“Yes, I’m sure. Do you agree to my terms?” She waved the sword at him to reinforce her statement.
“Sure,” he said, the corner of his lips tugging up in an amused smile.
“Why are you smiling?”
“No reason.” He shrugged, the smile still there. He found it lovely, the way she held that sword all clumsy, almost falling to the sides, giving way to the weight.
“What’s your name?”
“Eldric.”
“Alissa Kriegen,” she said, offering her hand, though the man refused to take it. She narrowed her eyes, assessing him. “Freyah, bring me the rope to tie him up.”
His smile vanished. “That was not in our agreement.”
“It is now.”
Alissa patted the man’s shoulder as Freyah tied his hands together. “We’ll have a great ride together. I’m sure you’ll enjoy our company, my friend.” She made a signal for him to climb up the carriage before them. “Hostages first.”
He stared at Alissa blankly while the three of them sat together in the front seat of the carriage. Alissa held the sword close in case she needed to use it against Eldric. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Eldric, with his hands tied, took the reins. “To the Canyons of Truths, then.”
“To the Canyons of Truths,” Alissa echoed in a hopeful whisper.
Chapter 8
Desperate Souls
176 DAYS UNTIL DHALIA’S DEATH DATE.
They rode for three days, rolling past mountains and valleys while the sun shone bright above. Birds sang from up the trees where fields of flowers in colors Alissa and Freyah didn’t know existed painted the land. Bryniard was close, yet it seemed so far away from the beautiful sights that filled Alissa’s eyes with tears.
I wish Dhalia were here.
She had been avoiding thinking about Dhalia and how she felt a terrible mother to have left her child behind when death was looming, stealing her away day by day. She tried to keep her mind focused on the path ahead, the stranger sitting between Alissa and her best friend, the beautiful world around her, or the purpose of her journey, but it rarely worked; the little girl was always behind her every thought. The anguish and tightness in her chest remained a constant ache in her soul.
Alissa and Freyah had been taking turns watching Eldric, especially in the few hours they stopped to sleep at night. They didn’t trust the man, and they feared he would take any chance given to attack them or run away. They tried to get him to talk,to get information about this land they knew nothing about, but he had been resistant to sharing anything relevant. In fact, he had been reluctant to say anything at all. All they had learned about him so far was his last name, and only because it was embroidered in white in his dark green cloak.
Of course, watching the man’s every move didn’t quite work in their favor in gaining his trust.
That night, however, when the breeze was warm and the crickets were the only sound they could hear as they sat by the bonfire and ate together, Eldric spoke for the first time since they met.
“What is so urgent that could possibly make you want to travel to that sinister place?”
“I’m sorry?” The sound of his voice stunned Alissa. She almost wondered if it was a hallucination.
“I mean, why would anyone ever want to see the twins willingly?” His head shook in disapproval.
“Who?” Freyah asked in confusion.
“Well, you are heading to the canyons. Seeing the twins is definitely a mandatory stop, isn’t it?”
“What twi—” Freyah’s words were interrupted by her friend’s elbow in her stomach. “Ouch!”
“Yes, the twins, of course!” Alissa waved her hand dismissively.
Eldric’s eyes narrowed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, drawing in a deep breath. “Do you not knowanythingabout the place you are forcing me to take you?” He lifted his wrists tied together, shaking them for emphasis, the rope ends swinging with the movement.