Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“Because we’ve been fighting so for long without taking a breath,” I said. “It’s just another battle to us. There’s been no time to process any of it. We haven’t even slept in the same bed for more than one night. And then my mother…unless she lives, this will never feel like a victory.”
THIRTY-ONE
Huntley
When Ivory and I stepped inside our home, it didn’t feel the same.
We’d only been gone for a few months, but several lifetimes had happened in that time frame, and it felt as if I hadn’t been inside this house for years. I placed my armor in the closet, took a bath, and then got dressed again.
Ivory sat at the edge of the bed as she looked at me, her eyes raking over the bruising of my body. The discoloration was everywhere because I’d been going nonstop for weeks. Bruises were piled on top of bruises, like paint layers on top of paint layers in a portrait.
“I’m going to the castle.”
“Would you like me to go with you?”
After long consideration, I shook my head. “Get some sleep.”
She got to her feet and gave me a passionate kiss before she let me go.
I gave her ass an automatic squeeze before I walked out.
It was afternoon now, smoke still heavy in the sky. Soldiers were still at the wall, cleaning up the ash and what remained of the dead. Cannons had broken parts of our walls, and the rubble needed to be cleared away so the gate could work properly again. Horses were spooked and needed comfort after all the terrible things they’d seen.
I made it into the castle and to her bedchamber at the top level. Asher usually greeted me, but he was dead now. When I’d lost my father, my world ended. I was a grown man with a wife, on the precipice of starting my own family, but if I lost my mother…my world would end again.
I moved down the hallway and walked through the open door.
She was in the bed, her hands folded together on her lap as if she were dead in a coffin. Her skin was still pale, hollows under her eyes. The blankets were piled high, and the fireplace crackled with heat like she was freezing cold.
Ian was there, in a chair at her bedside. He leaned forward with his arms on his knees, still in his armor like he hadn’t bathed before he’d come here. Lost in thought, he didn’t seem to notice me standing there.
I walked to his side and placed my hand on his shoulder.
He stirred at the contact, his head cocking back to look up at me. The duress quickly evaporated, and he looked defeated once again. “She hasn’t woken up.”
“Doesn’t mean anything.” I took the seat beside him. “I’d be asleep too if I weren’t so worried.”
Ian regarded her, releasing a heavy sigh as he did so.
I fell into the role of older brother immediately, my hand on his shoulder, my body made to support his. “I have faith in my wife. I have faith in our mother.”
He stayed quiet.
“She hasn’t lasted this long just to give up in the end.”
Ian turned back to me. “Not killing Haldir…is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
My hand lowered from his shoulder.
“But I did it for Elora. I did it because Bastian has done so much for us.”
“You honored your debt. You did the right thing.”
We both lapsed into a long silence. Sitting there, bound by our sadness, we waited.
Day had turned into night, and Ian had fallen asleep in the armchair.
My eyes grew heavy too, my head tilting sideways as it became too heavy to hold up. I jerked awake, my eyes on my mother, disappointed that she still wasn’t conscious. My eyes moved to her chest, waiting for it to rise with a breath, and once it did, I felt the rush of relief.
I grabbed Ian and gave him a gentle shake. “We should get some sleep.”
Ian blinked a few times then stared at Mother, his disappointment as raw as mine. “She’s been asleep a long time…”
“Her body needs to put all its energy into healing.”
We both gave her a final look before we stepped into the hallway. On the way, we ran into Elora.
“How is she?” She was in her normal clothes now, trousers and a long-sleeved shirt. But her sword was still on her hip.
“Hasn’t woken up yet,” I said.
“We’ve been with her all day,” Ian said. “She’s pale and cold, but she’s breathing.”
Elora gave a nod. “I’ll sit with her next. You guys get some rest.” She hugged each one of us, giving us a hard squeeze. “It’s been so long since we’ve all been in the same room together.”
We parted ways, and Ian and I walked through the streets back to our homes.