There was so much that she would have to leave behind. Walking over to the bookshelf, she ran her finger along the spines of her favorite titles. It hurt to have to abandon them.She would return though, and they would be there waiting for her to lose herself once again within their pages.
Turning, she tossed a tunic in the direction of the bed, but it missed, sliding to the floor in front of the bedside table. Stooping to pick it up, she stopped cold. A weathered leather-bound book with beautiful gold script sat on the table. She hadn’t noticed it there before but it must have been. Her heart stuttered as she picked it up, running her fingertip over the title,The Bound Queen.Memories crashed into her, almost sending her to her knees. Alex sat heavily on the edge of the bed, the book pressed to her chest.Riv, where are you? Were you taken or did you run?Opening the book, Alex noticed that the first page had been torn out. Frowning, she leafed through the rest, ensuring that there was no more damage. She didn’t remember it being damaged when Rivka gave it to her, or even setting it on the bedside table. She swore she had left it on the shelf.
Shaking herself to dispel the memories, she rose, wrapping the book in the discarded tunic, slipping it into the pack that she would carry on her back. It was the sweetest torture keeping it close but she couldn’t bear to leave it, the last gift that Rivka had given her.
Originally, the plan had been to take the waterway to the Morrows Province since that was where the pirated ship had been headed, but once she got there, she had nothing else to go on, no one to help her, and no evidence to follow. What a fool’s mission that would be. Her thoughts sorted themselves and drifted back to her conversation with Evanar. She had gone to the dungeons to help them, to give them comfort but instead, Evanar had comforted her, had applied a thin balm over her raw and aching heart. ‘You have dedicated your life and your heart to your queen. Your loyalty is unquestioned.’
Her hands shook as his voice filled her head. ‘Listen to me, Alex. You must go back to where it all started. Where this painwas inflicted. You’ll find the answers you seek. Just go back to where it all began, where it all went wrong. You must start there and you must go alone.’Alone. Well, she was definitely alone, that was true. She turned the words over in her mind slowly. Evanar had placed his hand over her heart. ‘Where this pain was inflicted.’How could he know that it was his daughter that had inflicted that pain, no, not just her, fucking Tristan too. Bile rose in her throat as she thought of him, of him andher.
Wait. Did Evanar mean for me to go back to the Rune Province, back to the palace? Did he know about them? About what had happened?
Alex didn’t know if she could stand in front of Tristan and not kill him. He had tainted everything she had ever loved but Evanar was right, Tristan likely held the answers. Even if he couldn’t tell her where Rivka was, Alex was betting he knew something.
She had to follow her gut. At first light, she would send her battalion after the supply ship as planned, but she would be paying a visit to Prince Pretty Boy. She would drag the answers out of him if need be. He would get to see a side of her that he had never experienced before, and unfortunately for him, she was happy to let her dagger do the talking.
Chapter Twenty-One
Chickens?
Ellis
The sun shone brightly against the window of the little house set deep within the hills of the Varon countryside. Ellis had to blink several times to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating it. They had been underground for so long that the brightness of the sun burned his eyes. Rivka didn’t seem to be faring much better; her eyes tearing as she squinted, shielding her face with her hand. They had both gulped in lungfuls of fresh air as they emerged from the tunnels, a more than welcome feeling after the dank murkiness they’d endured.
Ellis scanned their surroundings for any danger. Evanar had told them that this place was a safe house and that they wouldn’t likely be discovered so far from civilization, but Ellis didn’t want to take chances. He had tried to convince Rivka to stay hidden in the tunnels while he scouted ahead, but she had refused. She said that they were safer together, and she wasright. The thought of leaving her in the tunnels unprotected had weighed on his conscience. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything happened to her or the baby. He would do whatever had to be done to keep them safe. As if on cue, Rivka stumbled next to him, and he shot forward, catching her arm and helping her steady herself.
“Thanks,” she said, straightening her dress, her hands lingering on her midsection before she brought her eyes up to his. “I didn’t see the rock with all this grass.”
“It’s alright, my love. Let’s just try and get inside and then we can rest. I cannot wait to sleep in a real bed.”
