Page 6 of The Survivors (The Children of the Sun God #4)

Ciara

“The raven’s cry echoes my torment. A witness to the chains now binding my fate.”

I’ve always loved fall. There’s a magic in the way the leaves change colors and drift to the ground like fiery snowflakes. I can close my eyes and remember the crunch of leaves underfoot during those early autumns as a child. My sisters and I used to fling ourselves into piles of them, flapping our arms like birds trying to take flight. Laughter singing through the crisp air, and for a moment, we were invincible.

Yesterday, I lay in a bed of freshly fallen leaves. My pet raven, Lenore, hopped among them, pecking curiously. She’s a strange creature, arriving just after Persephone left. Maybe the universe sent her to fill the gaping void my best friend left behind.

Now, Lenore follows Ioannis’ car at a distance. Her dark form weaving through the sky like a silent witness to my captivity.

There’s something poetic about having a raven for a companion, especially one as regal as her. She’s been my solace during the long months without Persephone—her presence a comfort on the days when the ache for my friend was unbearable.

I told her never to tell me where she went for this very reason.

Stupid me naively believed that after six months I no longer had to look over my shoulder.

How did he get her necklace? Persephone never would have willing gave it to him, and the spell would have prevented him from ripping it from her neck. How?

Lenore croaks her call, communicating she hasn’t abandoned me.

Ravens and crows are commonly mistaken for each otherbecause they are both large black birds. But ravens are bigger than the trash eating crows. Lenore’s palate is better pleased with carcasses and not last night’s leftovers dumped in the trash.

If I lean my head just right, I can glimpse Lenore showing off, doing somersaults in between soaring past the car.. A crow can’t do that.

She’s magnificent. With her wedge-shaped tail, the fluffy feathers around her head and throat, her pointed wings, and her curved beak. There’s no truer black than the shade on a raven’s feathers.

Ravens usually travel in pairs, but Lenore came to me all alone. A part of me believes she sees me as the other half of her pairing. We’re kindred spirits. Roaming this world with our head in the clouds, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. And not caring.

Today, I suddenly care. What does Ioannis have in store for me? I won’t let him harm Persephone.

My eyes have grown heavy, but I fear closing them. I don’t want to miss any landmarks I might need to guide me to safety if I come up with an escape plan that also allows me to keep Persephone from harm.

Where are we going? The sunset has nearly sunk below the mountains we’ve entered. The fading light paints the horizon in red and orange hues, but the beauty of it is lost on me. We’ve been driving for hours in the middle of nowhere, winding through mountains painted with a dense forest. I’ll never find my way out of this. There’s nothing to sear into my mind but tree after tree.

Darkness falls, and the forest swallows us. The road narrows, flanked by trees so thick they blot out the sky. The endless repetition of trunks and branches is dizzying. If I tried to run, I’d be lost in seconds.

Ioannis parks the car with a deliberate screech of tires, crunching gravel beneath the wheels. He cuts the engine. The pale glow of the moon illuminates a sign ahead, which reads National Park Trailhead . The words mock me. Nature’s sanctuary is now my prison. The thought lingers while I’m forced out of the car.

“Get out,” he barks, yanking the passenger door open. His tone brooks no argument.

My legs tremble, but I obey. My body moving before my mind can protest. He wears the charm I made for Persephone around his neck. The eerie talisman sways slightly with his movements. It’s like he’s parading his power—my best friend’s life—and taunting me with it.

If she’s dead, this necklace might be all that remains. The thought is a dagger twisting in my chest, but Ioannis’ face offers no answers. Only cold, unrelenting purpose. He’s left me no choice but to follow him. I won’t risk her life on the small chance that she’s still alive.

Fear coils in my stomach. “Am I allowed to pee?” I ask in defiance.

Ioannis smirks. “Sure. But I’m not taking my eyes off you.”

“Of course you won’t,” I mutter under my breath. I step behind a cluster of pumpkins resting against the weathered wooden trailhead sign, marking the trail ahead, but I don’t bother studying it. Not that it matters. Help isn’t coming. Not in time, anyway. My sisters will think I’m ignoring their texts, maybe away for some peace and quiet. I live alone; there’s no one to notice my absence until it’s far too late.

Squatting awkwardly, I relieve myself. The ruffles of my dress offer minimal cover. I’ve never been good at this. I always walk away with urine down my leg and on my shoes. Now is no exception. My cheeks burn with humiliation, but dwelling on it is the least of my concerns.

The poor pumpkin now soaks in what ran down the slant behind it.

Ioannis gestures for me to follow him, leading the way into the forest, which quickly consumes us. His pace is relentless and uncaring. The canopy above blocks out the moonlight, and the air turns cooler. I stumble over gnarled roots and uneven earth.

The smell of fall surrounds me—earthy, rich, tinged with decay. Under other circumstances, I’d relish it, but fear dulls my senses. Every step feels like a march toward my doom.

We’ve been walking for what seems like hours. The sun had already set before we entered, so my world is nothing but darkness, punctuated by the snap of twigs underfoot and the ragged sound of my breathing.

Ioannis moves like a predator, silent and unyielding. However, I trip over every branch and unseen obstacle.

One particularly nasty fall leaves my hands stinging and my palms coated in dirt. Something sharp slices my elbow, and the wet warmth of blood trickles down my arm. My knees throb, raw from repeated impacts, and my skin itches fiercely. Poison ivy, most likely. My body will betray me before he even has the chance.

Ioannis never glances back. No hand extended to help or pause to let me recover. I could beg, but I won’t. He’d only enjoy the sound of my desperation.

I focus on the ground, squinting through the oppressive dark. My eyes haven’t adjusted enough to help much. It’s all I can do to keep from sprawling again, though.