“You don’t know her.” He shook his head, eyes roaming over her. “There are things you don’t know. Things about her past—our past, that shaped us into who we are today.” There was more to the story, but she wouldn’t push him. He would share it if he wanted to.
“You really think she’d do that?” Demitria couldn’t fathom the thought of his own sibling turning him in. Couldn’t evengrasp the fact. It was his sister. How could you do that to your own family?
“You have no idea the things we’ve seen.” His grip on her hand tightened, and she reveled in the feeling. The warmth of it against her skin. The sheer size of it engulfed around her own. She knew she should let go. Move Atlas away. Avert her gaze. Something. Anything to get herself away, but she couldn’t. Or refused to. She didn’t know anymore. Found it harder and harder to tell the difference as the days went on. The more time she spent around the Horsemen, the more confused she felt.
Demitria wouldn’t push him for answers. Knew well enough when to leave it alone. The look in his eyes said it all. Whether it was his story or not to tell, she wouldn’t question it. Question him.
“Okay.” It took a moment, but she finally let herself sit back. If Eire was really going to turn him into the council, it wasn’t going to be on her account. She didn’t know much about them. Actually, she knew nothing. But by the way he acted, and the brutality caused to his family. she knew it wouldn’t be pleasant. Having him turned in was the last thing she ever wanted.
“We should continue on.”
Kellan didn’t drop her hand at first, but after several heartbeats, he finally let it go. With a curt nod, he nudged his horse forward and walked off. She easily fell into step beside him. “It’ll be fine,” he said. “They can’t hurt me anymore than they already have.” Something in her hardened at his last words. The whisper of them as he wouldn’t look at her when he’d said them. The council had… hurt him? And Eire had still threatened it anyway?
They rode together in silence for another few minutes before Demitria finally broke it once more. “Has the plan changed?”
Kellan shook his head, “No. Everything is still as before. Finding the angels is our next target. Then we move from there.”
Demitria nodded. Once they found the angels, she didn’t know what they were to do. She had her own goal, that still remained. Jace was alive, thank whatever gods had made that happen, but she wouldn’t let the Dark King live. Not after everything. Her community. The surrounding ones. She would find a way to continue on with them, then she would end the being if it was the last damn thing she did.
For several hours they pushed on, until the sun was high in the sky. Regrouping briefly to decide on their route, with the consensus being to get above the never-ending rock walls surrounding them for a better view. Finding a spot for their mounts to climb up had been tedious and downright frustrating, but they’d managed. Somehow, without anyone getting injured. Demitria felt for the others making the tedious climb on foot.
As they crested the ridge, they came upon a densely wooded area of charred trees. They’d never climbed the canyon during their scouting missions, and neither of them had known what to expect. It called to her, whatever was up here. Pulling her toward it.
“Well, this is just great.” Sam grunted, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared out at the forest of ash.
“They’re leading us into a trap, and they’re going to kill us all.” Will added, glaring at each of the Horsemen before him.
Demitria rolled her eyes. She hated that the twins had come along, and wished they would have come across a community that hadn’t been ravaged, and left them there. Forever.
“Shut your mouths before I do it for you.” She snapped. Demitria had grown increasingly tired of their quips and had very nearly reached her limit on what she could take. The constant bickering. The talking down. She was ready to explode. One job. One goal. It was all she had, and so help her if they stood in the way of that…
“We need to decide our next course of action.” Gabriel met the eyes of each of them. “Something feels… off about it.” He turned, staring intently at the charred forest.
Despite being only human, she couldn’t agree more. Something about the woods. The eerie mist that seemed to hang unnaturally around it. Nothing about it seemed normal. Well, as normal as things got these days, at least.
But it beckoned her. Called out to something in her blood that she couldn’t quite explain.
“I vote we go through it.” Eire stated. “I can’t sense anything of the Fallen anymore. Not since we were down below. I don’t know if it’s the stench of these trees or what, but going through will be faster than going around.”
“That’s exactly why I’m voting to go around. It isn’t safe for them.” Kellan countered, toeing with his sister once again. A regular occurrence, it seemed.
“Why should we listen to you? You have been nothing more than a human-loving piece of shit as of late, Kellan. Have you forgotten your place so quickly?” She snarled.
“Have you forgotten yours?” Kellan matched her tone for tone.
Demitria dismounted, leaving Atlas as she took a step forward. Not toward Kellan. Toward the woods. Toward the siren song that called out to her from within. Tapping along the edges of her mind. She moved further. Away from her friends. From Kellan. She could almost touch it. Could feel the cool sensation of the mist along her body. Tingling—itching against her skin as it crawled around her. Pulling her into the thick of it. Before any of the others had noticed her, too engrossed in the conversation among the Horsemen.
“What are you doing?” Kellan shouted, tearing himself from Eire. Too far. He was too far away, and she couldn’t make her body stop. She kept moving, one foot in front of the otheruntil she couldn’t hear them anymore, and the trees seemed to swallow her whole.
Thirty-Eight
DEMITRIA
Demitria had given in to whatever pull had summoned her. She couldn’t explain what it was that drew her in, but knew that it was something she needed to do. If she was to continue walking this path she was on, she needed to follow.
All around her was dark as if the mist had swallowed any life that lay within. Not even the sun's piercing rays could break through. The air was hazy, and she could only see a few feet in each direction. Still, she pushed on. Slipping her hand to the hilt of the sword, she slid it free of its sheath. Readying the blade as she pushed further in.
Don’t run. Don’t be afraid.
