Chapter 22 Escape #2
They file out with orders to pack our stuff up and locate a boat.
Left alone as they ready for our departure, I slide out of the bed and head for the window.
My body aches all over, but the wrap on my side holds, and luckily, I don’t feel my skin tear as I slowly reach out to pull back the curtains.
It’s nighttime, and the stars flicker brightly in the sky.
My room faces the back of the street. There are no street lanterns, so darkness covers the view. I crack the window open, craving fresh air, and I groan as the motion causes my wound to sting.
The smell of the sea floats in through the cracked window and eases my pain. I’ve always felt a sense of peace by the sea.
My father used to tease that I had a saltwater battery that needed to be charged by regular dips in the ocean. I hadn’t realized just how right he was until the salt air washes over me, and I reluctantly breathe deeply.
I’m pleasantly surprised I’ve managed to do so without any pain.
But when I think of Julius’ claim that he was behind their murder, my body trembles.
They sacrificed themselves to keep me out of harm’s way, and then I ended up here anyway because of—Lachlan.
He brought me here, probably under Odessa’s orders.
As if my thoughts conjure him, he slips through the door. “We need to ha’ that conversation now,” he mutters softly.
I spin around to face him, my anger at its full height. When he glimpses my face, his jaw clenches.
“Let me explain,” he grits out.
I shake my head. “My parents died trying to protect me from this place, and you tricked me into coming here. You better have a really good reason if you expect me to trust you,” I reply.
My hands squeeze into fists, and I have to hold myself back from rushing across the room to pummel his face.
He sighs but doesn’t break our stare. “I brought ye here to save our lives.”
I don’t—can’t respond to his words.
“It wasn’t until I was a teen that Torin sent me to Idirhalla for my training, and I found out the truth of my existence.
But five years ago, I became captain and was sent back to the human realm and ordered to find ye and keep an eye on ye.
They dinna want ye here. Ye were and still are a threat to whatever their plans are.
But after your parents died, the necklace appeared on my doorstep in Orkney.
Your mum sent it. She attached a note to the necklace because she realized only ye could stop them. ”
His words pelt me like stones.
He draws out a folded piece of paper from a hidden pocket in his leathers and holds out the note. In my mom’s scrawling script are the words: Take Lena home, it’s time.
In a last-ditch effort, my mom orchestrated my coming here to save her people. My necklace warms on my chest, and I lift it up, studying the runes that are glowing faintly.
“Mom,” I whisper, and the runes flare. A tear slips down my cheek. She was with me all along.
But then that means. “You were the raven at the cairn …” I trail off, looking up to meet Lachlan’s heartbroken eyes.
“Ye were our only shot back home. I dinna ken how else to get ye here. With magic fading, I was nae strong enough to travel us both back. There was barely enough to travel back and forth in my raven form, and it’s nae like I could ha’ just asked ye to come.
Ye would ha’ thought I was insane.” The words tumble out.
“But I never meant for ye to get hurt in all of this, and I was with ye the whole time, keeping an eye on ye and making sure ye were safe. Ye were my salvation, Lena, and I couldn’t—” His voice cracks, and his eyes beseech mine.
“Wouldn’t come home without ye.” His words ripple around me, swallowing me whole.
Sorrow and hope are etched into his soft smile.
“Ye are not only my salvation, but ye are quite literally the Key to solving all of this,” he whispers.
The use of my nickname makes my chest tighten.
I do understand his motives, and he’s right. Had he told me all of this, I wouldn’t have believed him for a second. I’m also relieved that he wasn’t ever part of Odessa’s plans. Actually, quite the opposite. But it doesn’t completely staunch the bitter burn of betrayal.
Lachlan slowly approaches, reading my face for any signs of reluctance, and drops to a knee before me. His hands are warm as he takes mine in his, stroking a thumb over the top of my knuckles.
“I know my words canna undo this, but let my actions speak for my remorse and allow me to swear my fealty to ye.” He looks at me expectantly, and I barely manage to dip my chin.
The sight of him on his knees before me wreaks havoc on my already chaotic mind.
“I, Lachlan Freysson, swear my fealty to ye and only ye, Lena, rightful queen of Idirhalla, to serve ye and this realm for all of my days until my last breath.”
