Page 93 of In Between Darkness
“No. I can’t leave her,” I sob and hold on to her tighter.
The rain becomes heavier, and the sound of lightning makes me quake. I rest my head on hers and lie with her for a moment.
“Please come back. I can’t do this without you,” I whisper to her, hoping that she hears my cries. “Please.”
I sob gently into her and confront the memories rushing to my mind. I wish I could go back in time. My tears fall onto her face and roll down her cheeks almost as if they are her own.
“We have to go. The rain is going to get worse, and an elion can’t fly in such weather,” Craize reminds me, and I know he is right.
I reluctantly place Nala’s head onto the icy ground and get to my feet. My stomach drops at the thought of leaving her here. All alone. But I am not strong enough to lift her. If I ride to the taming quadrant, I can get help to come back and bring her body home. I untie my jumper from around her leg and use it as a blanket, covering her slightly to keep her dignity. Using the backs of my hands, I wipe the tears from my eyes and tell myself to pull it together. She’s gone, and there’s nothing I can do aboutit. Craize’s wing is lowered for me as he waits for me to get onto his back. I hesitate; it feels wrong to leave. Kareem looks at me with grief in his eyes. I know he feels terrible.
“It’s not your fault,” I whisper to Kareem, placing my hand in the fur between his eyes. He nuzzles me, but I can still feel his pain. I finally begin the climb onto Craize’s back, admitting defeat, my vision is blurred through the wall of tears. My knees could buckle with the weight of the guilt I feel. I should’ve told her everything; she was mybestfriend, and now I feel so alone.
“Asha?”
My head snaps towards the ice where her body lies. I drop my jaw in disbelief and wipe my eyes so I can see her more clearly. Nala is sitting upright, rubbing the back of her head with a perplexed expression.
“What happened?” she asks, and I drop back to the ground and run as fast as I can to her aid, skipping over the jagged edges of the rocks on my way to her. Her flesh is pink, and her cheeks are rosy. The deep gash that was once open, draining her blood, is closed and nonexistent. She stands effortlessly, and her ankle does not cry out in pain. Her shin bone is hidden under her muscle and skin, no longer exposed.
“B-But you were dead…” I mutter in shock. “I saw you die.”
I try to comprehend what I am seeing. I forget the logic and pull her into a tight hug. The rain stops in a flash.
“I know… I was dead, and now I’m here.” She looks as puzzled as I am. “I felt something when you were holding me…a warmth.” Her words are muffled into my shoulder. I never want to let her go.
“You brought me back, Asha…How did you bring me back?”
“I-I’m not entirely sure,” I explain whilst checking her skin for any cuts or marks. She is in perfect health, and her skin doesnot have a blemish on it. I did this? Nala is clearly confused; she looks down to where her lifeless body lay just a moment ago.
“Wasn’t this covered in ice a minute ago?” she asks, studying the melted ground. She kneels slowly and ushers me down to her level. The ice has thawed, and the dark rock of the mountain edge is exposed where her body lay. It is no longer barren and destitute, as a dozen bright lilac flowers flourish between the cracks. I gulp. I’ve seen these flowers before in the greenhouse, that day with River.
“A Restorer creates life where there is none,” Nala recites as if she is reading straight out of the Book of Gifts.
Her eyes widen as she looks into my soul. “But you’re not a Restorer. I saw the light you yield with my own eyes.”
She plucks one of the flowers from the bed of rock and twizzles the stem between her fingers, clearly trying to piece the puzzle together in her mind. My heart begins to race; through all these intense feelings of relief and joy, I have forgotten the part that comes next. I have to tell her my secret. But I have already lost her once, and I can’t bear to lose her again. Her eyes sparkle with life as she sits down on a flat rock behind her. I am done being selfish.
“I have an explanation…for all of this,” I blurt out in one breath.
She looks up at me as I take a seat next to her. The wind stills, and the sun peeps through the clouds. There is still a bite to the air, but it is not as ferocious as before. Kareem and Craize are shaking the water off their wings and basking in the newfound warmth of the sun on a neighbouring rock.
“I’ve been keeping secrets from you…but not by choice.”
“What do you mean?” She shields her eyes from the sun with her hand and looks deep into my eyes.
“I’ll tell you everything, but promise you won’t freak out.” My words ache with desperation. I can’t lose her like I lost River. Itake to my feet and pace anxiously, trying hard not to trip over the uneven terrain.
“You just brought me back from the dead, I’m already freaked out!” A slight chuckle slips from her lips as she looks at me in disbelief.
“Okay, here goes…”
I take a deep breath and scrunch my eyes shut. I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ll be able to tell her better if I can’t see her face.
“On the night I received my Gifts, I didn’t meet Heira like I said.” My heart begins to race out of my chest. “I met another God, a God that shouldn’t exist.”
I un-scrunch my eyes to gauge her reaction. She is staring back at me, her eyes wide with intrigue. She doesn’t say much, but her facial expression prompts me to continue with my story.
“Oriah, God of the Stars. Turns out I am not a Sun like I thought I was. I’m a Star and the last of my kind.”
