The Obsidian Throne

by Michelle Soper

  Wyatt gently lifted her face to his with his hand. “I know you enough. I know you are brave, beautiful, and might be even more stubborn than me,” he assured, smiling warmly.

  Nev wanted to protest more. The guilt would break her if he came to harm because of her. She needed to make him see. She had to make him understand why this could never happen. Looking into his eyes, however, all she could do was shake her head in disapproval.

  Wyatt laughed and said, “Ha, ha. I also know that you are still somehow under the impression that shaking that gorgeous head at me is going to get me to do what you want. Remember, I only said you might be more stubborn than me.”

  She just blinked at him in response, unable to formulate any words to argue against him.

  Wyatt smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. Pulling her close to him, he lifted her face gently to his. Then, Wyatt leaned toward her slowly. Once his lips were just beyond hers, he kissed her tenderly.

  Nev’s resolve to push him away melted as he kissed her. She pulled her arm from his grasp and then wrapped both hands around the base of his neck. She stretched her fingers through his hair and gently twisted his locks around her fingers.

  Wyatt pulled her close until her body was pressed firmly against his. Her lips were soft, and the sensation of her hot breath on his face sent chills throughout his body. After several minutes passed, he pulled back slightly and gazed at her. “Well, that certainly makes almost drowning in an underground cave worthwhile,” he said, grinning widely.

  Nev felt warm and flooded by emotions. She’d made a vow to never allow herself to care for someone again. Even more importantly, however, was her promise to never let anyone else ever care about her. Don’t do this, she scolded herself.

  Wyatt sensed she was battling some internal conflict. Surely, he had not so misinterpreted things that now she was feeling regret. The thought that he might be the cause of her discomfort was an unpleasant one. He searched her face looking for some hint as to what was really bothering her. “If I’ve done something to hurt you,” he whispered while watching her closely.

  She met his gaze and then rested her head on his shoulder. “No. It is me who will, undoubtedly, hurt you,” she sighed, sounding remorseful.

  It was Wyatt who now found himself shaking his head in disagreement. “Why would you say that?” he asked with concern.

  “Because the last person I cared for was my father. In the end, all it earned him was a cruel end to a hard life,” she explained as she pulled away from him. She took several steps and then stopped. “You are a good man, Wyatt. And the world has too few of them already. I will see you to the city and to your sister, but then our paths must split before something happens that I cannot endure,” she said regretfully. With that, she started walking down the tunnel.

  Wyatt stared after her feeling puzzled and sorrowful. He’d seen her start to relax around him several times in the short time he’d known her. Each time had been followed by her pulling away and rebuilding her walls around herself. He hoped this time was different. Even though they had not known each other for very long, he knew the connection they shared was real. When he kissed her, he had sensed her carefully built walls start to fall away. She had been truly present, truly with him for that one precious moment.

  Now he feared she was more distant from him than ever. With a heavy sigh, he rushed to catch up to her. It would still take them at least a week to reach Addi. Maybe I can convince you to let your walls down, at least, a little by the time we get to my sister. Good thing I am stubborn, he thought.

  Chapter 9

  The prowler had lost the trail of his quarry in the forest. With his anger and hunger unfulfilled, he turned his interest to a small, unsuspecting pack of wolves that had the misfortune of crossing his path. He attacked them with all the lust and hatred he carried for her. Within moments, the bodies of five adult wolves lay scattered around him. He heard one survivor scurry off into woods, but did not have enough vested interest to pursue it.

  Bloodied and feeling more satisfied and focused, he let the rain wash the remnants of the wolves from him as he kneeled quietly beside their carcasses. Always the resourceful one, aren’t you, he reflected. But I can be patient. And when you use it again, I will find you. He stood and began walking towards the next nearest settlement.

  As he journeyed towards Birclan, she was all he focused on. His training had shaped his mind and body for a singular purpose. He would hunt and bring her back to the empire. Almost all his fellows had not survived the transformation. He had. All of what he had endured, now provided his strength. He was forged for one goal, and now it was so tantalizingly close.

