Page 14

Left Behind, All Alone

I flinch. “What?”

“Because you’d already been warned.”

A spark flickers inside me, spreading like a flame. My jaw tightens, and the heat of anger begins to build. “A lunar cycle?”

Naeva nods, brushing something from the crook of my arm and flicking it to the ground.

“That can’t be right.”

“It is, Isza, I swear.” Her shoulders slump, and she looks at me through her delicate lashes.

“You must have misheard.”

“I didn’t, Isza. You aren’t thinking clearly. Don’t you remember Galiel? He was only supposed to be locked up for a lunar cycle, too, but they never let him out.”

“I’ll be released,” I say firmly, my voice sharp. “This is just a mistake. A misunderstanding.”

Naeva chews on her nails again. “After the lunar cycle has passed, they’ll consider the possibility of releasing you, but?—”

“But what? Tell me!” I grab the bars, the cold metal biting into my palm as I lean against it. The faint metallic tang hangs in the air.

“They think what you did was appalling,” she murmurs, her voice wavering. “Like an insult to the village. They say you’re dangerous and… unpredictable.”

“Dangerous?” I laugh, the sound bitter. “I don’t even have an ability, do I?”

“I don’t understand why you didn’t get one,” she whispers, her voice barely audible, soft and still. She shifts her weight, the snow crunching beneath her feet. “How’s that even possible? Has it ever happened before?”

“I don’t know. Don’t care.” I shrug, my voice flat. “Guess there’s something wrong with me. Who knows?”

The colors of the sky have faded, replaced by the shadowy blue of twilight’s embrace.

“It’s not your fault!” Naeva stumbles slightly, placing a slender hand on her forehead for balance. “I understand why you wanted to attempt the trials. Being part of the defense would’ve suited you perfectly. I want you to protect others the way you protect me. To do what you love.”

She leans her forehead against the bars, her blinks growing slower as if exhaustion is overtaking her.

“It’s—”

She raises a hand, cutting me off. “Listen to me. I want you to try to kill… Akares.” Her voice trembles at the name, her body quivering.

“He’s a monster. I wish someone else would do it.

That someone else could take on that danger.

It’s all so risky.” She pauses, her words faltering.

“But if it makes you happy, if it’s what you truly want?—”

“It is,” I reply, resting my forehead against hers, the bars a wall between us. “But apparently, I’m destined to rot in this tree for the rest of my life. Or, if I’m lucky, just a lunar cycle.”

It’s pitch-black outside, growing darker with every fleeting spark. The snow glows a deep midnight blue behind Naeva’s fragile form.

“Father is fighting for you,” she says softly, taking my hand and gripping it tightly. “He won’t stop until they agree to release you. This will work out. All of it.”

She isn’t crying anymore. She’s smiling, a steady, reassuring smile that fills me with hope. Her frame is delicate, like a defenseless fawn. Despite being taller than most, she seems smaller and more fragile.

And somehow, just looking at her calms me and brings me a sense of peace. It’ll all work out. Everything will be fine. There’s nothing to worry about.

Ah. Of course.

“Naeva! Stop!”

She flinches, her grip on my hand tightening. “Please, you need this. Let me give you what little I can. Let me?—”

“It’s not right!”

“Don’t fight it.” She sways, her free hand clutching one of the bars, her forehead still pressed forward.

“Stop!” I shake the gate, my voice rising in pitch. “It’s draining you! You can’t even stand straight, can you?”

“I’ve… stopped.” Her voice is faint as her dim and unfocused eyes meet mine. In the blackness of the night, her gaze glows faintly, though all light has vanished.

“You need to go home.”

“I will.” She gives me a small smile. “Aeralon said he’d come for me. I’ll stay until then.”

“Sit down so you don’t fall. It gets cold fast. Here, take my cloak.” I pull it off. The thin fabric is soft between my fingers.

“You’ll need it more than I will tonight,” she murmurs, closing her eyes as she sways, her grip on the bars tightening. Her knuckles turn white, and the grating sound of metal echoes again.

How long can I stay locked in here before that noise makes me deaf?

“Take it,” I insist. “You have to.” I grab her chin, cold to the touch, and force her to look me in the eye. Force her to understand this is not a request.

Slowly, she reaches out, giving me a reluctant grimace. Her fingers catch the fabric, draping it over her shoulders, tying the strings at her throat in a neat bow.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Her teeth chatter, her lips are a pale mint-blue in the darkness. “I’ll visit you every day. I promise.”

“Don’t,” I say firmly. “You’ll exhaust yourself.”

“Naeva?” My brother’s voice calls out. “Where are you?”

“Here…”

The sound of heavy footsteps crunching through the snow grows closer. My stomach clenches, twisting like a storm-tossed sea. Churning, tightening, over and over. What am I supposed to say to him?

Nausea rolls through me, my mouth dry as sand. My heart hammers in my chest so loudly it drowns out my thoughts. I want to step back, fade into the shadows, and disappear. And yet, at the same time, I want to see him more than anything.

