Chapter 33: Cenric

Chapter

Thirty-Three

CENRIC

I scan the faces around the midday meal, searching for Everly, but I don't spot her serving the men. Instead, Brennah takes her place, flitting between the tables with a broad smile and an eager bounce in her step.

Where is Everly?

My eyes sweep across the camp once more, hoping I've simply overlooked her.

"Are you looking for someone?" Gabriel's voice cuts through my thoughts.

I school my features into neutrality. "No. I'm just surveying the camp."

Gabriel raises an eyebrow but doesn't press further. I force myself to focus on my meal, but the food tastes like grit in my mouth.

Three days have passed since I kissed her, since I felt the softness of her lips against mine. Three days of deliberately avoiding her, of throwing myself into training and strategy meetings.

And yet, she's never far from my thoughts.

I shouldn't have kissed her. It was reckless, foolish. But in that moment, with the wine warming my blood, I couldn't resist. Now, the memory haunts me.

I push my plate away, appetite gone.

As I stride through the camp, I continue looking for her. Where is she? Is she ill?

I approach Everly's tent and call out for her, but I don't get a response.

Maybe something terrible has happened to her.

I pull aside the tent flap, but the interior is empty, her bed neatly made.

Hades!

I leave her tent and scan the camp. Warriors patrol the perimeters, while others sit near the campfires, eating.

But there is no sign of Everly.

I walk to Morwen's cooking area, where the old woman stands over a steaming pot.

Her clear blue eyes meet mine as I approach. "Cenric, what brings you here?"

"Have you seen Everly?"

"Not since this morning." She pauses, studying me for several moments before she continues. "Is something wrong?"

"No," I say quickly. "I just need to speak with her."

Loose strands of white hair fall over Morwen's forehead as she nods. "I sent her to gather mushrooms in the forest. Perhaps she's still out there? "

My stomach twists at the thought of Everly in the forest.

"Did anyone go with her?" I ask.

"I saw Finn with her."

Finn?

Heat scalds me. "How long ago did they leave?"

"A few hours, I'd say. They should have returned by now."

The knot in my stomach tightens. Something's not right. I feel it.

"Thank you, Morwen," I say, already turning to leave.

I stride into the forest, my eyes scanning the underbrush for any sign of Everly or Finn.

"Everly!" I call out.

No response.

I push deeper into the woods, following a faint trail worn by animals and foragers. Mushrooms grow in clusters at the base of ancient oaks, but there's no sign that anyone has been here recently to harvest them.

My heart pounds faster with each step. Where are they?

I come to a clearing and pause, listening. The forest is alive with chirping birds and rustling leaves, but I hear no human voices.

"Finn!" I shout, hoping he'll answer.

Only silence greets me.

Frustration and worry gnaw at my chest as I press on. I check a nearby stream, thinking they might have stopped for water, but the banks are undisturbed.

I turn and push through a dense thicket. As I emerge on the other side, I spot something on the ground. My chest clenches as I kneel to examine the woven basket, tipped over, with a few scattered mushrooms nearby.

I stand and scan the area with renewed intensity. There are no signs of a struggle, no blood, no torn clothing. But something's not right. They wouldn't have left the basket behind.

"Everly!" I shout, louder than before. "Finn!"

My mind races with possibilities, each one worse than the last. Were they attacked by bandits? Taken by rebels? Or did something else, something darker, find them in these woods?

I force myself to focus, to think like a warrior. I circle the area, looking for tracks, broken twigs—anything that might indicate which direction they went.

There—a bent sapling. It's not much, but it's a start.

I follow the trail, my senses on high alert. The forest seems to close in around me, shadows deepening as the sun sinks lower.

A flash of movement catches my eye. I freeze, straining to see through the thick foliage and barely make out familiar brown curls.

I round a massive tree and finally see her clearly. Everly stumbles forward, her petite frame bent with effort as she drags something behind her—a crude litter fashioned from branches and vines. My breath freezes in my lungs as I realize what— who —lies on it.

Finn.

He lies motionless, limbs hanging limp over the edges of the makeshift carrier. Even from this distance, I see the unnatural pallor of his skin.

"Everly," I call out, my voice hoarse .

She doesn't seem to hear me as she keeps her eyes fixed on the ground.

I rush forward, closing the distance between us in a few long strides. "Everly," I say again, softer this time.

She stares, her eyes wide and unfocused. For a moment, she appears to not recognize me. Then, she blinks, and awareness floods her face.

"Cenric," she whispers, her voice cracking.

I reach for her, but she flinches away. My hand falls uselessly to my side as I take her in. Mud and blood stain her surcoat. Her hands are raw and bleeding from dragging the litter.

And Finn...

I kneel beside his body, my fingers searching for a pulse I already know I won't find. Finn's skin is cold to the touch. His eyes stare sightlessly.

Twigs snap beneath my boots as I straighten and look at Everly as she sways on her feet. Yet she still grips the vines connecting to the litter.

"Everly," I say gently, "let go. I've got him now."

Tears spill down her cheeks as she shakes her head at me. "I can't," she chokes out. "I…I…promised I'd bring him back."

The raw anguish in her voice crushes me as I move to her side. Carefully, I place my hands over hers. "You did bring him back. You kept your promise. Now, let me help you."

As I pull the litter, Everly walks next to me, her steps unsteady. She doesn't speak, doesn't even look up.

The forest is eerily quiet as we make our way back. There's no birdsong, no rustling leaves, just the sound of our footsteps and the scraping of the litter against the forest floor.

