“What isn’t real?”
“This life I find myself in.”
Zev gave him a strange look, but it wasn’t something he could explain.
Cassiel released the leaf and let the wind blow it away. “Ignore me. I am merely accepting that life does not always go as I want. Most of the time, it’s my doing.”
Somewhere along the way, he had locked himself in a prison of his own making.
And he may never get out.
PART III
KEY
CHAPTER 69
Rawn
Rawn called for his horse in the silence only to remember Fair wasn’t there anymore. At times, he heard soft neighs, in others he heard Aerina’s call. His memories were drifting, tangling with images of faces and the sound of voices, filling him with a sense of regret. There was only darkness in that hole, and all he smelled was death.
“How much did you torture him?” a female voice asked. “He stands before the Gates.”
Aerina’s blurry face rose above him, her features faintly lit by dim firelight, and Rawn was relieved. The God of Urn blessed him with a glimpse of her before he died. He tried to say her name, but it was a pained moan on his lips.
“He collapsed without my efforts,” another said. “The fever is taking him. Did you bring what I asked?”
“Yes.”
Aerina…Rawn reached out to her with a trembling hand. She took it, but it didn’t feel like hers.
His vision waned, and the darkness took him to the meadows of Sellav.
Rawn was at peace laying in the tall grass, listening to it gently rustling. The warm sun and cool breeze landed over him, and he breathed in her scent.
Soft fingers stroked his cheek, making him smile. “You have laid here for a while. You must wake now, my love.”
No.That was the last thing he wanted.
He looked up at his wife smiling down at him, his head resting on her lap.
Her blue eyes saddened. “You can’t stay here.”
Rawn took Aerina’s soft hand and kissed her palm. “Grant me the wish of staying in this dream with you a little while longer.”
Her lips brushed his forehead. “Return to me.”
A passing growl shook Rawn awake.
It took a couple of tries to fully open his swollen eyes, but even that hurt. He lay face down on a thin sheet in the cold dirt. The smell alone told him he was still in the Blood Keep. Rawn wanted to scream, but he didn’t have the strength. His back felt stiff, hot, and wet. He tried to get up, but a hand pressed on his shoulder.
“Don’t move, Norrlen. You’re still healing.” Elon came into view and held a waterskin to his mouth.
He took a sip. At the first touch of water, he desperately gulped more, only to end up coughing violently.
“Easy. Not too much now.” Elon took it away. “When you feel ready, eat this.” He placed something beside him and returned to his corner at the back of the cell.
Rawn almost couldn’t believe it when he caught the scent of bread. He grabbed the roll and ate it with eager bites. His stomach ached to at last have something solid. He drank a little more water. That was all the strength he could muster before laying back down.
