While I watched her profile, I could easily detect thestubborn curve of her mouth. She did not conceal what was on her mind very well. She did not trust us. She would try to escape. I could see what she was thinking, plain and clear. And if she was successful, all four of us would surely be executed for treason. The council barely needed a reason to send any of our clan to the dragon ancestors. From now on I had to watch her very closely.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ALINA
Iwatched the group of warriors that surrounded me. They were so different from the people I knew back at home. They were put through hell and they were living in this unbearable environment and made it work. I could not even imagine what it was like to live like that day after day. Scared for your life, unable to make any plans, making sure that your only possessions are ones you can carry, not knowing where your next meal would come from. I knew I should not have felt any sympathy for them. I knew I should have hated them for imprisoning me, but I could not. Deep down, I knew they were not the problem, but they were not my friends either.
I could sense that each and every one of them had eachother's back first, and they had no room for strangers in the small group they protected so fiercely. They were almost like a family together. The leader was the absolute reason for such deep loyalty. It seemed like he was the older brother, despite being nearly the same age as the rest of them.
My gaze fell on Tynan and I caught him staring. There was no warmth in his face, his dark eyes scrutinized me in a strange, detached way. I looked away and picked up my fork. He did not trust me, I could feel it in my bones.
No matter. I had to make it work, I had to make it look like I was not going anywhere. For a moment a flash of panic hit me like a pile of rocks.
Where would I go? Which way should I head if I didn't know where the border was? Could I even survive in the wild with monsters all around?
I did not have any answers. The only thing I knew for sure was that I would never go back to a prison cell. Never.
The conversation was revolving around the news from the capital, I barely listened to it. It was not my plan to go there. I glanced at Frid as she shoved a substantial amount of lamb in her mouth.
“Slow down, will you? You’ll choke on it,” Victor observed, his eyes lingered on her profile and a strange expression appeared on his face.
“Alfrida? Why would you let this small man talk to you like that?” Erin joined in.
“Here we go again,” Sol muttered.
“Who did you call a ‘small man’?” Victor immediately got defensive.
I clenched the cup filled with a yellowish substance. When I picked it up and gave it a good sniff, I could clearly distinguish the notes of grain and a faint sweet scent.
“Try it.” Frid leaned toward me.
I gave her a weak smile and took a sip. My thoughts returned me back to my escape.
Should I try to sneak out in the middle of the night? But first, I need a direction.
I had no money, and the most important thing, I had no map. I bit my lip, trying to solve this puzzle, but the solution was lingering on the edge of my brain. I knew I would have to make a decision and commit to some kind of a plan. Thanks to the gods, I had always been great at planning.
While taking another bite of boiled potatoes, I felt Tynan’s gaze on me. His dark eyes followed every move I made and he did not even try to hide it. He did not trust me, and that was dangerous. He was suspicious of me, I was sure of it.
“And what is your homeland like?” Erin asked.
I raised my head unsure if he was talking to me.
“It’s very quiet. We have a castle on the top of a mountain and fields all around it. The forest is a little further out, and the smell of wild grass comes in through the windows every morning.” I fell silent.
My hands landed on my knees and I could not help digging my fingers into the thick material of my brownpants. I spent so much time feeling depressed and unhappy. The loss of my fiance right before our wedding changed everything for me back then. After a year of avoiding seeing my friends and even my brother, I got back to life, but I never went back to the way I was before. I used to trudge through my days and cry myself to sleep every night for so long that it became a part of me. My grief transformed me. I am ashamed to admit it, but I did not want to go on. I dreamed about accidentally drowning in the river or slipping while climbing the rocks. I was despondent and brought everyone around me down. And I knew it too.
All it took was for me to lose my freedom to know how privileged I was to have everything I had. To have my friends and my beloved brother by my side, ready to come to my aid at any moment. I closed my eyes, regretting everything I had done for the past two years of my life. Everything I ever wanted to do and never did. Every person I pushed away, every opportunity I turned down. I bit my lip, returning back to reality.
“Damn, I would like that a lot.” Frid picked up her kvass, taking a huge sip.
“Alfrida, my muse. You are magnificent!” Erin inhaled.
“Get over yourself,” Victor snapped.
“Don’t pay attention to them. They’re incredibly silly. They’ve always been like this since we were kids,” Frid said.
“Did you know each other when you were children?” I asked.
