A Cruel Kindness

Chapter 18

Bellamy

“Fucking Elijah. Interrupting, ill-timed, arrogant motherfucker,” Soren muttered as we stomped on horseback towards the neutral meeting ground Elijah’s messenger was bringing us to.

The poor kid still looked terrified as he led us there. I was pretty sure over four attempts had been made on his life from the moment he stumbled towards the entrance to the camp to the point where he tried to tell Soren where to go. Soren looked at him with such a murderous look, I thought he’d spontaneously light on fire.

Soren’s grumbling was actually quite adorable, so much so that I had to laugh.

The look he shot me back was so heated, I thought the skin on my cheeks was going to melt off.

If this was how Soren was when he wasn’t restraining himself, I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle it. This was entirely different than the stale, overly respectful courting I’d been subject to for years.

This felt personal, which made it that much more terrifying.

I looked down at the flowers threaded through Clover’s mane, making me realize just how much had transpired in one day. Soren almost dying, me almost killing a nurse for touching him, us deciding to give in to the Bond.

And now, dealing with Elijah.

I knew as part of giving in to the Bond with Soren, I’d have to come clean. In fact, I really needed to do it before anything happened between us.

The Bond made me feel out of control around him. It was only getting worse for every minute that passed between now and the painfully short kiss between us.

As we approached the open field where Elijah was standing with a few other people and horses, Soren’s shoulders tightened. Elijah was easy to spot, towering over everyone at an ungodly height.

I knew he was looking for Carson.

“He probably sat this one out,” I said softly, if not to comfort him.

Soren let out a disbelieving laugh. “Convenient.”

“You’ll have time to get answers,” I said, the urge to comfort him swelling in my chest like a tidal wave.

Soren’s head snapped to me, his jaw going slack for a moment. It looked like I’d shocked him, but I didn’t know why.

I didn’t get a chance to ask, because Elijah’s calvary had fully come into view. With him were three soldiers I recognized from the night before. My gaze was pinned to his steed though.

The first word that came to mind when I saw that towering horse was regal .

Looking at him now, I realized that Lucky was actually just the richest brown, simply a handful of shades deeper than Clover’s shining chestnut coat, rather than black.

This horse was black. Your eyes got lost in his coat, so rich it looked like a hole in the middle of the colorful field rather than a living, breathing creature.

Elijah barely spared us a glance before returning his attention to his steed, feeding him a flower.

It wasn’t until we hopped off our horses that he turned to give us his attention. “Thank you for joining me.”

“Our pleasure,” Soren drawled sarcastically.

Elijah looked at Soren for about two seconds until he focused all of his attention on me. “Bellamy, thank you for your cooperation.”

My face felt hot. Not in the kind that often arose around Soren, but in embarrassment. I had thought of my maneuvering coming to light many times, but having it happen in person was a different beast.

The brand of Soren’s eyes on the side of my face didn’t make it any better. “You’re welcome,” I made myself say, clinging to duty for strength. Then, I remembered Carson had defected. I had to take back control now before Soren thought I was doing the same to him.

“I assume the Prince has read my letter. Let me be clear, I am willing to negotiate for peace where the Emperor is not. That does not mean I’m going to be a Muli toy you can toss around as you please.” Okay, that came out as good as I could hope for.

I could feel Soren staring at me so intensely, my neck almost turned my head towards him on its own regard.

Elijah chuckled, clearly impressed. He could fuck off. “Oh, how interesting you turned out to be.”

My eyebrows pinched together slightly. It didn’t sound like he was making a comment about my disposition or my status. There was something deeper there. “What were you expecting?”

“Royals tend to stick to their families above all else, no?” I wondered what experience he had with his own Prince to come to that conclusion. “Yet here you are, committing active treason.” His eyes slid to Soren, surely taking in his shocked expression. “And on your own it seems.”

I followed his line of sight to Soren before I could stop myself. There was so much in his ice blue eyes, I could barely unpack it. Shock, anger, but maybe, no … could that be understanding underneath it all?

We would talk. I would assure him any way I could I wouldn’t do to him what Carson did. I wouldn’t leave without explanation. That couldn’t happen until we shook off Elijah. “I committed that very act of treason so your Prince, and by proxy the Queen, would be aware that the failure to respond to your pleas for peace is not a sentiment shared by all in Vir.” Though Elijah was doing the Prince’s bidding, the Muli Royal family was currently headed by his mother the Queen. “My father kept those letters secret. Not even his most trusted advisors knew.”

