CHAPTER TWELVE
They had walked back to the clearing to the others in silence. As she watched Eli, Aurora could tell he was debating if he should try and force her to run or if he should keep her close. She smirked because they both knew trying to force her wouldn’t work. She was stubborn. He would know she would rather die than abandon him, so that would leave only one other option, she would join him in the place he had protected her from for so long. Aurora had a feeling he would hate himself for it, but she was confident that Eli would watch over her as he had done for so long. Eli would do all he could to ensure little harm came to her. She wasn’t defenseless. After all those years of training, she now knew it was in preparation for this happening. She was no damsel.
Aurora watched as Eli silently approached Mikhai. The male was resting against a large boulder, his head tilted back. His face bathed in moonlight, eyes closed. His golden skin looked pale in the moonlight like the celestial body had siphoned all of the warmth from his skin. It made the dark pigment lined around his eyes look darker.
Hearing their approach, Mikhai slowly opened his eyes, a toothy grin lacing his generous mouth as he faced them, “Glad to see you still have some brains, old man. I really thought you would try and run.”
Eli chuckled darkly, “I know better than anyone how little patience the Guild has.”
His voice was different, colder. The male Aurora knew was well and truly gone; no trace of him remained.
“Even for their favorite?” Mikhai teased, raising a dark brow.
Eli scoffed, “If you think I’m still that in the eyes of the inner circle, then you are blind as well as ugly, Mikhai.”
From what she could gather from how Eli had addressed him before and how they were talking now, the two males knew each other well. Eli now had an air of importance, and yet he was very withdrawn.
As Mikhai teased and verbally prodded and as Eli snapped back, Atlas merely watched with calculating eyes.
And so, as he watched them, Aurora, in turn, studied him.
Atlas’ deep voice broke through the banter, his hood still blocking Aurora from his features, “I am bored of this conversation. The Guild has been patient, more so than I would have been. Mikhai will escort you both back because, as patient as I am, trust me when I say you don’t want to keep the others waiting any longer than you already have.” His voice resonated with boredom, “And Eli, don’t be stupid. You have three days to get back to the Guild. If you fuck about, I have no issue tracking you down. Only me this time, and as much as I like you, I will have no issue taking you out...I will end you and your pretty little toy.”
An aggressive growl rumbled past his chest in a warning. Without another word, Atlas motioned to Mikhai. Turning to the female, Juniper, he lifted her up off the ground where she lay and then disappeared. Aurora’s eyes widened; she had never seen anything like it. One minute they were there; the next, they were gone.
“Where did they go?” Aurora asked as she still stared at where Atlas once stood, she knew the basics of what it took to evanesce, but she had never seen it actually done. She knew Eli could do it, but he avoided using any of the gifts he possessed in a way to avoid attention. Now that she thought of it, it was probably another way to dodge the Guild at all costs.
“Juniper obviously needs more... training. A common fae such as yourself should’ve never been able to take her down as you did.” Mikhai sported a wicked grin on his face, “Granted, you were trained by Eli, so I shouldn’t be too harsh on her.”
Aurora’s head tilted ever so slightly, her gaze locked on him, studying him, assessing. The smile he wore wasn’t one of humor, she noted. She wasn’t sure what his idea of training was, but she was sure it wasn’t pleasant.
They walked most of the night, never making camp, not even briefly to rest for a couple hours. An unbearable silence accompanied them. It became obvious to Aurora their next stop would be the home of the Guild and not before it.
The trio even ate as they walked so as not to waste time. Luckily for Aurora, Eli had been prepared. Upon seeing her begin to wane, he would alternate handing her bread, cheese, or dried meat.
Only stopping to fill their water pouches whenever they came across streams, they kept moving. Atlas’s threat hung over them. Along with her combat training, Eli had taught her wilderness survival for each Quart they had lived in, which berries would be edible, and which were not, and what streams were safe to drink from.
She had also been taught how to hunt as well as how to prepare her kill for eating or preserving to allow the meat to last longer. If needed, Aurora had the ability and skill to survive in any of the four lands.
