Chapter 126 Into the East
Ira's POV
I stare at my hands.
My eyes don't blink, fixed on the faint tremble still running through my fingers like a current I cannot shut off. It refuses to fade. No matter how tightly I press my palms together, no matter how deep I breathe.
Guilt slices another piece from my heart as the memory crashes over me again,
The raw surge of power bursting from my palms,
The awful sound of Ruel’s body striking the earth,
The way his eyes flew wide, not with fury or hatred, but with pure stunned disbelief.
Goddess knows I never wanted to hurt him. And certainly not that bad, not….
A larger hand slides into mine. The warmth of Bukasvad's fingers feel odd against my cold palm as they carefully close around my own.
My shaking eases just a fraction beneath his touch.
“You did nothing wrong,” he mutters softly. “You were protecting me. If you had not done it, he would have caused far worse damage. And they would have captured us.”
With teary eyes, I lift my gaze to his face.
“He has never hurt me before,” I whisper, the guilt digging deeper into my soul. “Not once in all the time I knew him. I did not mean to do that… I was just so angry and scared and… I do not even know if he is alright. What if… what if I killed him?”
“Stop.” Bukasvad squeezes my hand. His touch is gentle but firm. “You have to stop seeing him as your friend. He is not. This is the same man who called the Alpha King on you, the same man who joined them to hunt you like an animal.”
“But it does not make sense.” My voice cracks, my ears subconsciously picking up the sound of gathering clouds. “If he truly wanted me dead, he could have done it himself in a heartbeat. He is strong enough, stronger than almost everyone in that base. And, and he was wounded. Why would they hurt him like that if he was on their side? Why would his own people turn on him? It makes no sense, Buk. None of it adds up.”
Releasing a slow breath, he speaks, but this time he isn't so successful in hiding his frustration.
“Wake up, Ira. Please, it's time you start thinking about yourself instead of some heartless beast who has already shown exactly where his loyalty lies. He betrayed you. That is the only truth worth holding onto.”
The words still don't feel right. Why didn't he just capture me after I woke up? But again why did Ruel keep insisting I stay in the room, why did he look so furious when he chased after us?
A sob tears free from my throat as hot tears roll down my face. The pain feels larger than anything I prepared for. No, I never thought I'd have forever with Ruel but I also never thought separating will cause me this much aching.
This doesn't in any way feel like freedom or salvation, instead it feels like someone reached inside me and tore out half my heart. So that when it beats, the rhythm is disjointed, searching for a missing part of me.
Bukasvad pulls me against his chest and without needing words I cling to him with everything I have left, my face pressed into the rough fabric of his shirt. His scent is earthy, it's unfamiliar but steady.
Though it is nowhere close to the peaceful aroma from Ruel.
Even now, folded inside Bukasvad's arms, a secret part of me reaches backward, stupid and stubborn, yearning for the one person I should never want again.
We rest that night. In the morning we continue the journey, walking the rest of the way in silence. And for hours Bukasvad leads us further from the base.
It's not until my second evening in the woods that we see the east gate rise before us like something carved from a fairytale.
It towers over us, far bigger than I expected. The iron bars are thick and heavy, each one dark with age, rising into sharp arches that claw at the sky.
Nothing about it feels welcoming.
Vines cling to everything. They creep through metals, pressing into the cracks in the wall, each arm stubborn and wild, like they have been claiming this place for years.
But some of them hang loose, brushing against the bars whenever the wind shifts.
And the closer we get, the colder it feels.
Eventually as we draw near, the warmth from the sun fades, replaced by a damp chill that settles against my skin.
I sniff in the smell of wet moss but immediately wish I hadn’t.
Each step I take drags heavier than the last. My muscles quiver with every movement, the journey claiming the remainder of my strength.
I try to keep pace with Bukasvad but my knees buckle once, then again. Without meaning to… I lean harder into Bukasvad. His arm slips around my waist, steadying me before I can fall.
An old man standing watch beside the gate notices us.
His eyes stretch wide as a choked cry bursts from his throat.
“A SEMPYR!” he shouts, voice cracking with something that sounds like both reverence and fear.
Heads snap toward us. Voices rise, one after another, until the cry rolls across the courtyard in a swelling wave.
“A Sempyr!”
“She is here!”
“Are we safe?”
“It's indeed a sempyr.”
"It's the last Sempyr, mama!"
Figures emerge from shadowed doorways and high stone buildings. One by one, they reveal themselves, drawing closer to the gate. Every gaze presses against my skin, causing my shoulders to sag under the weight of it all.
Bukasvad’s arm tightens as he guides me forward.