I took a step towards Elijah, needing to have my own questions answered. “Speaking of, how did you get those letters across the Bridge?”

Even as I said it, the realization struck.

Soren’s disbelieving chuckle came a second later, followed by a low, muttered, “Motherfucker.”

Anger burst through my chest for him, fueled by the idea that Carson had spent years being dishonest with him. The oldest letter I’d found was dated back two years prior.

Elijah’s smile only widened. “Yes, Carson was very helpful in transporting the letters across the Bridge. From there, he made sure they got in the hands of the Royal Guard. As far as I understand it, there are members of your precious guard tasked with transporting the letters to your father. Under the threat of death, I’d assume, they kept them sealed until they reached his hands.” Elijah nodded, clearly pleased with his own performance. “For as reliable a system as that is, you’d think you could trust the Emperor to engage in some sort of discourse other than silence. Though that spoke loud enough, don’t you think?”

Oh, Elijah really was cocky. If the Prince liked him, I imagined he was doubly so. In all these peace negotiations, I hoped marriage would be at the bottom of the list. Not just because that thought sent the Bond screaming in my head. “I am an Edelstenne. Without another present to contradict me, consider my word to represent the opinion of the family. I will handle my father.”

Elijah smiled wide, in a way most might consider handsome. He reached back to his steed, pulling a long file out of his saddle bag. I could hardly look at the horse too long, his coat was so dark. Like the midnight sky, absent any starlight to brighten it.

He returned with a crisp white envelope, pressed with a deep purple seal in the center.

Soren stepped in front of me, cutting off my extended arm. “This would be a very ill-advised way to poison her.”

Elijah laughed so loud birds fled the trees lining the field. “Clever. No poison, I can assure you. The Prince is not interested in attempts on Royal life, Bellamy’s, yours, or otherwise.”

Soren cautiously extended his hand to grab the envelope. Elijah pulled it back at the last minute, tsk ing under his breath. “But, that does not mean there are not tricks attached. This paper is treated with a special concoction developed by our priests. This paper will disintegrate within minutes after opening. Your father is to be the one to open this.”

“How do you know we won’t just copy it down?” Soren asked, taking the words right out of my mouth.

Elijah looked at me over Soren’s shoulder. “You know your father quite well. Would he appreciate that?”

It was Soren’s scoff that captured my thoughts on the matter. My father would absolutely refuse to engage if he knew I’d opened that letter. Explaining to him what I’d done in the first place without ending up thrown in a cell would be challenge enough.

“It will stay sealed until its in his hand,” I conceded, already picturing the sneer that would grow on my father’s face when he got it.

Elijah’s smile widened, a sure sign he thought he was craftier than anyone else on either planet. “The Prince won’t accept a response unless it is enclosed by the Emperor’s seal.”

“Blood seal,” Soren and I cursed out at the same time. It was an invention given to us by the priestesses. The wax could only set after a drop of the Emperor’s blood was added to it, ensuring only they could approve any document. Even I, as his daughter, couldn’t replicate it.

“That’s adorable you know,” Elijah said, pointing out our new habit of speaking at the same time.

I was done with the taunting. I stepped around Soren, snatching the envelope out of Elijah’s hand while Soren flattened his hand against my stomach, pulling me closer to him.

You got too close to Elijah , the Bond taunted like a child laughing after a punishment was doled out.

I couldn’t complain all that much about being pressed to Soren’s body. At least the discoveries of the hour weren’t horrible enough that he decided to stop touching me.

I knew we had a tough conversation ahead of us, and I was already clinging to the few hours we’d had together like it was my lifeline.

Elijah adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, not unlike someone would adjust a suit. He didn’t strike me as someone who had ever worn one. “I do look forward to our budding relationship. I’ll inform the Prince of your willing cooperation.”

“Where is he, by the way?” Soren said, and I didn’t have to look at him to know he was raising one eyebrow.

Elijah's lip curled into another smile. “While Royals may seem to be in abundance on Virterra , we do not have that same luxury. The Prince has to be protected, especially while the young princess is still coming of age and he remains unmarried.”

My heart froze at the way he drew out that last word, almost like a taunt.