Exhaustion dragged Aurora down. She was used to surviving on only a couple hours of sleep, and as she walked alongside Eli, she could feel a growing sense of unease. She wasn’t sure if it was tiredness now taking hold or if she was developing a sixth sense of what was awaiting them. Eli had always made sure she could function through the day on very little sleep. He had said anything could happen, and he always wanted her prepared, but this was different. What she was feeling was so unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
Back then, during the times she was in training, Eli had been by her side. Had encouraged and teased her. But as the cold seeped through her thin cloak and settled into her bones, she slipped a glance in his direction, and she couldn’t help but feel alone. The male at her side may look like Eli, but he most certainly did not act like him. As time passed, she noticed him becoming rigid in physicality as well as in manner. The further they traveled from their cabin, the less he resembled her Eli, the male she considered her safety. Now in his place, a stranger walked. Cold and distant.
Aurora secured her cloak tightly around her as a cool breeze blew past. Her feet pained her, and the muscles in her legs ached. As they traversed just off trail from the main path Aurora, for the first time, considered running. Glancing between the male in front, to Eli at her side, she ran various scenarios through her mind as she weighed the possibility of actually making it. Each played out the same in her head; she would get caught. If the Guild and those who worked for it were as skillful as Eli had always told her, she probably wouldn’t make it far before being caught.
She was so lost in thought that only for Eli’s arm catching her around the waist, she would have collided with the male he called Mikhai. He had stopped and was in the process of creating a small fire.
Glancing up over his shoulder at the all-too-close Aurora, he smirked, “We will stop here for a short while to rest your precious little feet after all that walking.”
Eli directed her away from the hunched Mikhai. His hand cupped her elbow as he led her to a tree a few feet away from the others.
“Try and sleep. You will need your wits about you for where we are about to go.” His tone was clipped, almost angry sounding as he pulled his bag from his shoulder, took a rolled-up blanket from it, and tossed it to her.
Catching it, she tossed it back, “I’ve got my own.”
His brow quipped at her tone. If it hadn’t been obvious to Eli before that Aurora was angry with him, it certainly was now.
Settling at the base of the tree, Aurora turned from Eli and the others and pulled her knees close to her chest, her head resting on them as she pulled her cloak around her frame. It was only a matter of moments before sleep claimed her.
Eli found himself glancing over at the sleeping Aurora more than once. She meant the world to him. Only two people in the decrepit world ever gave him hope for something better, one was Asher, and the other was the small female sleeping to his left. He had never wanted children, bearing in mind the Guild rarely allowed members to settle down, let alone start a family. No one in their right mind would want to bear children in a place such as the Guild, most children born into it were a result of stupidity.
He had the role of father pushed onto him not just once but twice, and as much as he grumbled and complained, he knew, not so deep down, he would not change that for all the stars in the night sky.
She was mad at him, and who could blame her? They were headed into a place he never wanted her to be, a place he thought he had escaped, and yet, now he had to pull the mask he once wore firmly back into place. It was a mask he hadn’t had to wear in such a long time that the effort of keeping it in place was more than he thought possible. He needed to get used to it quickly, so he decided to fall back into the role the minute his eyes fell on Mikhai when opening their front door.
He felt every time Aurora glanced at him, he could see the question and hurt in her eyes at his change. For her protection, he refused to let it slip.
Eli wanted to wrap his arm around her, shield her from their reality. Tell her that it would all be okay, but he wouldn’t lie to her. That was a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep, but he would die trying.
Aurora had only slept for an hour, but it had been enough to recharge her energy to be functional again. Eli had set a folded-up cloth of some of the last bits of food. A small piece of dried meat, some stale bread, and cheese.
Peace offerings no doubt.
She picked at the food until there was nothing more than crumbs left on the square of cloth as she watched the males that rested by the fire. Mikhai kept glancing over his shoulder at her, earning him an unseen glare from Eli.
It wouldn’t be long until the first light of dawn would break on the horizon, and so with a soft yawn and a stretch, Aurora settled back once more. She had no intention of sleeping. She was going to watch this male and learn what she could.
“When we are about to enter No Man’s Land, stay close to either Eli or I.” Mikhai’s voice was low, tiredness evident in his voice, as he tossed more wood on the fire to keep it going while they slept. “I would be more than happy to protect you should the old man meet an unfortunate end.” He winked, his flirtatious smile at odds with the mild threat that had just fallen from his lips.
Aurora tensed. She could see Eli reaching for one of his daggers.
