Page 50 of Of Nightmares & Fire
I nudge Khol’s flank, and he starts off into the desert. I glance behind us; far in the distance, firelight dances as the city surrounding the palace is likely preparing to turn in for the night. Either that or the king is already gathering his horde of fear-bound soldiers to search for the princess. The latter would not be good for our travels. We have wasted too much time as it is, but I also don’t want to shock Astraea, who has barely traveled outside of the palace, much less this far beyond its walls.
I let Khol take up a steady pace, nothing too slow to not give us the distance we need, but also slow enough that the woman riding in front of me can take in the beauty the desert has to offer. It's not always as such, and before long she will likely see just how brutal and unforgiving the desert can be. Hopefully it's not too long, though, and my magick is restored. Then I can rend us a portal to the dunes.
“When I was a little girl, I used to sneak out of the castle. There is a lone tree at the highest point of the grounds. I would climb it as often as I could manage without getting caught. On nights like tonight, as summer is beginning to creep in, I felt like the tree reached for the stars like an outstretched hand. A little closer to the divine.” I can almost feel her smiling up at the stars as she speaks, and I follow her line of sight; only a smile isn’t what comes to my face. My brows furrow as I think of the tree she speaks of. “I wouldclimb all the way to the top, and I would look out over the city and beyond to the sands of the desert that make up our kingdom, and I would wish for grand adventures, for a life that I couldlive. I would tell myself I would get away. I would survive.” That last sentence surprises me, but I wait, enjoying the sound of her voice as she opens her past up to me. When she remains silent, I decide to offer her some truth of my own.
“That tree was planted with magick. It’s no wonder you were fond of its branches. I, too, would find solace and fond memories there.” My arms wrap around her a little more snugly, and she leans her head back into my chest.
“I feel like tonight, that little girl's dreams are finally coming true. Like I am not just surviving butliving.” She swipes tears away from her eyes, and I feel her swallow hard at least a handful of times. I know she’s trying to be strong and not let the emotion flood her. It’s always what someone does when they are taught that showing any emotion, especially something so raw as sorrow, is inadequate and weak. I know the feeling all too well.
“You are.” I say into the top of her head, looking up to the sky, and the fallen, I hope, are watching over us now.I hope you know what you are doing.I tell them through my silent prayers to the stars.
She continues to cry far longer than I anticipated. Silently, I hold her through it a little more securely than necessary. I want her to know she is not alone. As the night yawns and the expanse between the palace and us grows, so does my trepidation for what is inevitably going to come.
Eventually, I come to feel sorry for the sorrow she feels, and using my magick, I let a little bit of shadowy sand pool in my hand and sprinkle it over her as I lean down and whisper in her ear.
“Sleep, Shula. You deserve the peace it will bring.” If she finds out that I have used my magick on her more than once now, I’m sure there will be a fight, but I hope that through everything she will understand I only ever have used it for good with her. I know it's not the wisest choice, but when I am trying to regain power, it is something I have to do. For her, and for me. I needed time to think about everything, not having to worry that my thoughts might be too loud as well.
Chapter thirty-five
Astraea
ThewarmthofKyrosat my back and the chill his breath gives as it skitters across the nape of my neck as he leans in and whispers for me to sleep are the last things I remember before enviably submitting to the demand. My eyes flutter closed, and like drifting on a cloud of smoke, I am taken into the space that lives between consciousness.
In this relaxed midnight euphoria, my body drifts on the dark wind. The breeze that carries me through the ocean of darkness is far from cold, though; it’s more like the wind of a paradise. Warm, calm, and fluid, until I am drawn to a flicker in the dark. Sitting up, I look at the faraway spark of light with a curioustilt of my head. That warm feeling I’ve come to notice around Kyros engulfs me, threatening to cast me alight if I come any closer. My feet touch the ground, and dark earth crumbles beneath my bare toes as the dream state changes and trees begin to come into view.