Every few steps, I glance at Everly. She stumbles occasionally, catching herself each time but never lifting her eyes.

My lungs squeeze with each passing moment. I want to reach out to her, to offer some comfort, but I don't know how. What could I possibly say to ease her pain?

We reach a steep incline, and I focus on maneuvering the litter over exposed roots and rocks. Everly's chest heaves, her breaths coming in short, stuttered gasps, yet she presses on.

As we crest the hill, she trips over a protruding root. I react instinctively, reaching out to steady her. My hand closes around her upper arm, and for the first time since we began our journey, she looks at me.

The pain in her eyes sends a jolt through me. Tears well up, threatening to spill over, but she blinks them back. Her lips part as if to speak, but no words come out. After a while, she glances away again and withdraws her arm from my grip.

"What happened?" I ask, needing to know what happened to Finn.

She doesn't respond, just keeps walking with that vacant look in her eyes.

I try again, gentler this time. "Talk to me, Everly. I need to understand."

For a moment, I think she hasn't heard me. Then, her steps falter, and she turns to face me .

"I…" she starts, her voice cracking. She swallows hard and tries again. "We were picking mushrooms."

I nod, encouraging her to continue.

She lets out a shaky breath. "Then...then she appeared. Out of nowhere."

"Who?"

Everly's eyes dart around, as if afraid someone might overhear. "A woman. She...she had magic. Air magic."

Alvina?

She's the only woman I know with air magic living in Karra. It has to be her.

"Was it Alvina?" I ask.

Everly's eyes widen, and she jerks her gaze away.

Hades! We don't need this right now. Not with everything else going on.

"I've known Alvina a long time," I say as I continue pulling the litter, my muscles straining with the effort. "This is something she would do. She's cunning and ruthless."

Questions burn in Everly's eyes as they dart back to me. "You know her?"

"Yes." I continue walking for a few moments before speaking again. "What does she want from you, Everly? Alvina never does anything without a reason, and it's rarely a good one."

Instead of answering me, Everly keeps her attention diverted, focusing instead on the path in front of her.

"Everly, tell me what she wants with you."

"No," she says, her voice so soft I barely hear her.

No ?

"Everly…"

She scurries around a log before falling into step with me again. "I won't be the reason someone else dies."

I lower the litter to the ground and reach out, snagging her arm and bringing her closer to me. "Listen to me. Don't let Alvina threaten you."

"She already has, Cenric." Everly sniffs. "She has promised to hurt my family if I don't obey her."

I pull Everly closer, needing her to know I'm here for her. "I give you my word. I will not let any harm come to your family. Alvina may be cunning, but I have resources at my disposal. I can ensure their safety, even from afar."

Unshed tears glisten in Everly's eyes. The sight tugs at something deep within my chest.

"Confide in me," I say in that same gentle voice. "And I will protect your family, but I need to know what Alvina's plotting."

Everly searches my gaze, her lower lip trembling. "I...I can't..."

I tighten my grip on her arm, not enough to hurt, but enough to convey my resolve. "You can. I swear on my honor, on my life, that no harm will befall your loved ones. Let me help you."

She lets out a shaky breath, then yanks a leather pouch from the bag tied to her belt. "She wants me to put this in your drink."

I take the pouch from Everly, then carefully loosen the drawstring and lift the pouch to my nose, inhaling. The scent hits me immediately—sharp, bitter, and unmistakable. Nightshade .

Of course, Alvina would choose nightshade. It's potent, fast-acting, and nearly impossible to trace.

"What is it?" Everly asks.

"Nightshade."

Everly's eyes widen, her face paling even further.

I slip the pouch into my cloak. "It seems Alvina's thirst for vengeance hasn't abated."

"Vengeance?" Everly echoes, confusion evident in her tone.

I run my hand through my hair, the strands slipping through my fingers as I struggle to find the words to explain the depth of Alvina's hatred for me. "Two summers ago, I killed her husband after he attacked me. But..." I pause, the memory of that fateful day flashing through my mind like a searing bolt of lightning. It wasn't the first time I'd taken a life, but it was the first time I'd felt the consequences ripple so far beyond the battlefield.

"But what?" Everly prompts gently, her voice drawing me from the dark abyss of my memories.

"What I didn't know at the time was that their son, who was only three summers, was in the woods nearby, waiting for his father to return from the battle."

Everly's hand flies to her mouth.

I take a deep, steadying breath before continuing. "The boy waited for days, wandering deeper into the forest, searching for his father. By the time anyone found him..."

I don't need to finish the sentence. The anguish in her eyes tells me she understands the tragic fate that befell the child.

"Alvina blames me for both their deaths," I say, my voice hollow .

The vines and logs creak as I hoist the litter once more, and Everly falls into step beside me.

As we press on, the forest changes. The vibrant greens fade to muted hues of purple and blue. Shadows lengthen and stretch across our path, and the canopy above grows denser, blocking out what little light remains.

I glance at Everly as her eyes dart from tree to tree. "It's all right. You're safe."

She offers a curt nod as the path narrows, forcing us to walk single file. I take the lead as I carefully navigate around protruding roots and low-hanging branches.

As the moon rises higher, visibility becomes a challenge. The trees around us blur into indistinct shapes, their trunks melding with the encroaching darkness. I squint as I strain to make out the path ahead.

"Cenric," she whispers. "I can barely see."

We could make camp, wait for dawn to continue our journey, but the thought of spending the night in these woods, with Finn's body lying cold between us, doesn't sit well with me.

"We push on," I decide. "The camp isn't far."