“What you did, going to the kitchens, talking to all the servants; It never even crossed my mind. And what about this trip? Where are they? Is he alright? I hate it that I’m not with them.” She pressed her lips firmly together.
I lowered my head, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with worry.
“I know. I feel the same way. What did Victor tell you before they left?”
"He said Tynan wants you protected and that I was the only one who could do it. That's a lie, any of them could do it."
“I’m sorry you had to stay.”
“There’s a silver lining, now I can wear my flying suit everywhere.” Frid said dryly.
I never had time to dwell on the fact that no one seemed to care that we were wearing our flying suits. In fact, many women started wearing them once news of a potential attackspread. I exhaled and looked around, my heart raced with anxiety and worry. Even in these rare moments of calm, I could not relax, because Tynan was not with me, and without him, I could not find peace.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” I said more to myself than to Frid as we entered through the main set of doors.
Almost immediately, two women approached me with questions and we returned to our duties.
The next day was a blur. I found myself busy every moment I was awake. Coordinating and planning the best way to protect all the civilians was not an easy task; and while everything was ready in the castle, we still needed to make sure everyone in the village knew what to do. Frid and I spent hours walking through the valley knocking on every door, and despite what I thought, many people did not know anything about the evacuation plans.
Along with that revelation, we had to face an even more concerning one: many people would not be able to move through the valley quickly enough to escape any possible danger. For those individuals, we had to come up with an alternative plan. Frid was really useful because she knew the people, and knew how to talk to them. We quickly established safe places for villagers to go to in case of anattack, neighbors would share space in their cellars for others to hide. With a lot of time and effort, everything progressed smoothly and a plan was put in place.
As we walked back to the mountain castle, a man that had just galloped past us came to a sudden halt, and dismounted in one swift, effortless motion. I glanced up and saw Denis approaching us.
“Hey, Frid, Aly!” he greeted both of us.
I was relieved to see that his eyes did not linger on me this time. Maybe what Tynan did actually worked, and he got the message.
“Denis?” Frid paused.
“Hanoch wants to know if you need any help,” he responded.
“Let me think. There was something we needed.” She turned to me, a crease formed between her eyebrows.
“Yes. We need beds, as many as we can get, and blankets. We asked people to bring some to the storeroom, just in case, but I know we will have a shortage.” I looked at both of them.
“Done and done. What else?” He glanced at me, and immediately averted his eyes.
“At some point, we have to rehearse,” I said.
“Rehearse?” He returned his gaze to me.
“Yes, to make sure everyone knows what to do; that no one panics, and we have not overlooked something important.”
“That’s a great idea!” Frid nodded.
“Sounds good. I’ll let Hanoch know.”
“Thank you,” I said.
"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else." He walked back to his horse and, without a second glance jumped into the saddle and rode away.
Later that night, I lay restless in my bed, hoping to feel even a faint trace of our bond. But I knew Tynan was too far for me to sense anything. I turned onto my other side and closed my eyes, trying to sleep, but the cold, dull emptiness seeped into my heart and soul. It had been days without him, and I was sick with worry over his well-being. I could not bear the thought of another day without him. My longing to see him, touch him, hold him in my arms was almost unbearable. I sighed and turned onto my back.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
ALINA
The next day, Hanoch himself delivered the news about the evacuation rehearsal. I was about to search for Frid in the village when I saw him walking straight toward me. He called me by my nickname, and I stopped, waiting patiently for him to close the distance between us. His brown hair looked disheveled, as though he had not rested in a while. I noticed a slight resemblance between him and his younger brother; something in the lines of his nose and jaw was vaguely familiar. Looking at him made me long to see the original so badly it almost hurt. Hanoch agreed to practice the evacuation later that day, understanding how vital it was for everyone. He lookedpleased when I updated him on the progress we had made in such a short time.
