They Are Gone

They Are Gone
Mara

I stare at the books on the shelves through blurred eyes. Watch as they tremble, with a palm pressed to my chest.

The magic inside me pulses again, harder with every wave.

My fingertips tingle as if I were burning from the inside out. Even as I try to take a single breath, my lungs fill with fire, only worsening the pain inside me.

I close my eyes.

The ache in my chest sharpens, and the magic answers, covering me in a warm blanket. But as much as it attempts to wrap around me, it forces itself into the room, the walls cracking.

The bookshelves shudder violently. Books tumbling from their places, falling to the floor. The maps on Kaelith’s desk lift, pages fluttering as though a storm has suddenly blown through the study.

But there’s no wind.

The floor shifts beneath my feet, and I reach for the desk, but my fingers slide across the wood. My knees give out. I don’t feel myself at all, don’t feel the hard ground against my skin.

Stong arms wrap around me, catching me before I hit the ground.

“Mara.”

It’s Thane’s voice that wraps around me, sending shivers down my spine, sending need right between my legs. He tightens his hold around me when I don’t answer.

“Mara.”

I can’t breathe, the air too hot.

“Look at me.”

His face comes into focus for half a second before blurring again.

“What’s happening?” I don’t know if I’m asking him or myself. I’m not even sure he can hear me, my voice sore.

He doesn’t answer me, but he carries me toward the door. It’s then that I realize that it’s not just the study that’s falling apart. Everything in the house is.

Rhydan runs past us, carrying bags in his hands. He’s talking fast, and I hear Nerion respond from the other side of the house.

Thane carries me to the common room, setting me down on the daybed as he kneels in front of me, cupping my face between his hands. He blows softly, cooling my heated cheeks.

“Mara?”

I blink, finally able to focus on his golden eyes. “Thane.”

He gives me one stiff nod, standing and pulling his shirt off his back before draping it over me. I push my arms through the sleeves, inhaling the scent of leather. It immediately makes wetness grow between my legs, and I know the magic is biding its time.

I sense Kaelith, feeling his dislike even though he is not looking in our direction at all. He’s busy at the table, packing food.

For me, I realize.

I frown. “Are we leaving?”

Kaelith stills for a second, only lifting his head when Nerion walks in with a few knives he’s carefully tucking into his pants.

Kaelith looks at him. “We should take the western path.”

“No,” Nerion says. “They’ll expect that.”

“The northern paths?” Kaelith asks, narrowing his eyes.

“Yes.”

Kaelith’s eyes snap toward us. Toward me, eyes traveling from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. “It’s dangerous.”

“At this point, they’re all dangerous,” Thane says, reaching for a shirt that’s draped over a chair. “The northern path is the one they would least expect us to take.”

Rhydan runs into the room. “The horses are ready, I have them saddled and packed.”

I can’t keep up with everything, confused and worried about why we suddenly have to leave the one place I that was safe. “Why are we leaving? What about the wards?”

“They’re gone,” Kaelith growls.

I blink, letting the words settle, although the heaviness of them does not land. Gone? Thane wraps his arms around me again, and I let him carry me toward the doorway.

The outer air hits my skin, and I inhale the scent of grass and trees. Except it doesn’t look as I remember it. Whatever bubble existed to keep the life trapped in here while the rest of the realm suffered is gone.

Red clouds stretch across the horizon, darker than I remember them being. I stare at them, trying to reconcile this sky with the one I’ve grown accustomed to seeing through the shimmer of the wards.

I swallow the lump in my throat. Had I caused this? “Where are we going?”

Thane looks down at me, but he doesn’t answer. He just tightens his hold on me as he walks toward the horses that are standing and waiting for us near the stables.

Kaelith is already mounted, his horse shifting restlessly beneath him. Rhydan is beside him, checking the bags strapped to his saddle while Nerion approaches from the other side, fastening the last of his weapons.

Everyone looks ready. Everyone except me. I’m still trying to figure out what’s happening. I look over Thane’s shoulder to the house, and the sight of it makes my stomach twist.

Thane reaches the horses and pauses. He shifts his grip and lifts me higher against his chest. He mounts a horse in one smooth movement, settling himself into the saddle before pulling me back against his chest.

I land between his thighs, my back pressed firmly against him. His arms come around me, one hand gripping the reins while the other settles across my waist.

The contact sends another pulse of magic through me, hot right between my legs. I exhale, trying to regain some composure. I close my eyes, not ready, with no energy to think about that right now.

Kaelith rides past us, his expression hard as he looks toward the treeline. “Let’s move.”

Rhydan kicks his horse forward, and the rest of us follow. The motion makes my stomach lurch. I grip Thane’s arm, trying to steady myself as we quicken our pace.

For a few moments, all I can hear is the pounding of hooves. All I can see is the house disappearing behind us.

I don’t know how long we ride before the fog in my head begins to lift. It’s then that I notice movement in the trees beside us.

My heart jumps. “Who is that?”

Thane doesn’t even look at where the movement is coming from, but he answers quick. “The Queen.”

I stare through the trees.

A small procession moves beside us, keeping its distance. There are at least a dozen guards surrounding a single rider. She is completely covered by a dark hood. I can’t see her face, but now I know it’s the Queen.