Chapter 5
Ryon
Her mood was always low even though she tried to act happy when I was around but I saw right through it.
I knew about her attachment to Zayden and how she gave in but I couldn’t confront her about it to end this chain of lies. I wasn’t allowed to. I wanted to but maybe I wasn’t ready to have that conversation with her just yet. I knew what it would lead to. Instead, I just tried to make my time with her worth it.
I knew they were coming. The day was getting close and I would lose her for good just as soon as Zayden stepped back into the picture. I didn’t want that to happen. I just wanted everything to be like when we were happy. I wanted everything to be back the way it was before she left. I just wanted her back, fully and felt I would do anything to get it. I’d do anything for her. Whatever she wanted she’d get but that sometimes would just upset me more. I knew what she wanted and it wasn’t me. She could never love me the way I love her with Zayden always being thought of first and I hated him for it. I almost couldn’t wait to see him in our lands and reflect off my hate. I spent the days thinking of it, how great it would be, knowing it would be soon.
I saw them coming. It was only a matter of time. I tried staying a step behind them whenever I could; only being able to dream about stopping them from coming at all. I knew what I will truly lose then and just tried to spend every second with Adele that she would allow.
Chapter 6
Zayden
The days drifted by slowly but we at last reached the walls of Dorlin. We could see it in the distance. The fires of the city were lighting up the night sky. It seemed beautiful just knowing we made it. We were close. Our days apart haven’t exactly been easy. We fought hard to get here and couldn’t wait to see the surprise on their faces. We missed them.
“How do we get in?” Troy asked. “Surely we can’t use the front gate.”
“No. They would notice for sure with the white horses under us. It’ll have to be the wall somewhere. I remember Adele once saying that their manor lies against the northern wall.”
“Then we know our entry point.” Darius said.
“Yes, but it’s the where that I’m unsure off.”
“We’ll find it.” Troy replied, his eyes peering towards the city with Jaylyn most likely on his mind. “We have to.”
“We’ll go around.” I started to lead my horse out to the north. “We don’t want to be spotted by the patrolling guards.”
We disappeared deep into the trees north of the city but kept the wall in our sight. We were able to travel west a distance along the northern wall, searching for the perfect entry.
“Sense anything?” Darius asked.
I shook my head and glanced over with solid black eyes. “The city is full of people. I couldn’t be sure where they are.”
“Should you climb up to get a better look?” Troy asked.
I let out a long breath and started to slow on my horse. “It’ll probably be easiest but this could take all night. I don’t want to be doing this during the day. Maybe we’ll just find some dark alley to slip into and leave the horses out here for now so we know it’s safe. We’ll be able to walk the streets easier.”
“You think so?” Darius asked.
“As long as we take off our gear that says who we are. They should have been back for a week if they went nonstop. That means they had to have told them something.”
“Like we’re dead.” Troy muttered.
“Exactly. If they’re back then we must be. They wouldn’t guess that we’d be walking around.”
“Okay. Then we’ll keep moving. Find the spot then call us.”
I nodded and got down off of my horse.
“Wait.” Troy said.
“What?”
His eyes were directed through the trees at the wall. “Who does that look like to you?”
I turned my head, trying to see well enough and noticed movement on top of the wall. Someone was laying up there with one leg bent up over the other and long brown hair was hanging over the edge.
“Adele.” I was full with a deep sign of hope.
“Hold on.” Darius cut in, hopping off his horse to stop me from proceeding forward. “You don’t know that it’s her. I’m sure she’s not the only brunette in the city.”
“It has to be.” I wanted it to be more than ever and got the confirmation I needed.
“Adele!” A loud voice echoed her name off in the distance from over the wall and my eyes widened, shooting them back at Darius and Troy.
Troy laughed while he got off his horse. “Well, that’s lucky. We stopped just in time.”
“Shh!” I snatched. We stayed where we were and listened to the voices from the wall.
“I know!” Adele shouted back with a long sigh. “I’ll be there, father. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried.” Said the General’s voice in a more calm tone from the ground just on the other side of the wall. “Just more concerned. It’ll be good for you. You need to get out, be around people. You’ve been locked up in here for a week. People are starting to talk.”
“Then let them. It doesn’t bother me.”
“No, it bothers me. Now, get down from there. I’m leaving now and you need to get ready and do the same. I have a lovely gown on its way for you.”
Adele sighed again and rubbed her face. “You mean I can’t just go naked and put an end to everyone’s disappointment?”
“Of course not. Show some respect please and limit how much you open that mouth of yours. The Queen wants to see you and I will not have your attitude reflect on her behavior.”
Adele sighed again and kept her laying position on the wall like she wasn’t going to be moving anytime soon. She used her defiant nature on everyone. “You wouldn’t be making me go to this thing if mother were alive.”
