Page 64 of Voices in the Stars
“How can I say no to that?” Atlas questioned. He shot me a look before walking off with the man.
He didn’t need to worry about me. I felt frozen as I watched the people around him. No one was giving him the fearful looks I was used to. People smiled and waved as he walked down the path. There wasn’t a single odd gaze that turned my way. My shoulders dropped as I watched him walk into a shop. Atlas was smiling and laughing as he talked to the man behind the counter.
My body relaxed as if it had been waiting for this. It was confirmation of what I had known to be true. The stories from othertowns were just what they had heard of Atlas. They didn’t know the difference between him and his father. Here though, they knew the difference. Their attention was brought to me as Atlas pointed me out through the window. The man waved at me as he handed something to Atlas. I returned the kind gesture with a small smile.
Atlas came jogging back to me, a wrapped package in his hand. My stomach grumbled at the smell of warm sugar and spices that came from it. We didn’t eat before leaving, so I quickly snatched it when he held it out to me. He chuckled as we started walking again. Ignoring him, I unwrapped it, revealing the baked treat.
“Hugh’s been running that bakery with his husband for as long as I can remember,” Atlas explained as I took a giant bite from it.
I could feel part of the icing smear onto the edge of my mouth, but ignored it in favor of the taste of sugar that exploded in my mouth. There was something nutty hidden in the center of it. I groaned, closing my eyes as the taste triggered one of my rediscovered memories.
“We used to go there all the time,” I mumbled past my mouthful. “This used to be one of my favorites.”
“Still is, I see,” Atlas whispered as he looked down at me. He slowed to a stop before grabbing my chin, tilting my head up to face him. He wiped the icing off my lip with his thumb before taking it into his mouth. “Delicious.”
A blush burned across my cheeks as he leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. His hand reached up to cup the side of my face.
“Atlas.” A voice boomed from behind me.
Atlas’ eyes were wide as he pulled away, mumbling a curse. There was a slight shake in his hand as he let go of me. He straightened his back as he faced the men. There were several men in the same uniform as those in the forest. The same uniforms as the ones I helped kill. One of the men turned to another, whispering something in his ear before turning to walk further into the city. I watched him walk away, sunlight catching on the necklace he wore before glancing over to Atlas, but his attention was trained fully on the others.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting my father to pull out such a warm welcome,” Atlas said with a laugh. There was no humor in his voice. Asmile twisted the corner of his lips, but it stopped there. His eyes followed every move they made.
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be!” one yelled out.
Atlas raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. Several of them took a half step back. Others immediately placed their hands on the handles of their swords.
“Lead the way, boys. I’d hate to keep my father waiting.” My stomach dropped as his face twisted into a grimace.
His words were all they needed. Swords were drawn as we were encircled. I grabbed the edges of my cloak with my free hand, trying to hide its shaking. Pain radiated from the center of my back as the hilt of a sword jabbed into it. The pastry I had was sent flying to the ground.
“Move!” one of them barked at me.
I glanced over to Atlas, but he was still avoiding my gaze.
“Good luck with that.” He chuckled instead as he started walking. “She hasn’t listened to me once.”
“That when you started using her to get your dick wet?”
The laugh had barely left the man’s lips before it was cut off. Atlas moved before any of them could react. There was a crack as the man’s wrist was snapped backward. His sword clattered to the ground. His scream was cut to a gurgle as Atlas’ fist met his face. I flinched at the sickening crunch that followed. The other man dropped to the ground, struggling to decide if he wanted to hold his limp wrist or nose that was gushing blood. Atlas didn’t let him get far, though. He fisted the man’s shirt, raising him far enough from the ground so he could look into his eyes as he spoke.
“Never forget who I am. I did everything he asked for. It’s the only reason I’m allowing this little show to continue.” With a flick of his hand, the man was sent back to the ground where he landed on his back with a thump and following groan. “As I said before, lead the way, boys.”
Hands were shaking as the swords were slowly sheathed. The show of them being in charge had crumbled around them. Two of them moved to help the man on the ground. With each one grabbing his shoulders, they carried him back toward the entrance of the city. In awordless order, the one who had called out to Atlas first nodded before continuing in the direction we had been headed.
My eyes were stuck to the pool of blood on the stones. A hand on my shoulder pushed me forward. I stumbled before quickly finding my footing. I sucked down a steadying breath as I moved with the crowd. Atlas’ message was clear. Masks were back on. The man I had come to care for wasn’t going to be found while we were here. My back straightened as we walked further into the city. The views of the shops were cut off by the tight ring of people around us. A heavy weight settled on my shoulders as my stomach churned. I thought I would at least have Atlas by my side during this. No part of me thought we would have to pretend. Yet, it made sense now. Realization dawned on me that maybe I should’ve listened to Atlas’ warnings before we left. The silence settled around us, the only noise being the rhythmic footsteps falling all around. I had no idea what I had gotten myself in to. Now, it was too late to do anything but keep moving forward.
Atlas’ home quickly loomed over us. The only thing taller than it was the mountains it was built into. As we got closer to it, the buildings around us disappeared until there was nothing but the path we walked on. There were no voices around us, no animals calling to each other in the distance. Even the footsteps seemed to be coming down slower to be as quiet as possible. It was the closest thing to true silence I had experienced on this journey.
The men stepped to the side, slowing down until Atlas and I were in the front. A sacrifice for the building before us.
It was made from dark wood; stone steps led up to the front door. It was several stories high with windows everywhere. There wasn’t a single sign of life coming from inside. No candles burning, even though the mountains cast long shadows that darkened this section of town. Tension was thick in the air.
For the first time since the others joined us, Atlas looked at me. Any sign on happiness was drained from his eyes. His lips were pressed in atight line. The shadow cast in dark lines along his face made him look exhausted. My fingers twitched with the want to comfort him. A deep scream echoed from somewhere inside the house. Atlas’ lips tugged down as his head snapped up toward the door.
“Go,” he muttered. I followed his gaze to the door, waiting for someone to come out or to even cry out again. Nothing but the silence continued to stretch out. “Go on, witch. Don’t make me tell you again.”
My head jerked back to Atlas, to find him staring down at me. I glazed over at the door before looking back at him. There was a quiet chuckle from somewhere behind us. My shoulders straightened as I stood to my full height. I was still much shorter than Atlas, but it helped my nerves as I turned back to the house. This was what I agreed to. A deep breath steadied my shaking hands as I climbed up the stairs.
