The King's Cursed Bride

Abandoned: Part 5

Fury kindled in Carissa's chest at the thought. Could that man have betrayed them? The one who had left while the others were committing their lives to Elon?

She staggered to where she'd left Lyron. He was on his side, his eyes staring blankly at the corpse-strewn field before him. She knelt by him, brushed his hair off of his forehead. Sorrow welled within her, but her eyes were too dry for tears and her throat too sore for sobs. Life was so delicate. All of humankind struggled to cling to it, yet it only took a moment to extinguish it.

That man's face flashed before her, and her sorrow shriveled into something else. That man deserved death for what had happened—if her suspicions were indeed correct.

She knelt by Lyron until her knees ached. She straightened hours later, her joints creaking like unoiled hinges. The other bodies drew her gaze. The blaze of emotion within her had been doused, leaving behind an emptiness, a numbness that gnawed at her chest.

What was the point of fighting so hard only to lose everything? Why bother? Death and suffering were inevitable, so what was the purpose in survival? She thought of the Reapers, of the man who'd likely betrayed his own people out of bitterness and envy and malice.

Justice. That was a purpose she could cling to, that could rouse her from this waking death. But first she had to honor those that had been left behind.

She forced herself to take one step at a time. She grabbed Lyron's feet and dragged him to the middle of the field. Then she laid her mother down beside him. Then she pulled his father through the dirt. Then another man. Then a girl.

Her cuts and gashes burned. As much as they pained her, she was thankful for the agony peeling through her skin. It reminded her that she was still alive. And that she still had a purpose to fulfill.

She tried to pull another man towards the growing pile of people, but he was at least twice her size. His entire body had turned rigid, and his unyielding frame made moving him even more difficult.

Finally, she sought out a rope and wound it around his shoulders and back before taking the ends and dragging him. She only managed three steps before her knees buckled. Though she resisted, her body was weak. She barely had the energy to keep breathing. Gravity grabbed her and slammed her into the dirt.

She had thought her tears had run out, yet she found moisture pricking her eyes as frustration surged within her. She was supposed to be a warrior, a queen. Yet here she was, collapsed in the dirt, surrounded by deaths that she was responsible for. That she could have prevented if only...

A wave of exhaustion nearly submerged her, and the thought drifted away. She didn't know what she could have done. But she did know that Elon could have stopped this. And yet, he'd done nothing. When she'd needed him most, he'd abandoned her. Abandoned all of them. And right after they'd pledged their lives to him.

Before, she had reminded herself that Elon had a plan. But now that offered more torment than comfort. If his plan involved this, she wanted no part of it.

Carissa forced her arms beneath her and tried to shove herself into a sitting position. The effort made her entire frame quake, and she would have collapsed back to the ground had a pair of hands not gripped her beneath her arms.

As she was pulled into a sitting position, she glanced up. Into Elon's face.

"You're too late." She had meant for the words to come out hard and hot, enough to burn, to make him feel the pain he'd caused her. But they broke as they passed her lips, fragmenting until they were small as snowflakes.

He simply stared into her face as his expression tightened in agony. His eyes glistened, his face flushed from crying. Yet he still didn't speak.

He swept her into his arms, like he had so many nights ago when he had rescued her from the jailhouse. When she'd called herself broken, beautiful, and his. Now she felt only the former was true.

Before she could push away from him, he set her against a tree. Then he returned to the man she'd been dragging and lifted the man's body onto his shoulders. He resumed the work she'd begun, gathering the bodies together in the middle of the field.

He was many times faster than she, likely from his almost unnatural strength. Once the thought would have been enough to spark admiration. Now it ignited resentment. Had he and his strength been here, the caravan members wouldn't have died. But now they were all gone. Every last one.

Except for Mera. The chosen one he'd deemed worthy to save. Why her? Why not Lyron? Why not all of them?

Elon began to set wood around and on top of the bodies. Carissa gained her feet, though even standing made her tremble. She picked up sticks, wooden fragments from crates, half-burnt tent poles, and she tossed them on the caravan members.

From the corner of her eyes, she was Elon kindling a flame with leaves and twigs. Once it had grown into the size of his palm, he set it into the embrace of the pile. The fire caught and spread, snaking out across the wood. The bright flickering flames stretched toward the sky, reaching for sunlight that wasn't there.

Dirt muffled his footsteps until he stopped by her.

She didn't bother turning. "You abandoned them, Elon."

***

Author's Note: The sneak peek will be up in a moment... if you dare to read it. After the last one, I think I've scarred some of you.

UPDATE: The sneak peek is up.