6. Verena

CHAPTER 6

VERENA

E iran walked closely behind me, his confident strides echoing through the dense forest. His presence at my back was both daunting and comforting. Though I knew I shouldn't have found comfort in him at all.

Eiran had never given me a reason not to trust him, but I couldn't afford to trust anyone at the moment. Not from the rebellion, and not from the palace.

But still, I felt so much safer than being alone.

My steps were heavy, weighed down by everything that was happening. I felt as if I were crossing a burning bridge, one that deserved to crumble and fall. A war ground that left me no choices. My past ripped its claws into me, but my future was so tangled in Dacre, thoughts of him so never-ending that I was suffocating.

All I wanted was to disappear, but the moment I had seen Eiran I realized that maybe all I ever really wanted was to be found.

But when I looked up at Eiran, I still felt lost.

"Right up there." He pointed toward the base of the cliff where a small, shadowy opening sat. The rocks around it were rough and weathered, molded by centuries of wind and water. A faint musty smell emanated from within as we stood at the brink of the opening.

Eiran strode forward with purpose, his hand lifting toward the sky before producing a soft, ethereal glow from his fingertips. The light spilled out in front of us, revealing the interior of the cave as if it were basking in moonlight.

Despite its small size, there was ample space for us to rest for the night.

And to my surprise, it was empty.

The smooth walls and natural formations seemed to welcome us in, offering a sense of safety tucked in the darkness of the cave.

Eiran's light danced across the surface, revealing hidden crevices and glittering minerals embedded in the rock. We could hear the faint trickle of water somewhere in the distance, adding a melody to the otherwise silent space.

A pang of longing gnawed at my stomach. It was reminiscent of the Enveilorian, a place I shouldn't have yearned for. The hidden city wasn't my home.

But I couldn't stop the ache that crept into my chest as memories of being with Dacre assaulted me.

I stepped farther into the cave and nodded toward Eiran's outstretched hand. "How does that work?"

"My magic?" he asked. His head tilted slightly, considering my question.

I nodded as I watched him rotate his hand until the light was pointed directly up at the ceiling.

He ran his other hand over the back of his neck, a distant look in his eyes as if trying to find the right words. "It works just as any other magic, I suppose."

"Which is?" I asked, feeling suddenly inadequate in my lack of knowledge. I was the heir to the kingdom that thrived on magic, yet it felt as much a stranger to me as the people.

He stared at me as if he was trying to figure out why I was asking, since I had no magic that he knew of. "So, it is true that you possess none."

"Have you ever seen me use it?" A gnawing sense of guilt twisted and churned in my stomach, but I couldn't bring myself to feel remorseful for deceiving him.

As he shook his head, his expression shifted, his jaw clenching and his gaze narrowing so slightly I almost missed it.

"And the people I met at the palace either had low level magic or had a very specific type of magic, mostly healers." I paused, trying not to think about why those were the people I had become the most familiar with. "But I've seen magic within your rebellion that I have never witnessed before."

The admission felt shameful. I had been kept in the dark about the very essence of my birthright.

Eiran took a seat and pressed his back against the hard rock wall before he motioned for me to do the same. I did so without hesitation. My body immediately realized as I sank to the ground, groaning in relief as my weight left my feet.

"The magic throughout this kingdom is vast, but almost all magic is influenced by something else." He laid his hand out in front of him and the light cast a glow upon his face. "This, I got from my mother." He twisted his hand back and forth and the light reflected off the cave walls. "But sometimes magic is simply manipulating the energy that the earth gives us," he said, finally closing his fist, making the light vanish and plunging us into darkness once more.

I nodded, my mind reeling as I tried to understand what he was saying.

"But there are also limits to magic," Eiran continued, turning his head until our eyes met. "Even the strongest magic users can only do so much before it takes a toll on their body and their mind."

"How do you know the limit?" I asked, desperate for any kind of understanding.

"Sometimes, you don't." His eyes scanned over my face. "But that's why we train so hard. We need a balance of strength and control."

"Control."

Eiran nodded slowly, his expression grave as he spoke.

"Control is the hardest part of magic. My parents' powers were intertwined and connected. They could sense when the other was losing that control."

I had never heard this before, the idea of two people being so deeply connected through their magic. It was both fascinating and daunting. "Do all marriages have this connection of magic?"

"No." Eiran shook his head. "It's rare. My parents were true mates."

Mates.

It had been years since I had heard that term, not since my mother used to read fairy tales to me as a child. Back then, the concept of mates had seemed as fantastical as dragons and unicorns.

But thoughts of my own magic crept into my mind, of how I hadn't felt a flicker of it since I left Dacre, of how I hadn't been able to find it until I found him.

But just as quickly as the thought entered my mind, I pushed it away.

"What about Dacre's magic?" The question escaped from my lips before I could think twice, and I watched as Eiran's normally soft features hardened in response.

"Why do you care about his magic when he doesn't care about you?" The weight of Eiran's words hit me like a physical blow, causing me to flinch. His sharp tone cut through my defenses, exposing a truth that I couldn't deny.

