Awakening (Born From Shadows #1)

The campfire crackled releasing embers that flew into the air around Tatianna’s head. She watched them drift up into the night sky whilst eating her ration of bread and resting her head on Nik’s shoulder.

“Do you think Lyracris will be better?” she asked. They had been through so much to get to this Elven city that they knew nothing about. For all she knew they could turn them away at the doors of their kingdom. She would be chucked out to live on her own all over again.

“I’ve never met this Queen, although I do know their was a change in rulership a few years ago. I often drifted off during fathers political sessions, after all they were more directed at my sister than me,” Nik said, “I hope they let us in.”

“You don’t talk much about your sister,” Tatianna mumbled. “Did you not like her or something?”

“We were close when we were young but then my parents started to really separate us, make sure she was trained to become a strong leader while I was trained to fight. We drifted a part I guess, only talked to each other in gatherings,” he replied melancholily. “I wish I had the relationship with her that Riley and Freya have but, that just…never happened.” Tatianna glanced over at the two siblings long since fallen asleep.

“You can always try and mend the relationship, no matter how broken it may seem,” she told him.

“I guess so,” Nik’s voice was distant. He looked down at the bread in his hand and his eyebrows scrunched slightly as he thought, an action that Tatianna found absolutely adorable. “What did you mean by it’s complicated when you returned from the shop?” he asked.

“Oh…yeah,” she half responded remembering the prophets words. She ran her hand through Nylif’s fur as the wolf rested on her lap with its eyes closed. “There was a woman at the shop. She said somethings to me, I can’t remember her exact words but they were very…cryptic.”

“Cryptic? How so?” Nik asked.

“She started out nice but then she started to say things like the sun will fall, the land will darken, some beast will awake and that many will die. It was really weird; she was laughing at me when she said it. I can’t tell if she was mad or a prophet,” she described her previous experience.

“Prophets may appear mad to those who do not see what they see,” Nik responded. “Plus seeing the future may drive a few to insanity.”

“So, you believe in prophets?” she questioned.

“Some people predict too many correct things for it to be a coincidence,” he replied and started to draw patterns along her arms. His fingers following along some of her scars. “Whatever happens we face it together, I promised I wouldn’t betray you,” he pledged.

“Together?” her voice was intended to sound affirmative, but it came out more like a question.

“Always,” he confirmed. Tatianna looked up at his face, seeing numerous emotions in his words and wondering if her face reflected that same look. They stared at each other, letting silence and emotions push away any thoughts of the future. She looked straight into his green eyes that were deep with desire, craving something she could not quiet distinguish.

He finally cut through the silence and the string of fear that was holding him back from speaking his thoughts. “I love you. I know we haven’t known each other for too long but I love you in more ways than I could’ve ever imagined,” Nik’s gaze never left her own. His sincerity struck her like an ice bullet to the heart and froze every movement of her body. Love. Somebody loved her. She wanted to not believe it but she couldn’t. Did she love him? Was that what she was feeling for him or was it something less? She had no idea; she couldn’t even get her mouth to say those words even if she thought she did. “Tatianna?” he asked noticing her shock.

“I-,” she stopped, not knowing what to say nor how to feel.

“You don’t have to say it back. Sive knows how much I want you to, but you don’t have to. I understand if its too much, we can forget I ever said it,” Nik told her mentioning the god of sensuality. Emotions, love she didn’t even realise someone could have the capacity to love her. That if she could even love someone.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her heart aching. She couldn’t make him happy; she couldn’t say it back and it killed her. Nik smiled although she could tell it was forced.

“Let’s sleep, ok?” he said changing the topic. Tatianna nodded not trusting any words that may come out of her mouth. She leant back into him and felt his arms wrap tightly onto her. She embraced him with every inch of her heart and body hoping that one day her mind would be able to understand her emotions.

That’s when she realised she could give him something else. Something else she held close to her heart guarded from everyone else. “Nik…,” She paused taking a deep breath. She could do this, tell the truth. Even if the truth was just a lie yet to be discovered.

“I trust you,” she choked out for the first time in her life. She trusted him with every bit of soul.

“Tatianna…I will treasure that more than you could ever know. It means so much to me,” Nik whispered into her hair. She trusted him because deep down she knew he would never betray her. Never has he lied to her, used her, betrayed her. He loved her and you can trust the ones that love you. The selfish desires of humanity are always thwarted by the love in their hearts, overcoming fear and preservation instincts as the one a person loves in more important then themselves.

Just before she fell asleep Nik placed his lips against her forehead and wished her goodnight, she was too tired to respond.

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A flock of birds flew over Tatianna’s head squawking like sirens jolting her from her dreams that she could no longer remember. She found it interesting how so many pleasant dreams vanished from her mind while the ones filled with horror remained there. She was still yet to get those dreams of the dark cavern out of her head. It felt so real, yet was only her imagination.

Getting up from Nik’s body she looked around and noticed that Nylif was no longer in their campsite. A part of her wished to find the wolf, yet the other knew that she probably went off exploring and would be back before they left. Tatianna looked up and saw that the sun was bright and proud in the sky, they had slept in. She walked around the pile of ashes that the fire once burned and nudged her foot into Freya’s side.

“We slept in wake up,” she said and stirred the sleeping teenager.

“Please give me a break,” Freya mumbled.

“We need to go,” she told Freya whilst nudging Nik away.

Freya reluctantly stood up then froze. “Oh crap,” Freya said not moving an inch.

“What is it?” Tatianna asked. She could see nothing physically wrong with Freya, yet something was obviously off.

“My periods finally decided to come,” Freya explained still not moving. “With everything going on it has been late but now it’s here I can feel it. I should have known after my light stomach-ache last night.”

“Oh,” Tatianna said not knowing how else to react. She didn’t know what to do, she hadn’t bled in years. “How can I help?”

“Do you have any extra clothes?” Freya asked.

Looking around at the horses she remembered her dress that Nik wanted for her to keep. “Yes,” she replied. Sorry Nik, she thought and handed Freya the aqua fabric. “It is your dress anyway.”

“Thank you,” Freya said a rushed off behind a small hill, crouching down amongst the dead grass so that Tatianna could no longer see her.

“That was an awkward conversation to wake up to,” Riley groaned, his voice thick from sleep.

“Unprepared long-distance travel doesn’t sit well with the female body. Sorry if that makes you feel awkward,” she replied.

“I notice you are fine,” Riley noted, a comment which she couldn’t bring herself to reply to.

“What’s going on?” Nik asked finally waking up.

“We slept in,” she answered, glad for the chance to change the topic.

Nik muttered something that was incoherent even to her. A moment later Freya returned looking at the horses with distaste, not wanting to ride them in her state.

Tatianna looked around the plains for Nylif, noticing the dark grey wolf amongst the brown grass. She was about to mount Ida when she noticed something was in Nylif’s mouth. Instead of walking towards the horse she walked towards the wolf, noticing the outline of flesh, then the toes. A foot, Nylif was carrying someone’s foot and by the pale complexion of the skin, this person was dead long before Nylif found the body.

“Where did she get that?” Nik asked as Nylif dropped the foot at her feet.