Page 98 of The Lands Defying
I can feel his confusion at why we are talking down the link.
I don’t look at him, I can’t, I just keep my eyes on Josh.
I pull the port stone out of my pocket and hold it in my bloodied hand, and then grip Josh’s arm with the other.
“Rhea…” Darius questions, breathing heavily. “What are you doing?”
I do look at him, then. His face is hard, bloody. I can still see the fury residing in his eyes as his hand is still in a fist, aimed for the now barely-breathing Frederick.
“I’ll be back,” I croak out to him.
I need to see, I need to do this now and not have him wonder if the area is safe or even try to stop me.
Darius’s eyes flash, hand reaching for me, but I’m already gone.
Twenty Six
Rhea
We land softly, the feeling of being squeezed, leaving me as I blink my eyes open in the afternoon light. Another wave of dizziness hits me and Josh is there, steadying me.
“Shit, Rhea. You good?” No, I’m not. I think I tore open my thigh wound even more, my throat feels like it’s closing up and a rib may be broken. I nod at him anyway, my eyes squeezing shut as I breathe through my nose. “We shouldn’t have come here, we should have stayed and then gone back to Vokheim Keep and had Anna look you over.” I peel my eyes open, seeing the blood and bruises on his face, and it instantly makes me feel guilty.
I reach up and place my hand over his own on my arm. “I’m sorry, Josh. I shouldn’t have brought you here. You need to get back to Sarah.”
He shakes his head, squeezing my hand. “Of course I would go with you.” I go to open my mouth but he cuts me off. “No, I’m not going to leave you to do this alone, whatever we are here for.”
I sigh, releasing his hand and rubbing my eyes. “We are about to find out.” He eyes me, but says nothing.
We move through the trees that surround Eridian, the eerie quietness around us unsettling as we listen carefully for anyone.
“It’s strange,” Josh says as we walk through the forest.
“It is. It doesn’t feel like just months ago the pack were running through the woods, howling to the moon, and playing with each other.”
“We had no idea what was coming for us,” he sighs.
“We didn’t, and we didn’t have a chance to stop it.”
I pause when we come to the lilk trees that were once full of vibrant color, but are now lifeless and dead.
“Gods.” Tears prick my eyes as I move forward, feeling the fallen branches snap beneath my feet. I place my hand on the dull, birch bark, closing my eyes as a tear finally falls.
I sense nothing within, not a beat of life, not a source of company. Nothing.
My hands dig into the tree and I grit my teeth at the unfairness of it all, of the wrongness.
It is more proof that Solvier is no more. The guardian who protected this place, who was also my friend.
A pull on my hand has me opening my eyes again, and Josh nods his head toward our home. Or whatwasour home.
With one last sorrowful look at the lilk tree, I follow him, our steps slow and steady to avoid anyone who may be here.
But not a single heartbeat to be heard, or any sign of life. It reminds me of The Deadlands, and I shiver at the thought.
It doesn’t take us long to come across the first cabin of our home on the outskirts, the windows broken and pieces of furniture lay carelessly outside, trashed on the ground and in shambles.
“There is no one here,” Josh whispers as he looks around.
