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Good. He had to get out of there fast. The last thing he needed was to explain to Maebh why he’d slaughtered an entire unit of her soldiers. That female always looked at him strangely. He preferred to limit his time with her.
Leaf saddled his horse, mounted, then offered his hand to Nova. She stared at it and then at the bloody devastation dripping from trees. Something flickered in her eyes he couldn’t decipher. He wondered if she’d flee. And then he’d have to begin the tedious task of chasing her down. Although, the thought of tossing her over his shoulder, and gripping that plump ass again, was oddly satisfying.
But she put her hand in his, allowed herself to be pulled onto the horse’s back before him, and asked, “Okay, Leaf of the Guardians. What now?”
J.C. — Entry 2010 ANF
I wonder sometimes about why we do the things we do.
Since we brought this civilization together under the Well’s guidance, I know my reasons. I want to create a better world than the one we left. I want to honor E’s life’s work, her morals, her values.
A legacy, M says. She thinks if she builds this world to perfection, then A will have no choice but to help her fill it with children, despite the immeasurable pain of their losses.
A just wants answers. Answers, I fear, will never come. Because she has to look inside her heart to find them, but she refuses. And so her heart grows smaller, and there is less room to fill.
ChapterTen
Leaf never answered Nova’s question, but without an alternate option and the need to leave, she put her faith in the stranger who’d saved her life.
As they galloped through the camp toward the river, rodents and carrion already picked at the flesh and bones of the army. It happened minutes ago but already seemed like a dream. The shapes and blobs weren’t human or fae. Nova had trouble reacting to reality.
Was this her mind disassociating? Was she going into shock?
“Should we… bury them?” Nova asked, trying to turn, but Leaf grumbled and forced her back into position.
“Do you want to be thrown?” he snapped. “Eyes forward.”
It wasn’t until she did as she was told that he answered her question.
“They’re Unseelie. This war with the Seelie is their fault, and consequences come with that.”
Nova stared at the horse’s cascading mane as they rode. But it seemed to take on a bloodied hue and then she couldn’t focus. Each time gravity hit, tears jerked from her eyes. She squeezed them shut and held onto the mane, but closing her eyes was a mistake.
Flesh ripped from muscle. A cacophony of death burst all at once… then a confusingdrip drip drip. She saw broken, upturned trees and unrecognizable bloody blobs. Then the tiny piece of green skin with black hair.
Time passed in a blur of forest, riverbank, sand, blue sky, and bloody nightmares. She tried hard not to piss off the dangerous elf cradling her with solid thighs and unbending steel arms. She forced herself to embrace the ache growing in her bottom from riding.
The horse labored for breath by the time the sun was high, and she couldn’t take the repeating visions of death anymore.
Change the subject. Talk about something. Anything.
She asked, “What is this war about anyway? I overheard a soldier say fighting Seelie is a waste of time when the real threat comes from the west. Did he mean humanity?”
Leaf’s chest heaved against her back with a weary sigh. She detected exhaustion in every line of his posture, tone, and sluggish movements as he reined the horse into a canter and checked over his shoulder to see if they were pursued.
“Someone said that?” he mumbled.
“Yes. It wasn’t a popular opinion. They beat him up for it.” Come to think of it, the soldier might have been one of the heads on pikes.
“Interesting.” Leaf clicked his tongue and slowed the horse beside the sparkling river. “But if you’re considering seeking refuge in the human city, don’t. The soldier was right. The human leader, Nero, is the true threat—not just against the people of Elphyne but to the integrity of the Well. His people are starved and sick. He steals mana. The damned fool thinks he can break the rules without consequence.”
“No one wants to take responsibility for the state of their world. There were people like that in my time. My brother included. There was always someone to blame other than themselves.”
Leaf grew silent behind her, which suited her fine, except distracting herself became more arduous by the second. Her stomach quivered and churned. The gallop had jolted all her aches and pains. Her temple still throbbed where Grung hit her. Her ears hurt. Now her ass and thighs hurt, and she’d only been on the horse for a few hours. But she wasn’t as exhausted as the elf. His weight against her back grew heavier by the minute.
“Nero hopes we kill each other.” Leaf’s deep voice was barely audible. “Less resistance when he invades. He’s like you, from the old world. Since waking, all he wants is to rule us all.”
Leaf’s words bounced around in her mind.
