The simmering crackle of the once-burning kingdom is replaced by the whooshing sound that hits my ears.
Silas’s arms stay wrapped around me. The warmth of his body floods into me like the heat of the sun—something I haven’t felt in what feels like weeks.
“Hang on,” he breathes into my ear, his strong chest heaving from exertion. “Never let go.”
I squeeze him—tighter and more desperate than ever before.
My nails dig into his clothing, and I fear that even this isn’t enough to hang on. I can’t lose him again; he can’t slip away. Panic rushes in my veins, like water from a dam that has just given way.
We dissolve into mist. The weight of my body—the world—seemingly becomes nothing, and I lose all sense of where we are. Where we’ve been. The torture I’ve been enduring makes me realize that the only thing that matters is Silas.
But I know a few things for certain, and they weigh heavily on my heart and soul.
Silas is with me.
He found me in the darkest of places. He awakens me from the darkness that lives deep within my soul. With him, I’m safe.
I also know that it wasn’t a nightmare; it was real—a world existing within ours, unseen by most and feared by all.
Iawaken in a small, dim cabin in the ship's hold, with the sun peeking through the small porthole, casting a flickering light that dances around the walls. The darkness has passed, but the motion of the boat on the waves immediately makes me feel sick. My head throbs against the warm sheets of the cot, and my dry mouth suggests that I’ve been unconscious for days.
But where am I?
Why can’t I remember anything?
A figure sits in a chair propped against the far wall, their silhouette blurred along the edges. My vision is blurry, as I expected it to be after days of sleep. After I wipe the sleep from my eyes, the figure comes into focus.
Rose.
She sits silently reading a book, not realizing I’ve woken up.
Her head snaps at my small movements as she quickly rises from her chair, nearly tipping it backward as she snaps her book shut. “Oh, Gods. You’re awake.”
Her voice flowing through the room is music to my ears.
I must be hallucinating.
Rose and Lang should be on their way to Brinkym with Oak’s father, safe and far from what’s to come—including the danger I seem to bring everyone. I lift my shaky arm and rub my temples, and my memory flares.
Rohhit. The pier.
We had to flee Daramveer.
Eden.
The memories come crashing into me harder than the waves outside, and I am seconds away from being sick. Everything comes together in a chaotic blow to my chest.
“You’re here?” My mouth hangs open as I gawk at her. “How are you here?”
More memories flood my aching head, and a throbbing sensation distorts my already unsteady vision.
She rushes to my side, smiling, and gently runs her fingers through my tangled hair. “We were leaving town when we ran into your friends. They told us that you had disappeared and shared the plan while Oak and his father said their goodbyes.”
She kisses my forehead, her touch so similar to my mother’s that if I close my eyes and settle back into the cot, I can pretend it’s actually her for a moment.
“I told you I’d never leave you.” Her eyes soften. “Plus, Arieste would haunt me if I let you do this alone, and I don’t want that happening.” Rose wipes a falling tear from my cheek. “I will serve you and help you rebuild Daramveer, whatever it takes.”
My heart soars at the sight of her face, yet a lingering darkness weighs heavily on my chest. My thoughts feel fuzzy, as if I’m walking through a haze.