I stole his clothes, boots, our father’s sword, bow, quiver, and arrows—everything. The guards took them when they arrested me. Hopefully, they’ll return them. But if they don’t… it’ll be my fault.

Naeva turns as Aeralon steps forward, his sable-brown leather clothes snugly fitted, a broad belt cinched at his waist. His pale-blond hair falls in two clean sections over his chest. He briefly nods to Naeva before his eyes settle on me, deep, shadowed, and unreadable. Annoyed?

“I’m sorry!” I blurt out. “I didn’t mean to take your things. You’ll get them back, I swear. One boot is missing, but?—”

He steps closer, leaning in until his face is mere inches from mine. I instinctively pull back as his breath hits my frozen cheeks, so warm it feels like it burns.

“I’m not angry with you,” he says, his tone calm but firm.

“You’re not?”

His gaze holds mine, his expression steady and unwavering. “No one is.”

“You should be,” I whisper.

“Not even Father,” he says. “Even though you took h-h-his… most treasured possessions.”

His hair presses against the bars, quickly becoming dirty. The pale strands are smudged and ruined.

I swallow hard. “You were right.”

“About what?”

“A lifetime in the Hollow, just as you said yesterday. You were right.”

“I don’t w-w—” he stammers. His voice rises as he growls, “I don’t want to be right!” His tone cuts sharply. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s wrong.”

“I agree with that.”

“Our laws and r-r… our rules are flawed.” His words trip over themselves as his frustration grows.

“The rule about weapons has been in place for twenty-one s–s—” He squeezes his eyes shut, two deep lines forming across his brow.

“Twenty-one sun cycles. Ever since Parae’s founding.

.. It—it spread quickly to the rest of our settlements. We should reconsider.”

“Take it easy. Breathe,” I say softly.

It’s been a long time since he stammered this much. Me being in the Hollow must be weighing heavily on him. If I’d listened, this wouldn’t have happened. I should’ve listened and obeyed.

Why do I care so little about the consequences?

Even if I don’t care, my family does. They’re devastated.

My stomach twists, and my throat constricts as if invisible hands are squeezing my neck tighter with every heartbeat.

“Exactly,” Naeva murmurs in agreement.

“Because I know you didn’t d-d… didn’t do anything wrong,” Aeralon says, his voice trembling with frustration. “You just wanted to do what I do every day, even though I’m not very good at it. But when I saw you in the Circle Valley, and you didn’t get your ability…”

I close my eyes as the memory floods back, sharp and painful.

“Your expression was… I’ve never seen you l-l—” He stops, inhaling deeply as he grips the bars tightly. “Like that. I’ve never seen you like that before. It was as if your life shattered in those brief, fleeting sparks.”

“Yes,” I whisper. “That’s exactly how it felt.”

“When you’re released,” he says, his voice firm with determination, “we’ll fix this, do you understand? We’ll fix this.”

He bites his thumbnail, the motion quick and anxious. In the background, I notice Naeva doing the same. It’s a habit they’ve both inherited from our father, a family curse I’ve somehow escaped.

How exactly do you plan to fix this, Aeralon? Can you give me my ability? No one can. Not even Panrielya or the goddesses themselves.

“Thank you, Aeralon,” I say, squeezing his hand. It’s cold and rough. “I didn’t mean to criticize you yesterday.”

“It’s fine,” he replies, his voice light. “I know I’m terrible at archery, as you so kindly put it.”

I laugh softly. Naeva leans her head against Aeralon’s shoulder, both so close that I can feel their presence just a few flakes away from my face. These two are the elves I love most in all of Sarador.

Their warm breaths reach me in soft puffs, warming my chilled skin.

Visible clouds drift between us. From this close, I can see every detail.

The intricate patterns in their irises, the fine lines in their foreheads, chins, jaws, and lips.

Their skin is smooth and flawless, untouched by even a hint of hair.

“You should go,” I say quietly. “Naeva needs to get home. You’ll have to carry her… Her legs?—”

“I know,” Aeralon says gently. “I’ll take care of it.”

“That’s not necessary,” Naeva whispers faintly.

“Will Mother and Father visit me?” I ask hesitantly.

“Not tonight.” Aeralon sighs. “They’re in meetings with the leadership until twilight ends. But they’ll likely stop by at dawn.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Thank you for coming.”

“Take care of yourself, my warrior. Stay warm tonight.”

My warrior? That’s new.

“I never freeze,” I reply with a faint smirk.

He shakes his head at me, stepping back from the bars and wrapping a protective arm around Naeva’s shoulders.

“See you at dawn, sarea,” she whispers, barely audible.

“See you,” I whisper back.

My siblings walk into the darkness, their footsteps crunching over the snow. Their forms fade, shadowy shapes dissolving into the night.

Leaving me alone.

In the Hollow.