Rivka’s laugh tinkled through the air, coaxing a smile to his own lips. He had missed that. She used to be so full of joy but for a long while now, tears had seemed to be her constant. This baby, no matter how it was conceived, was bringing some semblance of happiness back into her life. He had caught her on multiple occasions, singing to her belly as she stroked it, a small smile teasing her lips. She talked to the babe, which he was certain would be a girl, as if the little one could understand every word her mother murmured.
“A real bed would be heavenly,” she sighed. Ellis grinned at her, slinging his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side. “Maybe we will even get lucky and get to bathe today.”
She feigned a gasp of mock surprise, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and clinging to him. “A bath? I could simply die for a soak!” His amusement joined hers this time, her over dramatic tone sending them both into a fit of laughter. Once they gained some composure, they began walking again, both instinctively picking up their pace.
As they neared the house, and that was a generous word for it, his thoughts shifted to Varon and their home. He had no clue what they were really going to do, or when or if they’d ever see it again. Focusing on taking care of Rivka and her needs wasthe priority right now though, and dwelling on the unknown wouldn’t help the situation.
It had devastated Rivka to leave her citizens, her family. In a normal situation, Rivka would have stood up and defended her throne with all the might she could muster against any threat, but this time, it wasn’t just her life at risk. The threat that Vivian posed against the babe was her undoing. Add in the element of dark magic that was at play, and it wasn't a battle she could win outright.
So they had chosen to run, to thwart Vivian’s plan before it could ever come to fruition. Sophiana would step back in, once again becoming the great queen that she was, until Vivian could be handled and Rivka could return to take her rightful place once again. There was hope yet. They just needed to trust that Evanar’s connections could find out more about this dark magic. Without more information, they didn’t have a chance.
The house loomed in front of them. Ellis took the lead, stepping up onto the rickety porch and keeping Rivka firmly behind him. The door was unlocked, opening easily, to reveal a small room with a fireplace on one wall, and two chairs sitting facing it. Stepping fully inside, Ellis turned, noticing that while the space was small, it was clean and tidy. There was a kitchen to the left of the room, with a table barely big enough for two people off to one side. The cupboards appeared to be stocked with plenty of food, and there were plates, bowls, and cups stacked neatly on the open-faced shelf. A singular pot and skillet sat on another shelf to the side of the wash basin. An apron hung from a hook next to the window that overlooked what appeared to be a small garden outside.
Rivka stayed glued to Ellis as they moved down the short hall leading to the only bedroom and washroom. The bedroom held a large bed that took up most of the space, a storage benchrunning along the end of it. Ellis opened it, the hinges squeaking loudly through the quiet space. It was filled to the brim with extra pillows and linens. Another small fireplace adorned the only free wall in the tight space. A pile of newly cut wood near it, just waiting to be burned.
“Well, at least we will be warm and have full bellies tonight.” Rivka sighed as she eased down onto the edge of the bed. “Though right now, I am exhausted and could desperately use some sleep.”
Ellis watched her, checking for any signs of discomfort. She grew tired easily these days. Her strength was slowly returning, along with her appetite, as her abdomen started to grow. She had stopped being sick every day, the color returning to her cheeks again, but the shadows of grief still haunted her eyes. He wished that he could ease her pain but nothing would mend the rift that had been torn in her heart when Alex had walked away.
“Let me check the kitchen, see if I can scrounge up some tea and something to snack on. You should eat before you rest.” He gave her a pointed look.
She looked as if she might argue but a loud growl came just then, giving away her hunger. A sheepish look stole across her face. “Thank you, that would be lovely.” She said, running her hand over the slight swell of her stomach. She followed him back out into the main living space, heading straight for the small table and settling herself into one of the chairs while she watched him rifle through the cupboard.
“How long do you suppose we will need to be here?” Rivka mused out loud.
Ellis glanced back at her. “I do not know for sure, my love. Your father said we should stay here until it is almost time for the babe to be born. He was very specific in that. Ifwe leave too soon, we could ruin the chance of stopping Vivian, or worse, she could find us.”
Rivka made a hmmm noise but didn’t say anything more. ”We are safe here. Your father wouldn’t have sent us if that weren’t the case. We have food, water, and…” Ellis gestured towards the small bookshelf tucked into the corner of the room, “...even books.” Rivka jumped up, a small squeak escaping her lips as she hurried over to the shelf. Ellis didn’t even attempt to hide his smile. That woman and her love of books was just too adorable.