  He’d felt a hint of her presence outside of Serenity Falls. At the time, she was a curiosity. He had not fully realized that she was the one he sought. The prowler had managed to come close, even injuring her with a well-placed arrow, but she’d escaped. She had been lucky twice since that encounter. Unknown trickery and his over-eagerness to possess her had clouded his judgment. He would not allow her to benefit from such things again. Feeling more centered, he savored and encouraged his insatiable appetite for her to grow as he continued his journey towards his target.

  Chapter 10

  Nev and Wyatt walked for several quiet hours in their private underground world. The carved tunnel had led much farther than he would have anticipated. It was also strangely beautiful. Wyatt had used his abilities to enhance the light being emitted by the mushrooms than clung to the cave’s walls. He thought Nev almost smiled when he first did it, and that made the exercise and nagging headache worth it.

  When their path slowly started to carve its way upward, they were many miles from where they had entered. Wyatt was relieved to be back on the surface. He deeply breathed in the cool, night air. The cave had smelled heavy with minerals, and he was happy to be done with it. The feeling was fleeting. Having reached the surface just before him, he was not thrilled to see Nev turn to reenter the cave. “Decided to go back for another swim, have you?” he queried unenthusiastically.

  “No, but we should rest for a bit. It has been a very long day,” she noted, sounding utterly exhausted. She moved several feet inside the cave and then pointed towards the ground. “Stay here. I will be back shortly,” instructed Nev as she headed back towards the cave’s exit.

  “If you are heading out, then I will come with you,” Wyatt quickly protested.

  “No,” she replied, sounding harsher than intended. She took a deep breath. “I am sorry. I just need… I just need to clear my head.”

  Perhaps it wasn’t a terrible idea for them to take a short break from each other, thought Wyatt. Their time together had often been quite intense. “Alright, just be gentle with your shoulder and don’t go too far. Also, be careful, please,” he said, sounding worried.

  Nev nodded quickly and then headed out in the night air. The rain had eased off again and was barely more than a mist now. She stood for several minutes, trying in vain to center herself. Every time she started to quiet her mind, thoughts of the kiss they shared pushed back to the forefront. She rubbed her face with her hands and let out a heavy groan. Why did I let him kiss me? Nev reprimanded herself.

  Of course, she already knew the answer. It was because, despite all her best efforts to the contrary, she had started to genuinely care for Wyatt. Nev could feel a bond between them growing, and it left her feeling confused and unfocused. She’d never kissed a man prior, and now she could think of little else. Nev needed to put a stop to it all. It was too dangerous to allow herself to become so distracted while they were being pursued by an unrelenting and malevolent force.

  Committed to staying on task, she breathed in deeply for a few minutes. Unfocused or no, she had duties that needed to be accomplished. Her mind and senses were far too scattered to hunt, so she turned her attention to looking for any edible berries or nuts in the area. Nev lucked out and found an easily recognizable hillberry bush that was heavy with fruit. She gathered them and ge
ntly put them in a small bag she’d pulled from her pack. While gathering sticks, she also came across a handful of agner nuts. They could be hard to open, but a rock usually made short work of it. Placing the nuts inside the pouch with the berries, she bundled the sticks up with her rope.

  Seeing the rope again caused flashes of Wyatt laying unbreathing before her to abruptly push into her mind. She shuddered from the memories. Breathing out sharply, Nev attempted to shake the thoughts from her head. She was minimally successful. Feeling tired and with food and fuel for a fire, Nev headed back towards the cave. She stopped only briefly to fill a small container with rain that had collected in a very large leaf. Satisfied enough with what she had gathered and her muscles aching for sleep, she headed back towards the cave entrance.

  Wyatt had been waiting anxiously for Nev to return. He didn’t like the idea of her being out there without him. Still, he knew she likely needed the solace that sometimes only came from being alone. He felt greatly relieved when he saw her reenter the cave. Wyatt wanted to rush to meet her, but he got a distinct impression that was not what she wanted. So, he sat and waited. Watching her as she unpacked the items she’d gathered, he could tell she was still working through things in her head.

