“I hope it's good enough.”
Crispin’s face scrunched as I pushed the needle through again, sewing the wound shut.
“We have the upper hand,” Crispin said. “He doesn't know what we can do when we're together.”
I pushed the last of the thread through and leaned over to tie it, then ripped the last piece off with my teeth. “There.”
I hovered over Crispin and the hand that was on my thigh moved up to cradle my face. “You were amazing.”
“You sound surprised.” I leaned closer until I was lying on my side right next to him.
He thumbed my face, rubbing my cheek. “No, I'm not. I've told you since the day I met you that there's no one like you in this world. You amaze me every day.”
My eyes watered and I gripped his other hand within mine.
“Don't get sad on me.” His voice dropped a little and then he tugged me closer, pressing my lips to his. It was a soft kiss. He pulled away and pressed our foreheads together. “We need to keep moving. And no matter what happens, you know where we need to go. If we get separated, I'll find you.”
“I don't want to be separated.” My voice hitched at the thought of us not being together. “You gave up everything for me.”
“And I would do it again,” he said, his tone changing. “I love you. All of this is worth it.”
My chest tightened. “What are we going to do?”
“We're going to escape,” he said, “but…”
His face softened and he dropped his hand from my face and patted my thigh. “I need a few minutes.”
“Good idea. You rest. I'm going to go through our supplies and make sure we have enough.”
“We're fine. Trust me.” His voice trailed off as his eyes shut.
I held a hand to my mouth, not wanting to cry and wake him. He was so confident. So sure.
Why couldn't I have that confidence?
We were both powerful, and we were prepared. Kane obviously knew nothing about me or Crispin. Otherwise, he wouldn't have treated us as if we were ants.
Maybe Crispin was right, and we'd not only survive, but we would disappear again.
I closed the can that held the med kit and shoved it back in the bag. Each pack held the same items. There was even a little coin in there, along with two jars of pemmican, an extra set of clothes, candles, my healing salves that seemed to cure every rash, and a small dagger, just the essentials.
I thought of taking my bedroll out and trying to rest. Without the sun guiding us, there was no way to know how long we'd been here. It felt like forever, but I wouldn't be able to sleep.
There were no sounds, so different from the mornings and afternoons and then nights when our home came alive. Every sound signified the time of day, like the crickets at dusk, letting us know soon it would be time to turn in. There was nothing but Crispin's slow breaths.
At least he was stitched and the wound cleaned.
I couldn't believe this was happening.
When I ran from the temple with my grandfather and Crispin, I didn't think Kane would ever come for me. I’d been so convinced of the rumors, especially the one saying my birthmark was a stain that could never be hidden.
I traced the star-shaped mark around my eye. The thing thatmarked me as the child of prophecy. Something I grew up being proud of… until the people’s belief in the prophecy faded and the blame for every calamity was because of me.
I ran my fingers through my thick hair, trying to untangle the unruly strands.
Why has he come now? After all this time?
It had been over a year since I had run away and nothing. We weren't near any villages, and we had seen no travelers. My grandfather had used a transporter rod, creating a portal to the valley. Though I begged him not to, he said he was destroying it after we went through, making sure no one could track the location.
