Ascension (30 page)

“Fara, I
’
m not sure
what
’
s going to
happen once we reach the colonies. We may be successful, or we may
be too late. But I want you to know, that no matter what our
chances are, you will always be my inspiration.
”

He gently leaned in closer, his head
slightly bending to make up for our difference in height. Before I
could catch on, he caught my lips with his, a slight pressure
before pulling away. Suddenly, I felt like I lost something, and I
pushed my lips against his, trying to get it back. This time it
lasted much longer, our kiss growing deeper, until we seemed to
melt into each other, fitting together seamlessly, no room for fear
or anxiety, memories of the past or worries for the future, to come
between us. It was just us, and it was perfect.

Eventually, we
pulled apart, Erik leaning his forehead against mine, his breath
heavy and warm.
“
I think we should make
camp,
”
he whispered into my
hair.

“Okay,”
I finally
responded once I was able to pull my thoughts back together. He
walked away, his hand cradling mine until he was too far away, and
my hand slid out of his gentle grasp. My hand felt empty without
his, and I folded my arms around myself as I just now realized how
cold it was.
“I
’
ll make the fire,
”
I offered, and
searched around to find enough kindling and dry logs, my mind
replaying the kiss over and over again in my mind. I was glad it
was dark enough that Erik couldn
’
t see me smirking like an
idiot.

We
didn
’
t say much
to each other while we set up camp, comfortable in the shared
silence. We had our mats placed on opposite sides of the fire, and
I looked at him over the flame, the light dancing over his face. We
said goodnight, and with a smile on my heart, I tucked in and fell
asleep.

Chapter
27

“
Fara! Wake up! Fara!”
I woke to see Erik above me, shaking me awake, panic in his
eyes.
“
The soldiers, they are close! I
went to look for food and heard them in the forest. Their camp
isn
’
t too far
from here, and from what I could tell, they were getting ready to
pack up and move out. Which means we need to get out of here,
now.
”

I jumped up and bundled my sleeping
mat, not taking the time to fold it or roll it, and quickly covered
the fire pit with sand, spreading the hot coals around until the
last signs of it disappeared. Working quickly, Erik and I packed
everything away on the horses and got ready to go.

“
Wait,
Fara,
”
Erik grabbed my wrist before I was
able to mount Misten,
“
We need to split
ways. The guards are obviously looking for us, and I know this
forest better than you do. I can easily get them off our trail.
Here,
”
he handed me the map but I pushed
it back towards him, not wanting to split up.
“Fara.”
I looked up at him, his eyes pleading. Taking
the map, I folded it up and tucked it into my shift.
“
I have it memorized, so don
’
t worry about me getting lost.
Just go as fast as you can to Cethin, and I will meet you there. I
promise.
”
He kissed my forehead and then
pushed me back, the quiet sound of horse hooves becoming
audible.
“Now go!”

I jumped on
Misten and hesitated, turning back to him, but he slapped Misten on
the rear with a
“Hya”
, sending her into a
gallop, leaving himself and Elana behind. We crashed through the
forest, weaving through so as to create as little a path as
possible. The same branches that had brushed my face before now
whipped against my skin, splitting my cheeks open as I sped through
them. I prayed the birds of the forest wouldn
’
t give us away as we scared
flocks of them into flight. For a while, all I could hear was
Misten
’
s
panting in time with my own. When I felt like I had created a wide
enough gap between the soldiers and myself, I slowed her down to a
trot. I pulled the map out of my shift and tried to find my
location. Even in winter, the forest canopy was too thick with
leaves for me to use the sun to get my bearings. Instead, I had to
rely on my memory in order to decipher the map
’
s instructions. Once my mind
cleared and my heart calmed, I was able to find a discernible trail
that would lead me to Cethin. Our fast pace last night led us much
further than I had initially thought, and to my surprise we were
only a few hours away from the same caves that Croxley led me out
of months ago. With both nervous excitement and anxiety, I spurred
Misten along and continued our journey.

Ξ

After navigating the caves for an
hour, my nerves were beginning to get the best of me. I had left
Misten behind at the entrance, and without her, I had no one to
keep me company in the quiet darkness of the tunnels. I quietly
hummed to myself the tune that Jean had sung to me, my song
bouncing off of the walls of the tunnel, creating a chorus of
echoes.

Scenarios of my welcome kept running
through my head, visions of varying emotions, ranging from warm
welcomes and embraces to violent accusations of treachery, haunting
my every step. I told myself to calm down, that whatever was going
to happen would happen no matter what I did at this point, but this
did little to stop my nervous hands from gripping the lantern so
tight that my knuckles turned white.

