“Elara, how do you know so much about this?” I asked, watching her carefully as she brewed a mixture over the crackling fire. The earthy smell of herbs filled the small cabin, mingling with the faint dampness that seemed ever-present in the rogue lands.
She didn’t look up immediately, her hands expertly working as she stirred the mixture. “You pick up a lot when you’ve lived as long as I have,” she said, her tone measured.
I tilted my head, studying her. “You don’t seem that old.”
Elara chuckled softly, finally looking my way. Her eyes, a striking shade of silver, seemed to hold secrets as old as the land itself. “Looks can be deceiving, child. Age isn’t always counted in years.”
The vague answer left me more curious, but I didn’t press her. Something about Elara demanded respect, even when she was being knowingly vague.
“What about the mark?” I ventured, brushing my fingers over the faint sign on my wrist. “You said you’ve seen it before.”
Her countenance darkened somewhat, and she put the ladle down with a determined move. “I have,” she revealed. “But not often. And never without consequences.”
“Consequences?” My stomach twisted.
Before she could answer, the door cracked open, and Lucas came in, his presence filling the little room. He looked better—stronger—but his eyes showed his pain.
“What are you two whispering about?” he inquired, his voice light but tinged with something I couldn’t quite place.
“Girl talk,” Elara answered breezily, but there was a knowing glitter in her eye as she turned back to her concoction.
Lucas lifted an eyebrow, his eyes moving between us. “Seems like more than that.”
I crossed my arms, feeling defensive beneath his inspection. It’s nothing. Simply put, history.
“History?” He folded his arms and rested against the wall. “It’s funny that I always hear about it last.”
Elara said without trying to hide her smirk, “Perhaps because you’re always sitting in a corner brooding.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened as he snarled. “I don’t brood.”
“Yeah, you’re not,” she stated in a sarcastic tone.
Lucas’s eyes jerked to mine as I couldn’t control the little giggle that came out of me.
He said, “I’m glad you’re entertained.”
I rolled my eyes and muttered, “Come on, Lucas. You can’t be so serious about everything.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” he replied. “It’s not you who sits here, useless, watching the world fall apart.”
Elara let out a dramatic sigh as the stress in the room increased and wiped her hands on her apron. “Enough of this. You two are wearing me out.”
Both Lucas and I gazed at her, taken aback by her directness.
“Pardon me?” I said.
“You heard me,” she said, turning to look straight at us. “Anyone would be driven insane by the way you two dance around each other.”
Lucas stood straight, his face cautious. “What are you discussing?”
She waved a hand dismissively and added, “Oh, don’t play dumb. Anyone with eyes can see it. The conflict, the snatched looks, and the way you both ignore what’s in front of you.”
My face flushed with heat. “You’re making things up.”
“Am I?” she asked, her eyes sharp.
Lucas shifted uneasily, his usually assured demeanor wavering. “Whatever this is, now is not the time for it.”
Elara crossed her arms and grinned. “And, hmm, when will it be time? Once both of you have become so enmeshed in denial that you are unable to act normally?”
I started to object, but my words would not come. Although she wasn’t totally incorrect, it felt impossible to admit it.
Lucas whispered softly, “Elara, stop it.”
“All right,” she shrugged. “However, don’t come to me in tears when it’s too late.”
Lucas and I stood there in awkward silence as she returned to her work.
Lucas mumbled as he made his way to the door, “I’ll… check the perimeter.”
With my heart racing, I collapsed onto the nearest chair as he walked away.
Elara whispered softly, without raising her eyes from her work, “You’re scared.”
“I’m not afraid,” I said without thinking, even if it sounded phony.
She looked at me sharply. “Anna, you’re not good at lying.”
I shifted my gaze while twitching my fingers along the hem of my sleeve. “It’s difficult.”
She stated simply, “Most things worth having are.”
I stayed silent, my mind a jumbled mess. Although Lucas was annoying and invasive, he had also put everything on the line to keep me safe. I also knew in my heart that I was experiencing more than I wanted to recognize.
Elara’s voice interrupted my train of thought. “You ought to speak with him. Have a serious conversation with him.”
“And say what?” My question was hardly audible above a whisper.
She advised, “Begin with the truth.”
The fact. The word lingered in the air, and I questioned whether I had the courage to face it.
As the cabin fell silent that evening, I found myself standing outside and looking up at the sky. I hardly noticed the cool air nipping at my skin.
“Have trouble falling asleep?” I turned to see Lucas resting against the doorframe as he spoke behind me.
I answered, “Something like that.”
He took a careful step closer, as though he was testing the waters. “You haven’t said anything.”
“You have too,” I replied.
Although it didn’t reach his eyes, he gave a quiet laugh. “All right.”
We were silent for a moment, neither of us saying anything.
“Lucas,” I murmured at last, a little tentatively.
“Yes?”
The words stopped in my throat as I paused. But before I could say anything, a howl from a distance broke the quiet and made me shiver.
