Page 6 of Rising Out of the Darkness (Divine Guardians Duology #1)

Elena

O utside, the frigid air had begun to warm, and I paused to let the sunlight melt through me. The warmth of the sun against my face could wash away even the darkest of worries.

As I made my way around the back of the temple to wait for Will, muttered whispers and laughter followed from a group of men behind me. Once hidden behind the back wall, I leaned against the cool white stone and ran my hand over my reddened cheeks.

Wilton Stewart, Will to those closest to him, had been my friend since he’d come to our town when I was fourteen. Will had arrived with his mother and sister after their encampment had been attacked and his father had died during a Nightshade raid.

He was the first boy in my town to be kind to me and not treat me like some sort of oddity. If I was being honest, Will was the only friend I’d ever really had.

Our bond grew closer a few years ago after he found me sobbing in a pathetic heap on the ground after school one day. The same group of boys I’d passed by just a few moments ago had decided that their wicked taunts weren’t enough to embarrass me, so they added rocks to their brutality.

Thankfully, Will happened to turn around the corner just as they hammered against my flesh.

Observing the bruises and cuts forming, he had made quick work of providing the rest of the boys with matching marks.

All boys in the town stayed at least ten paces away from me from then on, which honestly, I didn’t mind.

Shortly after that, the two of us became inseparable, wreaking havoc throughout the town everywhere we went. Eventually, I insisted that my father let him train with us a few mornings each week.

Father had been training me since I was young, always saying that he wanted me to know how to protect myself from the darkness of the world. Girls did not receive training in combat, and it was frowned upon to allow them to own weapons. It wasn’t considered proper.

Naturally, that meant we had to train early in the morning before the rest of the town awoke. I was already a pariah in my town, and people knowing I was training in combat would only further ignite their distaste for me.

Heavy booted footsteps and the clang of metal arose from behind me, jarring me out of my thoughts. The Royal Guards.

They came every Ascension to make sure that all Elysians who were of age went through the ceremony. It was also an opportunity to keep an eye on those of us outside of the capital city’s walls.

Years ago, the king had deemed our town “Rebellion-free,” and had this small stone temple built for us. Though we appreciated this sacred place, it was also a constant reminder that no matter how far away we lived, we couldn’t escape the eye of the king.

One of the guards peered around the corner, and my heart began to pound inside of my chest.

“You,” He scowled and took another step towards me until he was hovering right next to me. “Why are you behind the temple? You should be waiting out front with everyone else.”

It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. “Sir, I’m waiting for my friend. As soon as he arrives, I promise we will make our way back to the front entrance.”

His eyes narrowed into slits. Mine wandered down to the metal chest plate of his armor, where the kingdom’s crest was etched.

Five twisting knots, tangled into each other, represented the gods trees and the strength within connections with one another. My gaze lingered on the single, soft feather floating above it.

After the Light Phoenix had sacrificed herself to bring peace to the entire realm of Ehora, our lands had become a kingdom under the Stallard rule. They’d added the feather to the crest as a tribute for all that she had given.

“Fine.” the guard huffed. “If we don’t see you out front soon, we’ll come back and make sure you do.”

He turned and stormed off. Once alone, I let out a deep breath. My gaze roamed over the row of small wooden cabins in front of me. Still no Will.

Worry overtook my movements, and in no time, I found myself walking around the corner of the temple in search of him.

After everything I’d gone through today, I wasn’t surprised to feel the dull ache that began to form in my head.

Massaging the sides of my temples, I let my eyelids fall closed for a moment.

Just enough time to run right into the wall of a man in front of me.

“Gods, Lena!” Will stepped back into my view, pouting like a child as he rubbed his chest. “You think you could run into me a little harder next time?”

Even though my heart fluttered at the mere proximity of him, I punched him in the shoulder. He stumbled back dramatically, pretending that I had wounded him.

“Where have you been?” I grumbled as I pushed past him.

“There was something that I had to finish.” He tugged me into his side. “Always over-retaliating,” he teased, then proceeded to rub his knuckles back and forth over the top of my head.

