Page 13 of Madness

Now I could see the light at the end of the trail. Trees leaned away from our path, no longer keeping us in their cool shadows, and at the end was the long valley between us and what was left of the castle. If I closed my eyes I could see its sandstone walls atop the hill and the absurd amount of steps it took to reach any entrance.

I leaned back, jostling Shavarra against me as I adjusted my grip. The stiffness in my back grew and throbbed, my backpack bouncing behind me. Just a few more steps and we would be at the valley.

“We are almost there,” I grunted loudly to the parade of people behind me. A small wave of excitement pressed them forward. A few children in our company eagerly pushed forward and ran ahead of me. “No, please stay behind me.” I shooed them back. Better I be the first in the line of danger than them.

Slyke had taken his position at the back of the group once more, and Jesseline took her time walking up to my side. She pressed her fingers against Shavarra’s neck, taking her pulse as she walked backwards, watching me.

“We’ll make it in the nick of time. I think she’ll be okay once she sees a healer.” Jesseline nodded to herself. “I’m going to go ahead of the group, warn them of our arrival.”

“I agree. Let them know we need medical attention.”

The air around her blurred in a haze as she pulled her hood down from her face and completely disappeared. The last of the old trade route stopped. Blades of grass sprouted in the fading dirt and multiplied into the open valley that bloomed year-round with dots of purple and white wildflowers.

Every ounce of air within my lungs escaped me as we stepped into the clearing. Half of the valley was filled with Nymphs carrying large slabs of wood or thick hammers. Behind them, the soft tan walls of the castle were no longer visible behind layers and layers of green, leafy vines that had climbed and covered all of its surfaces.

Nymphs paused whatever activities they had been attempting to complete as they saw us. My eyes scanned their faces looking for Jesseline, looking for Ryker, bodies moving in a swarm as we rushed forward, and the crowd of waiting Nymphs parted.

Jesseline was next to Ryker, talking quickly and quietly. Ryker nodded, stopping to point at a Nymph and call out an order.

I squeezed Shavarra tighter to my chest. “It’s okay. We're here. We made it here. You’re gonna be okay. You have to be okay.”

Soft brown curls bounced behind Ryker in a taut ponytail that revealed her sun-kissed face. Light freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, her full lips pressed together in worry as we finally met in the middle.

“Please,” I said hoarsely, as emotion swept over me, an unusual onslaught of happiness and fear. “I didn’t know where else to take them. Shavarra...” I took a deep breath to steady myself. “We were attacked on the way here. Shavarra hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Attacked by who?” Ryker whispered, pinning me with her citron green eyes.

The lump in my throat was too hard to swallow then. The words felt like a form of strangulation as I forced them out, voice cracking. “You will find no friend in my mother.”

Her lashes lifted a fraction, allowing her surprise to pass over her features. Always so readable. “It’s going to be okay.” Gently, she brushed her hand over my fingertips, where they dug into Shavarra’s leg. She pointed to the Nymph who had appeared at her side.

The young man, with fish scales carved into the skin over one of his eyes, offered his arms. “I’ll take her to the healer.” His large black pupils lingered on me. I could feel his furious suspicion more than I could read it in his depthless gaze.

“Thank you, thank you,” I murmured, passing her over. The sudden lightness of my arms left me swaying as I watched him carry her up the remainder of the hill and toward the leaf-covered castle.

“How many do you have with you? How many more need medical attention?” Ryker tilted her head to look around me.

My brain felt frozen as I opened and closed my mouth a few times.How many had been at the refuge? How many had died? How many did I find at Shavarra’s home? How many? How many? How many of us were left? How many?

“Prince Dace.” Ryker grabbed both my hands and pressed them together between hers, bringing my attention back to her. I hadn’t realized how badly they had been trembling until the shaking calmed under her touch.

“I’m not a prince anymore.” A long slow breath left me. “Your hair has grown again.” I added roughly.

She breathed a dry laugh and shook her head. “Hair does that. It grows. Can you answer my questions?”

“No, yes…” I dropped my hands away from her and scrubbed the sides of my face. It itched where the shadow of an unmanicured beard was growing in. “Um, maybe fifty total. The people on the stretchers are the most critical, but we have quite a few who could use a good look over. Some have dead they wish to bury.”

“Okay. Follow me. Let’s get everyone where they need to be.”

She turned toward the castle, the end of her ponytail brushing between her shoulder blades. She looked different from the slave I saw in the Heathern Court, and still different from the version of her I saw in the Acture Court. Toned muscles shaped her arms and legs and her movements—they were more confident and surer. The paper-thin servant uniform and the training outfit of the Acture Court were both long gone. A soft white, nearly sheer, button-up over a thick black tank, tucked into brown khaki shorts that had been rolled and cuffed mid-thigh.

Nymphs turned to watch our party walk through them. Some jumped into the procession to help carry the injured and escort the few that limped. They smiled at each other excitedly. It was a feeling buzzing in the air, an electricity in the atmosphere that told us this was where we were supposed to be. This was their new home.

I winced with every step we took up to the waiting open doors. My body was screaming for the breaks that I didn’t allow on the last leg of our trip. Even my lips were cracked and dry as I ran my tongue over them.

Cooler air from the castle offered relief from the sun, one that we had all waited for. It took a second for our eyes to adjust to the dim light and to see thick green vines covering most of the surfaces inside the building. Pictures and furniture were shattered. Bricks in the walls were missing and the greenery dipped inside them. I was surprised this castle was still standing after what they had done to the place.

Ryker paused at a junction in the hall, her voice carrying. “Those who need medical attention can travel down this hall to the infirmary. We will do what we can with what we have to help. Anyone else who would like to find a bed to rest in can go that direction.” She pointed down the opposing hall. “You’ll find many unoccupied rooms that you may claim as your own. If you're hungry, you can continue straight to the dining hall and we can get you fixed up there as well.”

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