“I’m going to remove the manacles now, okay?” He looked at her in earnest, waiting for her approval.
Fear crept into her mind at the idea of her bonds returning. She had lived with her Sacrifice bond for over a decade, but Power still frightened her. Her incompetence and lack of control frightened her. What if her tether did not return either? She could never use her bonds again, or she would burn out. Without a doubt, she would never survive another flare like last night.
“I will not let you flare. You have my word,” Draven said firmly, pulling the key from around his neck.
Astraia stilled, inhaling slowly as she buried her fear. She was Starlight. She would not die today.
Nodding, Astraia relaxed her hands, allowing Draven to remove them. The sound of the key turning and metal clinking together as the shackles were released made her pulse quicken.
As soon as the manacles were gone, a flood of emotions came rushing back to her. The desert of her mind was washed over with the sea of her bonds, memories, and feelings—everything that made her who she was.
She was nauseated, her burned stomach now gurgling with acid, and she choked down bile that threatened to burn her throat more. White spots floated in front of her eyes, and she slammed them closed before she fainted.
Refocusing on finding her tether needed to be her priority. Trepidation was her companion as she swam in the murky blackness of her mind. Treading above the surface, she called for Elion, a little more than a whisper echoing in the dark. When there was no response, she swam further, shouting now for her brother. Still no smile or comforting voice flickered in the darkness.
A memory of a locked chest buried deep in her mind resurfaced. Letting the dark seas take her, she sank into the abyss, pulling through the expanse with her hands. Years passed by in seconds as she swam through time itself before she finally saw a subtle golden glow tucked in the deepest corner of her mind.
She made her way to the glow, a small chest appearing in the black depths. She exhaled loudly, relieved, and tipped open the lid to the chest.
A warm light glowed up at her. Elion’s smile flashed across her mind. His laugh bubbled from the depths. His teasing tickled her insides.
Stretching out her hand, the delicate memories floated in the expanse until they coalesced into a silvery white thread upon her palm. There was never an end or a beginning to the tether. It just stretched endlessly before her and behind her, as if linked to time. Astraia hated time—always asking for more than it gave.
Slowly, she anchored her tether to her core, and wrenched open the door to Sacrifice. Warmth in her spine spread to her hands, a blue glow pulsing from her palms. Her pain seeped away as Sacrifice worked to heal her mangled body. She let out a small laugh, a tear sliding down her cheek as her body mended.
Her eyes were no longer swollen as she looked at the bounty hunter. A small smile crossed his lips as he gazed at her, the muscles in his shoulders relaxed.
“Thank you,” she croaked, but her throat was no longer in pain.
“Heal, Traia.”
***
It took several hours for Sacrifice to completely heal her wounds. Even then, soreness still throbbed in her muscles, making every effort annoyingly strained. However, she could walk and talk and eat, so that had to count for something.
Astraia had never been so thankful for her bond before now. She was always grateful to heal others, allowing her some form of penance for her sins, but she had never been on the brink of death herself. Despite Draven’s attentiveness, the likelihood of Astraia making a full recovery without the use of her bond would have been miniscule. At the very least, she would have never been able to walk properly again, and her hearing would have been permanently damaged.
She hugged her arms around her chest, pulling her cloak tighter. It was later in the afternoon. The midday meal already passed as she stood in the grassy field behind the inn. Draven had protested when she began to pull on her clothes to leave their room, saying she needed more time to rest.
But she had simply waved her hand at him, scoffing, and said something along the lines of, “You see what I do to men who assert themselves,” before she sauntered out the door.
To her relief, the bounty hunter had left her in peace as she let the sun’s rays warm her. Her gaze lingered on the burned stables for but a moment, taking in the damage. Half of the twenty stalls had burned completely, but from the gossip she heard this afternoon in the dining hall, none of the horses perished. Astraia uttered a small prayer of thanks for this one good omen.
Before leaving the dining hall, she did hear the barkeep muttering about scattered skeletal remains being found in the wreckage, but they had quickly disposed of the evidence before more whispers ruined the inn’s reputation. Astraia was overcome with a wave of relief and shame walking to the field. She knew the men deserved their fate, but she had killed again—her tainted soul thrust closer to condemnation.
Inhaling deeply, relishing the ease of breathing with fully healed lungs, Astraia forced the dark thoughts back into their cage. She had accepted her damnation the day her brother died. At least now there were three less evil men to plague the realm.
A loud snorting noise broke her from her thoughts as she stood in the field. Looking to her left between some of the blooming apple trees was Orion lazily grazing on sweet grass. As if sensing her stare, his ears perked up, and he raised his head from his feasting, walking toward her.
She smiled, holding up her hand as he approached. He nuzzled his head into her hand, allowing her to scratch between his ears before she patted the side of his neck.
“Hi, boy. I’m so glad you’re safe,” she murmured, resting the side of her head on his enormous neck, his black silky coat warm beneath her face.
He snorted, as if cursing her for being reckless and for slapping him.
Astraia chuckled, then grabbed his reins and led him toward one of the intact stalls of the stables.
After bribing Orion with oats, she left the stables and made her way back to the room above the dining hall before dinner. The smell of roasted boar wafted through the hall as she climbed the stairs, her stomach growling in protest, but she had not seen the bounty hunter all afternoon, and this had unsettled her.