Without another word, Elijah swung himself onto his midnight black horse, reaching behind him to place a wide brim hat low on his brow. “Speak soon,” he said, before taking off, his cavalry following with sneers. They quickly fell into a protective position, boxing him in.

I watched them go, before Soren’s hand slipped from my stomach and I came back to reality.

By the time I turned, Peter and Soren had already mounted their horses and Clover was looking at me impatiently.

“Sorry,” I muttered to her, hopping up quickly. She’d been through a lot today, partially from having to weather my own distress through our bond as rider and steed.

I was hoping to have the ride to talk to Soren, but those hopes were dashed when Peter said, “Let’s ride back hard. I don’t want one of them getting frisky and hitting us in the back with an arrow.”

I looked behind me, seeing Elijah’s steed breaking up the backdrop first. They seemed far away, but only the Goddess knew what their weapons were truly capable of.

Peter took off first, then Clover and Lucky launched forward at the same time. Though I wanted to talk to Soren, I couldn’t deny that a moment of freedom was much needed. Giving into the burn in my legs and the wind in my hair, I focused instead on staying in tune with Clover, channeling her instincts and the trust she had in her body.

The relief was short lived. When we arrived back at camp, we were ambushed almost immediately. Questions were lobbied at us from all sides, asking about Elijah, what he wanted, and even one brave soul who’d been at the pub the night before asked about Carson.

I’d had enough at that point. I found Freya in the crowd, giving her a panicked look.

She nodded once, clapping her hands together. “How about we let them get their horses cleaned up, okay? Stop staring.”

I had to smother a laugh by curling my lips together. As cheery as Freya was, everyone snapped to attention so fast they created a small wind in their wake.

Clover actually seemed to be taking care of me , nudging the water in my hand toward my mouth and licking the line of my hair, where I was sure the shorter pieces around my face were falling out of my braid.

I carefully took the flowers out of her mane, returning them to a bunch I would be taking back to the cabin and promptly putting in water, then brushed her quickly. Soren was dealing with the saddles.

Oh, and also, he wasn’t making eye contact with me.

Even though I knew it was because of me, because of what I’d kept secret, the Bond was pouting so severely it started to make me irrationally angry. I intentionally tempered my emotions, knowing it would do us no good to let the Bond’s petulance rule the conversation.

My hands were going slightly clammy as I realized I had cleaned Clover up the best I could.

We were also alone.

I turned to Soren, finding him looking at me with an unreadable expression. I expected him to start yelling.

Instead, he charged toward me and crushed me to him, placing his lips on my forehead. My eyes closed on instinct, falling into him when his comforting scent drifted up my nose.

“You are so brave,” he said against my skin.

“Wait, what?” I pulled back, blinking up at him.

Soren shook his head, while I searched his features for any sign of rage. He was looking at me like he was seeing me clearly for the first time. His hand came up to trace the perimeter of my face before settling in a comfortable hold at the hollow between my collarbones. “You found out your father was ignoring peace negotiations?”

I nodded mutely, still trying to wrap my head around what was happening.

I felt Soren’s answering hum travel from his chest, right through his arm, and into my throat. “And you brought proof of that with you?”

Another nod, this one with a little more life behind it. Soren’s hand tightened slightly. His eyes were still bouncing all over my face like he was trying to memorize it. “You could have gotten caught a thousand times. You could have just ignored it. But you did something about it, even if it meant coming here. That’s bravery.”

My heart tripped over itself and fell right into his waiting hands. “But I … I lied to you.”

Soren just smiled. “So you did. We were in a much different situation then. Would you like to tell me the truth now?”

Surely, kissing him would be an inappropriate response to his question. “Part of it was true. My father was putting pressure on me to marry, and the likely candidate was Ambrose Greene.” Soren’s jaw pulsed at the mention of the Greene heir. We’d both grown up around him and knew first hand how much of an awful snob he was. “I broke into my father’s office to try to find something to blackmail him with.”

Soren’s thumb swept over the base of my neck, encouraging me. “I really just wanted to find something simple, something that could force him to let me pick a match for myself.” There was that pulse in his jaw again. “I found several letters from the Muli Royal family. We would have known if he’d responded.”

