Immediately, I'm overcome with the dread that something is wrong. Celestine isn't here. I told her to stay, and whether she left or someone brought her to a safer place, she didn't listen to me. My blood runs cold, my mind swirling with the possibilities of where she could be and how fast I'll check them to find her.
Everything is fine. Celestine is probably with Dalis, where they've lived together since arriving in Arego weeks ago. If I can expect one person to protect her, it has to be Dalis. Of course. I'll look there first.
Without a word towards Renit, I shove past. I don't have time to explain where I'm going, he should know by now that Celestine is to never be out of my sight. Although I try to reassure myself while jogging through the streets towards their residence, my racing heart continues to plague every step.
I round the street corner, spotting Dalis carrying cloths and towels for the injured. "Have you seen Celestine?" I blurt, trying and failing to give my voice the sound of bored curiosity.
Distracted by the terror taking place streets over, Dalis barely has the chance to shake her head. My heart immediately sinks. "I haven't seen her. She might be hiding somewhere if she's smart," Dalis responds.
She's barely finished speaking by the time I turn in the other direction and head for the residence Renit and I have stayed at. I don't know whether Renit is still following me, I've forgotten his presence and the rest of the world around me. Each step of mine is blind and uncensored; I'm so lost that I don't notice Citlali and her small army taking on the remainder of the king's men to thin out their forces.
The destruction is not finished yet. If I don't find Celestine...is it possible Silas took her? No, he left with nothing and wouldn't have time to scoop Celestine into his arms without me noticing. She was underneath the dome the entire time, I must remind myself of that. There's no way she left to aid or tend to the injured after the chaos took place.
She knows to listen to me. Celestine knows. And when I find her, somewhere within this village and likely tending to an injured witch, I'll shake her shoulders and scream at her to listen. This fear...the dread pooling in my stomach like knives and suffocating vines, it's not worth it. I can't withstand more mental destruction than I've already crafted myself.
I shove out the thought of her being in Silas's capture and thrust open the door to our residence. "Celestine?" I call out. No answer. The room is silent. Yet, I hope she's here somewhere and didn't hear me the first time. "Celestine?" My voice is louder, shrill. Nothing. She's not here.
If I wasn't panicking before, I am now. I drag a hand through my hair and a loose whimper escapes my lips. Tears prick at my eyes for the fear of not knowing where she is. My mind is playing tricks on me; she has to be around here somewhere. If I know Celestine, I know she left to tend to others that aren't as lucky to be protected underneath a dome.
The witches that fought against the king's men, Silas's army of blind warriors, are our focus now. Celestine always wants to help those less fortunate. I must remember that, always.
On my way out of the building, I spot Bren down the street. He's carrying a wounded witch in his arms and kicks open the door with Dalis following closely behind. The look of determination on her face proves that she's lost herself into a different realm, one that reminds me of my mother after injured refugees found their way into Arego.
I burst through the open doorway just as Bren is carefully laying the injured rebel on top of the wooden table. I don't have to speak for him to notice the fear in my eyes. My voice is shaken as I ask, "Have you seen Celestine?"
YOU ARE READING
Conquering The Unbroken
Fantasy[Book 4 of the Grounding the Storm series] Roux is back in the safe hands of those that care for her most. With a ticking clock over their heads, the rebellion forms into the operation Bren dreamed it would be since the day he joined. But the threat...