  Nev carefully sat down the jar of water and pouch of nuts and berries. She then skillfully placed the sticks on the ground. With two stones she pulled from her pack, she urged a small fire to leap eagerly onto the sticks. The warmth of the fire was a very welcome sensation for them both. She knew the smoke could potentially lead danger to them, but her desire to feel warm and dry pressed more greatly on her mind now. Nev grabbed a small rock that was nearby and one of the agner nuts from her pouch. She struck the nut with the stone. Managing to crack its outer shell, she carefully peeled it off and handed the nut to Wyatt.

  “Thanks,” he said softly. Wyatt fought back his urge to ask her all the questions that dominated his thoughts. He wanted to ask her what had happened to her father, why she blamed herself, why she had built so many walls in her mind, and if she felt the same connection he did. Instead, he ate quietly and decided to give her the space she seemed to want.

  Nev ate silently and ensured Wyatt got the majority of what she had gathered. He had, after all, almost died. She was also painfully aware that it was solely her fault that he was in so much danger. When she thought he was distracted, she would steal short glances at him. Wyatt’s hair was fully dry now, and the curls she had missed were back. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her fingers together. Painful memories of feeling his curls underwater were battling with the pleasant thoughts of twirling them with her fingers.

  Nev sighed poignantly. She appreciated his quietness tonight, but she also found herself longing for his playfulness and the smile he usually gave so freely. Despite the many dangers they had faced since they met, his carefree and kind nature had brought a smile to her lips frequently. As she drifted off to sleep, his amber eyes and grin were the thoughts she held close as she curled up on the ground.

  Wyatt watched her sleep for many long minutes. He studied her face and traced its lines with his eyes. Wyatt pondered how someone so incredibly strong could also seem so very fragile. He lay down close to her. With him between her and the cave’s entrance, he fell asleep as he watched the light of the fire make her red hair seem to glow.

  A few hours later, Wyatt was awoken by Nev. She was flailing next to him and muttering in her sleep. He quickly scanned the cave for threats, but all seemed quiet except for the fading crackling of the fire, and Nev’s dream induced protests. Whatever she was dreaming about, it was clear that it wasn’t pleasant. Wyatt leaned over her and brushed her hair from her face. “Shh, it’s alright,” he whispered tenderly.

  Nev’s breathing was sharp and quick, as she continued to clench her fists and lash out at some unseen foe. Her face scrunched up tightly, and she let out an emphatic, “NO!”

  Wyatt gently grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it. “Nev, it’s just a dream. I am here. It’s alright,” he said gently. He then leaned down and kissed her forehead lightly. Wyatt watched her closely as she seemed to calm slightly, and her eyes flickered slowly open.

  She drew in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. She could see the concern on Wyatt’s face and felt his hand on hers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you or worry you,” she said, feeling ashamed and uncomfortable.

  Wyatt simply smiled at her and replied, “No worries.”

  His wording resonated with her probably more than he intended. No worries, she thought. She longed for that to be true. Forcing herself to give him a half-smile, she hoped she could alleviate any concern she’d caused him. Perhaps he deserved to hear what really troubled her. Or maybe she had earned the right to finally share her burden with someone else. Either way, she couldn’t. Being alone was how things had to be. With that, she curled back up and slowly fell back asleep.

  As before, Wyatt watched and waited for her to drift off before he laid down. It was easy for him to sense the crushing weight she was carrying. He wanted to help her, but he knew she wasn’t ready to let him do that. At least he could be here with her if another nightmare visited her slumbering mind. Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes and let himself join her in sleep.

  Chapter 11

  They established a bit of a routine over the next five days. The pair would rise with the sun, eat, pack up camp, and then spend the day walking west. Occasionally, they would take a brief and usually silent break. When dusk came, Nev would find them a spot to sleep. She would then journey out alone to restock their food and water supplies. She’d managed to bring back either a squirrel or rabbit each night that followed their exit from the cave.