The light feeling in my heart blows away with the shadows around me when I shake my head, and recognition slaps me in the face. The muscle sinks like a stone into my stomach. I wait for the thundering gallop. The screeching scream. The flashing white trees as I speed down the dirt road… but none of it comes. I’m standing in delirium as I spin in a circle trying to make sense of the scene. The forest that surrounds me is silent as it stares back at me.
“Hello?” I whisper and hesitantly begin walking warily in the direction I’ve always been chased from. No monster of the dark reaches its shadowy claws for me, but I know I haven’t left the place it haunts. My feet pick up pace as I try to see beyond the dense brush, but the canopy is too thick. It shadows what is beneath, other than the bark of the trees that are stark white; a fence of bones in the night.
With each step I take, the rocky dirt road crunches beneath my feet, and the more my heart begins to race. Warmth tracks over my cheek, and I press my fingers there, thinking that tears have escaped. To my surprise, it’s dry. Again and again the feeling caresses my cheek softly until I finally close my eyes and lean into the feeling.
“Shula. Come back to me.” I hear the deep whisper. Feel it in the breath against my face. The heat tracks through my hair, and I feel it under the base of my skull. “Come back to me.” My eyes flutteropen. Sunshine is blaringly bright in my bleary eyes. Kyros’ face blots out the direct path, though. It highlights around him like a golden halo around the darkest divine. His brows dip deep as he looks down at me. The heat on my nape is still there, cradling my head. Slowly as I regain consciousness, I realize it is his hand and his fingers woven into my hair and holding me snugly to his chest.
“Kyros?” I say groggily, still not entirely sure if I have come out of the dream state.
“Yes, Shula. It’s me. Time to wake up.” He says, running his thumb along my cheekbone gently. He kneels to my right, urging me to sit up with another hand pressing firmly on my back. Once I’m seated, my eyes widen as I take everything in. Khol and Eidola are happily eating some desert grasses just beyond where Kyros is to my right. Palm leaves are sprawled out beneath me, and the tree they came from is providing the shade we are cast in. Desert shrubs of shades of green and brown line my sight to the left, but it’s what is right in front of me that causes my breath to catch. It’s like a vision from a dream. An alternate reality. Something I have only seen in books and never imagined I would be able to see with my own two eyes.
“Is—this a mirage?” I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Pink and white flowers bloom from plants sprouting from the sun-bleached sand in beautiful bouquets. Birds chirp and whistle overhead, from trees and while gliding through the heated air. The beautiful song coming together with the sound of cicadas buzzing in the distance. At the center of the vision, with tall cream-cast sanddunes as a backdrop, an oasis of crystalline water shines brilliantly. It reflects the sun and splendor all around us.
“Welcome to Elysia.” Kyros says, looking away from me and to the small city sprinkled around the oasis. My eyes snap to him, my jaw falling open a small amount as I recognize the name.
“The land leading to the realm of the dead?” I whisper, as though the ghosts from the stories I have heard will come for me if I speak too loudly.
“You know of it?” He asks, offering me a hand as he stands.
“I have heard stories.” I say, accepting his outstretched hand and then dusting myself off. Grit has settled everywhere from our travels. The blowing sand, sweat, and the balms for protecting us from the sun’s harsh rays have me feeling the most dirty I have felt in a very long while, possibly ever. My body aches, and I could probably kill for a drink and a bath.
“Surprising that a princess would be privy to such stories.” He chuckles.
“It would be, but I am not a normal princess, and I don’t much like being told what to do.” I shrug, and that chuckle rumbles from his chest once more.
“You don’t say…” He teases, one side of his mouth tilting up at the corner. “Let’s go, Shula. We need to get a room, a meal, and a bath. I think we are both—” My mouth falls completely before I snap it shut and cut off his words.
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Mister Kahzal.” His smile flashes briefly before he narrows his eyes on me.
“Mister Kahzal was the man who raised me… You can find something better to call me if you refuse my first name, but I was merely suggesting we are both in need of some humanity after such a long couple days.” He wasn’t wrong. It's like he dove into my head and stole the thoughts right from it.
“I have to be honest…” I start, and Kyros takes my hand, clicking his tongue at the horses; they follow as he begins leading us toward the sandstone buildings.
