Truth of the Whisper

Chapter Thirteen.

By the time we reached the temple, I was feeling absolutely terrified. After days, after almost one and a half weeks of Nyshard's voice in my head, there was this complete silence and I didn't think I'd ever felt more afraid in my life. The Whisperers... I still remembered the last time they'd dragged me underneath the water and I felt like I was drowning. And I was almost sure I would have, had not Nyshard pulled me back to the surface again.

The temple looked very much like the one we'd been at that day in late autumn, but it was a bit smaller. Less houses around it, less people. In fact, I spotted no one.

But it was already darkening outside, as they led me inside the temple, their hands still tight around my arms that were still bound on my back, enabling me to defend myself against what was about to come.

My eyes took a moment to adjust themselves, but then I was able to see the big room with the shelves full of books and parchments, but I didn't get the chance to take a closer look, as they now led me towards the next room, still not uttering a word while doing so.

But once we got inside the next room, a low growl was heard, and they immediately let go of me. With fearful eyes, I looked up. There was a tall figure in a dark cloak, the hood drawn over its head.

"Nysla sirpal nos demra, we just needed to make sure she won't run.", the hooded woman, that had also spoken with Phylon earlier, quickly said.

"Nysh?", I whispered.

He was already crossing the distance, pulling his hood down, revealing his handsome face with the striking blue eyes, which stared at me with an expression of uttermost worry and shock.

Without saying something, he immediately wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into the tightest hug I'd ever received. And just as I was about to close my eyes, feeling safe for probably the first time in weeks, he pulled back, held me an arm's length away from him for a moment and eyed my temple "Who did this?", he asked, and his finger brushed along the cut for a moment, but then, he pulled back as if he had burned himself.

"Doesn't matter.", I whispered, still staring at him as if he was a vision. I just couldn't believe he really was here...

"It does. Who did it?"

"Phynah", I whispered, and he stared at me for a moment, before he said, deadly quiet "Because you didn't want to promise him to kill me?"

I nodded and he stared at me, wordlessly, before he moved, put my cloak away, then he unsheathed one of my knives that was attached to the belt of his dark leathery clothes and carefully cut open my ropes. As I rubbed the bruised, reddened skin of my wrists he watched my every movement. Cautiously. Then, he took a step back, blinked a few times, averted his eyes.

"Nysh?", I asked and took a step in his direction. His blue eyes immediately darted to me, and he straightened his shoulders. "They will remove my claim now."

Frowning, I looked up at him and asked "But that will hurt you, won't it?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said "Yes. But since we're already here, I figured..."

Now it was me, who closed the distance between us and put my arms around him, pressing my face into his chest, as hot tears ran down my cheeks. When I felt his arms around me again, I relaxed into his touch, but wasn't able to contain my sobs anymore. Nyshard's hand went to my neck, massaging me there slowly, and he said "It will fade. My claim will fade soon and then you are free of me"

"You're here. You came for me. When I didn't hear you anymore..."

"I forgot to tell you that the shard won't work inside the shield of the Whisperers."
I grabbed the front of his leather robes and held onto him as if he was my lifeline, and maybe, right now, he was. He told me he would come for me, and he did. Nyshard had kept his word.