“Don’t worry about it,” Dyma moved her hand like it was nothing, maybe to prove to me the full mobility of her elbow. “It’s slowly healing. Another couple of months and I will be as good as new.”
“Can I ask how it happened?” I posed the question, unable to look away from her injury.
“Three months ago, in Vrothran, during the attack. It was my fault entirely, please do not worry Grannicus with it, he does so much for us as it is,” she grabbed my wrist to make a point, and I immediately nodded.
“I won’t,” I reassured her with a dash of a smile, as I took the opportunity to lead the conversation on the path I needed it to go. “Dahr is very stressed with the attack on Enderflagg as it is, so I don’t want to worry him more than he needs to be. If that is alright with you, of course.”
“Of course,” Dyma said with immediate understanding. It was fascinating how her other wrist still moved in a perfect circular motion inside the bucket while her attention remained focused on me. This was a woman who truly needed to be admired. “And you must be terrified as well,” she said, her hazel eyes flickering with sadness.
“Not yet, there are still eight days to go,” I tested my knowledge on the timeline and was relieved to find it accurate when Dyma did not correct me.
“I always pity you girls,” she sighed and used her free hand to rub her eye, just like one does when they want to avoid tears. “It is a very sad fate, and we all know Grannicus hates doing it,” she pressed her lips together with regret. Then her voice perked up, the woman displaying a nervous smile to me. “At least you seem to have conquered Grannicus’ heart,” she observed. “We never saw him walk with any of the other women. We never evensaw the other women at all,” she admitted, her brows arching slightly.
“I guess he feels bad and wants to make up for it,” I pressed my lips together and tried to steady my pulse at the mention of other women being connected to Dahr, just the way I was. Was she referring to the visits he made around camp when he needed release? Had there been other kidnappings?
Dyma huffed. “I want to make up for it. We all do. I can’t even imagine what you girls have to go through,” she lowered her voice and leaned in from her stool to press her hand on my knee. “We are all grateful for your sacrifice.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say. Should I be thanking her? What exactly was I sacrificing? Apart from my heart, that was slowly shattering into a million pieces with each and every one of her words. How did no one think to talk to me the way this woman was? Why did no one take the time to tell me exactly what my purpose here was?
“I still don’t understand how it works,” I huffed slowly, the true portrait of regret coming into light on my features.
“We don’t either,” Dyma replied apologetically. “Not truly. All we know is that the offering needs to be taken from the next town we attack. She is placed inside Grannicus’ tent every night while he sleeps so he can forge the connection and guide his power only on the surface where it needs to be expelled. But we don’t truly know how he connects to you.”
But I knew.
I tried to blink away tears, feeling one drip to my cheek and falling on the side of my jaw, but I wiped it away. I knew how Dahr made the connection with all the kidnapped girls. Because he was currently doing it with me.
“I am sorry, miss. It was not my intention to hurt you,” Dyma apologised quickly, but I shook her words away.
“Can you tell me what happens after Dahr… Grannicus guides his power?” I asked, but immediately noticed her shaking the conversation away, so I pushed a victimising plea, which I prayed would work. “Since I probably won’t be there?”
I added the word ‘probably’ to give her the opportunity to mention any exceptions, but I knew her answer before she opened her mouth. She had called us ‘offerings’. As far as I knew, there wasn’t a record of someone being offered and having survived. Not in mythology, and especially not in the current days.
Dyma nodded, forcing herself to speak the words overcome by pity. She did not make a reference to the fact that I won’t be there and continued to tell me the aftermath of whatever happened next.
“Grannicus and yourself will walk to the place of his choosing, from where he will explode his fire into the territory,” she slowly lifted her hand to show what that fire does, and I swallowed a dry lump in my throat. If those were the effects from a distance, my body had absolutely no chance of surviving an explosion of fire right near the source. Hence… offering.
“The warriors will be the front line to receive the first wave of escapees while we form half-mile perimeters to catch anyone else. It takes as long as it takes,” her lips pursed, not wanting to say the words.
“There are no survivors?” I dared ask through the ringing in my ears. My pulse was so high that my blood raced through my veins, making everything around me look blurry and unsettled. Not only had I just discovered that I had eight days to live, but that everyone who tried to escape would be slaughtered. By the very people I had dared to have hope for and call friends.
Dyma shook her head apologetically. “We cannot risk discovery. Not until we follow the captain’s orders and reach Senesra.”
“Thank you for your honesty,” I barely had enough strength to reply as I pushed the small stool away. My body struggled to stand, the pressure pounding in my head affecting my balance to the point where everything turned black right in front of my eyes.
“Miss, are you alright?” I felt Dyma’s hands on my shoulders, keeping me in place. I forced air into my lungs for a few seconds, willing the deep breaths to calm some of my nausea until the woman’s hazel eyes studying me with worry became visible once again.
“Sorry, I skipped breakfast,” I apologised and strengthened my back to keep my body upright. “I’ll go fix that now,” I excused myself and walked away, shaking my head when the woman offered to take me back. I needed air, I needed to focus, I needed to understand what was happening. What had I gotten myself into?
No, Nora, what you have been forced into.
Judging by Karisha’s records, which always started fresh with the arrival of the new month, I knew for certain that the attack on my town would happen on the 31st of March. A week away. I had a week to find a solution, to save over fifty thousand people that resided in the same place I had been plucked from.
I barely walked to the tent, my legs scrambling with the strength each step took from me and when I finally arrived, I let myself fall to the ground and let it all out.
I let the tears that had pricked my eyes slip out and broke into deep sobs. My entire body shook, and my muscles quivered with the pain of the discovery.
Of the realisation.
