Kingdoms of Gold

5 | They're Going To Kill Me

Brynjar's snoring was louder than usual, the sound drumming in my ears.

My head was stuffy, as if cotton had been shoved in it. I turned in his arms and swallowed, my tongue dry and swollen. My hand found his mouth and pressed to muffle the snores. "I can't sleep. You're too loud."

His snores cut off abruptly and he sat up, taking me with him. "You're awake."

I rubbed the crust away from my eyes and blinked them open, my vision blurry. "Yeah. Your snoring is so loud, you could probably wake Valentino up."

Malachi passed me a canteen, water sloshing in it. "Drink."

The water burned going down my dry throat. Drinking water wasn't something I needed if I fed enough. But right now, it was my savior.

"How do you feel?" Brynjar brushed the hair away from my eyes.

I pulled the canteen away, coughing. The world around me cleared and memories settled back into my mind. Dread filled me, turning my stomach. I had to swallow multiple times to keep from throwing up the water. "Amazing. How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Malachi sighed and settled into his spot at the cave opening, the moon light barely peeking through. The trees in the forest no longer split to create a pathway of bridges, and water no longer filled the expanse between trees. It had left as fast as it came.

I sat up straighter, my body groaning in protest. We'd been gone for five days total. "Two days? How far have we gotten?"

"A good distance. Malachi and I have been taking turns carrying you and doing shifts throughout the day." Brynjar picked at a scab peeling across his forearm.

I swatted his hand away, noting the many new cuts and bruises along him and Malachi. Their clothes were torn and dirtier. "Don't do that. It'll take longer to heal. Did you guys tackle more spiders while I was out?"

Malachi snorted. "I fucking wish. We had to deal with the craziest shit while you slept. You think his snoring was bad, yours attracted every creature within miles."

There weren't many bruises or cuts on my body. Only the same torn nails and scrapes from the water monster. They'd taken all the damage. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"After the lecture you gave us last time, we tried. But you were out." Malachi leaned against the rock wall and closed his eyes, exhaustion dragging his shoulders down.

I sighed and stood, knees popping as I straightened my legs. "I'll take this watch. You both get some sleep."

"You sure?" Malachi peaked an eye open. His lips were chapped. The skin beneath his eyes was swollen from the lack of sleep.

No, I wasn't sure. My entire body ached and my head was still muffled. My eyes felt as if they were ready to close in any second. 

But they needed rest too. "I just woke up from a two day nap, I'll be fine."

"Wake us up if anything happens." Brynjar brushed his knuckles against my calf as I walked by, sending warmth throughout my body. Malachi and him settled into the cave falling asleep in minutes.

I counted the weapons I had left on my body to keep myself awake, which wasn't much. There was only a small pocket knife strapped to my ankle, nothing else.

When my eyes drooped close, I snapped them open and counted the glowing mushrooms scattering the forest floor. Only the mushrooms began to blur, my vision clouding over until I closed my eyes completely.

I snapped them open again and stood up, needing to walk around. 

The forest completely surrounded me. The sky, neither dark or light but gray, foggy.