AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shake my head. “The coronation is sooner than we thought. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”
“Don’t be foolish,” he snaps. His fingers clamp around my upper arm and I halfway expect him to shake me. Instead, his eyes drift down to my chest as if he can see the pink scar through my shirt. “You were unconscious for days, nearly dead. That is not wasted time.” Cassius lets go.
I press my palm to his chest and pull in a slow breath. It’s unfair to be so angry with him. “While I still don’t know exactly what you did to save me, I do appreciate it,” I say. He turns his pleading green eyes on me. “But I’ve already lost too much time—I need to get back to him.”
He presses a hand over mine, then says, “All right.”
The two of us will need to talk at some point, but now is not the time. Even though countless questions circle my thoughts, this is a conversation we should have in private.
After we all finish getting ready in silence, Cassius and I move toward the door, Ophelia’s long boney fingers brush over my shoulder. “You will need to head due west.”
Cassius shakes his head. “We must travel south to Gloamfarrow for steeds and sustenance.”
The oracle tsks at him like he’s a child. “There will be horses awaiting you where the forest ends. They will have the provisions you need.”
He narrows his eyes with suspicion, but she doesn’t waver under his doubt. Finally, he says, “In that case, thank you.”
“Speak no more of it, and may the saints of the Otherworld guide you.”
Cassius nods and ducks out the door.
“Mr. Harkstead,” Ophelia says.
I turn in time to see his back stiffen at the sharp tone of her voice. He stops in his tracks then slowly walks back to her, bending at the waist to lower his ear to her mouth. Lawrence’s eyes go wide at her whispered words. His stony expression softens to pain then morphs into a mixture of relief and sorrow.
He strides past me without a glance then speeds to the edge of the clearing to wait with his back to us.
Della smiles strangely at me, hanging back. It’s clear she wants to speak to the oracle as well, so I follow after the two men, closing the door behind me.
Cassius cants his head to the side questioningly, though I have no answer to give him.
We don’t have to wait long, and when Della emerges moments later, she is silent, her features adopting the emotionless mask most vampires favor. Then together, we set out toward Nightwich.
Chapter Twenty-One
Clara
We walkfor hours toward the mountains and the forest gradually changes as we leave the magic behind. The air holds with the harsh bite of winter, and the spaces between trees feels natural. Branches and roots no longer tangle together, vying for the same space under the oracle’s spell.
Della lags, walking a fair distance behind, head bowed. Neither of the men seem to notice, so I slow my pace until we are side by side. It doesn’t take much to figure out what’s bothering her.
“What did she tell you?” I ask in a quiet whisper.
Della clenches her jaw as she lifts her head a fraction. Her eyes bore into Lawrence’s back.
“Nothing useful,” she says hoarsely. “Mostly words that are meant to sound wise, about not being able to force the blind to see what they can’t see.” Then she turns her head down and away, ending the conversation. There’s no use pushing her to talk about it when she’s not ready to.
“We should stop for a while and rest,” Cassius announces.
Lawrence murmurs his agreement. I narrow my eyes and continue walking.
“Clara…” Cassius says.
The tone of his voice makes me stop.
Rounding on him, I jab his chest with a finger. “The three of you have been trying to get me to stop every hour.” Taking a calming breath, I push down my irritation then add, “I can keep going for now, so your concern is unnecessary.”
All three vampires exchange glances as if I’m a wild demon and they aren’t sure how to handle me.
