Page 3 of The Dark Rising
Rhea
Ilandinaclearing, my head spinning as I collapse on the grassy ground. I wretch, pain and exhaustion rattling through me so intensely that a whine escapes me. My body trembles, my shoulders shaking as I hold onto the ground, the only solid thing I feel as I squeeze my eyes shut. I tilt to the side, dizziness overcoming me before I catch myself, shaking my head to clear it. Breathing through my nose, I dig my fingers into the earth, feeling its coolness in the dark of night to ground me.
Hearing a sniffle, I turn my head and open my tear-filled eyes to see Anna’s reflecting the same anguish I feel. Her eyes stream tears over her swollen and bloody face as she scans our surroundings. Her hair is a mess of red curls as she gets to her feet, her body shaking like mine. Betrayal runs through me, and I dig deeper into the dirt beneath me.
She had a port stone, she took us away from Kade, they all did.
“Rhea,” Josh whispers, and I turn my head to him as he crawls toward me, his face twisted.
A sob escapes me, unable to hold it in as I see the heartbreak in his gray eyes. He reaches out with both hands to cup my face, but I slap them away, seeing him flinch at my refusal, but he comes back again, pressing our foreheads together.
“You took me away from there,” I growl.
“We didn’t have any other choice,” he says gruffly. “We were surrounded and the Highers were coming for us.”
“We could have fought, we could have tried harder, we could have—“
“Shhh, Milal, there was nothing we could have done.” I know this, deep down I know, but we just left him there to those monsters.
“Kade,” I hiccup, bringing my hands up and gripping his wrist, my fingers digging into his skin.
“I know.” His voice cracks, and he gently guides my head to his shoulder. Bringing his arms around me, he holds me against him, careful of the injuries on my back.
I shake like a leaf against him, remembering Kade’s hurtful words, him severing our links and his refusal to come with me. “He hates me,” I cry. “He hates us, Josh, he wouldn’t come to me. I begged him, and he wouldn’t come.”
“He’s not himself,” he says soothingly. Saying nothing else but just holding me as I break. I hear shuffling as another body sits next to us, followed by another as their hands gently touch me, trying to comfort me.
“You all took me away from him,” I blubber. “You all did.” My head is a mess of emotions. I don’t know how to rein them in, who to point my anger at.
“We had to go, Milal, please understand,” Josh whispers. “We would have died if we didn’t.” But what of Kade?
“Oh Gods,” I croak, “Josie… Danny.” They’re dead. Murdered, gone. A muffled scream comes from me as I press tightly against Josh’s shoulder, Runa whining inside of me. I won’t ever see them again, see Josie teasing Danny and how they looked at each other with so much love.
Someone touches my forehead softly, and I open my wet eyes, gasping between my cries. Colten’s crouched behind Josh, his brown eyes so full of sorrow, and it makes me cry even harder, a horrible keening sound coming from me for all that we have lost. All that has happened.
“Shhh, Milal.” Josh rocks me from side to side, his voice gruff, and I feel wetness drip into my hairline where he rests his face.
I cry. Cry and scream and wail as I grip onto Josh tightly, trying to make this pain stop. To make it all go away. They shouldn’t have died, they should have been here with us, should have been in Eridian. Kade should have been in Eridian. They all should have stayed in Eridian.
It was supposed to be me, only me.
My cries and the others’ are the only thing to be heard into the dead of night. Not a rustle of leaves or a scurry of an animal can be heard over our pain. We stay like this for a long time. My pack surrounds me as we grieve together, being close as we try to comfort each other the best we can. My sobs eventually lessen, my breathing steadier as I peel my eyes open and move back. Josh squeezes me one more time before he lets go, wiping his own eyes with the back of his hand.
Taylor and Sebastian stand, looking around the clearing, searching for any danger. Anna joins them next, her own cheeks wet as they speak and point in a direction as Taylor nods.
“You okay, pup?” I hear Hudson murmur, and I look toward him speaking to Colten. He pulls Colten toward him, holding the back of his dark head as his shoulders shake, his hands gripping the side of his waist tightly. I swallow the lump in my throat as Hudson’s blue eyes meet mine over Colten’s head, his jaw tight as he grips him even tighter.
Gone are the bickering pair, only heartache is left.
I breathe in deep before standing slowly, Josh holding my arm to keep me steady. My vision wavers from the pain and I shake my head to clear it. Burning in my wrist draws a hiss of agony from me, and both Josh and I look down at the cuffs on my wrists to see them glowing, lighting up with runes.
“We need to get these off you,” Josh murmurs, tracing the runes with a finger.
I nod, willing some of the power I had before to try and break the cuffs on my wrists, but none comes. It’s all gone. I grunt, bringing a hand up to try and pull at them, trying to get them off, but it’s useless. I sag forward against Josh, heaving through ragged breaths and he holds on to me.
“It’s terbium,” I sniffle, and he sucks in a sharp breath.
“Fuck,” he whispers. “You won’t heal as quickly with them on.”I’m not healing at all.
