Page 120 of The Last Storm
Iaso reached out, placing a hand on mine. “Child, magic like this, it weaves itself into the mind. Evander wouldn’t have realized the thoughts weren’t his at first, but over time, the thoughts become so rooted, so deep within the mind, it changes the person. They do begin to think like that on their own, without outside help. It’s been too long, the lies and commands too complicated and interwoven. There’s nothing we can do now.”
The little flame of hope that had sparked flickered out.
“So Adon might’ve not even been the reason he tried to kill me, then? It was him?”
Everyone was silent, pity almost palatable in the air.
Of course.
I shifted, pulling my hand from Iaso’s. “So, what do we do next?”
“Ara…” Rogue whispered.
“I don’t want comfort. I want to know what we’re doing next.”
Rogue dipped his chin and just as he opened his mouth to speak, he froze. His eyes dropped to his hand as it opened it slowly, revealing a crumpled piece of paper.
“Open it,” Doran demanded. “It could be Delphia.”
Rogue unfolded and read it before handing it to Doran.
“The army has mobilized.”
* * *
We made it to the Cursed Wood the following night, just as the moon peaked in the sky, and set up camp along the base of a tall cliff.
As soon as we received the letter, Doran and Rogue left for the encampment. Under their direction, it was torn down and packed in record time. We left an hour before sunrise and traveled throughout the day and half the night, breaking only when needed.
“How close do you think the army is?” I asked, dismounting my horse and stretching out stiff limbs.
“They’ll be crossing through by morning,” Doran said, his voice clipped. As he joined his commanders, I turned to Rogue.
“We plan to let them cross through the forest and ambush them on this side as they break through,” he said as he led our horses to a nearby tree and tied the reins to it.
I chewed on my lip as we walked. It was a good plan, sacrificing them to the creatures of the forest. Gruesome but effective.
“At least the slicers will work in our favor this time,” I replied. “It seems fitting. A repayment of blood to the land they’ve massacred.”
He eyed the forest, his spine rod stiff. “Exactly,” he said with a finality that sent goosebumps over my skin.
Whatever happened tomorrow would change the realm, but for the better or worse? I didn’t know, and the lingering question sent a spike of panic through me.
I glanced at the forest and a chill went down my spine. Eyeing the treeline, I couldn’t see any creatures in the darkness, but I could feel them lingering. Watching. The pulse of energy in their heart beats. They were there, waiting.
“I’m going to speak with Doran and the commanders for a while,” he declared and stepped into me, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck. Resting his forehead on mine, he took a breath and released me. “I’ll find you soon, alright?”
I nodded as he left. Glancing at the forest one more time, I turned and strolled in the opposite direction to the base of the cliff. It was tall and jagged with foliage peeking over the edge. For a moment, I considered climbing it to get a better view of our surroundings, but decided against it and sat at the base.
With not much else to look at, my gaze fell upon the men. They were unpacking and preparing, most of them passing flasks of whiskey or rum around. Several fire pits were lit, each with a group of men sitting around it.
The sight resembled the Ten Year War so much, it was unsettling.
But the flashbacks hadn’t returned. Not yet. That would come with the flowing rivers of red that always followed war. The sounds of swords and screams and death.
I clenched my fists and scrunched my eyes, reclining my head back onto the cliff face.
Lowering my hands to the ground, I laid my palms flat and splayed my fingers into the cool grass, letting it pull me back down and slow my racing heart.
