She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to the ground, as if worshiping the idea. I couldn’t deny the aches that plagued me once I finally sat, rummaging through the pack to see what we’d been provided.
A lightweight wicker basket inside contained fabric wrapped portions of food. Barely enough for two full meals each. If we had days to travel yet, rationing would be a necessity.
Dried meat and fruits mixed with nuts. A folded tarp, barely big enough to cover one person. A couple matches, and a single canteen filled with water. Thankfully, I wouldn’t have to stress about finding water tonight.
I passed it to Alba first, and she furiously gulped down a few mouthfuls. Maybe Iwouldneed to stress about finding water…
Luckily she seemed to realize before draining the entire thing and stopped.
“Sorry,” she breathed heavily, wiping the corners of her mouth with her sleeve. I divvied some food, and we ate in silence. The situation weighed heavily upon us, our concern for our camp pooling into uncertainty that we didn’t dare voice. Her face fixed in a grim expression. Surely mine was no better.
The ever pressing guilt was hard to bear. Alba and I were far from home, sitting exposed in a forest that wished it could run from its place. I cursed myself. If I hadn’t snuck into the king’s treasure trove filled with items of historical significance and heirlooms of royals past, I wouldn’t be sitting here today. The only obvious conclusion regarding how Rahana had been discovered was because of that same reason.
I’d royally fucked us over by fucking over a royal.
I’d only just finished sharing my tiny portion with Brax when he said, “We should be going back south. That’s what my instincts are telling me.”
I sighed, hating the words as I forced them out. “We can’t. Taja will make sure we can’t get back to the river, and if he caught me trying to back out of this deal…” I shivered, shaking off the thoughts that would only lead to the worst possible outcome. “As much as I hate it, we have to do what he wants. Once I know Rahana is safe, we’ll get as far away from here as possible.” Reaching up, I grazed the knuckle of my finger along Braxius’s neck.
“I’ll scout for a sleeping place,”he said.
I nodded in agreement. He launched from his perch, soaring out of my hair and into the forest. I couldn’t bring myself to look away until he fell out of sight, something about the ominous leering presence of the forest keeping all my senses alert.
When he vanished, I stood and stretched, preparing to do some scouting of my own for a decent sleeping area that wasn’t in the middle of the road.
“Ro…” Alba’s voice was soft, hushed, as if she debated speaking at all.
Stopping before my search even began, I turned to face her. “Yeah?”
Her eyes had become glassy, her mouth moving in a way that depicted she wanted to chew on the words instead of letting them out. “I…”
I simply waited, letting her work through whatever she needed to. She stretched her neck, cleared her throat, and with a new focused determination, she stated, “This is my fault.”
Her words were an arrow that struck me with surprise. “This is in no way your fault, Alba.” I hesitated voicing how the blame actually belonged to me.
“No, it is. There were no Windguard soldiers across the river.”
I narrowed my eyes in contemplation. “But Ravinder—”
“I lied,” she spat out.
“I don’t understand…” Why would she lie? Had she just wanted to go on an adventure, and manipulated me into escorting her because of the dangers? That thumping organ in my chest sped to a steady beat. How did the soldiers know where to find us…
“Remember when I told you about the boar in the forest?”
My voice failed as my swirling thoughts ceased. The only thing I could muster was a nod.
“There was no boar. A couple Windguardian soldiers had breached security and cornered me in the woods. They threatened me and the entire camp. They said if I didn’t help them, they’d burn us all alive.” She pulled down the high collar of her shirt to reveal yellowing bruises around her neck.
Despite the weighted tension in the forest, I became lightheaded. The ground felt less stable than it had moments ago. “Help with what?” I managed to breathe out.
She blinked away the moisture gathering along her eye line, letting tears escape.
In a grunt of anger, I repeated, “Help with what?”
“Handing you over to the king.”
My fingernails nearly broke the skin on my palms. “Why didn’t you tell us? We could have fought. We would have won,” I yelled, throwing my hands out.
