Page 70 of The Hidden Falling
And as he softens the kiss and rubs his nose against mine, I know I will remember this moment as one of those precious ones. Where he let himself indulge, and I let myself be selfish until we go back to reality.
Thirty Six
Rhea
Itrudgeupthesteps to the healer’s cabin in the dark of night the next day, the air warming with summer approaching. Anna opens the door for me silently, looking around for signs of anyone else before letting me in.
I’ve been doing checks around Eridian all day since talking to Solvier last week, making sure all is well, which it is. There have been no signs of anything wrong and The Deadlands atop the cliffs are quiet. A bit too quiet after having such high activity recently. The Elite search party has been coming back empty handed and frustrated every so often, finding nothing in their search for Sarah. Darius was furious this morning with them, his face murderous as he spoke harshly to his men. It seemed that Leo was trying to talk him down, but Darius just shook his head and walked off with Maize, their heads bent together talking. Leo, Damian, Jerrod and Zaide held back, choosing not to follow after Darius. They watched me and the guys closely as we passed them, and I didn’t like the look in their eyes. They were hard and cold, far more so than usual, and it makes me wonder just what was said because I hadn’t seen Darius since. Since the vow was made, all Elites have been more laid back, so seeing them like that has rattled me a little.
I wonder if their deadline is approaching.
“She’s awake,” Anna whispers, bringing me back to her, and she nods her head for me to go through the door to Sarah’s room. She hasn’t left this room since she’s been here, over three months now, making this space her own. Not that she could leave the cabin if she wanted to with the Elites turning up.
I enter her space with Anna behind me, closing the door softly. Sarah sits on the bed, looking at something in her hands before she notices us. She quickly puts the item beneath her covers on the bed before getting herself comfortable. She’s looking better with the weight she has gained and with her healing increasing now that the dassil flower’s effects are fully out of her system now.
She’s made the room her own. Scattered papers with drawings litter the room’s surfaces, paints and dried flowers haphazardly collected together on a table in the corner. I see several different varieties of them. Who’s been bringing her flowers? I give her a smile as I bring a chair from the side of the room, dragging it toward the bed and taking a seat.
“Hey,” she smiles, her toffee eyes lighter than they have ever been. “I saw you just last week, I didn’t think you would be back so soon.” Neither did I, but I said I would keep her updated, and I will. I’ve been sneaking into the cabin when I can in the night, making sure no one is around to notice. Apart from the couple nights I’ve seen her, Josh has been keeping her company when he can, but we have been busy for the last week.
“It’s just a quick update,” I tell her, and then steel myself for what I’m about to tell her, unsure how she will react. I wanted to be the one to tell her myself. “There was a man in the forest last week. He tried to grab one of our girls, Sam.” She tenses at my words, and her worried eyes lock with mine.
“Is she okay?” Her voice trembles as she asks, but my heart warms that even though she doesn’t know this girl, she’s still worried for her.
“She’s shaken up, but Kade is with her.” He hasn’t left her side since. She won’t let him, and he can’t refuse her. “We don’t know who this man was as there is no sign of him now. Sam said he was as tall as Josh with dark hair and his eyes were brown, possibly lighter, but then maybe blue. She also said he smelled like bad iron. Do you possibly know of anyone like that?” The thought crossed my mind that it could be someone else looking for Sarah, and even though I doubt it, I have to ask her.
She thinks for a moment before eventually shaking her head. “No, not that I know of. Though I don’t know for sure because my memory is still blurry from them giving me the drug,” she whispers. I nod, assuming as much. “Do you think it’s someone from my pack?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I tell her. “We haven’t had anyone come to Eridian unless we brought them here. Now the Elites are here and a male suddenly appears only to disappear again.”
“Are the Elites still looking for me?” She picks at her fingernails, waiting for my answer.
“They are. Their search party came back from The Deadlands today and found nothing. I don’t think they have long left on their time limit and should be going soon. It seems tensions are running high. The Elites that are using the spare cabin are slowly healing, but Anna can speed that up when we need her too. There is not much that can still keep them here.”
“Those Elites are nearly healed,” Anna says from her position by the door. “They should be ready to go in a few days if I let them. Their witch, Maize, has been helping. She is a very curious one, so I’ve had to be careful with what I do. She’s not a healer, though she knows the basics, so I try to occupy her with other things when she’s around them.”
“What do you mean curious?” I question her.
“She always watches me closely when I tend to the Elites, and I’ve also seen her watching the pack when she thinks no one notices. She stays hidden and far back unless she eats dinner with us at the gathering. I don’t like it, Rhea.” She moves to lean against the table beside Sarah’s bed, her brows scrunched in worry.
Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen her around all that much. A few times at dinner at the gathering, but that’s it, and she didn’t go with the search party into The Deadlands. So what has she been doing?
“What level witch is she?” I ask Anna.
“High, if I were to take a guess.”
“That’s worrisome,” I mutter, and sit back in my seat in thought. “If she was up to something that she shouldn’t be, we would know about it by now, right?”
Anna sighs, a curtain of red curls flowing around her face as she looks down toward her feet. “I don’t know if she is up to something or just curious, but it’s just strange how she observes us so closely, especially me when I’m healing. I know this place is new to her, but she takes that curiosity to another level. I’ve seen her try to talk to a few members, but she gets nothing from them. She tries to talk to Kade a lot when she sees him, but he just straight up ignores her,” she huffs. “We’re loyal, we won’t tell her shit. But she never seems overly frustrated when she gets shut down and then stomps off into the forest.”
“I will keep an eye on her and ask around. No one has come to me about her yet, so maybe her curiosity is innocent, but it’s worth asking them anyway. If the Elites are ready to be fully healed, a few more days and they will be leaving if their time limit is up. We will have to see.” Anna’s eyes turn sad at the thought, and I give her a small smile.
“You will still be going with them then?” Sarah asks, already knowing about me going to the Highers. Josh updated her on that.
I nod. “Yeah. I committed a crime against the Elites, and with the vow I made with Darius, you will all be safe.”
Sarah looks down at her hands before tucking some of her dark hair behind her ear. “It’s my fault the Elites are here in the first place,” she whispers. “You shouldn’t be punished when it’s my fault.
I reach forward slowly and take her hand in mine. I wait for her eyes to come to me before telling her. “It was my choice to go into The Deadlands, and it was my choice to do what I did to try and stop them from finding Eridian, even if it didn’t end up the way I wanted,” I laugh sadly, shaking my head. “But it was my choice to do what I did, just like it was your choice in choosing to live and come here.” Tears fill her eyes, and she squeezes my hand tightly in her grip. “Never feel bad for making that choice. The situation isn’t the best right now, but we will make do. We always make do with what we have. The pack will be in good hands with Kade with many guiding him, especially Josh while I’m gone.” At the mention of him, a smile spreads across her face, and my own genuine smile appears.
