The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 52

'The fire won't last long, but it's better than nothing,' Landos admitted while kindling some small pieces of wood.

They had searched for a safe hiding place for hours and just when they were about to give up, they found a small cave, or rather an opening in the base of the mountain that could shelter them from the wind and snow. It wasn't ideal. It barely fit all four of them together and its walls were slimy and cold, but at least it would be just for one night.

'Here,' Inerma said, holding a green apple in her hand. 'Take some. I know you love them.'

Ines smiled at her and eagerly grabbed the apple, like it was the most precious thing in the world. Without a second thought she started biting into it, savouring the delicious flavour of her favourite fruit. It was kinda hard to procure it in that time of year, so Ines allowed herself to enjoy that rare moment of satisfaction.

'That was fast,' Landos mused once she had eaten the apple in record time.

They chuckled, their light whispers drifting into the night, like a fragment of a song echoing from somewhere. Her gaze unconsciously drifted from the flames to the cave's opening. There she saw Matthew still sitting in a rock and looking up at the stormy sky.

'You should go and talk to him,' Inerma nudged her.

'I think so, too.'

Ines stood up and started walking towards him. The warmth the fire provided was no longer there to keep away the cold and Ines had to tighten her coat around her shoulders. She had no idea how he managed to stay outside in that weather.

'Come inside,' she urged him once she was close enough to hear her.

He didn't answer. He didn't even move a muscle. Since their capturing the masked woman, he had been distant from all of them. He didn't talk nor look at her, he just silently followed them during their search for shelter. Ines was getting worried.

'Matthew!' she called him, more persistently that time. 'Stop being so headstrong and listen for once!'

She saw him glance at her momentarily and then return his gaze to the sky. Although their eyes connected only for a second, Ines sensed something was wrong. His troubled look made her regret yelling at him.

'You're tearing my guts out, Peter,' he said after a while, his voice cracking in the end. He stared at his hands, all torn apart, defeated and broken beyond repair. His face, void of any emotion, reflected the emptiness he carried inside him, as if he was incapable of feeling anything anymore. That man before her had been hit so many times, that he had bottled up his feelings and raised up walls around his heart in self-defense.

When she saw his weak state and the pain that was written in his eyes, she feared the distance between them couldn't be bridged after all. What if by trying to pick up the pieces she realised she couldn't stick them back together? Maybe she was cursed with hurting the people closest to her.

'Matthew?' she gently touched his shoulder to attract his attention.

'I can't do this anymore, Peter,' he said, sliding a palm over his cheek. 'I know I swore to stand beside you, but I don't think I'm that strong after all.'

'What do you mean?' she frowned in confusion, her heartbeat thumping frantically in her chest.

Matthew got up and stood with his back at her. She could see he was hesitating to speak. 'When I heard you scream, I felt like I lost a part of myself out there. I wanted to rip their heads off with my bare hands for what they did to you, but still, it wouldn't make any difference.' He turned around and looked at her with his sad eyes and sullen face, and Ines felt her breath hitch in her throat. She couldn't look at him, not when it pained her so much, so she averted her gaze and stared at her feet instead. 'I won't be able to control myself next time,' Matthew went on. 'I will keep disappointing you, again and again, even though I promised to you I would be better. I think you would be better off without me.'