Page 23 of Shadow Kissed
“You’ll never forget it, will you?” he asks me, his eyes full of pain and regret.
For a second, it’s as if no one else is in the room as I gaze into the eyes of my best friend and the only male I’ve ever yearned for. “All this changes nothing,” I confirm, and I watch with great sadness as he swallows deeply and lowers his head.
“Come on then,” he says in a low voice. “If you insist on being out there, then you work alongside me.”
“Fine with me,” I agree. I gesture for him to go before me, and I try to stem the heartbreak I feel at losing my mother. I need to be strong now for my brothers.
My steps falter when we get outside, and my eyes sweep across my hometown. My breath catches in my throat when my sight falls upon the line of covered bodies that run from the gatehouse to the left turret watch tower. I place a hand over my mouth to hold in a sob.
“There are so many,” I whisper, my voice cracking in pain.
Arkynn’s eyes follow mine and linger on the line of bodies. “We lost many last night. Without the Shadow Army, we would have suffered greater losses.”
“Your family?” I inquire. Hoping to the gods they are all okay.
“They’re all fine.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Arkynn’s family are like an extension of my own. During my childhood, I frequently spent my time at their house. Arkynn’s father taught me how to wield a sword and fight like a soldier. He has been a surrogate dad to me since I lost my own in the mining tragedy.
I hear a baby cry and my head whips around toward the noise. “You hear that?”
“Yes.” Arkynn nods, already striding off toward the sound of the infant’s cries. We follow the noise until we reach the house it’s coming from and step inside.
“Oh god!” I exclaim as my eyes fall to the bodies lying on the floor before us. Erina and her husband, Toreen are dead. Their bodies dried up and withered, with only their eyes untouched,although filled with the look of terror they felt when taking their last breath. “They protected their baby.”
Arkynn leans down beside Erina’s body and closes her eyes. The baby cries again, reminding us of its presence. I climb the stairs to the first floor as quickly as my legs will carry me and find the little one in its cot—face red and blotchy from the distress of its unheard cries. “Hello, little one,” I coo, leaning over the cot and smiling in reassurance. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.” I gently lift her from the cot and tuck her into my chest, her tiny head rests on my shoulder and the poor little thing takes in ragged breaths. “You are safe now, little Elmera.”
I remember when Toreen had shared the news in the inn that they were expecting their first child. His eyes had been brimming with excitement and anticipation. When little Elmera arrived safely in this world, he celebrated in the inn the very same night with his fellow miners. He gushed over how perfect his little girl was and how she was the image of her beautiful mother. I close my eyes at the tragedy of their deaths. If I called them here, then I am responsible for all of this. I am a cold-blooded murderer.
I wrap the little one up in a warm blanket and cuddle her to my chest. My presence and touch soothing her. As I descend the stairs, I see Arkynn has covered her parent’s bodies with blankets, ready for them to be collected and added to the long line of the night’s victims.
“Is she okay?” he asks me. Coming over to check on the baby, he gently strokes her cheek. “Hey, there little one.” I watch, fascinated as his usual frown disappears, and he smiles softly at the wee baby.
“I’ll take her to the school to be cared for and I’ll collect a cart on my way back to transport their bodies.”
Arkynn nods his head and as I leave him, he puts out the warm fire that heats the cosy cottage. A home once filled witha loving family with dreams for the future. What will happen to little Elmera now that she has become an orphan?
I walk through our devastated town, lying silent and devoid of life. Usually, at this time of day, the sounds of village life fill the air as people go to work and take their children to school. Instead, there is nothing but deathly quiet. A reminder of the horrors that unfolded here last night. As I round a corner on my way to the school, I yelp as I almost slam into a solid male form.
“What are you doing up and about?”
My eyes run up his solid chest until they meet his pale grey eyes. A deep frown mars his perfect face.
“I’m helping with the recovery,” I inform him, patting little Elmera’s back as his stern voice startles her. “You’re scaring her.”
He seems to notice the little one in my arms then, and his concern spills over to her. “Her parents?”
I swallow and look away from him. “Both dead. She needs a nursemaid. I’m taking her to the school.”
“I will accompany you. We need to talk,” he says, stepping to the side and gesturing for me to lead the way. He falls into step beside me and the warmth I sensed earlier returns.
“We do?” I ask, feigning ignorance. Does he know? Does he suspect this is all connected to me?
“What do you believe occurred here last night?” he asks me. I feel him watching me from the corner of my eye.
I shrug my shoulders, concentrating on the path in front of us. “Well, it appears the mutts somehow breached the walls. I’m not sure how, but somehow, they did.”
He nods his head, walking with his hands behind his back. “It’s odd, isn’t it, that the attack happened while we were here?”