the southwestern coast. “And here is Krue and the Rhydian mountains.” He draws a very small circle on the border between the two.
“Your role in the kingdom was not reserved just for royal duties. You’re a hybrid, which is…” He scratches his jaw, thinking. “It’s rare. So rare that we’ve only seen it one other time in history. Which means you’re strong. Very strong.”
I glance down at my hands, rubbing my fingers together, another spark forms. But really? Me?
“Cess are healers, yes, but they are also the heads of most military efforts. Their ability to wield magic certainly surpasses the brute power of any vampyr. So, those two things coupled made you a great fit to help lead. As king I am expected to be the head of Lux’s army but you commanded the cess divisions. ”
My mind cannot simply conjure any memory of me fighting, being a trained soldier. Wielding magic is as far-fetched as drinking blood. But I have drunk blood. My magic has simmered beneath my skin. This is why Avonde tried to level with me when I first woke. She feared I was compromised.
I point at Krue. “And Krue?”
Cedric sighs. “So much of this is lost to us. Only one person truly knows what happened. Well, two. A scout called you to the southernmost fort of Krue, nearest to Duresden, allegedly. We have no record of it except that you and your cadre were seen riding past Frike, the city, late at night. There were fires lit throughout the fields and bodies were everywhere. We arrived and all that traveled with you were dead. Four cess flayed in a circle. The forest was on fire. The carnage, Liv. You alone took out a horde of assassins by yourself. Your cadre died immediately, from what the magic tells us.”
Bile rises in my throat because a visceral, sickening feeling washes over me. “How can the magic tell you that?”
“Cess emit one last beacon of magic when they pass so their souls can be reincarnated. Their magic goes back into the earth.” He rubs the grass softly.
“When we arrived, it was too late. No one was left standing. I – we – thought you were dead. But Avonde – thank the Gods for Avonde. You did not emit anything. You were half alive, half dead. In a stasis. After defending yourself, avenging your fallen friends, you lived.”
“And that was two years ago.”
“That was two years ago, yes.” His voice slightly breaks at the end.
We both sit, the sun warming us and the grass grounding us.
From his face, Cedric looks cold and guarded.
But I can sense the anxiety, the turmoil this memory recalls.
I wipe away the dirt map, unable to grasp what I have been through.
If only I remembered.
“You said two people would know the truth?” My mind tries to extract any memory.
“The first being the scout that allegedly alerted to trouble, but who has never been recovered. We do not know who sent the message or how they got into Lux. I firmly believe they set the fires and they are responsible for this. And the second person being you. Somewhere within, your mind and body remembers. The body does not forget trauma.” He pauses.
“It is sickening to even say those words. Your body shouldn’t have to remember anything. If I had been there…” He trails off.
I rest my hand on his, trying to comfort his pained words.
We may not get along completely, to say the least, but in certain moments – especially when reflecting on the past – he shows tenderness towards me, something I can’t ignore.
“So, we will try to recover my mind,” I say softly.
Cedric nods softly before standing, offering me his hand.
We head back over to Steele in silence, the chill slightly catching up to me in the shade.
“You can’t hate yourself, Cedric,” I say. Avoiding my eye contact, he nudges Steele forward so I can have more room to mount. With my foot in the stirrup, I turn back to him as he places his hands on my waist for a boost. “You cannot.”
“Easier said than done, Liv,” he responds as he hoists me upon the horse.
Settled behind me, we continue down the trodden forest path.
As we settle into a comfortable silence, I notice my relaxed demeanor.
His too. Being in nature is great therapy and these admissions give me more clarity, even with their own accompanying questions.
My brain also needed a break from the mind games and puzzles Henry assigns.
We continue along the path for some time, hours passing as we go deeper into the forest, the climate changing slightly.
Dark rocks shimmer on the ground and birds jump from branches above.
We approach another narrow bridge covered in moss and leaves.
The sight of this unchallenged earth makes me smile.
“We should turn back now. But, this bridge…” Cedric says with some mischief behind his voice. “When we were younger, we would—”
A brush of wind zooms past my cheek, blowing my hair back with it. Cedric grunts behind me, his body tensing.
He moves his left hand from the rein to my side, pulling my body tight against him.
From the trees, a dozen men emerge camouflaged in moss atop their brown armor.
Each has a weapon drawn. From across the river, a vampyr with an arrow nocked in his bow begins to approach. The arrow being directly pointed at me.
Cedric leans to my ear. “Do not speak. If I tell you to run, you run like hell with Steele.” His hot breath cools instantly when he sits back up, the grip on my stomach tightening.
“This is a bit of a nasty introduction,” Cedric says, turning Steele to an angle. My hood is drawn up so half of my face is shielded from the highwaymen. The motley crew is made of humans and vampyr alike.
“Apologies. My brothers and I do not fare well with trespassers,” the archer calls as he crosses a fallen log on the other side of the river.
The rest of the men have stopped approaching, their weapons still drawn.
The archer has lowered his. Either he sees us as no threat or is confident in his group.
“Trespassing whose land?” Cedric retorts, his voice threatening.
“Duresden, by all accounts. What is to be ours once we are done with you.” We are not far from Demis, meaning we are definitely still in Lux.
The archer rests his hand on his bow and looks to the other men who are nodding in agreement.
Looking worse for wear, I cannot imagine they truly believe this to be Duresden’s land.
We’re not that far into the woods and from the maps Avonde has me study for memory, the Rhydian Range is nearest us and it is a territory of Lux currently.
“We will take our leave then, apologies.” Cedric smiles, leading the reins to turn around. I almost open my mouth to argue but he shifts abruptly.
“Run.”
One of the humans closest to us swings his battleaxe down at Steele and the horse rears and bucks, sending me toppling off.
I land half on rocks and half on a shrub, but I scramble to stand amongst my skirts.
Steele regrounds his front hooves and Cedric pulls two of his short swords, jumps off his steed onto one of the assailant’s shoulders, and shoves a sword through the top of his head.
I let out a shriek, stunned by the violence and nearly tripping over myself.
Cedric reaches for an arrow in his shoulder, ripping it clean from his flesh.
The wind.
One of them looks to me in the trees, noticing my purple dress.
“Don’t let her escape!” the archer yells before releasing an arrow in my direction.
Cedric begins engaging with two who move to run for me.
He apparates in front of one of the men and the two begin battling in a blur of steel and force.
“RUN!” Cedric screams again before pulling the male’s neck up to his fanged mouth. Blood sprays on dirt and the other vampyr makes a lunge for Cedric but he parries the swing.
I scream and take off, stumbling through the woods and sprinting as fast as my feet will carry me.
My skirts keep getting caught on branches as I wave through the trees, adrenaline carrying my body as far as it can go.
Apparating is out of the question as we haven’t practiced that.
Two of the males are on my tail, hooting and laughing as they jump around the forest. Appearing and disappearing.
I’m unarmed. Recently, I have been leaving my pathetic blade in my rooms under my pillow.
I curse myself for being so stupid. Footsteps follow me as I attempt to hurdle a fallen log.
My back foot catches, throwing me forward onto sticks and gravel.
The river is ahead and there is nowhere else to go but through.
Rushing water heightens my senses and I snatch a glance behind me to see two soldiers clear the log with ease. I scramble to my feet and back up to the river. With their swords pulled, they begin to close in on me.
“Stop,” I plead miserably.
“Your false king ain’t here to protect you now, whore.”
“And who do you serve? Duresden?” My voice cracks at the end but I’m trying to buy time for Cedric.