Page 17 of Ash and Roses
“Teagan. Jade,” Merrick says with a tone not to be argued with. “Take her and go.”
Jade takes my hand, and before I even register that we’re moving, the three of us are already engulfed in darkness. “What about the others? We can’t leave them!” The Commander will kill them, and he’ll enjoy every moment of it. The sound of clashing metal and forceful grunts echo back to us, and it’s almost enough to make me turn on my heels. I’m not a fighter, but if there’s the slightest chance that I can reason with the Commander, I need to take it.
“They’ll be fine,” Jade says, squeezing my hand tighter. I think it’s meant to reassure me, but I can’t say that it’s working. “Trust me.”
We move through the tunnel so fast that if it weren’t for the sensation of my feet hitting stone, I’d think we were flying. My lungs burn with the exertion. When we come to an incline that I know means we’re nearing an exit, my legs protest as if they’re about to give out altogether. Thank the Gods for adrenaline.
We burst through a wooden door much like the one we’d entered through, but instead of emerging in the outskirts of the city, we’re face to face with trees. How didn’t I know this was here? A tunnel that stretches this far couldn’t go unnoticed, but here we are. There’s no time to ask if the Marked were behind it, because Jade doesn’t hesitate. The forest is only steps ahead of us, and we run right for it.
The trees are a blur as we pass between them, moving so fast that I don’t know how we haven’t hit any. It’s dark—so dark—but once again Jade seems to have no trouble seeing where we’re going. I glance behind me and can just make out Teagan right on our heels. There’s no sign of the Guardians or the other Marked, but I know whoever survives the skirmish will follow, eventually. The Commander and his men may be outnumbered, but each and every one of them are trained fighters. That battle could go either way.
When we finally skid to a stop, my heart is pounding harder than I even knew was possible. My vision is blurred, but it doesn’t matter much since I can still barely see anyway.
I lean against a tree and pull in huge mouthfuls of air. My burning lungs feel as if they’re refusing to expand, making me cough. When my coughs turn to gasps, my head spins. There’s no air. Why is there no air?!
“Abby, hey,” Jade’s voice calls softly to me. Through my watery vision, I can just make out the shape of him standing in front of me. “I’m sorry, but you need to be quiet.”
“I can’t—I can’t—breathe.”
He brushes my hair back before cupping my cheeks with tender hands. “We’ll breathe together. Come on, deep breath in.”
I do as I’m told and cough on the breath. Teagan is beside me now, hand on my back. Her soft humming fills my ears and brings me back to a simpler time. A time when I wasn’t running for my life through the actual forbidden forest.
“Let it out. Another deep breath. And out.”
My breathing slows, and the ache in my lungs lessens.
“Better?”
I nod. “Thanks.”
“Can you keep going?” There’s only the slightest hint of concern in his eyes.
My throat is full of fire and my legs want nothing more than to give out, but I’ll do what I have to. “Can we walk?”
He laughs. “Yes, we can walk.”
We ease deeper into the forest and the darkness that consumes us. Even with my eyes adjusted, I can only just make out faint outlines of the trees. More than once, I knock my arm against rough bark that scrapes at my now irritated skin. “How do you know where we’re going?” I ask after a while. “I can’t see anything.”
I feel Jade shrug beside me. “Used to it, I guess. This isn’t my first time in the forest at night.”
I turn my head to Teagan, not that it matters, since I can hardly see her. “And you?”
There’s a slight pause before she answers. “Maybe my eyes are better than yours.”
I’d laugh if it weren’t for the heaviness still in the pit of my stomach. “Are you sure the others will be okay? Should we go back?”
“We keep moving. They’ll meet us at the road,” Jade says.
What road? “But the Commander—”
“Is as good as dead,” he grumbles, and I can only hope he’s right. I’ve never wished death on anyone, but for the Commander I’ll make an exception.
We walk in silence, only the occasional snapping of a twig or kicking of a rock to interrupt the stillness. I’ve never heard the forest so quiet, and I feel as if there are a million pairs of eyes watching us from the shadows. As time passes, the darkness turns to a dim golden haze as the sun steadily rises above the trees. Somehow, we’d traveled through the night.
“We’ll rest here.” Jade takes his bow off and eases down into a grassy patch of ground wet with morning dew. I don’t even mind it as my muscles give in to exhaustion.
“Where’s the road?” I ask, squinting through the trees. I’d always believed the forest was untouched, and no map of Lunae and the surrounding area ever showed any sign of forest roads.