4. Verena

CHAPTER 4

VERENA

L ess than half a day had passed since I left the tavern, but my stomach grumbled with renewed hunger.

My body had forgotten what it had been like to live on the streets and had become spoiled while living in the hidden city.

And I was paying for that now.

The sun was slowly sinking behind the dense canopy of trees, casting long shadows and splashing the sky with vibrant hues of orange and pink. As the light diminished, a dusky purple haze began to settle over the land, giving way to a blanket of darkness that enveloped everything in its path. It was as if nature itself was preparing for a slumber under the watchful eye of a starry night.

The air was still and quiet until a rustling in the bushes caught my attention. I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Slowly, I reached for my dagger, my fingers wrapping around the handle.

My heart pounded as I squatted and scanned the undergrowth, searching for any sign of movement. But there was nothing, just the sound of my heavy, labored breathing and the soft crunch of leaves underfoot as I slowly backed away.

Pulling myself back to my feet, I took off, heading south as quickly as I could. The instinct to keep moving, to stay ahead of danger, was a familiar one, but my exhaustion plagued my limbs with every step I took.

The scent of damp earth and pine permeated the air, and I could feel the chill seeping into my bones as night fell.

My heavy-lidded eyes blinked closed, my weary body stumbling through the dense forest. Exhaustion was dragging me down, but I knew I had to keep going, putting as much distance between myself and whoever was coming for me.

Because they were coming for me.

They all would be.

The trees loomed overhead, their gnarled branches reaching out like hands in the dim light of the moon.

My feet trudged along the damp ground, squelching with each step as though the earth was trying to pull me under. I needed rest, my senses and movements were becoming lazy and far too loud, but I couldn't risk stopping.

Every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs set my heart racing, wondering if it was just an animal or something more sinister. But I couldn't stop, not until I reached safety, wherever that may be.

I pressed my hand against the trunk of the nearest tree, pausing for only a moment to catch my breath. The shadows grew thicker and the air colder as I continued at a much slower pace.

My body was tired, but it was my mind that plagued me. I couldn't think straight when I lacked sleep, and thoughts of my mother crept up into my head when I normally was so equipped with forcing them down.

Her face swam before my eyes, the same soft smile that she always had. She had been my best friend once upon a time, my only friend, and now, she was gone.

She was gone because my father wanted another heir, needed an heir with power. He had demanded it of her, and now she was gone.

Thoughts of Dacre flooded my mind, of his own mother. Was she so different from my own? They both died for their families, for their people. They both died trying to protect what they loved.

My mother trying to provide a future heir for our kingdom.

His trying to replace me with an heir of their own.

They had both given everything for the greed of the one they loved.

I had been able to see it in Dacre's father's eyes from the moment I met him. It was the same look my father always held, but I had been foolish when it came to Dacre.

I hadn't seen it with him.

I hadn't felt it.

My mother would be ashamed of me. Ashamed that I ran from our home, from my duty.

And I ran straight into the hands of our enemy, into the hands of the one who would destroy everything I once loved.

My mind raced with thoughts and memories, making it difficult to focus on my surroundings, but the sound of twigs snapping jolted me back to reality.

I tightened my hand around my dagger as I scanned the darkness around me.

It was all-encompassing, a thick veil that enveloped everything in its path. Shapes and shadows danced in the blackness, but nothing was distinguishable between the trees.

It was toying with me and feeding my fear as if it were as starved as I felt.

I gasped for air, my chest heaving as I frantically took in my surroundings. But before I could fully process my panic, a large hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my cries. I stumbled backward and collided with a hard, unyielding body pressed against me from behind.

"Shhh," a voice whispered in my ear, the sound far too close for comfort.

Dacre. His name raced through my mind as my heart pounded against my ribs. I squirmed, trying to land my dagger into the person behind me, but they caught my wrist before I could even attempt to do any damage.

His hand clamped down tighter around my mouth, and a muffled "Shit" slipped from his lips just as I heard voices coming from the direction I had just come.

I took a deep, ragged breath through my nose, as my hands trembled.

"Where the hell did she go?"

The shadows seemed to amplify the beating of my heart, the sound deafening as my chest rose and fell rapidly. My hands shook as I gripped my dagger tightly, trying to regain control.

"Her tracks led this way, but the forest is too dense now." Another man spoke and fear snaked a slow path down my spine, coiling around every part of me until I couldn't escape it.

"We need to head farther south." A third. "Gods know that's where she's headed, and the king will have all of our heads if she manages to board a ship before we can get our hands on her."

My father's men.

I tried to breathe through my nose, but the task became harder and harder as they finally came into view through the dappled moonlight, and I spotted the uniforms I had been surrounded by my whole life.

"Quiet." The voice behind me was so hushed that I barely heard him, but still, I listened.

I nodded, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat.

I was silent as we listened to the king's soldiers push forward through the forest. My eyes darted around the darkness, the trees looming above us like dark, foreboding sentinels.

This forest held my secrets, and I was terrified that it would give me away.

For a few moments, we stood still and frozen, listening to the retreating sounds of the soldiers until they were swallowed up by the rustling leaves. Slowly, his fingers loosened their tight grasp on me and I stumbled away, my feet tripping over roots and rocks in my haste to put distance between us. When I finally turned to face him, my body was shaking with adrenaline and my heart was pounding so hard against my chest I was sure he could hear it. My breath came in short gasps as I struggled to steady myself.

"Eiran." My voice was like a butterfly's wings, delicate and elusive, fluttering softly in the dark.

The wave of disappointment that crashed over me was cold and heavy. It wasn't Dacre. He hadn't come.

