Page 25 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

T here were no words. None.

Nothing could describe the way that I felt as I walked down the creaky stairs of the tavern. Overwhelmed, I tried to make sense of everything that had happened last night, and this morning. Particularly this morning.

I was baffled by the man stomping down the stairs behind me. When he wasn’t brooding over his Lord of Shadows ego, he was capable of being tender, kind, and even humorous at times.

When I was at my lowest last night, he hadn’t punished me for trying to escape. Instead, he’d offered to help me, and the anxious part of my brain wondered why.

Once outside, I leaned against the outside wall of the tavern while the guards prepared the horses for the rest of the journey.

None of them were anything like the guards I’d met at home.

Every single one of these men smiled as they packed up their horses.

A few politely nodded their heads towards me.

For a moment, I wondered if this was some kind of elaborate ruse to get me to like them, so when I got to the kingdom I would bend the knee willingly.

However, their actions were far too genuine to be feigned.

Even those who appeared to have a carefully constructed mask, like the Lord of Shadows, whose gaze had found its way to mine.

As he motioned for me to come to him, butterflies quailed inside of my stomach.

No one could act with that level of sincerity.

Right?

“Ready, Wildfire?”

His voice was low as he said the nickname. The one he had given me last night in the stables. With a nod, I grabbed the horn of the saddle and made extra sure I placed my foot in the stirrup before I lifted my leg over. As I did, warm palms connected with my thighs, supporting me into the saddle.

“Thank you,” I squeaked out as I adjusted myself forward to make room for him behind me.

“Anytime.” He leaped up in the saddle behind me.

As he adjusted into the saddle, I swore every part of his body collided with mine.

His thick thighs brushed against mine, his arms swept against the pebbled skin of my arms, and the heat of his chest scorched my back.

My dynamis swelled inside my overly sensitive body, and I suddenly wished those chains were still wrapped around my wrists.

Hells .

I might not survive this journey…or this man.

I t was an excruciatingly quiet ride until Declan finally spoke. As he did, the tension in my shoulders released, along with the swirl of my dynamis.

“Time to learn how to ward,” he said while placing both reins into one hand.

“On the horse?” I asked. My voice was a little higher pitched than I expected. “The last time horse and dynamis mixed, it did not end well. Or did you forget the part where I ended up in the land of dreams for an entire day?”

“Your sarcasm knows no bounds.”

“It knows it’s welcome and it cannot be tamed.”

A snort erupted behind me, followed by the loudest sigh I’d ever heard. The wind even ruffled a few of my hairs.

“Alright, that’s enough procrastinating.”

“Yes, sir.” I mimicked his deep voice and turned around to salute him. His eyes had darkened, and a dangerous smirk danced across his face as he leaned forward.

“You’re going to regret that sass, Wildfire.”

“ G ods, Declan! That hurts, you insufferable ass!”

His eyes blazed as he wrapped his fingers around my knees, squeezing hard. “Good. Now, focus.”

I growled inwardly, but tried again to rebuild the wall in my mind in the way that he had taught me. Before we had taken a break in the afternoon to feed the horses, he had described the process of building a ward to me.

To build the wall, Declan had told me to reach down to the deepest parts of my soul. My soul had figured out a way to keep those shut away from the rest of the world. Now, it was up to me to use that same strength to construct a mental blockade to shut out those who might choose to hurt me.

Since then, we had been at it for hours and my brain felt like it had been hit with a thousand punches. Each time I thought I had finally got it, he would send his emotions towards me and my ward would shatter to pieces.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face as I gripped the sides of the saddle horn. I slammed my eyes shut and focused once more on building my ward.

Inside my mind, my wall manifested into a tidal wave, different from the swell of shadows inside of Declan’s mind.

Each time we practiced, I began to memorize the feel and shape of the wave, as I made it tower over my mind.

The towering wave gave me a sense of strength I’d never felt before.

It crept into my bones, and I opened my eyes.

“Give it a try,” I whispered.