“I know the way, Mikhai. Your escort has never been necessary.” Eli responded roughly.
Mikhai only raised his hands in surrender, “Hey, I was only offering, wouldn’t want her to die before she even got to the Guild now would you? They would be quite upset to lose her so soon.”
He looked between her and Eli.
Aurora could tell the male was up to something. He wasn’t hiding it very well, as his eyes twinkled with mischief.
Aurora’s gaze shifted to Eli. It was clear everything Mikhai said was done in a way to irk Eli. She couldn’t help wondering if there was more to her going to the Guild than either male was saying.
Eli ignored her stare as he had been for the past two days, his shoulders were tense, and he barely spoke to her.
“What exactly is No Man’s Land?” Aurora asked Mikhai, looking away from Eli at last. She gave up on receiving any answers from him.
“Did Eli never tell you?” Mikhai asked, a smirk now permanently cemented on his face.
Aurora narrowed her eyes, “I know the basics. I know it’s a place people avoid. No one comes out of there alive unless they are with a guide.”
“Well, Princess. You’re right. Most people don’t survive. There are some lovely creatures in there that most people’s hearts would stop just from looking at, but lucky for you, Eli and I know how to go through without being detected. You’ll be fine.”
She noted he said fine and not safe.
He tugged his bedding out and unrolled it, before lying flat on his back. He was the image of pure relaxation. Putting both hands behind his head, he closed his eyes, not worried in the least about his surroundings.
Aurora watched him as she muttered about his ego under her breath. She forced a tight smile even though Mikhai’s arrogance made her want to unsheathe her dagger and use it on him. She envied how calm he was.
Feeling her eyes on him, Mikhai turned his head towards her. Opening one eye, and with the cheekiest smirk on his lips, he rasped, “Get some rest, Princess. We have a long walk ahead of us, and if you don’t get yourself killed, we should be at the border to the Guild by sundown.”
Aurora inwardly groaned; another day”s walk. She found herself secretly wishing Eli had picked a home closer to No Man’s Land. Maybe then the bottoms of her feet wouldn’t feel raw in the boots she wore, and her limbs wouldn’t hurt with every movement. Her body seemed to ache more than it did after training, and that thought was laughable.
Mikhai turned his head so it was facing the stars, once again closing his kohl-lined eyes.
Aurora stared at the fire, wishing the dread she felt would go away. She had never felt so afraid before. Turning her head towards Eli, the tightness in her chest unrelenting, she hoped they could talk. Maybe he could tell her everything was going to be alright. With a frustrated shake of her head, she let out a soft sigh. She was trying hard to remain the unbreakable female Eli had trained her to be, but his coldness was becoming a physical pain, a weight settling heavily on her chest.
She just wanted him to look at her. Looking into each other’s eyes, they could communicate with more than words. She assumed maybe that was why he avoided it. He knew she would be able to see past the cold mask of the stranger he had become and see her Eli underneath.
He lay on the forest floor just an arm’s length away with his back towards her. It was obvious he was not interested in talking to Mikhai or her. She hadn’t even heard him as he had gotten settled.
Cursing under her breath, Aurora punched and poked at her bag before settling down to use it as a place to rest her head. Lying on her side facing her mentor, she tried to get comfortable for the night. She pulled her cloak tightly around her body in an effort to escape the chilly air that blew through the trees, causing the leaves to whisper back.
She couldn’t relax. As Aurora lay on the cold, damp grass, she found herself glaring at Eli’s back. His posture, although laying facing away from her, was tense. He may think he was fooling her into thinking he was sleeping, but she knew better.
Aurora found herself lifting a hand to reach out to him. So desperate to find that connection they had before. If only she could talk to him, she would be able to say something that could get him to relax, even just a little. Say something that caused him to glare at her. She would accept anything but the ice-cold glare he looked at his surroundings with. It hurt to see the person she loved most in the world close down and shut her out.
Instead, she withdrew her hand and slipped it back under her cloak as she pushed her worries for Eli away. She wouldn’t give up on him, she couldn’t. She would let him rest, and when they woke, she would try again and keep trying.
Aurora yawned softly, eyes heavy as sleep began to claim her once more. A comforting sleep. She just hadn’t noticed the dark claws that beheld dreams of fae-like monsters and deadly shadows.