Eiran's eyes were hard and unyielding, but there was a flicker of something else beneath the surface. He stepped forward, the moonlight casting eerie shadows across his face.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice low and almost unrecognizable.

It reminded me of Micah, of the way the two of us would huddle close together and speak in hushed tones, afraid someone would overhear us. It had been so long since I last thought of him.

Guilt washed over me, drowning me in shame.

He had been my only friend after I left the palace, and I had barely allowed myself to think of him since I was taken by the palace guards.

I had trusted him when I couldn't trust anyone else, and I selfishly wished he were here with me now. I pressed my thumb against the mark he had given me, the fake mark that he believed would help me escape.

I shook my head, hardly trusting my voice to speak the words that swirled inside me. "I don't trust you."

As if walking on quicksand, my feet sunk deeper and deeper into the ground with each step I took away from him, the mistrust bubbling up within me and forcing me to retreat.

Why was he here?

He lifted his hands as if he were surrendering in front of me, his eyes never leaving mine. "I came here to find you. Not to serve Davian."

I shot him a look of utter disbelief, my brow furrowing. With my back pressed against the rough bark of the tree behind me, I could feel the texture of the wood digging into my palms as I braced myself. "Your father serves Davian."

"And yours has destroyed our kingdom." He cocked his head to the side, his eyes not wavering from mine. "Are we to be judged by the sins of our fathers? I promise you, Princess, you will lose."

"Don't call me that," I snapped, my voice echoing off the trees, too loud and too sharp.

Eiran's eyebrow shot up in a silent display of surprise. His words had struck a nerve deep within me, but I knew he was speaking the truth. The weight of my father's sins hung heavily on my shoulders.

If I were to be judged for my father's sins, there was no chance our people would allow me to live.

My voice quivered as I spoke, the fear and uncertainty evident in my tone. "You could be lying," I accused him, my eyes searching his face for any sign of deception.

He responded with a cold, hard stare. "You have been," he countered, his words hitting me like a punch to the gut. My chest ached as he continued, "And now the entire rebellion is after you."

Desperately, I pressed my hands into the rough bark of the tree behind me, digging my fingers in until my knuckles turned white with the force. "Except for you?"

He drew nearer, his face coming into focus under the soft glow of the moon. Every line and curve were visible to me, from the slight creases around his eyes to the sharp line of his jaw. The moonlight danced through the branches above, casting shadows across his features as he leaned in closer.

Eiran hesitated, his eyes searching for the answer in my own. "Yes." His lips barely moved as he spoke, the muscles of his jaw taut. "Except for me."

I watched him intently, scouring his face for any hint of deception in his words. But the weariness that consumed me threatened to cloud my judgment and I struggled to maintain my focus. My eyelids felt heavy as lead, weighing down my every movement.

"I haven't trusted Dacre for years, and I didn't trust him with you."

"You don't even know me."

He shook his head, his jaw clenching as he struggled to contain his emotions. "You've never given me a chance to."

I hadn't given that chance to anyone.

My thoughts went to Wren, and I winced at the thought of all the lies I had fed her, the deceit that had become second nature to me.

I had lied to them all.

I blinked; my thoughts scrambled. My gaze wandered down to my feet, unsure of what to say. Finally, I lifted my head to meet his intense stare, feeling a surge of emotions rising within me. "Why are you doing this?"

Eiran took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine. "Because they are going to kill you if you don't get away."

His words struck me like a bolt of lightning. I had known deep down that this would happen, but hearing it spoken aloud by someone made it all too real. The air around us seemed to crackle with tension, an invisible storm brewing between us.

"Kill me?"

With the moonlight dancing upon his face, his eyes reflected all the weight and solemnity of his words. There was no room for doubt or deception in his gaze, only an unshakable conviction that sent shivers down my spine. "If the rebellion finds you, Davian will see you dead. If your father's men find you, I fear what he will do."

"My father." Cold fear twisted in my heart.

"He's announced an award for your return, Nyra." Eiran's eyes were fixed on my face, studying every movement and flicker of emotion that passed through me. "The entire kingdom knows you're missing. They know of the queen's death."

My heart raced and my palms were slick with sweat. Every muscle in my body tensed, ready to flee at a moment's notice. The looming threat of the rebellion seemed insignificant compared to the danger that my own father could bring upon me.

"What did you say?" My voice trembled as I spoke, betraying the terror that consumed me.

"There's a reward."

"No." I shook my head. "The queen?"

Eiran's expression turned grim. "Yes." He nodded. "The details of her death are unclear, but it was rumored that she was expecting another heir."

My heart sank at the confirmation of my worst fears. The queen was dead, her heir.

A sense of eerie familiarity washed over me as the memories of my mother flooded back. The weight of her pain and suffering hit me in the chest like a physical blow.

She had been pushed to her breaking point by the constant pressure to produce another heir for the king, and now, history was repeating itself with the new queen, who had also fallen victim to his ruthless demands.

"I need to go." I pushed off the tree, but my feet were unsteady. Eiran reached out and wrapped his hands around my arms, and he leaned down until we were looking at one another eye to eye.

"You need to rest." His gaze searched my body, and I hated to think about what he was seeing. "You might as well just give yourself over to them if you think you're going to be able to continue like this."

"I will be fine."

"You have no power, Nyra."

I swallowed hard. Dacre hadn't told them.

And Dacre wasn't here. Eiran was.

How had he found me? How did he get away from the rebellion in order to do so?

"You look like you're going to pass out at any second. We need to find some shelter and let you get some rest. You should know better."

My spine straightened, and I balled my hand into a fist. "I didn't exactly have that option, Eiran."

"Well, I'm here now." Eiran's expression softened, lines of worry and exhaustion etched on his face as he looked at me. "You have options now."