I shook my head, remembering what it was like to sit on the floor of his office surrounded by those letters, my shock harsh in the soft moonlight. “I couldn’t trust anyone to get a message back. If I tried to tell another Royal family, I’d be locked up for treason and called crazy. Maybe going to the priestesses was too far, but it was the only thing that made sense. I thought that if I was able to Cross, I might have a better shot.” I broke off with a laugh, shaking my head. “Maybe it was hasty or stupid to go to them first but…”

“You came to me. It was a good thing,” Soren said, and relief crashed through me so severely, my head fell to his chest.

His hand came up to cup my head, stroking softly against the fall of my hair. “You aren’t mad?” I asked, the sounds muffled against his shirt.

I could feel his smile against my hair. “Not mad. A little annoyed I was in the dark, yes? But I’m impressed you managed to slip Elijah a note when I’ve been watching your every move like a hawk. When did you do it?”

I buried myself further into him. “I slipped it down Carson’s shirt when I had the knife to his throat.”

Soren’s laugh rumbled against my forehead. “Ah, that makes sense. I was too busy trying to control myself. That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I slapped his chest, but it lacked any force. Especially when that compliment was making my body warm considerably.

“Oi!” Someone called from outside the barn. “Peter needs you.”

Rude, the Bond grumbled. I agreed.

I’d been starved for intimacy with Soren and people were interrupting every chance I got with him. I guess we did have important things to discuss.

Oh shit, I was probably in trouble. I’d undermined Peter’s authority and—

I hadn’t even realized I’d looked up at Soren with wild eyes until he said, “He won’t get mad. He might act like he is, but he wants what we all want. Peace. You got us closer to that than anyone has in a long time.”

When we left the barn, that same mob formed around us. Word spread like wildfire that we had just met with Elijah. Soren was pulled away from me by someone I only briefly recognized, while Freya walked next to me.

“Elijah seems … colorful,” she said.

“That is the best description I could use,” I said, forcing a smile, even though having Soren separated by several bodies made my skin itch.

The main house wasn’t any better. People were hanging around for an afternoon coffee, shamelessly trying to eavesdrop on the sliver of space underneath Peter’s door.

Soren led me inside and Freya followed. To my shock, Arthur was already inside. It was interesting seeing them interact when I was so used to seeing pairs with at least something in common.

Peter rolled his neck as he sat, the burden on his shoulders heavy. He looked to me first. “I’m not going to comment on the fact that you went behind my back when it clearly had a positive result, besides don’t do that shit again .”

Freya rolled her lips to hide a smile while my jaw went slack.

“I’m sending Freya through the Bridge tonight to summon the Royal Guard. I want you two hand delivering that,” Peter said motioning at the envelope clutched in my hand.

He wanted us to go home. Soren’s hand tightened on the back of my chair.

My gaze drifted to Arthur. He was clearly part of the cover meant to conceal Freya’s ability to Cross by herself. But … how?

He’d been on the other side with her. I’d seen him.

“Which brings me to my next point,” Peter said, prompting Soren to groan, throwing his head back dramatically.

“Please don’t do this to me,” he muttered at the ceiling.

Peter paid him no mind. “Due to the sensitive nature of Freya’s Crossing, I’ve changed around the schedule. Your unit will be guarding the Bridge tonight.”

I’d noticed that the Bridge always had at least five soldiers guarding it. Now it was our turn.

I tried to hide my frown. I’d really wanted a moment alone with Soren, but that didn’t seem likely.

“Now,” Peter said, “Please get out of here so I can focus on coming up with an excuse to summon the Guard so everyone doesn’t freak out.”

Freya jumped off the dresser she was sitting on and floated out of the room. Arthur scurried by with his head hung low. What an odd pairing they made.

Soren was slow to stand, and it wasn’t until I was halfway out the door that I heard his chair move back. “Give me a bottle if you’re making us do this.”

I turned, only to hear Peter laugh for the first time. He reached into his desk and pulled out a bottle of the same Muli whiskey I’d had at the bar. They must really love that stuff.

I hadn’t even realized it was dinner time until we walked out from the hallway containing Peter’s office and were confronted with the waiting eyes of half the camp.

The window to the kitchen was still closed, which only gave everyone time to absolutely assault us. The exact contents of our conversation with Elijah, including the fact that he was the one we met, would remain confidential.

But there was no hiding that a Muli emissary had arrived at the camp, scared shitless. That was the most action we’d had in a while, and I got ripped away from Soren, pulled into another conversation before I could do anything about it.

