Page 24 of Twisted Bonds
“Damn,” I mutter under my breath, feeling a prickle of unease. “Those centaurs look serious.”
“Keep your wits about you,” he cautions, though I can tell he’s just as entranced as I am.
“Right,” I nod, forcing myself back into focus. “Let’s keep moving.”
We tread carefully through the grove, our every step deliberate and silent, taking care to detect any signs of Tairyn or Mira. I sniff the air and search for small pockets of his purple snail trail.
The air near a pair of guards shimmers with purple light, and I hear myself gasp as the world splits open. Gaping, I wait for Tairyn to step out. I slowly rise to my feet as a tunnel appears empty and void of life.
Sunder hisses, grabbing my arm and pulling me deep into the brush. “They’ll see you.”
“Sorry,” I whisper, peering around an ancient tree trunk to watch a pair of guards march past us. My heart thunders in my chest. “What do we do now?”
“Stay close to me, and stay quiet,” he replies, his chestnut eyes fixed on the patrol. “We’ll sneak past them when they’re far away.”
“Got it,” I say, trying to ignore the tension coiling within me. My heart thuds wildly in my chest as we wait for the right moment to move, and I silently pray to the Gods that we’ll make it through this.
“Let’s go,” Sunder murmurs, and we slip from one tree to the next, our movements fluid and silent. As we press on, I can’t help but crack a nervous joke. The way Sunder’s shoulders are slowly rising to meet his ears makes me want to lighten the mood. “You know, if we survive this, we could open a private detective business. We’d make excellent spies.”
“Focus,” he grumbles, though I detect a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Fine,” I sigh, returning my attention to the task at hand. “But when this is all over, you’re going to owe me a laugh or two.”
He grunts a soft reply that I know means good luck with that. We pause behind another moss-covered boulder, and I watch as the portal closes as quickly as it opens. Before I can react, Sunder’s fingers wrap around mine. The motion is so tender and slow, I almost read too much into it.
Then he’s pulling me behind him, crouching low behind a path of trees. He leads me to a small alcove hidden behind thick foliage and sandwiched between colliding boulders. It’s not ideal, but it should provide enough cover for us to discuss our options without being overheard.
When we pause again, he drops my hand when I spot something that makes my heart drop. Nailed to a tree is a wanted poster featuring Sunder and Mira’s faces. The reward offered for their capture is enough to tempt even the most loyal of soldiers.
“First, look,” I whisper, pointing at the poster. Sunder glances at it, his jaw tightening as he takes in the details.
“Damn it,” he mutters, frustration clear in his voice. “This complicates things.”
“Ya think?” I quip, trying to hide the fear creeping up on me. We both know that with their faces plastered around even in this rural grove, our chances of staying undetected anywhere in civilization are slim. “We really need to find Mira fast.”
Sunder nods, determination etched into his features. “Let’s keep moving before those guards circle back around.”
As we continue stealthily making our way through the ancient orchard, I can’t help but let my thoughts drift to Mira. She’s somewhere in this world, frightened and alone, and it’s tearing me apart inside. And it’s only made worse seeing Sunder like this–so tense and worried. I know he’d do anything to protect Mira, and I can only imagine how much this situation is weighing on him.
Through the bond, I reach for him. It’s not as clear as my connection with Mira, where I can feel her feelings. It’s vague and shadowed. But he’s there, tight like a knot. My mind flashes to the day he told Mira about his sister. Our sister, I suppose, although I don’t really remember any of that. How powerless he felt. The guilt and shame of carrying his sister’s death on his shoulders.
“We’ll find her, okay? Together. Remember?”
Sunder doesn’t respond right away, but his eyes bore into mine. His throat bobs as he swallows, and I can hear his heart pounding in his chest like mine. “Yeah,” he says, his voice strained. “I know. And when we do, Tairyn will suffer a fate worse than death, his very soul consumed by the flames of our vengeance.”
I blink at the intensity before giving his shoulder a firm squeeze. I can’t help the flicker of hope, and I send it down the bond to him, hoping he feels it swell in himself too.
“Damn straight.”
As another legion of soldiers comes from a different direction, I yank Sunder out of their line of sight behind the lip of the rocks we’re sheltering in. He falls into me as I pull him down, the heat of him pressing against me. I swallow a lump in my throat and regain focus. But our eyes meet, and for a moment, I want nothing more than to put my lips to his. To take his worries away and focus only on the places where our bodies meet.
He quickly gets off the ground and straightens out his tunic, avoiding making eye contact with me. I carefully peek through the dense foliage, keeping a close watch on the guards while trying not to think about the man next to me pulling at my thoughts.
“I don’t smell them here, First. Tairyn, Mira, or Yurghen. I don’t think they came this way.”
Sunder lets out a frustrated sigh, his muscles tense and his jaw clenched. He feels the weight of responsibility for Mira’s safety and the urgency of our mission. “We need to find a safe place to regroup and think this through. No towns. Anywhere with people will be too dangerous with those posters around.”
“Agreed,” I say, my gaze darting around, looking for any suitable spots.