His red-tinged irises snap towards me, “strange woman.”
I shrug and scoot back against the pillows, giving him my back. My stomach twinges from the partially vulnerable conversation, evidently being a hostage has made me soft towards others.Thatwill need to be rectified immediately.
Despite my efforts, sleep still didn’t come.
I didn’t find myself at the crossroads with Axel or Orem, and their lack of presence over the past few days has been noticeable. Ax would quip that that’s a good thing; no longer seeing them means I’m no longer hallucinating. I should be thrilled that I’m not going crazy.
But I’d rather the delusions over the still constant pounding in my head.
Caz stayed up all night as well, tucked away in the windowsill – brooding – and by morning we both looked like hell.
Devlen, on the other hand, looks well rested and very,veryperky.
I wince while lacing up my boots, the motion irritating the wounds on my wrist. The smell of salt drifts into the room and mixes with the stale copper, a combination which is enough to churn my empty stomach.
Standing up, I move over to the window, a wave of dizziness washing over me. “Woah woah woah.” Devlen grunts, catching on to my shoulders, my hand reaching to grab the wall. The tips of my fingers graze the windowpane, and I feel Devlen’s hands tighten on me, backing us up from the open frame.
My right palm comes up, and I press it firmly to the center of my forehead. “Fuck.” My knees give, my body slouching forward until I’m bent at the waist. “Fuck. Fuck. FUUCCKK!”
“Alright, alright, just take it easy.” Devlen coos.
I jerk my head up to look at him. “Argh! You try functioning when it feels like your head is going to implode and splatter brains all at your feet.” I snap, pressing the heel of my hand even harder into the skin, hoping that the pressure will alleviate.
It doesn’t.
He rocks me back until I am sitting on my ass, both legs spilling out in front of me. I drop my hands to the floor and stare pitifully at the wall ahead of me.This is pathetic. The voice inside my head chides.You are pathetic, Eveera.
Bleeding hell, what have I become?
A glass of water appears in front of my face, held by a stark white hand. I take it gingerly, my mouth suddenly feeling like cotton. I can feel the weight of Caz’s glare as I lift the edge of the glass to my lips and take a sip. From my peripheral vision, I catch Devlen’s hand dart out, grazing his partner’s hand.
I try to not make it obvious that I’m watching the exchange of soft looks by taking another more languid sip. The water slides down my throat easily, and I hang my head between my knees. Itstill hurts, but it feels less like it’s going to roll off my shoulders now, which I think is a good sign.
“You alright?”
“Fine,” I grunt, allowing Devlen to pull me up. Setting the glass down, I dust off my pantlegs and brush past him. “Just fine. Let’s go.”
He hesitates behind me, taking too long to follow. “Er…”
“I said I’m fine. Let’s. Go.”
I was, in fact,notfine.
The minute we stepped outside, my legs threatened to buckle a second time. I did my best to ignore Devlen’s raised brows that said, “yes, youlookfine.”
The acrid scent of the sea only grew stronger once we were back out on the street, and I made a mental note of how grateful I am to smell char and smoke back home.
What I wouldgiveto smell char and smoke right now. To feel nothing but scales and air underneath me, no matter how snarky the company is, over the tiredness of my feet.
I feel Devlen’s gloved fingers take hold of my elbow again, hooking us together so that I don’t get lost. Apparently, we’ll be crossing the rest of the city today, in hopes of making it to the edge of the Sabel by nightfall. I’ll exit the city with no one the wiser, and then I can worry about the more treacherous part.
Trekking across this bleeding kingdom until I can take refuge, hopefully with the clans in the Vast.
Through the crowd, I see Caz jogging back to us, a rust-colored cloak in his hands. “Here.” He says, shoving the garment into my hands.
“What’s this for?”
“You want to stay discreet, don’t you?” I nod and drape the item over my shoulders and lift the hood over my head. While I’m tying it together, he leans into Devlen, whispering something in his ear before taking the lead.