Eventually, the
inevitable came, and my journey deeper and deeper into the tunnels
brought me to the entrance of Cethin. Erik, Croxley, and I had
spoken before about how to navigate past the guards: I had an order
signed by Erik demanding that they leave the tunnels to join the
King
’
s forces
in the south. Hopefully they don
’
t run into the guards chasing
us, I thought to myself. As the entrance to Cethin required passing
through the guard
’
s quarters, I had no choice but to face them head on. I
could only hope that none of them would recognize me. Then again, I
thought, I
’
ve
changed quite a bit. All those days working in the barn with Heath
had made me stronger, given my light frame some muscles that I
wasn
’
t able to
build back when I was forced to stay in my room all day. The sun,
too, had left its mark on me, lightening my dark brown hair and
giving my skin a slight tan. My hair was longer now, too. I had let
it down to cover my number, 923, and it nearly reached the small of
my back, slightly tousled from the braid I had kept it in during
the ride here. I was even aware of the changes in the way I carried
myself. No longer walking through the caverns with my neck bared,
eyes on the ground, I now had a new confidence that kept my head
high. I could only hope that this confidence didn
’
t crumble at first sight of the
nightmares of my past.

My test came
quickly. After only a few minutes of wandering the
guard
’
s
corridors, I ran into a fat, pasty man struggling to tighten his
belt.

“
Oi! Who goes
there?
”
He barked, obviously embarrassed
about his current state, but more so surprised at my sudden
appearance.
“What do you think yer doin down
here?”

Before he could
grab me, I held the order up in front of him.
“
I come from the capital of Stonewall with an order from the
King.
”
He motioned to grab the parchment,
but I pulled it back, knowing that I most likely
wouldn
’
t see it
again should he get his hands on it.
“
Let
me speak to the General in command.
”

He eyed me up and down, suspicion in
his squinted eyes. Finally, he grunted and turned, motioning for me
to step in front of him as he walked behind me. I felt his gaze
bore into my back, but I just stood strong and walked
on.

“
Sir, we have a
messenger from the royal city,
”
he said
when we reached the General
’
s tent, motioning for me to
remain outside.

“
Alright, send
him in.
”
The general
’
s voice sounded familiar, and I
cursed my luck when I realized that they hadn
’
t changed him yet. Normally, the
generals only last a few months, maybe a year, tops, but this one
had been in command for nearly three years. I tightened my resolve
and hoped that he wouldn
’
t make the connection between
the young woman standing before him today and the girl he had seen
wandering the tunnels many months ago. My na
ï
ve world has been completely
shattered, my childish desires replaced with much more serious
concerns.

The guard let me
into the tent, and the General exclaimed,
“
Well, look at that. The King is permitting women to work
now? Seems to me that he has lost some of his sense,
don
’
t you
think, Gruss?
”

The chubby guard
at my side laughed and replied,
“
Yes,
sir. Them lasses are only good fer a few things, and they
ain
’
t got no
place in the palace.
”

“
Right you are,
Gruss. If you ask me, they either belong in the kitchen or in
bed.
”
The men laughed together, thinking
they were incredibly clever, but I maintained my
composure.

I let them laugh
the joke out, and when it had died down, I announced with as much
authority as I could muster,
“
If you are
done, General, I have an order from the King.
”

“
Alright,
let
’
s see it.
Give it here, girl.
”
He snatched the
parchment out of my hand and scanned it carefully, reading it once,
twice over.
“
This isn
’
t signed in the
King
’
s
name,
”
he said after looking
up.

“
No, it was
signed by Prince Erik. He has been put in charge of the
King
’
s armies
for this mission.
”

“
The Prince? That
playboy? You
’
ve
got to be bloody joking. There is no way he would be able to lead
an army. He can barely lead himself out of bed, unless
it
’
s to a
party!
”
The general turned towards his
desk and took a swig from the bottle resting atop. From the grimace
that followed, it must
’
ve been hard liquor.
“
Well, my
right mind tells me to ignore this order if it means we have to
deal with that dullard, but if the daddy
’
s in charge, I guess I
can
’
t do
anything about it. Gruss, start spreading news of the order. I want
to be out of here my tomorrow midday at the latest.
I
’
ll leave
behind 3 of my best men to watch over things.
”
The General stopped collecting things at his desk and
looked up.
“
And no, Gruss,
that
’
s not
you.
”
Gruss turned red in the face, his
shoulders slumped and eyes cast downwards in disappointment. The
general watched him for a few moments, then slammed his hand on the
desk, startling Gruss out of his self-pity.
“
Well? Are you going to just stand there? Go!
”
Gruss practically ran out of the door, and I
took my chance to leave with him. I didn
’
t make it very far before the
general called me back.
“
And where do you
think you
’
re going?”

“
I, uh…
need to
evaluate the colony. Make sure everything is running
smoothly.
”

“
I can assure
you, I run everything perfectly,
”
he
said, each step bringing him closer to me.
“
Instead of wasting your time snooping around, why
don
’
t you stay
here for a while and keep me some company? I
haven
’
t been
around a woman in a long time. These Cethin rats
aren
’
t even of
the same species as you Ahrenian beauties,
”
he said as he reached around my waist. I slapped his hand
away and he pulled it back, cradling it in offense. I watched as
his embarrassment quickly turned into fury.

“
I would think
before touching me again, General. When the King finds out how you
are handling his officials,
”
I tried to
keep my voice steady, but memories of fear came rushing back, and I
could feel a slight tremble in my voice.