Retreat into Darkness

Chapter 40

Allaura Aislinn

I didn't sleep that night at all. I kept my eyes closed, resting them. But I never brought myself to fall asleep.

And so Caspian and I walk.

We—He woke up and decided we should search our surroundings. For food, water, shelter. Anything really. But the farther we walk, the colder it gets.

We're both hungry, cold and weak. There are only trees around us, thin trees that barely hold any leaves. The ground is covered in dry leaves and they crunch every step I take.

Our fog is visible in front of us and I shake from the cold.
I'm only dressed in my bloody white and thin tunic along with my brown pants. Caspian as well.

We walk farther and farther. So far we end up hitting the snow.

"Cas?" I mumble and shiver against the cold.

He looks behind him and curses before coming to me, grabbing both of my hands in his to warm me up. "I don't know where to go. I only ever ventured off in Indlyne for the queen. My duties never were in the snow, never past this cliff."

My heart sinks.

"What are w-we gonna do." My teeth clatter together and I press my dry lips into a thin line.

"We can't go back the way we came." He says. "It's a dead end on the other side and everything there is dead."

I tear my eyes away from his face and glance over his shoulder. The snow only gets thicker and the trees are coated with the frost.

"Stay by my side." He instructs. "I'll keep you warm as best I can. I don't want you getting too cold." He mumbles his last sentence and his face twists with pain at it.

"What-"

He shakes his head and tugs me along while we both walk further into the snow.

Caspian holds out his hand and a small faint candle like light layers his tanned hand.
I stare in awe at his hand and he places it on my lower back where I feel the heat spread all over my body.

"Did that always happen?" I breath out as my shoulders become release with tension.

"No." He mumbles and I nudge him with my elbow, asking him to continue. "You—I couldn't get you to warm up in the cave. So, like I said, I asked for help. And I felt this power go through my body and when I pushed it all into you, a huge ray of light shot out of my hand and into your chest. Some type of power pushed me back against the wall." He says and rubs his chest at the memory.

I automatically think back to the void. The way I screamed for it to let me out, and a bright light broke its way through the shadows.

"I saw it." I tell him. "I saw your light when I was—I have no clue where I was but, I saw your light." I smile back at the memory. "When I saw it, all the pain left my body. I went numb of it and came back, came back to you." I grab onto his heated hand and intertwine our fingers. "You saved me." I finally tell him.

But he shakes his head and doesn't answer. I frown at the sad look on his face and tug on the chain within myself.
Nothing happens so I tug harder and this time, my warm wings snap into place behind me.