His words echo in my ears, the sound ringing loudly.
Time crawls to a stop.
The impact of this moment waits, like the pressure of a needle just before it pierces the fabric.
My heart leans towards forgiveness for the man I’ve known my whole life, but my mind cautions me about the man who used me as collateral to reach his own goal.
Even if that goal was for the betterment of the realm, my realm.
I clear my throat. “I accept.”
The needle pushes through the fabric. His answering smile is bright enough to stop my heart, but I continue, “On one condition.” His brows raise.
“If you ever keep something like that from me again, I’ll kill you.
” His eyes widen at my vow, but amusement crosses his lips.
He quickly rises and wraps me in his arms.
“If I ever betray ye, I will gladly kill myself and save ye the trouble.”
I smile into his embrace, and he places a kiss on my forehead. A piece of my soul finally returned to me at last. Not just a piece, but what feels like half my soul. His familiar scent fills my nose and burrows into my bones. I’ve really missed this, missed him.
A knock on the door has me flinching away, but he releases me reluctantly. Elowen slips into the room.
But Lachlan cups my cheek, pulling my attention back to him. “I’m going to make sure the boat is ready. I’ll be back shortly to escort ye.”
He saunters from the room, and I feel a pang in my chest, his absence already plaguing me. But I turn towards Elowen, who is deathly silent.
Her eyes are steely, and her jaw is set in stiff disapproval.
“I am so sorry for the deaths of your parents.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. The pain of their deaths and the split to my side warring inside of me. Elowen extends her arms, handing me a new set of training leathers.
“I never would’ve thought Odessa capable of something like that, and I’m sorry I didn’t see it,” she mutters. Her eyes shift into a hazy blue, as if she’s studying the cosmos for any hint of something she’s missed. I take the offered clothes.
“It’s not your fault the power is fading here, Elowen. Don’t beat yourself up,” I reply.
She nods, but looks down at her boot-clad feet before her sharp gaze meets mine.
“I need to explain my reluctance to accept you.” My wary eyes meet hers.
“I’m sure most people have a sob story about their childhood that explains away their moral failings as an adult, so I’m not going to wield mine as an excuse.
But I do want you to know the facts and why I kept my loyalty to her and ignored the signs.
” Her tone sharpens, and I sit on the edge of the bed.
“Go on.”
She crosses over to the window and peers out.
“I was locked away since I could speak. Seeing visions is not normal for a child and can be construed as dangerous. My parents believed in the latter.” Her admission has my heart stalling in my chest. “No one even knew of my existence for a long time until Odessa. I was alone almost every day of my life before she found me. She liked to hike in the Edda mountains when she was younger. Lucky for me, she came across the cave my parents kept me in. She fought for me when no one else did, and that’s why I have believed her for so long.
” Sorrow washes across her face. “The Odessa I knew would never have killed your parents. She loved your mother as a sister, but with their deaths, she killed my allegiance to her. I cannot look past the obvious truth anymore. Something is coming, and I will be on the right side of it, on your side.”
Her words silence me, and for a moment, I can only stare at the woman before me, the woman who has already suffered so much in her lifetime and is still trying to do the right thing.
“Thank you for telling me your story. I understand completely how your loyalty to Odessa kept you blind, and I appreciate your sacrifice in choosing me over her. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you must have experienced.
But you’re not alone anymore, and you never will be. I will not let you down.”
Elowen’s eyes fill with relief, and she nods. “I’m supposed to stay here and recruit help?”
“Yes, the others seemed to think you would be the best person for the job, but now that I know your story, I don’t want you to feel like we’re leaving you behind. This job is very vital to our success, but I do not want to put you in a position that makes you uncomfortable,” I reply.
Something about her facial expression is warning me of her reluctance.
“You’re trusting me with this when I just told you that my blind obedience has prolonged the suffering of this realm?”
“We all make mistakes, Elowen. It’s okay.”
Her eyes widen at my response. “I haven’t ever been allowed to make mistakes before.”
My shoulders slump at her honesty, and I reach out to her, grasping her hand in mine. “I am so sorry.”
She eyes me warily. “I would rather stay by your side, but if it means helping you more in the long run, I’ll stay.”