Page 24 of Isle of Beasts and Shadows

Airella couldn’t help but notice a subtle tremor beneath his stoic facade, a glimmer of fear betraying his outward composure.

Pondering the soldier’s reaction, Airella’s thoughts meandered. Was he scared of her? She mused silently, a flicker of curiosity dancing in her eyes.

As she stood at the threshold, a hushed whisper reached her ears from the soldier on her right.

“Just let her through, Daniel. She’s The Executioner’s daughter.” The soldiers shared a quick glance with one another, weighing the consequences of denying her or Duran.

Airella caught wind of his words, stirring a sense of unease within her. She grasped fragments of her father’s legacy, aware that he once commanded the king’s military forces with great power. However, the finer intricacies of his reign remained elusive, evading her grasp like a fleeting shadow.

With a steely resolve in her gaze, she countered the soldiers’ apprehension with a measured response.

“In case it has slipped your notice, I possess the same formidable abilities as my father once wielded,” she asserted, her voice carrying an air of undeniable authority. “Should you dare to question my capabilities, I invite you to put them to the test.”

With a graceful yet assertive movement, she navigated past the two soldiers, leveraging their trepidation to her advantage as she breezed through the tent’s billowing flaps, leaving a trail of uncertainty in her wake.

Chapter 16

Airella couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down her spine as she looked down at the familiar pale face before her. Fresh droplets of gold blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, a stark contrast to his pallid complexion, casting an eerie aura that seemed to amplify his somewhat daunting presence.

Her gaze shifted to notice the subtle blush of red on one of his cheeks, a stark yet delicate touch of color amidst the otherwise ghostly visage. As her eyes traveled downward, she observed the untended gold stain that adorned his chest, a silent reminder of some past encounter left unhealed.

When his yellow-eyed gaze met hers, she felt an inexplicable chill, as if his intense stare could pierce right through her.

“I’m just getting a lot of visitors lately, aren’t I?” His voice held a curious mix of amusement and something more enigmatic, his eyes glistening with a hint of their mesmerizing golden hue.

Airella found herself caught between deciphering his intentions, unsure if his words carried a hint of sarcasm or a deeper meaning beneath the surface. Choosing not to dwell too much on the uncertainty, she simply ignored his words, her own thoughts swirling with unanswered questions.

“Why did you help us? Me, even?” She asked in a somewhat demanding tone, thinking back to the moment he had pushed her from the winged Miscreant’s attack.

“Why did you chop off the beast’s claw for my sake?” He countered, which Airella believed to be quite mocking.

She shook her head, unable to give him an answer. “I’m not the one tied to a post here,” she said with a hint of frustration clear in her voice as she crossed her arms, a mix of emotions swirling within her.

“I couldn’t simply abandon all of you to face that fate,” he spoke softly, concern etched on his features. It seemed unthinkable to him, a waste of precious lives. With a brief pause, he continued, “And well, I can’t learn more about your people if you’re all dead, can I?” Airella observed the hint of uncertainty in his tone, the way his gaze shifted, strands of his white hair cascading over his eyes.

She continued to observe him silently, her thoughts racing. Perhaps Jonathan was onto something; maybe Sirius did harbor genuine intentions to aid them. Despite her reservations, doubts lingered in her mind, unsure of what the future held.

“Look, after the fight with the winged Miscreant,” Airella started, her voice tinged with concern as she observed the aftermath of the battle on Sirius’s chest. “I noticed you had some bad flesh wounds on your chest. I brought some bandage here if you want me to wrap you up.” Uncertainty lingered in the air as Airella hesitated, unsure of the gravity of the situation unfolding before her.

A nod from Sirius encouraged her, prompting Airella to take slow, deliberate steps towards him.

With a sense of urgency, she retrieved the bandage she had discreetly taken from Duran’s tent during his absence. As she carefully wound the bandage around Sirius’s upper chest, her touch gentle yet purposeful, she couldn’t help but notice the unusual gray hue of his skin beneath the fabric.

Airella felt his unfaltering gaze as she worked, his eyes holding a new intensity and a hint of vulnerability. Airella, feeling a twinge of unexpected emotion, nervously bit her lip, breaking the charged moment between them. Despite the curiosity gnawing at her, she remained silent, opting not to probe into this enigmatic aspect of Sirius’s being.

As she finished securing the bandage around his chest, she rose to her feet with a mix of determination and apprehension evident in her eyes.

“You’re coming with us as we venture further into the island,” she stated firmly, her mind flashing back to the sight of the men laboring to construct their prison wagon on her walk here. “Your skills may prove invaluable should we encounter other miscreants along the way, given your exceptional resourcefulness,” she added, her voice tinged with a hint of concern for his well-being.

Despite having no obligation to assist them, Duran’s unwavering conviction in the man’s abilities seemed to tip the scales. For the time being, it was a choice between aiding their cause or facing the death at the hands of Duran. If they could even kill him, a Miscreant.

His face had returned to its emotionless state as he watched the blonde leave the tent. She turned her head in his direction, making one last moment of eye contact before exiting without a goodbye and heading to her own tent.

The moon cast a soft glow over the campsite, illuminating the fluttering shadows of the surrounding trees as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a serene ambiance in the night’s stillness. As she walked, she couldn’t help but overhear the sounds of commotion going on inside of Duran’s tent. Being as curious as she had been to see Sirius just moments before, she peeked into the entrance of the tent.

“Duran, we have to go back.” Jonathan pleaded, his voice laced with concern, but Duran remained steadfast, his eyes unwavering.

“Shut up. You don’t have the authority to give me orders.” Duran’s retort echoed through the tense atmosphere.

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