“If your mother were alive, a lot of things wouldn’t be happening. Discussion over. Now get yourself ready. I hope to see you there promptly.” Adele silently saluted him as a gesture of sarcasm. “Adele! Please don’t do this right now! I don’t have time for your games! Get yourself ready!”
She stayed exactly where she was and sighed as if his yelling hadn’t bothered her.
“Trever!”
I looked to those next to me when I heard him call his name and waited for the reply. “What happened?”
“Talk some sense into her because I have to leave before I lose it!” The General’s loud stomping footsteps left them alone.
“Oh, Adele, Adele, Adele.”
“Go away.”
“Just listen, all right?” Adele stayed exactly the way she was and didn’t say a word. “He doesn’t ask much of you. The least you could do is not fight with him over the things he does ask and put him in these moods.”
“He never asked me. He told me. There’s a difference.”
“Well, he has that right. He’s your father. Just humor him this time, would you?”
“Humoring him is pretty hopeless.”
Trever laughed, a side of him we were first getting to witness. “That’s the funny thing about hope. It can sometimes be closer than you think. The key is not to go looking for it. If you wait long enough, if you’re patient, it will come to you. Just think about it.”
He must have walked away because it got quiet and nothing else was said.
“Come on.” I whispered. “We’ll leave the horses here for now.”
Troy and Darius nodded and they followed me through the trees closer towards the wall. I was anxious to see her up close and get the chance to hold her again. It’s all I wanted.
She still hasn’t moved. She was laying on her back looking up at the sky, completely unaware of what was heading towards her. It was the perfect opportunity and I went for it. “Hey, Love!”
Chapter 7
Adele
My heart fluttered and my nerves tensed every muscle of my body to hear that name again. I was almost scared to look down, afraid I was just hearing things
but I couldn’t stop myself. My head turned down and my eyes followed. Was I dreaming? I was seeing those eyes again. They were bright but gentle and I lost myself in them, muttering his name. “Zayden?”
He was looking back and at first, I didn’t think it could have been real. It’s felt like so long since I’ve seen him; the longest week of my life. I was beginning to think that he wasn’t coming and was unsure how to react.
“It’s me, Love.”
He showed his gentle smile and I was anxious. I sucked in a breath just to hold tears in along with it and hopped off the wall. I used my gift and controlled the air around me so I would land softly but Zayden caught me in his arms anyway. I wrapped mine right around him, instantly feeling the cold steel against my skin from his breastplate but I didn’t care. I just wanted to know that he was really here. “Zayden! What took you so long?!”
He wrapped his arms around me tightly and spoke low with his lips press against my ear. “I’m sorry but I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You had me worry. I thought something must have happened.”
“Nothing to us. It just took longer to get out of the city than we thought but we were determined. I wasn’t going to leave you here to suffer.”
“But you did. You did leave me here and I have been suffering.”
“Please forgive me. I never wanted to leave you in the first place. I just didn’t have a choice but I’m not going to do that again.”
“Promise?”
I got to see his classic charming smile again and knew he meant it. “Definitely promise. I won’t let anything like that separate us again.”
I bounced up on my tiptoes, placing my cold lips to his.
“So, are we not standing here or what?” I heard Darius ask.
Troy laughed. “Apparently not.”
“Sorry. I’m glad you’re here too.” I stepped to them and hugged them at the same time with one arm around each of their necks. “And I won’t be the only one.”
“Shouldn’t we take this somewhere else?” Zayden asked. “I think we need a plan.”
“The manor is empty. I can take you inside and we can do it there. It’s getting colder anyway and you’ve must have been out here for a while.”
“We’ve technically been outside since the night you left.” Darius joked. “We’ve forgotten what warmth feels like.”
“Well, let me remind you.”
“Is this thing easy to climb?” Zayden was looking up at the wall, knowing we had to get over it.
“I wouldn’t recommend it. I could just—” I paused with both my eyebrows lifting when I saw Zayden climbing up the surface of the wall effortlessly without the need of holds.
“Yeah. He can do that.” Troy sighed. “Part of that gift he has, you know?”
“No, I did not know. Impressive but sadly a waste of time, Zayden.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re forgetting that I can just do this.” I held my hands out towards the wall and gave them a gentle push towards it. The stones cracked and folded away from each other and a doorway had opened up right in front of us. I stepped through with Darius and Troy right behind me and turned to look back up at Zayden with a smile. “That’s why.”
“Impressive but it won’t take me long to get down.” He hopped off the wall like I had previously done and landed smoothly on his feet without a problem.
I couldn’t help but smile again and watched his eyes fade. “Impressive. Welcome to Balwin Manor.”
I turned and welcomed them to my home. They seemed to like it. They were staring widely at the large ‘U’ shaped house. A covered balcony wrapped around the inside with glass doors leading to every room. Right in front of us was the courtyard where we practiced our training. It was filled with the typical obstacles as well as gardens and a training ring in the center.
