Page 85 of Drawn in Blood
“I don’t know,” Maize replied again.
“Do you know anything?” Killian spat, the wolf screaming at him to let him out. Ember was in danger, he knew it, and this bloody creature wasn’t doing anything to help her.
“I only know what I’ve been told, Mr. Vargr,” Maize replied. “Perhaps your father would have some more detailed information.”
Killian stormed off before he hurt the dryad, anger boiling the blood in his veins as he ground his teeth together. He heard Fen run up behind him, Maia trotting swiftly beside him.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, as he grabbed Killian’s wrist.
Killian ripped it out of his grip, making his way toward the iron gate at the end of the drive. “Bloody useless dryad,” he mumbled, as he kicked a rock across the ground, “bloody useless.”
“It’s not his fault,” Fen replied, as Maia nuzzled Killian’s hand. “He’s just doing his job.”
Killian ran a hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed.
“What was that about your dad?” Fen asked.
“I don’t know,” Killian sighed. “Nothing good, I would imagine.”
Fen walked slowly beside Killian, making the trek back to the house on foot instead of through the Echopoint. “Are you going to talk to him?”
“Talk to who?” Killian asked, as he furrowed his brow.
“Your dad,” Fen bobbed his head. “Are you going to ask him if he knows where Ember is?”
Eventually, they’re going to find something that you love so desperately that you would do anything to protect it. They’ll latch onto that, dig their claws in and make you taste the blood.
“I don’t know,” Killian mumbled. “I don’t think he would tell me even if I did.”
“Do you think she’s okay?” Fen finally asked, barely above a whisper.
Killian sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “She has to be.”
Not a statement, but a plea to the gods.
Chapter 28
Ghosts From the Past
Before Ember knew it, it was February, and she had yet to leave the chateau. Her tutor came every day at seven, right after breakfast, and Ember proceeded to spend her morning practicing spells, creating potions, and learning history in the comfort of her very expensive new home. Helvig came over for dinner once a week, where they sat in that beautiful, enclosed greenhouse attached to the kitchen, filled with exotic plants and a pond that could have comfortably fit a small dolphin. She read books by the fire, sipped tea as she watched rain trickle down the window panes, and talked to the stars each night that hung over the mountains surrounding the city.
And she was miserable.
Because of the strength of the wards surrounding the town, Helios couldn’t make it through. She had no way of contacting Fen or Killian, and they had no way to reach her, either. Her phone was still broken, no matter how many times she tried to fix it, and she was certain she would never get to speak to her friends again. What was even worse, the invisible tether that connected the trio didn’t feel like it normally did. She could typically feel something connecting them, something that reverberated against her ribs. She had learned to ignore it. It hadjust become a part of her everyday life. But now that it was gone, she could feel the cavern it left in her ribs.
It felt like she had been cut in half.
She thought about running away, just taking off in the dead of night and searching for a way home. Once, she’d snuck through her window and took off into the night, thinking that if she found a way out, she could make a plan, pack up Theo, and disappear with him forever. Maybe she could find someone to protect her. Maybe they could hide away together or leave the island completely until it all settled down.
Mountains towered over her in every direction, and even from the ground, she could feel the strength of the wards surrounding them. She felt her spirit break a fraction again. Even without the mountains surrounding the town keeping her caged in like a wild animal, her mother would come after her, maybe even sending Collum, and she would be dragged back kicking and screaming. She wouldn’t do that to Theo.
And she certainly wasn’t going to leave him behind by himself. She would keep searching for a way out—an escape. She would never stop searching.
She put on a fake smile after a few weeks, doing her best to make the most of it all for Theo’s sake, trying to put on a brave face, but her strength was waning.
Sun beamed through the window into the kitchen, and the gentle sound of classical music floated through the air.
“Gaelen, I’m losing my mind,” she whined, as she leaned over her book, tracing the picture projected off the page of some goddess whose name she couldn’t be bothered to remember. Her tutor had given her the day off, save the mountain of homework she had to complete, and the last thing she wanted to do was stay inside on such a beautiful day. She longed to feel the wind on her face as she flew through the clouds, but a nice walk would do as well.
