Honesty Falls

3nine

The fort was empty. Or appeared to be. She felt that Rylee was nearby.

"Rylee, it's me. Come out and I'll get you to safety."

There was no sound.

She wouldn't make a sound. Her whole life, she'd been taught that you survived by not being heard. By not being found.

Nevaeha searched the room for a place where a child could hide.

"I can tell you where she's hiding. If you drown out the sound of your own heartbeat, you can hear hers. It's frightened and racing."

Even when he stepped out where she could see him, she couldn't feel him. No trace of the evil that she knew was inside of him.

His true face was hidden.

The boy was cute. His hair curly and blond. His eyes were the color of the sky on a cloudy day. He was taller than her and outweighed her by a good bit. He tossed a knife from one hand to the other.

"It's my most favorite sound in the world." He tossed the knife into his other hand again. "Your heartbeat is nice and steady, considering."

"Let her go."

He tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

"She's a kid. You can have me."

"I can have both of you."

She took a step away from him and threw up her hands.

He smiled and stepped up to her as close as he could, then he stopped. He was still smiling when he separated from his body and easily walked past her defensives.

She couldn't leave Rylee and she couldn't send her to safety if she didn't know where she was.

The creature standing in front of her was a timelark. Alive, they were feared because they could control time. Speed it up or slow it down. They'd already hurt you before you've even realized they've moved.

This one was just a spirit but still just as deadly, maybe more so because you couldn't kill something already dead.

Today was the day she was going to die.

"Save the girl." She whispered to all the ones who'd be able to hear her.

She looked down at the blood spreading across her stomach. She didn't have to look to know that there'd already be more wounds than that.

Instead of snapping herself out of there, she ran for the door. She couldn't get away, but maybe she could lead him away from the child.

The knife slashed across her back, took her to her knees.

She took herself to the cliff. She had no control over time, but if she could do a spell, maybe she could hold on to him long enough to take him over the edge with her.

Her cheek was flayed opened, and he was gone before she could utter the spell.

He was coming back again when her wolf flew at him and managed to sink his teeth into him.

Her wolf's whimpers as the blade was turned on him gave her the strength to get to her feet.

She weaved the spell as Vallen's pack attacked at once. Even as she sent Cato to the fort to find Rylee.

Seeing her wolf fall, she moved to his side, knowing there was nothing left that she could do but to take the wounds meant for him. Blood already coated his fur.

Sebastian's and Conway's voices joined hers. Nigel and his brothers attacked in their bear forms. Time stilled for less than a second. Using the last of her energy, she held onto the creature, who just sank his knife into her chest and did a spell to take her home.

She was going to die today, but no one else would.

She landed on her knees. "Trap him in. No one in, no one out."

It was a spell already in place. It was a Roe woman tradition. "Book, find..."

Both her arms were slashed open. Blood soaked the floors. Her body could no longer stay upright.

The timelark was as ugly as his counterpart was handsome. He was just a grey mist body with no features except a beak-like nose. He was like clay that was unmolded. A hole was where his mouth and eyes should be.

He gave a happy sigh. "You barely have a heartbeat left. You were a worthy kill, my dear."

She gasped a breath. "You won't be able to leave... you're trapped, and your human body is lost to you."

He went to his knees and leaned in closer, and she knew he was waiting for the last beat of her heart.

Her book stopped turning, but she didn't have the strength to call for it.

Her wolf rammed against the barrier trying to keep him out.

Ancestors... keep him... safe.

As soon as he broke through the spell, he attacked. Chanting voices seemed to be all around her instantly.

Unable to speak, she tried to point to her book.

She wondered if the bright light flooding the room was just for her or for all of them.

Conway's voice came from far away. "Nevaeha, we can't do this without you. We can't hold it for long. Open the portal!"

She turned her hand over, her palm up, and will the portal to be there, then she was standing looking down at her body.