“Wow.” They muttered.
I tried not to laugh. “I know it’s not the palace but it’s home.”
“No. It’s perfect.”
“Come on. We shouldn’t stay out in the open like this.” I led them through the courtyard to the main door on the other side and had a smile on my face the whole time. I couldn’t believe they actually came. I think a part of me didn’t even realize it yet. This has been the worst week of my life but somehow it didn’t seem to matter anymore. They were here. That’s all that did.
“I thought you said it was empty.” Zayden whispered when I poked my head in the door, making sure they stayed out.
“Just being sure. Those closest to my father come in and out of here at their leisure but all I have to do is get you upstairs and then we should be fine.”
Zayden nodded and I led them carefully down the hall to the west wing and up the flight of stairs.
It seemed even quieter up here and I brought them into my room, immediately closing the all the curtains with my gift. “It should be fine for a while. We’re just going to have to keep you away from my father.”
“What if we didn’t do that?” Zayden asked like he was already worried about my answer.
“I hope that was a joke. If he knows you’re here, you’re dead.”
“But what if he does know? He can see the future. We haven’t forgotten about that.”
No. I couldn’t believe it. “He would have mentioned it.”
“Would he? What was your story when you got home? Did you tell him what happened or lie?”
I sighed and became nervous, looking down at the floor. “Lied. Tremendously.” Saying it aloud felt terrible.
“Then he wouldn’t have told you if he knew. He’s probably been waiting for you to confess.”
“Okay, so what do you want to do? Confront him about everything and magically hope he’s in a forgiving mood so he’ll let you stay? I don’t see that going over too well, especially for you.”
“It won’t be that bad. We know some things about him now that may help persuade him to see better in us.”
“By bringing up his past? Only if you know how to use it and I doubt you do.”
“Love, please. See this from where we’re standing. You won’t be able to hide us. Have you seen Darius?”
My eyes glanced over and he waved at me.
“Well, what do you want me to do?”
“Not hide us every time he or anyone else is around. We should be allowed to be together openly.”
“Not too openly. No one can know who you are. My father, yeah but he’s not going to rush to the Queen and tell her so we can be killed.”
“Then he’d be willing to help protect our identity.”
I sighed to his determination. “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do. I’ve already lied to him. He’s not going to be happy about any of this.”
“Then you have to lighten his mood by doing exactly what he wants.”
“Like what? Killing you myself like I was supposed to?”
Zayden glanced over at Darius and Troy with a smile. I was curious until he spoke. “I was thinking about something simpler like wearing the dress he arranged for you and going to that function at the palace —promptly.”
“How long were you out there?”
“Just long enough to hear that.” Troy laughed. “We had to know that it was you on the wall.”
“Oh, that’s nice and I’m not going.”
“You’re really not going to help his mood that way.”
“So, in order for this to work, I have to do something I really don’t want to?”
“If you want me to stay.” Zayden smiled.
I sighed and narrowed my eyes towards him with a bit of playful banter. “You don’t even realize how much I hate you right now.” I wasn’t serious but I did hate him for wanting me to go to the stupid masquerade thing they did at the palace every few months just to keep everyone thinking the Queen was generous. I most certainly didn’t think that and she could never win me over through some foolish elaborate party.
“But you’ll do it because you w
ant us to stay. It’s what you’ve been waiting for, why you haven’t left the manor in the last week. He sounded like he knew too.”
I had to turn away so he wasn’t in my sight. I didn’t want myself to cry. “I won’t be responsible for your death.”
“You won’t be. It’s for the best. You trust us, don’t you?”
I looked at him again. “Of course I do but you just don’t know what you’re getting yourselves into.”
“I know what I want to.” Darius muttered. “Where are the other two anyway?”
“There’s that charm of yours coming to visit us.”
“You know what he means.” Troy replied. “This has been nice but we didn’t come all this way to see you.”
I know that but—I didn’t know how to tell them and I think they saw it when I turned away.
“Adele.” Darius said it like he was already worried. “Where are they?”
I glanced around the room with eyes that were obviously sad. My voice portrayed it too when I tried to answer. “They’re not here. They left when we got back.”
“What do you mean, left?” Troy asked.
“We knew we would have to act as normal as possible upon our return but it was harder than we thought. They decided, without me being involved at all, that it would be best if we separated for a while. I haven’t seen or heard from them in a week but I’m sure they’re fine. We just couldn’t be around each other with everything that’s happened. It made lying about it a little easier.”
“And how’d that work out for you?” Zayden asked.
“It doesn’t matter. It was their choice. They talked about it without me that very first night. Ruby stayed till morning to tell me about it but Jaylyn was first to leave. I guess I should have seen it coming. It was probably my fault.”
Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) Page 2
