HIS EVENING STAR

Chapter IX

Nameless One

The icy water engulfed me, its relentless currents pulling me under with merciless force. I fought against the river's grip, my lungs burning for air. Each time I broke the surface, I gasped desperately, my voice raw as I screamed into the uncaring night.

"No! No! N-" My cries were cut short as the river dragged me under once more. The cold seeped into my bones, numbing my limbs even as I thrashed wildly against the current. Time lost all meaning in this watery hell – I could have been fighting for minutes or hours.

In those brief moments when I managed to surface, I frantically searched for anything to grasp onto. My hands clawed at the air, seeking a lifeline – a tree branch, a log, even a helping hand. But there was nothing, only the rushing water and the distant, uncaring stars above.

As I emerged once more, choking and sputtering, my eyes caught sight of something that made my blood run cold despite the numbing water. The river was ending, its furious currents racing towards a precipice. A waterfall. The realization hit me with more force than the freezing water ever could.

Panic surged through me, lending new strength to my tired limbs. I fought against the current with renewed desperation, my arms aching as I tried to swim upstream. But it was futile. The river, indifferent to my struggles, continued to carry me closer and closer to the edge.

God, please... I thought, my mind racing as fast as the water around me. Please, don't let it end like this. I gasped for air, each breath possibly my last. The roar of the waterfall grew louder, drowning out even the frantic pounding of my heart.

As I felt myself being pulled over the edge, one last, desperate thought flashed through my mind – "I'm not ready to d–"

Then I was falling, the world a blur of mist and moonlight.

I woke with a start, a scream tearing from my throat as my body jerked upright. My hands flew out, grasping at empty air as if still trying to find purchase in the dreamed river. My heart raced, threatening to burst from my chest as I gasped for air, each breath a reminder that I was alive, that it had only been a nightmare.

Just a dream, I told myself, my body trembling uncontrollably. Just a dream. Just a dream. I repeated it like a mantra, willing myself to believe it. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings – the soft blanket pooled around my waist, the firm couch beneath me, the warmth emanating from the hearth nearby. These sensations grounded me, pulling me further from the lingering terror of my nightmare.

I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. One breath in... one breath out. One breath in... one breath out. The simple act of controlled breathing helped to calm my racing heart, though it did little to dispel the lingering fear that clung to me like a second skin.

As my panic slowly subsided, other thoughts began to creep in. Elijah's words from yesterday echoed in my mind, his threat of potentially kicking me out sending a new wave of anxiety through me. He hadn't explicitly told me to leave, but the choice he'd presented was almost as terrifying – stay and work to pay off my debt, or leave and risk capture and punishment for escaping slavery.

Both options filled me with dread. Staying here, working the land without the strict rules I was accustomed to, seemed too good to be true. Yet the possibility of punishment still loomed if I were to make a mistake. And if I did, who would hear my cries for help out here in the wilderness?

Leaving, however, was even more frightening. Not only would I be unwelcome to return, but the ever-present threat of recapture by the royal guards hung over me like a storm cloud. The thought of being dragged back to the Royal House made me shudder. Elijah was right - I had nowhere to go, no one to seek refuge from, and not a single coin to my name.