“Hells!” I gasped, shoving my way out of his grip. “Bri is going to get so mad at you for messing up her work. You better watch yourself, Wilton Stewart,” my pointer finger sharply stabbed into his chest. “—before I use said skill in the training ring tomorrow.”

I shot him a vulgar gesture with my finger.

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Such a wild thing you are, Lena.” He leaned in closer to my face, forcing me to lock onto his bright blue eyes, and whispered.

“There’s nothing I enjoy more than watching your little attempts at retaliation in the ring. ”

A huff of frustration flew out of me as I stormed ahead before he could see the heat that was blossoming on my cheeks.

Not quite ready to make my way to the front of the temple, I turned and walked towards the back side of the seamstress’s cabin. Will followed, chuckling.

Pausing, I slumped against the log wall. My palm ran over my ruffled hair as I tried to smooth it back to its place, at the same time trying to cool the heat that I could still feel in my cheeks.

“You still worried about today?” He paused, his words softer than before. I nodded.

Will’s movement caught my attention, and I turned to see he had pulled out a little burlap package from his pocket. “Well, maybe this will help alleviate some of that.” He smiled sweetly, lifting my hand to place the package inside of it.

“For me?” I teased, fluttering my lashes as I pretended to swoon like all the other girls in town did in proximity to Will.

It was no secret he held the affection of several of their hearts and had acted upon those affections on more than one occasion.

Honestly, I knew way more than I wanted to know about Will’s social life, which was difficult, since over the past few years I’d started to develop an attraction to him myself.

Unfortunately, that attraction had always been one-sided.

“Smartass. Of course it’s for you, Lena.” His lips curled up as he shook his head.

“I just…I mean…we’ve never given each other gifts before.” Tossing my shoulders up in a shrug, I feigned indifference. Buried behind that mask however, my thoughts were a swirling tornado of curiosity and anxiousness. “Now I feel horrible that I didn’t make anything for you.”

“Lena.” His voice lowered, wrapping around me like a breeze. “Stop overthinking and just open it.” He tapped the center of my forehead, then feathered his finger down the side of my cheek until he pulled it back. The stubborn organ inside my chest began to beat erratically.

I carefully pulled apart the rough fabric. My eyes landed on what was enclosed, and I swore my heart stopped beating altogether.

Will had always been especially skilled at working with leather and metals, which he had been practicing as a trade until we received our dynamis on our Ascension day.

Inside the package was a brand-new leather sheath for my dagger. My other one had broken while we were sparring a couple weeks ago, which had forced me to use a torn piece of fabric to secure it to my thigh in the meantime.

“This is too much—this is new leather.” My hands trembled. “It’s beautiful, but I can’t accept this. You should sell it. I know it’s been difficult lately, and you need the coin more than I need a new sheath.”

When Will had arrived in our town alongside his mother and younger sister, they were given a tiny cabin, and luckily both he and his mom were able to secure jobs in town.

However, a few years ago, his mother had fallen ill.

Without my mother’s ability to sense inside and find what was ailing others, I’d done the best I could to help, but Lila had never fully regained her strength.

Most days it was an effort for her to even get out of bed.

Will had been the sole provider for his family ever since.

He placed his warm hand on my shoulder, brushing circles across it with his thumb.

“This piece was too small of a scrap to be used for anything else but this. Theo allowed me to have it in exchange for helping him with small projects around his home he needed to get done. Please take it, Lena. I’ll be forever offended if you don’t.

” He mimicked my fluttering lashes from earlier, and the smile that cracked my lips couldn’t be helped.

I tossed the wrapping aside and went to strap the sheath straight onto my thigh. However, he stopped me from bending down.

Mischief sparkled in his bright blue eyes as he retrieved my dagger from its current residence, my satchel.

Tendrils of his honey-gold hair fell into his face as he bent down on one knee in front of me.

My fingertips twitched by my sides, and it took everything in me not to glide my hands through those glistening locks.

As his hands wandered up my leg to my thigh, my breathing stopped altogether. I tried to calm my body as his fingertips traced over my bare legs. He paused, his eyes roaming over me like he was taking in the view, then secured the sheath tightly around my thigh.