Page 13 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

W e trotted along for what seemed quite some time, until I started to make out the hazy outline of the town in front of us. Brambles and trees now flanked us on each side, leaving only the dirt road we were on as the clearest path straight through Wildebrooke, and unease prickled over me.

I’d heard stories of this town from my father. All of them were unsavory. Every bone in my body quivered at the thought of this contingent of Royal Guards storming through it. This far outside of Vrine’s walls, you didn’t find many supporters of King Alaric.

The ground near Killian and I rumbled, and I was shaken out of my thoughts in time to see the prince and his horse galloping over to us. Once near us, he trotted his horse right next to ours.

“Give me your hand,” he said so bluntly, it made me roll my eyes.

“I believe you forgot something.”

He scoffed, extending his hand to reach for mine.

“Ah, I see you’re struggling to remember,” I sneered, causing him to pause as his jaw ticked. “The word you’re searching for is please .”

A snort exploded from behind me, and I had to bite my lip to contain my own. The deathly glare the prince gave his guard was priceless.

The words rolled out of him about as fast as sap oozed from trees. “ Please… give me…your hand.”

“Well, why didn’t you ask so nicely the first time?” I winked and handed him my right hand as another chuckle rumbled from Liam on the opposite side of us.

With a forceful tug, the prince grabbed my hand. A tiny growl rolled out of him, only fueling my amusement more. He waved his palm over my hand, murmuring something under his breath as he did.

One moment my dynamis tattoo was there, the next it wasn’t. My eyes bulged wide at the sight. This time, the chuckle came from the broody man still holding my hand. “What, you’ve never seen a glamour before?”

I shook my head silently, because he was right, I had never seen it before.

“Simple magic.” He shrugged, letting go of my hand.

“Once you have dynamis, you can use it to create glamours or wards around things. I had to glamour you for your own protection. It might seem like seeing the symbol of the Light Phoenix would go over well, but there”—he tossed a glance over his shoulder— “it would put a target on your head.”

Swallowing down the anxiousness that rose up my throat, I nodded in agreement.

“You’ll also be riding with me as we go through.”

The prince’s arms wrapped around my waist, and before I even had a chance to blink, I was saddled in front of the Lord of Shadows himself.

His warm hands applied pressure to my hips as he adjusted himself further back to give me room.

Goosebumps rippled over my skin, and I prayed to all five gods that he wouldn’t see.

Nothing about this man should be alluring, but my body seemed to disagree.

At a nudge of his leg and a click of his tongue, his horse rode ahead in a trot. As I fidgeted, the iron shackles clanked around my wrists. “If we’re going through this town, I need to be free of these shackles,”

“No.”

“What if something happens? I’ll be defenseless.”

“You’ll have me,” he grumbled.

“What if that’s not enough?”

His body shifted behind me, as he sighed. “If I take these off, you must make me a deal.”

Looking over my shoulder, I caught his verdant gaze. Wrapped inside his hand was the key to my freedom. I nodded. His lips rolled into a distracting smirk, and suddenly I was aware I’d just made a deal I was going to regret.

He grabbed my shackles and unlocked each one.

As he placed the iron inside his satchel, my breath caught as my hands pulsed with golden light.

The glow was delicate and comforting, almost like the glow of the little lightning bugs I’d see flitter about as soon as the sun sank behind the horizon.

Fascinated, I pulled them closer for a better look, but the glow faded back to flesh.

I rubbed my palms over my tender wrists. It was a vivid reminder of how much I should value my freedom from now on.

A deep voice whispered into my ear as a heavy cloak enveloped my shoulders. “From now on Elena, you will follow my orders.” His warm breath trickled down to my neck, and I could feel a slight tremble beginning to form in my hands.

“When I say sit, you sit,” he continued, his calloused hands brushing over the sensitive skin of my neck as he buttoned the cloak. “What I say goes, got it?” He pulled my chin towards him.

The horse trotted along, and the town of Wildebrooke was in full view ahead.

Left with very few options, I grumbled under my breath and nodded in agreement.

A devious smirk spread across his lips, instantly warming my cheeks.

He let go of my chin and tossed the hood over my head, covering my face almost entirely.

“Good.” His voice was low, sending a shiver down my spine, as something else stirred awake inside of me. It burned its way throughout my body, thrashing against my skin like it needed to be set free.

