AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before Ellister can answer, the wagon comes to a stop and there’s chatter among the guys. I still don’t know most of their names.
The big brutish one with dark hair is Braham. I’m not sure what his power is, but he’s strong, and they have him doing all the grunt work when it comes to moving Ellister and me around.
At least one of them has fire power. Although I didn’t see him light the campfire where our dinner was cooked, I watched him put it out afterward. He simply let his hand hover above the flames, and they disappeared without even leaving a smoke trail.
To their credit, they don’t seem to enjoy seeing me suffer, especially Braham. He’s apologized several times for the way I’m being affected by Ellister’s confinement, and his words sound sincere. To appease his guilt for treating a lady this way, he’s been offering blankets whenever he’s checked on us, and I’ve accepted every single one, hoping the group would run out. They can sleep on the hard ground for all I care.
If only they all knew what it feels like to have a cursed sicknessandsecondary, full-body iron burns. I’m not being a wimpy human with my shivering and sluggishness. I’d like to see them in my shoes and act like everything’s okay.
The wagon door swings open, letting in blinding light from the merging suns.
A shadowed figure blocks the orbs, then I’m being motioned out by Braham.
I don’t make a move toward the brute, tighten my grip on Ellister’s finger, and firmly tell him, “We stay together.”
“We’re not trying to separate you.” Braham’s wide shoulders rise with a sigh, like I’m being unreasonably difficult. “It would mean the death of you both, and we want you very much alive.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” I gesture to all the iron. “This net is ridiculous.”
“He’ll be healed soon.” With no gentleness whatsoever, he grabs Ellister’s ankle with his leather-gloved hand and yanks him out.
My mate grunts a pained noise as the net digs into his backside, and the burning on my own skin increases.
Wanting to stay near him, I crawl to the end of the wagon, dragging my right foot behind me. The tingle is up to mid-calf now. When I swing my legs over the edge and touch down on the ground, I try to put weight on it.
The needles poke and stab deep, feeling like they’re reaching into my bone. There’s no way I can walk without an obvious limp. It hurts so much my vision goes spotty for a second.
I blink as I struggle to stay conscious, and I keep my focus on Ellister, who’s staring back at me with open concern.
“Hannah?” His voice sounds far away and echoey. “Darling? Answer me.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Braham asks warily.
“I’m fine,” I lie. Hey, I’m still very much human, and I can be as dishonest as I want without consequences. It might be the only advantage I have. “We just need to get this iron off as soon as possible. Can’t you remove it for a few seconds? Let us recover a little bit.”
After taking the question to Zetipher, Braham gets permission to lower the net even more. He rolls it down to Ellister’s mid-torso and he loosens the other end, too.
It gives Ellister enough leeway to walk. He sort of resembles a penguin with his arms flattened and the waddle he’s managing as he comes closer to me.
Grunting, he pulls his shackled hands up and out from the net, breathing out a hiss as some skin gets torn away from his knuckles.
Now’s my chance to get the flask. I’ll still have to dig under the net, but I think I can do it if I disguise my action with a hug.
Ellister reaches for me, and I hold onto him, reveling in the euphoria his touch gives me.
We’ve been constantly touching for the entirety of the trip, and although I know the contact is detrimental to my health, I can’t help it.
Discreetly sliding my hand into his pocket, I glance at the pallet of blankets and see a good amount of my hair on the dark blue fabric. Chunks of it. No wonder the guys are showing concern. I probably look like a mangy animal to them.
Clenching my teeth, my fingertips graze the little round cap of the flask. I drag it upward and…
Got it.
With a shaky hand, I drop it into my own pocket before anyone can see what Ellister and I are up to.
“Braham,” Zetipher barks. “Take the wagon and the horses to the valley.” He glances around at the men impatiently. “Where’s the portal?”
A blond-haired guy with elegant features steps forward with a little wooden box. When he opens it, presenting it to Zetipher like it’s a precious object, I see a pearlescent, quarter-sized shape inside.