Lucas stiffened, searching the darkness with narrowed eyes. “We’re not by ourselves.”
The brittle moment between us vanished in an instant, to be replaced by the icy reality of the impending danger.
With my luggage draped over my shoulder and a weary but determined heart, I stood at the edge of the woodland. Beside me were Lucas and Maia, whose faces reflected mine: a mixture of resolve and melancholy.Cain came toward us, his eyes full of resolution but his face etched with fatigue. Although he had been among Oliver's most devoted soldiers, the insurrection had altered him. We were leaving him in control after he had fought with us and put his life in danger for the pack."Are you sure about this?" he said softly.I gave a nod. "Cain, you're the greatest option. You are trusted by the pack. They will follow you."He paused, his eyes darting between Maia and Lucas. "How about the three of you? Where are you going?""Somewhere new," was all I said. "A place where we can start again."Cain's face softened as he nodded. "You've done enough for this pack. More than sufficient. Go if this is what you need. We'll be alright."I said my
In the broken remnants of Nightshade's great hall, the firelight wavered, creating unsettling shadows on the stone walls. I had nothing left to offer the pack, but they continued to hover, perhaps awaiting guidance. There was still a weight in my chest. I didn't feel like I had won, even though Oliver was defeated and his rule was overthrown by the people he used to rule.Sitting next to me on a splintered wooden bench, Maia was looking off into space as she absently traced a scar over her arm. Ever the guardian, Lucas stood a few feet away, his gaze sweeping the still audience.After a long pause, Lucas whispered, "They need a leader." He spoke in a quiet, wary tone. "Someone to rebuild what's left."Slowly, I nodded. "They need someone," I said, then looked over at Maia.She stiffened as I stared at her. "Don't even think about it."I cocked my head. "Why not?"She gave a dry laugh, but it was devoid of any humor. "Becaus
The trumpet's call echoed through the broken remains of Nightshade, a sound that once sent fear rippling through the pack but now carried a different weight. A summons. A reckoning.I stood in the heart of the pack's gathering grounds, where months ago, I had watched Leo be condemned to death. My fingers tightened into fists at my sides as I forced myself to take in every detail... the stone platform, the lofty arches, the wooden beams above that had once felt oppressive. The torches flickered, casting long shadows against the walls, just like they had that night.Only this time, it wasn't Leo standing before the pack.It was Oliver.He was on his knees in the center of the hall, bound, his body battered and broken. Blood matted his dark hair, his once-imposing body slumped forward in exhaustion. The very warriors who had formerly battled under him stood around the perimeter of the hall, their gazes flitting between me and the fall
There was silence on the battlefield.The silence was not one that resulted from relief or tranquility. It was the thick, stifling type that comes after a storm, as though the world itself was holding its breath. The ground was covered in fallen people, and the air was heavy with the smell of smoke and blood. With a mixture of amazement and incredulity, the rebels who had survived the slaughter and were still standing glanced at Anna.Oliver was lying at her feet, immobile and broken. His burnt body stood out sharply against the blood-soaked ground below, and his once-imposing figure had now collapsed into a crumpled heap. He was not yet dead, but he was very nearly so. His chest rose and fell in weak, irregular spasms, and his breaths were shallow.With her shoulders heaving and her hands still burning dimly from the last of her power, Anna stood over him. Her hair was knotted and wild, and her face was stained with blood and filth, but her ey
All I could do was observe.My entire existence begged me to step in, step in, and support Anna as she faced Oliver alone. However, I was unable to.I shouldn't.This was her fight.Standing opposite Oliver, Anna's body was bruised and covered in blood, yet her unwavering will remained burning. I had never seen the raw electricity crackle in the air around her before. It was hazardous, untamed, and wild. There was nothing weak about the dim glow that flickered from her palms, like a fading ember. The ground beneath her boots seemed to be reacting to her, quivering in expectation of what lay ahead.Oliver rolled his shoulders and grinned as though this were merely a minor annoyance. I shuddered at his self-assurance. For so long, he had ruled by terror, destroying anybody who tried to oppose him. He now considered Anna to be simply another idiot who believed they could prevail.However, she wasn't.
The battlefield was a bloody, chaotic nightmare.The night was filled with screams as the rebels gave it their all in battle, but Oliver's forces were unrelenting and mercilessly defeated us. My muscles ached from the never ending battle, and I was breathing in ragged breaths, but there was no time to pause. Another life was lost with every second that passed.Maia was down.Across the field, I saw her fall, hitting the ground with a horrible crack. As I surged at her, avoiding an enemy's claws at the last second, my stomach knotted in terror."Maia!" I fell on my knees next to her. Her breathing was shallow, and blood was leaking from a deep wound along her shoulder.Her body trembled uncontrollably as she attempted to push herself up. "I'm fine," she rasped, but I could tell she wasn't."You're not," I said as I applied pressure to the cut. My palm was stained by the warmth of her blood, and my chest developed a hollow hole.Lucas s