The Land of Dreams and Shadows

Chapter 7

My breath fogs in the cold morning air as we trudge through the woods, our boots sinking into the half-thawed earth. The early light filters through the bare branches above, casting long, skeletal shadows over the ground. It's quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the soft crunch of our footsteps. The world feels still, almost like it's holding its breath, waiting for something to break the silence.

We walk side by side, but there's a distance between us that feels deeper than the physical space. This strained partnership between us... it's been like walking on a fraying rope, trying to keep our balance without slipping into another fight. But lately, things have changed—just a little. The walls between us aren't as high as they used to be. There's a thaw, like the frost melting in the early spring. I glance at Brisa from the corner of my eye, her face set in its usual mask of determination. The tension in her jaw, the sharpness in her gaze—it's all there. But it's not as hard as it once was.

Brisa is harsh and headstrong. While I felt like that was a front for me, it's a front she puts on in front of everyone. We're not friends. Not really. But I don't think we are enemies anymore, at least not ones that try to kill each other.

The cold gnaws at my exposed skin, and though the sun is barely creeping over the horizon, it offers no warmth. I can feel Brisa's tension radiating off her like heat from a fire, and I know it's not just the cold that has her so wound up.

"You should've never left her like that," Brisa snaps, her voice cutting through the silence like the crack of a whip. She doesn't bother looking at me, her eyes fixed ahead, face tight with barely restrained anger. Her steps are faster than mine, as though she's trying to put distance between us even as we walk side by side.

I grit my teeth. This isn't the first time she's brought it up, and I know it won't be the last. "I didn't have a choice," I say, keeping my voice as even as I can. I'm tired, worn thin from everything that's happened. The last thing I need is another argument.

Brisa stops abruptly, rounding on me with a glare that could freeze fire. "You tied her up to a tree, like some damn animal. Just to get a dumbass ring back." I felt as though she sucker punched me.

I stop in my tracks, the cold air biting at my lungs as I stare back at her. My frustration flares, hot and immediate. "I thought we had put that behind us! I thought we were moving on and not throwing insults at each other anymore," I push back.

Brisa's jaw clenches, her lips pressing into a thin line. She crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing as she takes a step closer. "Leaving her alone in the middle of the woods was awful. You had no idea what could've happened. What if something or someone found her?" Her voice rises, her anger barely held in check.

I shake my head, the frustration building. "We have only been gone a few hours. Even if someone found her, you really don't think she could've handled herself?" I cross my arms, challenging her.

"That's not the point! You have no value of life, other wise you wouldn't have left her tied up, again, like an animal!" Brisa shouts. I roll my eyes at her and walk past her. How could she think that I have no regard or respect for human life? "Fine, just walk away. You might as well be another one of those Divine Right soldiers. Just doing whatever their master tells them."

I turn and face her, fuming, my hands balled into fists at my sides. The anger comes boiling to the surface, and before I can stop myself, the words burst out. "I have no regard for human life? I've been hunted like some wild animal for the past five years of my life! I've seen my own family slaughtered in front of me. Don't you ever say I am like one of those psychopathic killers!" The silence that follows is deafening. Brisa freezes, her body going unnaturally still, her expression unreadable. For a moment, her face is blank—no sneer, no anger, just... nothing. The weight of my words hangs heavy between us, and I can tell I've caught her off guard. She wasn't expecting that. Hell, I wasn't expecting that.