Page 107 of Spirit Trials
“Your Highness, please. She’s a traitor.”
That was the wrong thing to say. I hear a scuffle, and then I hear Rysden’s voice. “For every mark I find on her body, you’ll receive double.” Rysden pauses and all I can hear is heavy breathing from the guard. “You’d better hope she doesn’t have very many bruises and marks.” And then I hear a dragging, scuffling sound right before a door clangs shut. I jerk at the noise.
“Please, Your Highness.”
Heavy steps come towards me and stop right in front of me. I finally manage to turn my head. Just seeing Rysden’s boots makes me almost start crying. Then he’s crouching down next to me, and his dark eyes meet mine. I shiver at the absolute furythere. “How badly are you hurt?” he asks, his voice dangerously low.
I’m not one for drama, but he also needs to know what he’s dealing with so we can get out of here before something else happens. “I can’t move.”
He stares at me even as a shadow passes over his face. “Will I hurt you if I pick you up?”
“I’ll be fine.” I’m not about to stay here; I don’t care how much pain I’m in. He stares at me and then his eyes pass over my body, but I know he can’t see everything, even using Shade’s vision to be able to see in the dark. Most of the damage is under my clothes.
“Okay.” There’s no emotion in his voice. He leans forward and puts an arm under my knees and another one behind my back and lifts me gently into his arms. Even as gentle as he is, I can’t help but cry out in pain. He stills for a moment and then begins walking. It’s absolute silence around us, and I wonder where all the guards are. I feel us climbing stairs.
Somehow, we get through the castle and outside. I blink at the bright light and turn my head towards Rysden’s chest. He stops a few moments later. “I didn’t think this through.” I open my eyes and see his dark ones staring into mine. “All I have is my horse.”
“I’ll do it.”
“But—” he starts.
“Please, Rysden; please just get us out of here. I’ll survive the ride,” my words are barely a whisper.
His jaw tightens and all emotion once again leaves his face. He lifts me onto the saddle, and I slump forward. Rysden settles in behind me and pulls me gently against his body with his arm around my waist, holding me against him. Every bounce fills me with agony, and I can tell Rysden is going slow because of me.
“Just go,” I say through gritted teeth. “Get us home.” All I can think of is that more guards might come after us. Rysden must agree, though, because he kicks his heels, and we take off towards his home. It’s not a long ride, but I still have a hard time staying awake for it.
“Stay awake, Wildheart,” Rysden says next to my ear. “Don’t go to sleep on me.” I try, but my eyes keep drifting shut. Finally, we get to the castle and Rysden jerks his horse to a stop. Rysden pushes me forward gently, so I’m leaning against the horse’s neck. He jumps down and then reaches up for me and carries me inside. The next little bit is a blur. Now that I’m safe, it’s like my body finally realizes the trauma it’s been through. And everything feels like it’s on fire.
“Farrah!”
“What did they do to her?”
“Is she alive?”
I hear Kinsley and Harper’s voices but can’t open my eyes to respond. “Back off,” Rysden barks at them. “Shade let’s go.”
And then I hear a voice that nearly makes me cry.Why didn’t you fight back?
Solace?I reach out mentally.
Who else would it be?She snaps back. I almost smile.I felt your pain through our bond and tried to give you strength, but you closed the pathway. That was stupid!
I didn’t mean to.Honestly, I didn’t know I had done that.
She gives a dramatic sigh.After we get through this, I will teach you how to pull from my strength so that this never happens again. After I feast on the carcasses of those who injured you.
She says it so calmly, it takes a moment for her words to hit me.There will be no feasting on carcasses...of humans anyway.
Solace snorts.Says the human who can’t get out of bed.
Solace,I start. I feel a burst of anger, and it takes me a moment to realize it’s not mine.Solace?I hear her low growl, and her body pushes closer to mine. I snap my eyes open to see what the danger is. It takes me only a moment to realize who it is she’s growling at.Why are you growling at Shade?
Because he’s making me mad.
She doesn’t share anything more, and I’m too tired and in pain to think about it. A wet, rough tongue licks my cheek, startling me. I jerk and curse myself when it causes my entire body to hurt.
“Easy,” Rysden says from right next to me. “She’s just helping to take your pain away and heal you.”
