The Deathsinger: Book 2

Ch. 34: Dante's Story

We did not stop until we had gone several leagues into the foothills that formed the base of Starfyre Mountain. Dusk dropped like a purple veil over the sky, forcing us to seek shelter. We chose a spot against a vertical rock face to protect our backs. With only the two of us, keeping watch was more difficult, and any advantage was welcome.

The wraiths did not follow. Whatever magic remained kept them contained within the city, though it was impossible to tell how long that would last. Every day that passed that Vyta was unlit was another day for the wards to weaken, and if that happened, Estrellum–what was left of it–would fall.

"Here," Dante said, holding out a makeshift plate piled high with charred bits of rabbit.

"No, thank you."

"As, you have to eat."

"I'll eat when the thought of eating doesn't make me want to vomit."

Lines formed around his hazel eyes as he set the plate down on a large rock. So close to the mountains, the soil was thin and craggy. Firelight cast shadows over the protruding stones, and every so often—when I let my thoughts wander—the sudden movement would jolt my heart and snap me back to the present.

To a world without Yoko.

"How far is Vyta from here?" Dante asked.

He had been doing that all evening, asking mundane questions he probably knew the answer to. Likely, he had noticed my habit of turning inward and feared letting me fall too far into the darkness that now existed inside of me. The darkness that felt like it was smothering my starlight.

"I don't know. I've never walked there."

I rubbed my hands over my arms, trying to generate warmth. This high up, the late autumn chill had turned downright vicious, and it would only get worse the higher we went. In our haste to escape Radia, we had lost most of our provisions, including bedrolls and blankets.

All that risk sneaking into Yorkton to meet with Hyllie...All for it to end with us losing everything in a matter of days. Everything. A hysterical sob bubbled up in the center of my chest, and I shoved it down hard, burying it under a layer of ice more frigid than the mountain breeze.

This was what it meant to be queen. I had to keep going when everything fell apart around me because my country and its people came first. Even worse, it wasn't just Estrellum relying on me, but our world. My grief barely measured against the losses we would face if we failed.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" I asked with a sigh.

Snaps and hisses emanated from the fire as the wood shifted. Sparks flurried upward. I watched their ascent until they burned out, and when I lowered my gaze, I found Dante watching me with worry in his expression.

"Don't what?" I asked again.

"Push it all down. I can see what you're doing."

"And what good is hurting going to do me right now? If I don't shut it off, I won't be able to go on."

"It probably feels like that, but I promise you will."

I laughed bitterly. "You learned that while living in the Governor's mansion? Living the life of a spoiled lord?"

The moment I spoke those words, I regretted them. Not only because I was throwing stones while living in a glass house, but also because Dante didn't deserve to be punished for my pain. As much as I wanted to blame someone besides myself, he had not made Yoko go out alone.

Rather than snap back at me, he offered me a sad smile. "Unfortunately, I learned that lesson when I watched Edreshian soldiers drag my mother, father, and little sister into the courtyard of our home."