Eclipse: Time Thief (Romantasy)

55. Dark Noon

The sun shone overhead as the moon edged closer to covering it. The eclipse was nearly here and I could hardly breathe. Any moment, I expected to disappear from the field that I rode through with Nash and Elsie and to wind up on the stage where I'd witness my death so many times.

Flare's threats looped in my mind as I rode through the field beside Nash and Elsie. I didn't believe her when she said she wouldn't trap me in the slumber of death in this world forever.

There was more on the line than I'd ever realized.

It distracted me as we continued on our journey. We all planned to return to the Mountain of the Gods and seek refuge in the Sacred School, but for now our group had split apart. Wren and Leif had returned to our people to help deliver them home. Trish and her husband had traveled to the council in the Prophet's village to confront them all for allowing harm to come to Elsie. I hadn't thought it was a very good idea and Trish hadn't wanted to part with her child, but her husband was adamant that they needed to make a strong show together to ensure nothing ever happened to their family again. They were bound to the Prophet, after all.

That left Piercey with us and he'd volunteered to ride ahead of us to scout out the area and make sure it was safe.

Nash, Elsie, and I would have the day alone together. He'd been quiet today, though I could tell he was trying to smile when Elsie could see him. For years, he had served the Prophet to protect his daughter, and then he almost lost her. The rapture of being free of Eskel the Ruthless likely would not settle in until he had recovered from Flare taking Elsie.

It didn't feel right to leave the Prophet and Flare alive while we traveled out of the valley. But everyone had agreed that we needed time to plan and that we couldn't help anyone if we died.

Besides, I had to make sure Elsie stayed safe. I never wanted to see such fear in Nash's eyes again.

Even so, I longed to return to my village with my people now that they were free. It might as well have been in a different world, unless I wanted to take on the Prophet, which I wouldn't do until I'd made sure everyone was safe.

So, I rode alongside Nash and his daughter on our way to the Mountain of the Gods, where I would stay until the others joined us, and Piercey's graduates arrived to guard my village. In the meantime, Val had stayed behind to keep an eye on the Prophet and alert us if he tried to strike.

"I'm bored, Daddy." Elsie gripped the horse's mane as they rode.

Despite the dread twisting my stomach, Elsie drew a smile from me. It felt good to hear that she could be bored after what happened the day before. If not for her, for how Nash's eyes lit when he looked at her today, the tether keeping me in my body might have snapped.

Fortunately, Elsie didn't remember very much of Flare. She'd come inside from playing to a woman she didn't recognize sitting with her mother. They'd all had tea and then she'd grown sleepy.

What had frightened Elsie the most was how the adults had acted when she'd woken up. Once we all realized it, we did our best to act normal, but it wasn't an easy thing to do.

Elsie looked up as we rode and her eyes widened with wonder. "Wow!"

The full moon darkened the sky now, cutting into the edge of the sun. Even though it looked like I really would survive it, I couldn't shake the dread. I waited for the gods to take back control of the world and for Flare to appear. I waited to blink and open my eyes to the inky black eyes of the Prophet. Waited to slip away from everyone and everything I loved.

Would I even dream in an eternal slumber?

I shivered.

"Let's take a break up ahead at that clearing," Nash said.