Time feels frozen.Ifeel frozen, rooted in place. Her normally rosy cheeks are ashen, her lips chapped, and those bright golden orbs are dimmed. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she were an apparition.
Eveera makes the first move, taking a step towards me that’s stopped almost immediately. My eyes snap up to the man holding onto the fabric of her cloak, pulling her backwards, pulling herawayfrom me.
All of the rage I’d felt in the past few months comes flooding to the surface, and I can feel my Wield start to leak out from my palms. I watch as she looks up at the man, her face irritated. She shirks off his hand and stares down at mine, her dark brows pulling tight before she raises her gaze back to me.
The next moment doesn’t feel real.
Before I can fully register what’s happening, she barrels towards me, her body crashing against mine. My knees give out at the impact, my arms wrapping tightly around, clutching her to me as we collapse down onto the ground.
My hand strokes languidly against her hair, and I feel as she sucks in a rattling breath — a rare moment of vulnerability for her, and she’s doing it with me,publicly.
“Shh,” I whisper, trying to keep my voice from cracking as I breathe her in. “You’re safe. Shh. You’re safe.” Her nails dig into the skin of my collarbone while her teeth bite into the fabric of my shirt, silencing her sobs.
I lift my chin, glancing down at her.She looks… frail.The voice inside of my head hisses. Hooking my left arm underneath her knees, I adjust her arm to wrap more snuggly around my neck. Her wrist falls against my shoulder, and I feel something cold… metallic, andwrong.
This time, when I pull back, I do more than just lift my head. I peel back her cloak, my attention falling on the hand clinging to my collar. Nausea wells up inside of me when I see the shackle resting there. “Eveera.” I croak.
Her breath hitches, and she buries her face further into me. “Get them off.” She chokes out. “Pl-please.”
“Shh… I’ll–”
“Get them off. Get them off. Ge-get th-hem o-off.” She repeats, her voice rising and shaking, as she starts to panic.
Not wanting to make her any more of a spectacle, or get arrested for my… very public indiscretion. I push us off the ground, thankfully, most everyone has moved onto the woman wailing and cradling the man.
“Consulate.Now.” I say, looking directly at Bennett and Max. “Will, Millie, and…” the words die off, Eveera’s pleas distracting me. The two of them are silent, staring at us. Bennett’s face is filled with a mixture of horror and shock. Max’s expression hasgone completely dark, displaying everything that I’m feeling as he looks at her disheveled form.
Neither of them has registered my demand, and I have to snap my fingers to get them to move. Bennett splits off to retrieve the rest of our party, and Max and I head in the direction of Sabel’s city center. Eveera’s whole body shakes, her words stuck in a monotonous loop.
“Shh..” I hush into the top of her head, brushing a kiss there. “I’m going to fix this.”
She lets out a sardonic laugh, breaking the cycle briefly, the bitter noise rattling through her chest.
I will.I tell myself.I have to.
We burst through the large and imposing brass doors, intent on getting to their portal room, whether they give us permission or not.
“You cannot just barge in–”
“Max – deal with it.” I grit through my teeth, my patience waning dangerously thin, at the boyish guard. We’d ignored him, keeping post outside, not having the time for formalities. Max doesn’t argue, dragging the man-boy away from us.
Eveera struggles in my hold, her catatonic state of shock lifting as she groans out, “I can walk.”
“I’m aware.” She starts to wriggle more fiercely, but I only tighten my hold on her. “Stop moving, I’m not putting you down.”
She huffs in frustration, “but–”
“No,” I say with finality. From the corner of my eye, I see Max returning with the now seemingly more compliant guard. He opens his mouth to speak, and I raise my hand, cutting him off.“We have members on our council waiting to receive a request for portal entry.”
His head bobs as he marks something down on a piece of parchment. “Yes, so your liaison was here days ago. He mentioned more would be joining you. Does that include these two?” His hand raises to point behind us.
Max and I turn slowly to seewhoexactly he’s pointing at. I’m agitated to discover that the strikingly tall and pale man who held Eveera back in the Bazaar is standing behind us, alongside another man I don’t recognize.
“I–” I start to answer, when the shorter of the two raises a hand, stopping me.
“We just wanted to make sure she was safe.” I narrow my eyes at them, not really having the bandwidth to understand why they’ve followed us after watching Eveera and me in the street.
“Oh..kay, well she’s safe. You can go.” Max answers curtly.
