Blessed by the Gods (Gods & Dark Creatures Book 1)

Chapter twenty five

"You said you feel like you're in a cage here, so I'm taking you on a trip," Ciaran Amaya said.

"Do you think one trip is going to change the fact that I feel like a prisoner here?" Amaya told him.

"Maybe," said Ciaran. "But I don't know if I can change the fact that you feel trapped inside your head. You can go anywhere you want."

"Yes, but with General Marcellus behind me and only as long as I'm planning to return," said Amaya.

"You've been imprisoned so long you have no idea what freedom looks like." Ciaran gave her a fleeting smile.

Amaya punched him on the shoulder with a laugh. "I'll know it when I see it," she said.

"And yet you've been staying for two weeks," said Ciaran. "You'd be lying if you said you didn't like me."

"You're forgetting that you stopped me when I tried to run away," Amaya remarked.

"Only because you were doing it for the wrong reason," replied Ciaran.

"This can never end well between us," Amaya said.

"Is there something that could end badly between us?" Ciaran smirked.

"You know what I'm talking about, Ciaran," she said and kissed him.

⸸

Amaya and Ciaran rode side by side. They were in no hurry. The guards followed a little behind them to give them space.

They went to an unknown place. Well, at least Amaya didn't know that. Ciaran kept it a secret from her. He said it was a surprise. She was unfamiliar with Deira, so she didn't even dare to guess where they were going. All she knew was that they were heading southeast.

They walked through the green forest. Suddenly the crowns of the trees turned red, orange and yellow. It looked like autumn in Amorite, but she knew that autumn does not come this far south in Deira. Seasons do not change here. Eternal spring reigns here. Amaya looked around in amazement. She tried to write that beauty into her memory forever. There was a strange energy in the air. It was as if alive. A soft whisper was carried in the breeze. But it wasn't the whisper of the wind in the treetops, it was the whisper of the trees themselves.

"What kind of place is this?" Amaya asked Ciaran.

"This is the Firewood," he replied. "It's an enchanted forest," he remarked. "Most people avoid it. They are afraid of it. It can feel a little spooky here at night, but during the day it's..." he searched for the right words.

"Breathtaking?" Amaya said.

"Breathtaking," said Ciaran.

The forest thickened in front of them. The trees stood close together. The intertwined branches of the trees arched over them like a canopy. The narrow path ended in front of them. They dismounted.

"We'll go on our own from here," said Ciaran. "Just the two of us. Alone," he added.

In front of them were stairs leading somewhere into the dense forest. They stretched downwards. They looked like they were made of tree roots. Amaya couldn't see where they were leading, the crowns of the trees obstructed her view. But Ciaran knew it. He held out his hand to her.

"Where are we going?" Amaya asked him.

"You'll see," he replied. "I swear you'll like the surprise though."

Amaya took his hand and followed him down the stairs. She allowed him to lead her. They twisted in different directions. They had to watch every step. Stray branches stood in their way as if they were trying to hide something from them. Fragments of sunlight filtered through the flickering leaves. They formed dancing shadows. They lent the forest an even more magical atmosphere.