I had dreamed to be treated like that, to be spoken to like a normal person instead of a princess that could order their death when she wanted. I just didn’t expect that to happen at the same time I was all but starved to be near Soren.

Violent, violent thoughts started churning, another reminder of how much had changed. The Bond had turned me into someone that found that funny, rather than horrifying.

And right now, I felt like I was going to light something on fire if one more person stood in between me and Soren.

Now that I accepted that it was useless to fight the Bond anymore, it decided to become much more vocal, speaking in full, flowery sentences instead of the low, commanding grunts I’d grown so used to.

Where is Soren? I can’t feel him. I like him. Can we be with him alone? I don’t like these people. You should kill them so we can be alone with Soren.

Shut up , I begged silently.

After another round of screaming in my mind, I forcefully pushed past a line of people and grabbed Soren’s hand to make it stop harassing me.

Soren’s answering chuckle only made me more irritated.

“Shut it,” I growled at him, yanking him closer so I could speak the words directly in his ear.

“Forgive me for relishing in your affection, Bell,” Soren quipped in return, making me smile before I could stop it.

His eyes dropped to that smile for a heavy moment until the sound of the kitchen window sliding open broke us apart.

Soren blinked slowly, like he was asking one of the deities for strength.

He placed his hand low on my back as we walked up to the window to swipe our food.

Good! Make sure Soren eats a lot of it. He needs it to heal, The Bond said, never one to forget the events of the day.

My eyes drifted up to the bandage over his brow, my heart clenching painfully. Though he was healing faster than I thought possible, the only thing I could focus on was that I didn’t have to see him injured for much longer.

God, I really hoped he didn’t get injured in front of me again.

Soren led us outside when we had our food, going for one of the tables still set up. The food, the sunset, nor the whiskey was enough to distract me from the pounding urgency the Bond decided to thread through my body.

The only relief I got was the conversation from Freya and Esme. Esme seemed a little too excited by the prospect of our night shift.

Freya scurried off halfway through the meal, surely to prepare for her Cross.

From the moment dinner ended until the point where me, Soren, Esme, and Ford walked up to the Bridge to relieve the last guard, I didn’t get a moment’s peace.

Even back at the cabin, a short stop to grab some things to help us overnight, I’d somehow ended up helping Esme pack while Soren and Ford were off doing only God knew what.

As the last unit walked off, I stood by feeling slightly out of place. They clearly had a system. Esme took out the satchel that we’d filled with food and drinks. Ford grumbled over the state of the fire.

Soren walked around the small area in front of the cave containing the Bridge, pushing aside some bushes as if someone was crouching in wait. I guess we couldn’t rule out that possibility.

I busied myself with setting up the blankets we’d brought over the wooden benches surrounding the fire. Ford’s tweaking had already exploded the idle flicker into a roaring flame.

The moon was bright in the night sky, surrounded by even brighter stars. I realized that they looked a little farther away than they did back on Vir. I’d always loved to sneak out and sit on the roof of the castle in Florus, staring at the constellations dotting the sky.

“Here,” Soren said, handing me one of his sweaters. I looked down to realize goosebumps had erupted over my arms. I hadn’t even realized I was cold until he did.

I smiled in thanks, slipping the sweater on. My head went a little faint when his scent trickled into my nose.

In case I did actually faint, I sat down on one of the benches. Soren was quick to follow, plopping down next to me and immediately throwing his arm over the back of the bench behind me. He spread his legs wide, flexing his hips up as he got comfortable.

I had to stare at the fire to hide my blush.

Ford was sitting near the fire with his arms slung around his knees, and Esme was pulling her legs up to sit cross legged on the bench.

I had to smile at the way she looked. She was in a rugged, oversized canvas jacket, lined with fleece, but was still covered in gold jewelry. She was my friend, so I’d always think she looked beautiful, but there was something particularly captivating about her tonight.

Too bad Ford was staring at the fire, I thought to myself. Maybe it would finally awaken the Bond.

Right as Esme reached into the pocket of her jacket to pull out a bottle of whiskey, Freya’s voice called from across the field, “Don’t you dare drink that without me!”

Esme flipped her off, taking a sip straight from the bottle.

Freya’s bright laugh boomed across the space. She was so vibrant, I didn’t even realize Arthur was trailing her until they approached.

When the fire illuminated her figure, my eyes fell right to her chest. I didn’t know why it had never occurred to me that I’d yet to see her Mark.

