Page 62 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Chapter twenty-seven

The reception of the soldiers when they woke up to find us there with them was as welcoming as we expected. Which is why we made sure to take all their weapons and put them outside the cave for our safety. Once Branko explained what would happen and everyone took a minute to recover from the nightshade, which they had an antidote for, a tense truce was reached. By the time we were ready to head out for the stronghold, the sun was high in the sky making us all sweat as we walked.

“How far is it to the stronghold?” I questioned after a few hours of walking.

He looked over his shoulder at me and shook his head. “You’ll know when we get there and not a second before. As I said, the location of the stronghold is the one thing we’ve kept hidden all these years, and I don’t plan on being the one to fuck it up.”

That was hard to argue with, even though I didn’t relish the idea of being led aimlessly around. Too much of my life had been choices made for me with the expectation I wouldn’t question things, but that phase of my life was over. Now I was questioning everything until I was satisfied with the answer. The hard part was that in a situation like this, I knew it was wiser to leave things alone, yet my past had me rioting against that plan.

“Can you tell us if we will make it there tonight?” I tried, hoping if it was less specific if he would give me something.

“We’ll get there when we get there.” Was his response. “Keep pushing this, Dani, and I’ll change my mind entirely.”

With that statement, it was clear he wasn’t willing to appear weak in front of his men. We were the supposed enemy and Branko was their leader. It didn’t matter if we knew each other from before; now was a whole different situation. A thing I did take note of is that we were moving higher into the mountains, away from the water source. The bonus was the higher we got, the cooler the weather was with the breeze that picked up since it wasn’t blocked by the mountain.

As the path grew steeper, it was tricky to navigate. However, Branko knew where he was going and the trail was clear of anything hindering our climb. While I’d been growing stronger daily, this incline was killing my legs. It was getting harder to breathe as Branko didn’t offer any breaks for us to adjust to the altitude change. I couldn’t tell if his drive was to get us there before dark or some other reason I hadn’t considered.

Things started to level out as the sky turned a stunning shade of orange mixed with bright pink creating a vibrant sunset. I was so enamored by it that I almost crashed into Petru, not realizing we’d come to a halt. Sorin grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop a hair's breadth away from Petru’s back. Peering around my Alpha, I noticed the cave entrance before us. It was so craggy looking that it was hard to tell at first that it was anything but a depression in the mountainside.

“When we enter, you need to follow the person in front of you closely. The path through here is narrow. It will also be pitch black except for the light we provide, so don’t think you can wander off. Trust me, you’ll never find your way out because there are quite a few split-offs to mislead those who might stumble upon the entrance,” Branko informed us.

As we entered the cave, Branko and his men flipped on small lights attached to their packs that illuminated their feet so they could see clearly. It gave off enough light that with us staggered among the others we could move with no issue. The further we went from the entrance, the darker it got. I’d never been one to be afraid of the dark, but this wasn’t dark; it was pure void. There was nothing. Merely the sounds of dripping water, the twittering of bats as they flitted around irritated at our intrusion, and the soft shuffle of our feet. I had no idea if one step to the right would have me falling into the abyss or if the roof of the cave was mere inches from my head. Add on the awareness that if these men wanted to, they could leave us here to die with no light and no sense of direction. It was a fear unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

Just as I thought I might start to actually panic, a wash of reassurance came over me through my bond with Petru. It felt like drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day the way it seemed to soothe my fraying nerves. Then Sorin added his steadiness to the mix, so I straightened my back and stopped hunching for fear of something coming to get me. Soon, each of my bonds was grounding me, reminding me that I wasn’t doing this alone. I might not have them next to me at the moment, but they had my back no matter what.

The thing about walking in total darkness is your mind has nothing to gauge the passing of time. We could have been in there for an hour, three hours, or ten minutes and I’d have no idea. Finally, off in the distance, there was a faint glow, the promise that we were almost to the end of this hellish journey. The closer we got, the brighter the light became, and then we were out in the open air. I took a long deep breath, letting my head fall back to stare at the sky. It was a beautiful sight to see.

“You okay?” Cris asked, running a hand down my back. “Felt like you got a little nervous there.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced something that ever made me feel quite so small and powerless,” I shared, turning to look at him. “My mind kept racing with all the worst things that could happen in the blink of an eye that I couldn’t do a damn thing about.”

He nodded as he pulled me into a hug. “Not many people know what true darkness feels or looks like. It makes everyone equal in the challenges they face and the dangers that lurk in the dark. Now that you’ve experienced the sensation, you’ll know how to handle it the next time.”

“I suppose if we came in that way, we’ll have to leave through there as well,” I mumbled.

Cris didn’t actually need to answer that, and he didn’t. Just pressed a kiss to my head before letting me go. In a gesture that made me smile at him, he laced our fingers together and gave them a comforting squeeze before we started forward again.

We were out in the open, not at our destination but at the bottom of a ravine. Our path was wide enough for three people to walk side by side, which was a welcome thing after the cave. Just as the sun shared the last of its light with us, we arrived at the stronghold. The town laid out before us in a lush green valley that looked so much like the South had me speechless. There was even a small lake that animals were peacefully drinking from. If someone asked me to picture a fairy tale land hidden away in the mountains, this is exactly what I would picture. Full towering trees were scattered throughout the space, explaining where the wood for the houses came from. Smoke plumed out of chimneys attached to simple houses with flickering light coming from the inside making it all seem so warm and inviting.

“Welcome to Summit Stronghold, the city of rebels,” Branko announced, gesturing to the sight before us. “Follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying the night. Although, first, I need you to surrender all your weapons to my men.”

I snorted as Victor took off his pack and handed it to the man who’d stepped in front of him. “Be careful. That’s loaded with different types of explosives and detonators. You come here and take these other things from me.” He directed to another soldier.

The number of weapons on that man shouldn’t surprise me, but I honestly didn’t know where he hid them. I only had my knife and gun to hand over, but it took a second for anyone to realize I even had any for them to take.

“Seriously, guys? You should know better than to assume that I wouldn't have a weapon just because I’m a female and Omega. What if they figured you wouldn’t check me, so they gave me their spares to hold on to? If you really want to keep this place the best-kept secret, then treat everyone like they plan to sell you out,” I warned.

Branko’s man seemed less than thrilled to be chewed out by the likes of me, yet I didn’t care. For me, it wasn’t about keeping the stronghold safe. It was the fact he immediately assumed I wasn’t a threat. When were people going to learn? Not to mention they’d heard Branko say I was trouble and a fighter. Taking a deep breath, I shook off the irritation. End the war—then change people’s minds about Omegas. It’s better to solve the world’s problems one at a time.

Relieved of our weapons, Branko motioned for us to follow him toward the town. We walked down the center street, which had various supply shops that had been shut down for the night, until we came across the bar. Seems every town had to have one of those. At the back of the town, a large building two-stories high loomed before us.

“This is the town hall. The council meets here to do business during the day in the top half. It also serves as our school on the lower portion,” Branko shared.

We walked around the hall and found ourselves standing before a simple wooden building with barred windows and two men stationed outside the door.

“You’re going to be staying in our holding rooms. As I mentioned previously, this is the same process every person who comes here goes through. We have an area specifically set up for this,” he explained. “Granted, it’s not meant for packs since it's set up more like a barracks, but I’m sure you’ll manage for the night.”

“Won’t be the first time we’ve stayed in a place like this. We’ll be just fine,” Sorin agreed. “Is there anything we should know about tomorrow? What or who to expect? I don’t want to cause any trouble if something unexpected occurs.”