Page 59 of Spirit Trials
I relax. “Oh, okay.”
The one in the middle smirks. “What were you going to do if we were being mean?”
“Bury a knife in your thigh,” I say with complete confidence.
“Ooo.”
“Ouch.”
His friends razz him, but he shakes it off and steps forward with a smirk. “And who are you, Beautiful?”
“Leave her, Maritus,” Harper warns. “It won’t end well for you.”
The guy must not believe her because he steps closer. “I’m not leaving until I get a name.”
I shake my head but can’t help my smile. “It’s Farrah.”
He steps even closer. “Well, Farrah, I’m really glad you decided to come with Harper tonight.”
I cross my arms across my chest. “Are you now?”
“I am.”
Suddenly, the ground behind us begins to tremble. Maritus looks behind me, and I watch as his face tightens. “Riders from the Wolf Kingdom!” somebody shouts. Pandemonium ensues, and I’m suddenly at the center of it. “Did you bring them?” Maritus asks, yanking me towards him.
“What? No.”
He jerks me around and suddenly, there’s a knife at my throat. Shock ripples through me; I didn’t even have a chance to reach for my knife. “What are you doing, Maritus?” Harper shrieks. “Let her go!”
“She brought them here!” He yells back, and I feel his arm tighten around me. I feel his muscles tense, and I realize what he’s going to do. I prepare to shove his hand away from my throat and grab my knife, but before I can move, Maritus jerks away from me and falls to the ground, a knife embedded in his chest. I stare down at him in horror. His eyes stare vacantly up at the sky. People around us scream, and I don’t know what to do in the chaos.
And then Rysden is in front of me, fury in his gaze. “We’re leaving now.” He doesn’t wait for me to say a word. He puts his hands around my waist and practically throws me on top of his horse. Before I can fully wrap my mind around everything, he’s behind me and we’re riding away. I catch sight of Shade running next to us before Lox and Jamik close in on either side of us, and I see Hector behind us, making sure we get away safely.
“Wait,” I call out. Rysden just keeps going. “My friends!” I try to look back, but I can’t see anything around Rysden’s torso. “We have to go back!” I shout. I try to reach for the reins, but he keeps them out of my hands and wraps a massive arm around me,effectively stilling me. I close my eyes as we thunder through the night, wondering how this all went so wrong. I think of Maritus’ lifeless gaze and squeeze my eyes shut. I made such a mess of everything.
The ride back to the city is made in absolute silence. I can feel the tension radiating off Rysden, and he has yet to say a word. When we get to the entrance to the city, the guards don’t even bother stopping us. They take one look at Rysden and his men and open the side door for us. I notice that my horse and the horse Harper rode are with us as well, killing any chance I had of them coming back here tonight.
We ride through the city at a quick trot. Before I’m ready, we’re back at Rysden’s castle. He dismounts and doesn’t bother helping me off the horse, not that I need it. I head towards the house, hoping to escape his wrath. If I can just get to my room, I can lock the door and not have to face him. As soon as I’m inside, I race to the stairs. I’m almost to the top when the front door opens. I don’t turn back to see who it is.
“Farrah.” Rysden doesn’t yell, and yet the impact is the same as if he had. I freeze for a moment before I keep going. “Don’t make me come get you.”
I wonder how empty a threat it is, and then I remember it’s Rysden we’re talking about. I take a breath and then begin my descent, cursing myself for not being faster. I go as slow as possible, dreading this conversation. I’m in so much trouble. I stop at the base of the stairs. When nobody says anything, I turn around, intending to sneak back upstairs.
“Farrah,” Rysden calls again.
I blow out a breath and make my way towards the main room. When I get to the doorway, I quickly take in the details. Lox is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking way too casual for this meeting. Hector is sitting at the table shaving a piece of wood with his knife. Jamik is sitting at anotherend of the table with his head down. And then there’s Rysden. He’s standing next to the table, feet spread wide, arms across his chest. Shade sits on the floor next to him. I stop suddenly because I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I know that it’s all one hundred percent my fault. I make the mistake of meeting Rysden’s dark eyes and look away quickly and try to find some equilibrium. I pull out a chair and sink into it and then just beat them to it. “I messed up.” It’s silent in the room, and I finally look up.
“What happened?” Rysden’s words are clipped.
Knowing it’s time to own up to my failures, I start at the beginning and tell them every sordid detail, hating myself more and more with every word that comes out of my mouth. When I finally finish, it’s so quiet I can hear my own heart beating. “I’m sorry.” I look up and meet Rysden’s eyes and then make myself meet each of the other guy’s eyes. I realize just how bad things really are when Lox doesn’t give me an ounce of a smile.
It's quiet for a minute or two, and I struggle not to squirm in my seat. “You guys can go to bed; I’ve got this,” Rysden says. At first no one moves, but then Hector pushes out of his seat and leaves the room without a word. Jamik is next, and Lox follows on his heels. When he walks past me without a word, my heart falls. I stare down at the table, too afraid to look up at Rysden. After the guys leave, it’s quiet until a chair is pulled out across from me.
“I know you’re angry,” I begin.
“I’m not angry.” At his words, hope fills me. I glance up quickly, but he dashes that hope when he says, “I’m furious.”
I wince. “I’m really sorry, Rysden.” My voice is soft. “I know that’s not enough.” I drop my head again. “I’ll work to pay you back everything I owe you.”