My fists clenched at my sides as I tried to keep my emotions in check. "He's searching for me just as the rest of the rebellion is, is he not? I would assume that he is far angrier with me than the rest," I retorted through gritted teeth.

I hated that Eiran's words were so capable of slicing open one of my deepest insecurities.

"I'm sorry. You're right," he said sincerely, his voice laced with remorse.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I asked, unable to hide the curiosity and concern in my tone.

Eiran's eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched before he responded. "Because he's reckless. He lets his emotions cloud his judgment."

"Yet you trusted me," I said, feeling drained. "You should have never trusted me either."

I should have taken his word for the truth, but there was a tinge of envy laced in his tone. The air around us seemed to shift, becoming charged with unspoken tension.

"Where will you go?" he asked, his question catching me off guard.

"What?"

"To get away from here." He waved his hand around the cave. "Why were you in the hidden city to start with? Were you sent there by your father or?—"

"I wasn't sent by my father," I interrupted him.

"So going back to the palace isn't an option."

"It's not an option." Memories of the moments that led to my escape flooded my mind, and I instinctively pulled my knees up to my chest, trying to shield myself from them.

"Can I ask why?" He asked the question so softly, so delicately, but still, it made my spine straighten and reignited my urge to run.

"There is nothing left for me in that palace." There hadn't been for a long time.

He hesitated before speaking, his voice filled with a mix of concern and determination. "You can't return to the palace or the hidden city now that Davian knows who you really are. So, what's your plan?"

"Head as far south as I can get. To the Southern Sea." I looked over at him, and I allowed myself to imagine what it would look like. The palace sat on the coast of the Northern Sea, so close that I had grown up feeling the salty air through my window, longing for the freedom and escape that the sea promised. I had watched the waves crash against the sand from my gilded cage, and prayed to the gods that one day that would carry me away with them. "I'm not safe as long as my father can get his hands on me."

"You're his heir," Eiran stated, his voice filled with hesitation and unspoken curiosity. His eyes examined my face, searching for answers to the million questions I could see spinning through his mind.

"You all refer to him as the cruel king. Is it so difficult to believe that he doesn't reserve his wrath only for those who oppose him? My father expects obedience from everyone, and having an heir with no power is seen by him as the ultimate act of disobedience."

I saw him flinch in the darkness, even though he tried to hide it as he attempted to make sense of my words. "I can help you, but we need to be cautious. The rebellion has eyes everywhere."

"And my father?"

"The king has offered a reward for your safe return, which means that anyone who doesn't have a strong loyalty to either side will pick his."

"Because they fear him?"

"Because they are starving. They would do anything for a chance at that reward money, even betray someone they loved. The decision to turn you in would be effortless for them."

I had always known my father was ruthless, careless, but it was hard to hear how desperate the situation had become.

The damp chill of the cave and Eiran's words seemed to seep into my bones despite my efforts to ward them off as I crossed my arms.

"What will the others do when they find out you're helping me?"

His jaw tensed and his gaze turned distant. "I pray they never find out," he replied, his voice strained with emotion.

I gave a silent nod, my chest constricting with each word he spoke.

"You should sleep. I'll take the first watch." Eiran's voice rumbled through the stillness of the cave.

Exhaustion weighed heavy on my shoulders, but I couldn't fight the anxious thoughts swirling in my mind. The ground was hard and unforgiving beneath me as I lay down, using my arms as a makeshift pillow.

As Eiran settled into his position to keep watch, I tried to force myself to relax. But with him here, my mind only raced with more questions and doubts. I clamped my eyes closed and willed sleep to come.

The silence of the cave was broken by every little sound: a rustle in the bushes, the scratching of small animals. Each one caused my eyes to snap open and my heart to race in fear. I curled up tighter, trying to protect myself from the cold night air that seemed to permeate through my skin.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, never able to fully surrender to sleep. Every time I was on the verge of slipping away, a loud noise would startle me back awake. My heart pounded in my chest, ready to flee at any sign of danger. The refuge of the cave now felt like a trap, and I longed for daylight to chase away the shadows and fears.

I sat up, frantically whispering Eiran's name, and I searched the darkness of the cave for any sign of his presence. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried not to alert any potential threats that may have been lurking outside.

"It's just an animal," came Eiran's calm reply from where he was now crouched at the entrance. Relief flooded through me, washing away the fear and tension that had gripped me. "Go back to sleep." He added, "You've barely gotten any rest."

"I'm trying," I replied, attempting to steady my breathing.

Even though I couldn't make out his features in the dim light, Eiran turned to look back at me. We stayed like that for a long moment before he rose and approached me once again. This time, he sat much closer than before, our sides pressed together.

"You're freezing." His words surprised me, and I met his gaze. Slowly, he lowered himself onto his back and tucked his arm beneath my shoulders.

"Come here," he said softly, pulling me close. It felt wrong to be in his arms, thoughts of Dacre drifting into my tired mind, but his warmth was comforting. As he wrapped his arm around me, my eyes fluttered shut and sleep finally claimed me.