Page 21 of Rising from the Depths

His eyes dipped, and his brows shifted infinitesimally.

Kronus lowered himself slightly and dropped his hands from the armrests. They brushed along her outer thighs as he swept them toward her backside, and Eva inhaled sharply as a jolt of excitement ran through her. Breathing shallowly and suddenly helpless to move, she watched as he plucked up the ends of a strap and buckled them over her middle, securing her in place.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked quietly, staring at his large hands and their claw-tipped fingers.

“Because someone needs to.” He pushed away and paused as he was rounding the wheelchair. Without saying anything else, he took the blanket from the bed and draped it over Eva’s lap, covering her thighs — which were largely exposed due to the simplistic gown in which she was dressed. He took his place behind the chair.

A moment later, he was rolling her down the hallway toward the clinic’s exit.

“No,” Eva said. “I don’t want to go out.”

He didn’t slow their steady pace. “But you need to.”

Eva caught her lower lip between her teeth to cease its trembling. She wound her hands into the blanket, clutching the fabric between her fingers.

Just before they reached the door, he spun the chair around. She glanced over her shoulder as he released the chair with one hand, opened the door, and pulled her through backwards.

The first thing she was aware of was howbrightit was outside. Ten days indoors had heavily skewed her perception of sunlight, and she had to squint for a while before her eyes finally adjusted. The air bore a hint of the sea that didn’t seem to carry into the clinic. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to appreciate that scent since she came to The Watch, and she inhaled it deeply now.

But when she closed her eyes, that scent brought her back to the beach. Brought her back to that day.

Her grip on the blanket tightened. “Take me back inside.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to be out here. I just…want to be left alone.”

“Few of us get to have what we want,” he replied as he turned the chair away from the clinic and pushed her forward.

“I hate you,” she said, unable to keep the tremor from her voice as tears filled her eyes.

There was a slight delay in his response. “Good. At least you feel something.”

At least she feltsomething? She felteverything. Not a day passed during which she didn’t feel the ache of loss in her chest, the heartbreak, the shock and lingering disbelief. Her friends were gone. Her own physical agony was a constant reminder that she was no longer whole. There was no numbing what she felt, no running from it.

Eva remained silent and kept her gaze downcast as Kronus wheeled her into the town center, a large, paved square bordered by some of The Watch’s larger buildings. It was late enough in the morning for most folk to have moved on to their daily duties, but there were still a few people walking outside. Eva made sure not to look directly at any of them. She’d only find pity in their eyes.

That’s allthiswas. Pity. She was a burdensomeoneneeded to take care of, and Kronus had volunteered.

They crossed the town center and took a right turn at the next intersection, following the new street toward a corner. The turn moved them out of the buildings’ shade, allowing sunlight to fall on Eva’s head and warm her hair.

She closed her eyes, shutting out her surroundings, and tipped her head back. She’d forgotten how good it felt to have sunlight on her skin. All her life, she’d lived in the sun — she’d helped her father with his traps in the jungle, had hiked the mountain trails around Emmiton with friends, and had sometimes worked the fields, always glad to help, glad to be outdoors. Though she’d occasionally assisted Blake with tanning hides and leather after coming to The Watch, she couldn’t stomach the smells and much preferred the open air.

The chair turned again, left this time, and the road became rougher. Eva opened her eyes. “Where are you taking me?”

Kronus didn’t answer. He pushed her along the dirt road, which was flanked on either side by lush vegetation, until they reached a wide area of pastures filled with livestock. He turned the chair toward one of the pastures and halted in the middle of the road, surrounded by animals making low calls and feasting on the grass.

“Why are we here?” she asked.

“These beasts are odd-looking and have a foul odor,” he said, “but I find their company preferable to that of most people around here. I thought you might agree.”

Eva turned her head and glanced up at him. He was looking at the animals ahead of them, his expression solemn. Frowning, she faced forward again.

I find their company preferable to that of most people around here.

There was so much weight to those words that, for a moment, she saw past her own pain and wondered what lurked within him. She suddenly recalled the callous remarks her friends had made. She wasn’t innocent herself; she’d called himmonster.

Guilt assailed her.

---