“Sleep, Hallowed,” the stranger's voice faded in and out. “Everything will make sense soon. You're safe.” He repeated those words, a steady mantra as Elara's body went limp in his arms. She wanted to scream, to brand him a liar, to tell him she'd never felt so exposed, so utterly defenseless.
But the scream never came.
Chapter 14
The world swirled back into focus bit by bit, colors bleeding together like a watercolor left out in the rain. Elara squinted against the dull ache that pulsed at her temples. Trees—tall and gnarled—brushed past her vision, a blur of green and brown. She was in a forest, that much was clear, but beyond that? Her memory was a fog.
Elara tried to adjust, to get her bearings, but her limbs were leaden, uncooperative. It felt as though bands of iron clamped around her. She was moving—no, being moved—swayed gently from side to side in a rhythm that almost felt soothing.
Had they taken her? The Vredians?
Her chest heaved as she thrashed against the firm grip that bound her, the rough texture scraping her wrists raw.
“Easy does it, Hallowed.”
The voice that interrupted her panic was calm and authoritative. Elara stilled. It was the stranger. She took a shaky breath and blinked rapidly, willing the world to stop spinning. As her vision cleared, she realized she was on a moving horse, her hands tied.
A cold sweat broke across her forehead. “You drugged me.”
His arm constricted around her waist, muscles coiling tight. “I didn't want to.”
“Gofuckyourself with a rusty sword.” The words scraped out; her mouth felt stuffed with cotton, dry, and painfully arid, but the twitch of his body, the sudden rigidness, made it worth the effort—at least until he laughed.
“A divine creature with a filthy mouth? How charming.”
Elara bristled, looking around for a knife to stab him with. Then, like a dam bursting, memories flooded in—sharp, piercing.Dario.His name carved a hollow in her chest, an ache that spread and squeezed until she thought her ribs might splinter under the pressure.
They had hurt him, abandoned him?—
“Where is my friend?” Her voice was raw, the words barely audible as she struggled for breath.
“Your friend is safe,” he said, voice smooth, infuriatingly calm. “We left him in a secure spot. His men will find him soon enough, patch him up. He'll have nothing worse than a nasty headache and a few scratches.”
Her heartbeat pounded in her temples.A few damn scratches?
Elara stifled the urge to retch, half-tempted to let it spill—this lunatic deserved far worse than ruined pants.
But punishment was likely already on its way. He had dared to kidnap her, and no one crossed the Lord Sovereign without facing severe repercussions. Edgar, she knew, would already be unleashing fury across the realm to find her. And if word reached Osin... She shivered at the thought. The Legion would be relentless. These fools had no idea of the chaos they had invited to their doorstep.
The horse bucked, a sudden jolt snapping her head back onto the stranger’s shoulder, her neck suddenly too weak to hold itself upright. Heavy-eyed, she lifted her gaze to meet his,his face hovering in her blurred vision. His eyes were deep and dark, fringed by lashes so thick they cast shadows upon his high cheekbones, and a scatter of freckles marched across his nose.
“Who are you?”
He shifted, his gaze sliding away. “Dominic.”
“Planning to kill me, Dominic?”
Her reply slipped free before she could stop it, laced with a bitter chill of memory—cold metal pressed against her throat.Elara twisted her neck to face him squarely, searching his expression, defiant. His dark eyes met hers again, a sharp glint flickering within them.
“If I were, we wouldn’t be talking.”
She scoffed. “Well, isn't that a relief?”
Her vision was still blurry, coming and going, but she could make out his party moving alongside them. They'd taken off those raven masks, and now she could see their faces—rugged and seasoned, like they'd been through more than their fair share of hardships.
“How long have we been traveling?”
They were moving so slowly. They must have covered significant ground to feel this comfortable at such a leisurely pace...