Grappling with the sensation of my new dynamis, I tried to focus as he gave me my first orders. “Now, keep your head down and mouth shut until we are clear of the town.”

It was probably wise for me to follow his directions, but I couldn’t help trying to sneak a peek at the town. Lifting my head, I watched as the villagers stopped what they were doing to glare at the man behind me.

Their eyes were aflame with rage, jaws clenched as if trying to hold in the hateful words that needed to be released. Others did not heed the same restraint.

“Get out of here! Go take your bloodied hands somewhere else!”

Another man threw his pot of filth onto the road in front of us. Prince Declan’s horse snorted, narrowly sidestepping around the mess. More shouts filled the air.

“Murderer!”

“How can you live with yourself?”

“Go burn in the fiery depths of Hells!”

Shock wafted through me, along with something unfamiliar.

I placed my palm over my chest, trying to quell the overwhelming feeling of despair and shame.

These words were enough to make anyone feel something, but my brain couldn’t process why I was feeling shame.

None of these words were directed at me so why was I?—

Realization struck me as sharply as these emotions that had invaded my body. How could I have forgotten?

These were not my own emotions. These were coming from the man behind me. Only someone with Empath dynamis could pull the emotions from another. I’d been so overwhelmed with the idea of being the Light Phoenix that I had completely forgotten the gods blessed me with the dynamis of an Empath first.

I curled my hand around the hood of my cloak and carefully turned around to view the prince. He gripped the reins and the veins in his neck thickened with blood, no doubt fueled by the vicious words ringing all around us.

Normally, I would agree with them considering all the atrocities his father (and apparently, he) had inflicted upon our kingdom.

In all honesty it should probably make me terrified, but when my eyes searched his, all I saw was remorse.

The prince’s face remained stoic, almost bored.

His eyes, however, were glossy with unshed tears, and the small crease between his brows told me a much different story.

We passed the edge of the town and made our way forward. Releasing one hand from the reins, the prince lowered my hood. Smoothing out my hair, I turned to say thank you when a bloodcurdling scream interrupted me.

All eyes turned back toward the town as a woman ran with a child dangling limp within her arms, both covered in blood.

“Black wolf! She’s been bitten!” The woman turned down the road into the town as a small crowd began to gather. “Gods! Help, someone help!”

Blood coursed through me, and I pulled forward on the saddle, readying myself to jump down. Strong hands forced me down.

“No!” The prince shouted.

“They need help. I can help!” I snarled, my blazing glare meeting his own.

“It’s too dangerous. Hells woman, did you not just hear everything that they said as we passed?”

“I did,” I huffed. “And it’s all the more reason why you should let me go!”

His shoulders slumped. Shame swelled within me once more, this time from me. “I’m sorry, I—I just want to help…I need to?—”

“They have others who can help. Just let it go.”

The burn of my new dynamis thrummed through me as his eyebrow rose, reminding me of the promise I’d made. All I could think about was the overwhelming need to get off this damn horse and go to help.

So that was what I did.

I leapt from the horse, taking him by surprise, but his reflexes were fast. He grabbed my cloak in his fist at the same time as I ripped apart the button, freeing me. I fell straight to the ground with a thud. A groan ripped through me as I scrambled to my feet.

My legs carried me off in a sprint towards the town. I didn’t dare look back. All my focus remained on willing my feet to go faster.

Declan

F ury wafted off me in waves, tangling alongside my shadows. I couldn’t believe Elena disobeyed me after everything she’d just heard about me, after the promise she’d made. None of it seemed to matter. She had tossed it all aside and gone barreling straight into the fire.

Killian’s horse snorted next to me as I groaned into my hands. “Want me to zephyr after her?” Killian asked.

“Hells.” I rubbed my hand against the stubble on my jaw. “No, let’s all go. I believe she truly just wants to help, but I have a feeling we’re going to need all of us, just in case things turn sour.”

I tugged at the reins, turning my horse around and back into the town behind us.

All eyes peered at us once more, and I tried my best to not let their glares seep into my skin.

I was aware of what they thought of me, and I knew what I had done.

Some days I wished I could sit them all down and explain the truth.

Unfortunately, that was not an option, and I had a Light Phoenix to track down.