  What she had not managed to do was to shake the nightmares that now plagued her sleep. She was exhausted to her core. Wyatt had put forth his best efforts to reassure and comfort her when she inevitably awoke in the middle of the night, but she always pushed him away. Nothing he or she did stopped the dreams unrelenting recurrences.

  Nightmares had been a constant presence in her life for many, many years. Over the past few days, however, they had grown more intense. Suddenly they focused less on distant threats and pains and more on the immediate. Nev had gotten to where she could barely look at Wyatt without seeing the grisly images from her dreams. As a result, she did her best to avoid looking at him at all. She knew it bothered him, but she simply did not have the energy to confront her demons any more than necessary.

  As dusk grew near, Nev started watching for a good place to spend the night. She found a small cave that seemed clean and dry enough. It was nowhere near as large as the cave they’d been in a few nights prior, but it would make a decent spot to sleep.

  Over the past few days, they had trudged many miles. More importantly, they had not seen any sign of the prowler since their brush with him before the flooded cave. After pointing out their camp for the evening to Wyatt, Nev set out to gather food as per their established routine.

  Lately, Wyatt no longer even pushed to accompany her. It was something Nev strangely missed. She knew, however, it would be unkind to urge him to ask simply so she could deny his request. As a consequence, she hadn’t mentioned it to him.

  As she came across a stream that was fat with large lazy fish, she pulled out her dagger and hovered just about the water for several minutes. She seized her opportunity when a fish swam beneath her ready hand. In an instant, the fish was skewered on her dagger. She watched as he flopped for just a moment before Nev ended its futile struggle. Make it right, she thought, remembering a moment from her childhood. With food and water in hand, she headed back to camp.

  Wyatt had found the last five days to be particularly challenging. He knew a more sensible man would likely have been relieved to not be under such the immediate threat of death that had preoccupied their first two days together. Being sensible, however, was never his strong suit. Instead, he struggled with the prolonged stretches of silence between
them that now seemed to be becoming the norm.

  He wanted to give her the space she appeared to want but was finding that to be a more and more difficult task. She’d barely slept since that first night in the carved-out hollow following their daring escape from Serenity Falls, and she was eating less and less. At least, her shoulder seemed to be firmly on the path to recovery.

  What really pained him was that with each night, her nightmares had become more intense. While with each day, the distance between them seemed to have grown. Just shy of a week ago, things had felt different. Now, Wyatt could scarcely believe that the kiss they shared in the blue glow of the cave had ever really happened.

  Nev finished eating the piece of fish she had picked at over the past several minutes. After putting another stick on the fire, she then curled up on the ground. The rain had granted them a much-needed reprieve, but the air was still particularly chilly. She was grateful as the spreading warmth of the fire filled the cave and helped to calm her aching muscles. As she closed her eyes, she heard Wyatt sigh deeply. Despite every fiber of her being aching for sleep, she sat up and looked at him with concern. He was staring out at the darkness with a somber look on his face.

  “I’m sorry. I know you are tired, exhausted actually,” Wyatt said, sounding drained. After a long pause, he continued without looking at her, “I should have said something earlier in the day, but I didn’t. And for that, I am sorry—but I can’t keep doing this. I’ve tried because I felt like it was what you wanted, but I can’t spend all day with you in silence. Neither can I spend every night watching you suffer through nightmares and being shut out from helping you.”

  Nev sighed regretfully and nodded slowly, “I know. It was wrong… is wrong for me to expect you to. We will reach Birclan soon and then,”

  Wyatt interrupted her, “And then what? As hard as these past five days have been, the thoughts of just sending you out to face that prowler alone and how many other unknown dangers are worse. Look, maybe you think our kiss was a mistake, and maybe you don’t. It honestly doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself either way if I just walked away. So, you tell me. How am I supposed to just let you go knowing what is waiting for you?”