Page 101 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“That’s none of your business.” What is it about the elf that makes this argumentative side of me come out, the part of me I can usually keep hidden? I feel touchy and frustrated, and I can’t figure out why, but everything Vaeril’s doing isn’t helping.

“Clarissa, Alina, I won’t leave you behind, the bird will not get you.”

How did he know, especially when I didn’t even know what was upsetting me? Now that he’s said it, that he won’t leave me behind, something settles within me. I know I’ll still have abandonment issues, it’s something I’m sure will follow me for most of my life. However, as I look up into his silver eyes, I know he’s telling the truth. Whether it’s this bond between us, or something else entirely, I know I can trust him.

“Okay, let’s go.” I know we’ve wasted too much time talking while the guards could be gaining on us with every moment.

Movement catches my eye, and as I look down, I see he’s holding out his hand. I stare at it for a second before glancing up and seeing his determined expression.

Taking a deep breath, I put my hand in his.

Without another word, he darts out from behind the rock, pulling me behind him. We sprint, dashing around rocks as we go, so fast that if he wasn’t guiding me, I’m sure I would trip and fall. I know I’m holding him back, but unless he picks me up and runs with me, we are limited by how fast I can move. I stop worrying about the ground, trusting him to guide me, and just concentrate on running as fast as I can.

This morning he tried to pick me up to run with me, but panic had taken over me, my nightmare kept replaying in my mind. I felt trapped, and in the end I demanded he put me down. Guilt fills me. I’m the reason we are having to go slower, I’m holding us back and could be why we’re caught.

A loud, high-pitched caw fills the air and I know we’ve been spotted. Vaeril curses and drives us faster, my feet screaming as we manoeuvre around the large rocks, weaving between them to make it more difficult for the bird to attack.

A screech, much closer this time, makes me look over my shoulder, and I see the falcon diving straight towards us, talons stretched out and ready to strike. Tripping on a rock, I feel my ankle suddenly turn over, throwing me forward. Vaeril catches me, stopping me from smashing my face into the stony ground.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes scanning the sky, his body practically vibrating with energy. I can’t see the falcon, and it makes me nervous.

My ankle hurts, but I’m determined to push past it. “I’ll be fine,” I reply, shifting to put my weight on it, but a sharp pain shoots through my leg and I cry out. “Mother above!” I curse loudly.

“Clarissa.” I know what he’s going to say before he even says it, and as I turn to face him, I know I’m right. His expression is serious, he knows what he’s asking of me.

I need to put my pride and fears aside. He needs to carry me if we’re both going to make it to the forest fully intact.

The bird shrieks again, and I make up my mind. Biting down on my lip, I nod my assent. He watches me carefully before sliding an arm around my back and one under my knees as he cradles me against his chest. Last night, I had been so exhausted from breaking the spell on the castle wall that I didn’t have the energy to panic, my whole focus on staying awake. Today, in his arms, everything feels different and I’m completely aware of the stakes, not to mention the sound of the falcon keeps triggering me.

Hissing in pain as my ankle twinges, I try to focus on that rather than the rising, bubbling panic in my chest. Without another word, Vaeril starts running, and I have to close my eyes, the blurring landscape moving by too fast for me to process that it makes me feel nauseous.

“Focus on my heartbeat, listen to its steady sound. Feel that tug between us, let it comfort you,” he whispers, his voice slightly ragged now that he’s using his full strength and speed. I shouldn’t be able to hear him, the wind is battering us, howling in my ears like the ghoul they say haunts the dungeons, but I do. I follow his instructions, trying not to focus on the fact that I feel trapped, confined, like I can’t escape, and instead focus on my breathing, on his breathing. I try, I do, but I can feel the rising panic as memories flash through my mind of times I was confined and couldn’t get away. “Alina,” Vaeril calls again, and that feeling of something awakening within me rises, blanketing my panic, along with the telltale tingling that tells me the Mother is with me. “Feel the bond,” he whispers.

Focusing on the place in my chest where the pull resides, I reach out and brush against it gently. I feel him gasp and stumble before making a low sound in his throat. For a second, I think I’ve hurt him, but the noise he makes doesn’t seem pained,it sounds...pleased. I feel two responding tugs on the bond that feel different. Looking inside myself, I can almost see the bond and three connections. One is glowing, and I reach out and touch it again.

Vaeril. It feels like him...like I’m surrounded by nature, otherworldly and powerful.

I want to reach out and touch the others, sure this is the reason why I feel connected, pulled, towards Tor and Grayson, but I know now is not the time.

You’re scared you imagined the whole thing,my thoughts goad me, and I have to take a deep breath as my mind tries to pull me from my new found calm. Pressing my head against Vaeril’s chest, I focus on his breathing and the steady beat of his heart, relaxing in the presence of our connection.

“Almost there.”

Frowning, I peel open my eyes and look up at him, his voice doesn’t sound right. I realise I can actually make out some of the landscape around us, we’ve slowed down.

“What’s wrong? Vaeril, what’s going on?”

“I can’t run as far as I used to,” he admits between gritted teeth, but his skin is pale and he looks clammy. I know for him to confess that, he must be feeling awful, he would never disclose a weakness otherwise.

He’s been locked away for over a hundred years, what did you expect?my inner voice chides.

“Put me down,” I demand. I’m expecting a smart retort or a sneer that he’s still stronger than a puny human, but instead he just shakes his head, and even his usual frown is nowhere to be seen.

“We’re almost there.”

He protests weakly, and I know he will keep going until he collapses, his pride not allowing him to give in.He’s trying toprotect you too, my mind whispers, and I fight the guilt that surges within me again, now is not the time for an internal crisis.

The falcon screeches and, as I look over Vaeril’s shoulder, I see it’s been joined by three others.

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