Page 10 of Vampire Solstice
“Damn it,” Fen growls, reaching for me. “We need to move!”
But it’s too late. The ground beneath us shifts suddenly, the snow giving way with a deafening crack. I cry out as we’re plunged downward, the world tilting as the ground swallows us whole.
When I open my eyes,the first thing I notice is the silence. The wind is gone, replaced by a suffocating stillness. The air is cold and damp, carrying the faint, metallic tang of stone.
I push myself up, my hands brushing against rough, uneven rock. My head throbs, but I’m otherwise unhurt.
“Ari?” Fen’s voice cuts through the darkness, sharp with worry.
“I’m here,” I say quickly, my heart racing as I search for him.
A faint glimmer of light catches my eye, and I see him a few feet away, brushing snow and dirt from his cloak. His sword is still in his hand, though the blade is nicked from the fall.
“Are you all right?” he asks, his gaze sweeping over me.
“I think so,” I say with a shaky voice. I glance upward, my stomach sinking as I see the jagged hole above us. Snow and roots hang precariously over the edge, far out of reach. “Where are we?”
He scans our surroundings, his expression grim. “A cave,” he says.
“Yes, I can see that,” I say, my lips curling in amusement despite the seriousness of the situation. “I meant where in relation to town is this cave? I wonder how far it goes in either direction. Maybe this is how the beast gets around so easily without being seen.”
Fen moves to my side,his hand brushing against mine. “If it is, we need to stay alert. We’re now the hunted, rather than the hunter.”
“We need to work on your pep talks,” I say, but I don’t disagree.
Fen takes a slow breath, placing his head against the cave wall, and the earth seems to groan in response. “I can get us out,” says the earth druid, “If “need be.”
I shake my head, gesturing at a set of faint tracks in the dark. They are too large to be from some common animal. “First we go deeper. I suspect it’s how we find the beast.”
The cave is eerily silent, the damp walls glistening faintly in the dim light that filters down through the jagged hole above. Fen’s hand lingers on mine as we begin to move, each step deliberate and cautious on the uneven ground.
The sound of our breathing echoes softly, and for a moment, it’s the only noise that breaks the oppressive stillness.
“We haven’t been alone like this in a while,” Fen says quietly, his voice low and calm as it cuts through the quiet.
I glance at him, his profile sharp and stoic in the faint light. “Trapped in a cave in a snow storm?” I say with a teasing lilt to my voice. “It has been awhile. Good times. Except for the part where you were poisoned and nearly died.”
“Except for that part,” Fen agrees with a low chuckle.
“Have we been an old boring married couple?” I ask.
He huffs out a soft laugh, the sound warming the cold air between us. “Or a very tired one,” he says. “I never imagined raising a child while ruling a kingdom would be so exhausting.”
I sigh. “We have lost a bit of ourselves, haven’t we?”
His hand brushes against mine as we continue deeper into the cave. The walls begin to narrow, the air growing colder.
“We still have each other,” he says.
“I know,” I say. “And I cling to that. But… it’s hard sometimes,” I admit. “Balancing it all. Being a mother, a queen, a wife… sometimes it feels like there’s nothing left of me.”
Fen slows, turning to face me. His gaze is steady, piercing. “You’re everything, Ari,” he says, his voice soft but firm. “To me, to her, to the people. You hold us all together.”
I feel the knot in my chest loosen slightly, his words cutting through the weight I’ve been carrying. “I couldn’t do it without you,” I say, reaching out to touch his cheek.
He leans into my touch, his eyes closing briefly. “You shouldn’t have to,” he murmurs. “I know it’s been challenging since the baby… since the war. But I’m here. Always.”
I step closer, our foreheads touching as the tension between us melts into something warmer, more intimate. “I know,” I whisper, my hand slipping into his.