She had a star right in the center of her chest, with rays of light beaming from it that trailed from the base of her throat, as far to the slopes of her shoulders. There was something under it, that trailed beneath the line of her shirt, but that star was obvious.

Freya walked over, her hair looking as vivid as the flames crackling before us, as she reached over Esme’s shoulders and picked up the bottle, taking a healthy swig.

She was halfway to another when she paused, meeting my eyes over the fire. She raised the bottle towards me, toasting. “To Bellamy. Welcome. We’re happy its you.”

Their group was close. Until she said it, I didn’t realize how much lingering doubt I had that I was a poor replacement for Carson.

Soren’s hand came to rest in between my shoulder blades as my eyes started to mist. “Well, if you’re going to make me cry with a toast, you may as well let me have the next sip,” I said, my throat slightly hoarse with emotion.

Freya smiled, walking around the fire and placing the bottle in my hand. I took a deep swig, relishing in the feeling of the amber liquid sliding down my throat.

Of having … well, of having friends. For the first time.

It seemed so silly, to have lived twenty four years of life without that. I’d been afforded countless other luxuries, but I couldn’t name them right now.

I passed the bottle over to Soren, turning to watch as he took a swig and his strong throat worked to swallow.

As pleasant as this was … I really wished we’d had a second alone.

“Alright, Arthur,” Freya said, motioning for Soren to pass the bottle to him. “Drink up.”

Arthur’s movements were slow, his smile small. He took the bottle from Soren, quickly drinking before passing it to Ford. I’m sure he felt out of place here, among two paranimas and a woman who could bounce between worlds at her whim.

Still, Freya thought to include him.

Ford took a healthy swallow, enough that I thought he might need it to steady himself. When he was done, he set the bottle down next to him, returning his gaze to the fire.

“Alright,” Freya said, clapping her hands together happily. “Let’s go, I want to catch them before they go to sleep.”

I had a feeling Freya didn’t enjoy being on Vir all that much.

Ford rose. Esme’s eyes stayed on the fire.

“Just watch,” Soren whispered in my ear, still settled back on the bench.

I did just that, sitting back and observing as a carefully orchestrated system fell into place.

Esme watched the surrounding areas, leaning back lazily while she sipped straight from the bottle. Finding no one, Freya started to approach the Bridge, pushing aside the fall of vines that covered the portal back to our home world.

Arthur came up to, stepping just to the edge.

Ford used his height to block him, making it seem like he was just observing what they were doing.

With one final salute and a wink, Freya skipped into the Bridge, disappearing into the dark.

Meanwhile, Ford stood guard as Arthur pulled back a patch of grass that I’d assumed was real, exposing a small tunnel nestled into the side of the hill. Without another glance back, he ducked under, disappearing.

If he’d come out of the tunnel instead of going into it, you’d be hard pressed to tell that he wasn’t walking out of the Bridge.

“Twin,” Soren supplied, just as my mind caught up. Arthur had a twin back on Vir. This same system was duplicated on that side, letting Freya cling to her secrets.

“He’s not sick?” I asked under my breath. If you Crossed without a Match…

“He’d only Crossed once,” Soren responded. “No symptoms yet, but…”

“He’s stuck here.” Without his brother. Determination hardened, resolve to convince my father to listen to whatever offer was in Elijah’s envelope.

After a moment, Ford reset the false covering to that tunnel and returned to the fire, sitting again on the floor and giving Esme the bench.

“Okay,” Esme said, jiggling her gold watch down her wrist. “We now have twenty minutes of our nine hour shift completed. Who wants to play a drinking game? Winner gets first nap.”

“You ask this every time,” Soren said, amusement clear in his voice.

“Doesn’t make it any less fun,” Esme responded, drawing out her words in a lyrical lilt.

In the end, the drinking game just turned out to be sitting around the fire, talking while passing the bottle of whiskey back and forth. Esme had the foresight to bring desserts smuggled from dinner and some tea for later in the evening.

As the moon slipped overhead and the hours dwindled, Esme and Ford where the first to sleep.

Soren and I stayed up talking about nothing at all until the early hours of the morning, before I fell asleep curled against his side, covered in a thick wool blanket.

Despite my comfort, as the sun rose over the mountains of Muli, dread pulsed through my chest, making me think this was the last moment of peace I’d have for a while.