Page 39 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)
This made her a bit happier and braver as they began climbing. Even if she wasn’t wanted up there, maybe she’d still have a chance with Lumie here. This was a thought she’d nurture once she knew what her father possibly wanted with her.
As they were getting closer to her home, and deeper in the mountain, she began to get nervous. What if her father just wanted her back to kill her? If that was the case, then Lumie was already gone, and that necklace had just been a trap.
The mere thought of her baby girl being gone from this world was enough for Alezya to accept her fate; as a mother, she wouldn’t allow herself to live happily when she’d failed to protect her own child.
She knew she wouldn’t have the will to. How could she? Lumie was all that she had. Even now, she was returning to the most dangerous place for herself, purely for her little girl’s sake. She knew the risks.
There wouldn’t be another chance to escape, and she would pay the price for what she had done.
“Alezya.”
It was Kassein who spotted one of her father’s men first. Alezya glanced up, and she saw them too.
They were perched far above in the mountain, looking down at them. The fact that they were merely watching and didn’t react to being seen meant that they had indeed expected her return.
She and Kassein were still far from the closest access to her clan’s location, but Alezya had no desire to endanger Kassein further. If her clan had seen him, she couldn’t imagine they’d welcome him in any way.
As he resumed walking, she grabbed his arm. His green eyes met hers, looking a bit surprised, and she shook her head. You shouldn’t go any farther , was what she wanted to convey, and she hoped he understood that.
They stared at each other for a while, and Kassein glanced up again. He seemed conflicted, but Alezya was resolved not to let him proceed any farther. She couldn’t predict what was ahead, but she wouldn’t risk endangering that man who’d been so kind to her.
Still holding his arm, she walked in front of him, placing herself between him and the path ahead. They hadn’t gone too far from the camp yet; there was still about two-thirds of the path to go, but she would continue alone.
Still looking him in the eye, and with a heart heavier than she’d expected, Alezya put her hands on his torso, and gently pushed him.
She was doing her best to smile, to convey her gratitude for all he’d done for her, but her feelings weren’t there.
She felt sad, and sorry. Sorry because she could see the confusion in his eyes.
He hadn’t thought to part with her so soon.
To her surprise, he put a hand over hers on his chest, staring at her with a frown on.
The language barrier between them wasn’t enough to stop all that his eyes were trying to convey, and Alezya’s heart ached a little bit more.
Once again, she forced herself to smile and hide how scared she was to go back, how upset she was to part with him.
Her own feelings were beyond what she’d thought them to be, but after years of being mistreated, there was no way she wouldn’t have been touched by Kassein’s kindness.
To have been able to rely on someone, even if it was just for a few days, had been one of the best feelings she’d experienced in a long time.
Still, she had to let go of those thoughts, and push him away. She couldn’t tie Kassein to her fate any longer.
“Alezya.”
She shook her head as he called her name, and looked down to avoid his eyes. She had to go, she couldn’t waste another minute when Lumie was waiting for her mom to come back. Kassein knew nothing of who she was, what she’d been through, what she was about to face.
This time with him had just been a short, bittersweet respite she’d enjoyed, but now, it was time to get back to reality.
She took a step back. Kassein was still holding her hand against his chest, but she slowly took it back and separated from him.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “Thank you for everything, Kassein.”
Unable to look him in the eye again, she simply turned around, and walked away, beginning to climb up the mountain.
It was hard not to look back, but she knew her heart would only break a bit more. If he had already walked away and back to his world, it would have been painful. If he was still down there, staring at her, it would have been even worse.
Alezya swallowed her tears and feelings, still shocked at how heavy they were, and kept climbing up stubbornly.
She couldn’t keep any lingering feelings.
It was unlikely they’d see each other again; moreover, she had to focus on Lumie now.
Her daughter had been without her mom for far too long, the longest since she’d been born.
Those thoughts made Alezya climb even faster. Had she been fed well? Did she get proper sleep? Did she cry a lot? Had she been sick?
The more she brought the sweet face of her toddler to mind, the more she was in a hurry to see her again. Alezya kept climbing, feeling the mountain welcoming her back despite the circumstances.
She easily found her way back, the fresh morning snow not causing her much of an inconvenience to find her familiar and safest climbing spots, and the paths she could walk on were all free of any recent landslide.
Her return was made strangely easy by the elements, adding to her unsettling feeling.
She was grateful for the thick coat around her, for it was the warmest piece of clothing she’d ever possessed and was efficient in keeping the snow out of her inner clothing.
She felt her hair still firmly held by Kassein’s present and the knowledge of that beautiful fabric being there made her feel a bit stronger, as if the memory of him was there to support her.
Alezya finished her climb, feeling more confident and determined than ever. She had no idea what was lying ahead, but she was more ready than she’d ever be to face it.
Alezya spotted the closest entrance to the caves that led inside the mountain her clan resided in almost too soon, in her eyes. She stopped and stood on the little cliff, taking a deep breath.
After a hesitation, she glanced back, but from that spot, she couldn’t see the place where she and Kassein had parted ways or, more accurately, where she’d left him.
Thus, her eyes drifted to the little area she knew his people resided in.
It seemed so small from up there, although she couldn’t see all of it from that flank of the mountain.
The men were reduced to little ants moving around, their wooden border to a thin line, and their habitations the size of her pinky nail.
There was still no sign of Kein the dragon, and she wondered where the beast had gone.
Even if she never went back down there, she was now confident that if she ever saw that orange dragon again, she would never be half as scared as she used to be. At least, she had that.
Still, she couldn’t let her memories linger for too long. She walked in with a dreadful feeling. Lumie. She was going to see and hold Lumie again; that was all that mattered.
She’d only been gone for a handful of days, and yet everything seemed different. Despite walking through those familiar stone walls, Alezya felt like a complete stranger. The sounds of her clan’s people getting started with their day couldn’t have felt more foreign to her.
She already knew she didn’t belong to this world anymore; she was only visiting because of circumstances she couldn’t avoid.
She’d only come back to get her daughter, that’s all she knew for certain.
What would happen once she and Lumie were reunited, she couldn’t tell.
She was scared to think of what her father had in store for her.
Truth be told, she was terrified to face that man again.
After what she’d done, she was expecting the worst punishment she’d ever faced.
No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t help but fear the pain.
She only hoped he wouldn’t kill her, and the beating wouldn’t be so bad that she’d be too injured to care for Lumie or make the right decisions.
Perhaps they’d have to flee again, which was very likely.
The first people she crossed paths with all seemed shocked to see her, so much so that they stopped whatever they were doing to stare.
As she met more and more of them having the same reaction, Alezya gradually realized they’d thought her dead.
For some reason, her father hadn’t let the rest of the clan know about what had happened, or about her survival.
To them, it was like she’d come back from the dead.
Did only his henchmen know? It was even more puzzling.
Alezya wasn’t surprised not to be greeted, but at least, none stopped her. She kept walking, the nervousness building up in her stomach. Never had those tunnels and caves felt so oppressing; she felt like she was walking in a snow leopard’s den.
After taking another corner toward the largest cave, one of the guards finally acknowledged her presence with a disdainful look.
“He’s waiting for you,” he simply said, making a head movement toward the next area.
Alezya didn’t answer and kept going, even more nervous. Of course her father knew she was coming back, he ought to have been informed. But the fact that he was waiting for her was nerve-wracking.
When she finally walked into the clan’s main cave, she was surprised to find it mostly empty.
It should have been busier than that at this time of the day, but right now, there were only a few of her father’s men, the elders, her cousin’s husband, and, dominating them all by his position and seated on top of a rock while they were all on the fur-covered floor, her father. That was all.