“I already have.” He smiled, peeling his fingers off my knees. A playful smirk danced about his face as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Why that look?”

“You still keep surprising me.”

“The feeling is mutual, sir.” I winked before turning back around.

The sun had finally set beyond the horizon, but there was still enough light from the moon to see some of the landscape around us.

Grass and fronds towered over the marsh pools spread about.

Some trees curved and bent in awkward angles, while others were darkened by decay.

Mist rolled low over the ground, which added unease to the already eerie landscape.

Declan pulled at the reins, and we began to slow.

“We’re going to sleep here?” I whispered.

“Wildfire, we will be fine.”

I mumbled under my breath. “Sure, we will.”

Declan dismounted the horse and lifted his arms towards mine. Placing my hands over his shoulders, I swung my leg over and his hands gripped my hips as he helped lower me to the ground. They fled from my body the moment my toes touched the surface.

Clearing his throat, he reached behind me, grabbed my satchel and thrust it into my hands. He nodded towards the other guards already beginning to make camp. Then he turned without a word and stormed off. I took that as a silent order for me to make my way back to the camp alone.

Thick mud caked my boots, squishing beneath me with every step that I took. A glacial chill ran down my spine at the thought of the few hours I had left before we entered the City of Shadows. Before my freedom would no longer be mine and my fate would lie in the hands of the king.

I found a spot up against a tree while the others made camp for the night.

Guilt and shame left a dull, pulsating sting throughout my body.

My mind wandered back to my small town, my father, and my life before.

Since I’d been gone, they had been without anyone with knowledge about making elixirs that could aid healing.

Although my skills were novice at best, I’d still left them stranded, without care.

I massaged the pressure building in my forehead. Ophelia’s husband flashed in my mind, reminding me of the elixirs he would no longer have in my absence. Why had I never taken an apprentice to help me with healing these past two years? Now, they had no one.

The forest spun around me as regret tugged at my stomach, leaving me uneasy.

The rest of the town would suffer because of my selfish mistake.

I clung to the hope that my father would find a replacement.

One more weight that I would add to his shoulders, as if the burdens he carried weren’t already heavy enough.

Thankfully, I was distracted from my spiraling thoughts by the crackle of a fire.

I pulled myself aways from the tree and forced my body towards the warmth.

It was too late to hunt, but thankfully some of the other guards had thought ahead and caught some extra hares for tonight.

They were tossed into a pot for another stew.

It was no surprise when my stomach grumbled as the delicious smells began wafting out of the pot. The guard stirring the pot of stew lifted his gaze towards me with a grin, then continued stirring. A few moments later, he quietly handed me a bowl and a spoon before continuing to pass out the rest.

There was laughter and merriment all around the camp tonight.

Everyone was eager to get back home and continue where they had left almost two weeks ago.

Even Killian and Liam seemed excited to return.

They chuckled about a tab they’d forgotten to pay at the local tavern and how someone named Lucille would be after them the moment they reached the city gates.

I struggled to smile at their conversations as my mind wandered a thousand different places. The impending doom that awaited me and the guilt of leaving my town without a healer consumed my thoughts. Killian must have observed my blank stare, because the log creaked beside me as he took a seat.

“Not hungry tonight, Elena?”

Half a bowl of stew still swirled within the bowl. So much that I even surprised myself. “I suppose not.” My voice faded as I shrugged off the question.

“Something is weighing heavy on your thoughts, Elena. I’ve learned it’s always better to let it out than ruminate on it.”

Firelight danced about his golden locks. I didn’t have to pull emotions to know there was genuine kindness behind his smile. Desperately alone, I yearned for someone to trust. Seeing as how my time might end shortly, what harm could come from opening up now?

“Everything is just—” I paused, noticing my trembling hands. “It’s beginning to feel overwhelming.” I dug my fingers into my knees, clinging on so I didn’t get emotional in front of Killian. With a knowing nod, he didn’t speak, just patiently waited for me to continue.