Sweet Innocence and Gentle Sin || 𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐑

Chapter 19: You're The Death Of Me

And all things nature's given, she takes all things back from the living.

slight TW for gore

~)(~

My feet went numb hours ago. My pants had ripped at the knee when I tripped over a rogue root that was the culprit for many stumbles. I didn't keep track of how long we had been walking, but it felt like a day of nothing but moving.

The camp was set up only after the sunset. From the looks of it, the High Lord would've made us continue walking if the night wasn't so dangerous. I had heard about what could be hiding in the night on the continent, things more terrifying than those that walked on Prythian.

I sat next to the fire and pulled off my boots. My feet finally started feeling again, tingling nerves and aching a beat that matched my heart. Nalia sat beside me and looked over at the two soldiers sitting across from us. It was a mortal and an Illyrian.

I looked up at them and said, "So, what makes it dangerous to move at night?"

The mortal lifted his head from the dagger he was sharpening. "I've never seen anything."

"That's because it's your first time here," the Illyrian said with a smile, his wings rustling. "Everywhere is dangerous at night—especially during a war."

"But we're in the middle of nowhere," I said, leaning my head on an arm that sat on my knee.

The Illyrian's smile dropped. "What's your worst fear?"

The mortal huffed a laugh. "Don't scare them."

The Illyrian paid him no mind. "The forest we're in right now... there is a creature in it, and that beast takes the shape of your worst fear. It hunts you, though, by showing you the thing that gives you the most comfort."

I glanced at Nalia, who wasn't paying attention, her hands deep in needlework for a new embroidered hemline. But her face was pale. The fire flickered again, casting more shadows around.

"That sounds like a fairytale monster you use to scare kids," I said, a forced smile on my face.

The Illyrian shook his head. "Fairytales come from truth."

Nalia lifted her head finally and said, "We should go to bed now, my lady."

I watched her and saw the dread on her face. "Yes, I'm exhausted. Let's go."

I said goodnight to the two soldiers and followed Nalia back to my little tent a few steps away from the fire. She lit an oil lamp that hung on the wooden post in the center of the space, holding up the middle of the tent. She folded her embroidery and set it down on the bench before picking up my nightgown and laying it flat on the bed.

I helped her untie and remove my dress and corset. The smooth fabric of my nightgown was welcomed on my sore body and sunburned arms. Nalia sat me down and unknotted my hair, so it would fall free along my back.

I reached up and stopped her hand from leaving my hair. "Nalia... I'm sorry."

"Whatever for?" She asked, looking at me.

"For making you follow me here," I answered, releasing her hand.

She dropped to her knees beside me and held my hands. "There was no other place for me to go. You and I, we stick together. We can only trust each other, and so that means wherever you go, I follow."

"What would I do without you?"

"You would keep living. And keep fighting," she said, squeezing my hands in hers. "Now, you and I both need to sleep if we are ever going to survive this trip much longer."