The Dark Trinity

Chapter 14

Amelia wandered through the village, her steps faltering as exhaustion began to take hold. The streets were narrow and uneven, little more than dirt paths trampled by countless feet. The air was heavy with the mingling scents of sweat, unwashed bodies, and the faint, tantalizing aroma of roasting meat from a nearby market. 

She shrank away as a cart rolled past, pulled by a weary-looking mule, its driver shouting curses at a group of children who scattered like startled birds. The children were thin, their clothes little more than rags, their faces smeared with dirt. Amelia’s heart twisted as she watched them dart into the shadows of an alley, their laughter muted by hunger. 

The market sprawled before her, a chaotic tangle of stalls and makeshift stands. Vendors shouted over one another, hawking everything from bruised vegetables to bolts of faded fabric. The wares were sparse, and even in the dim light, Amelia could see the desperation etched into the faces of the merchants. 

A woman stood by a stall, clutching a small bundle of wilted greens. She argued with the vendor, her voice rising with frustration, but the man only shook his head. Eventually, the woman slumped her shoulders, handed over a few worn coins, and shuffled away. Amelia couldn’t look away from her sunken cheeks, the way her clothes hung off her frame like they belonged to someone twice her size. 

The dirt clung to everything—the air, the stalls, the people. Amelia tugged her shawl tighter around her shoulders, feeling out of place in her simple but clean dress. She wanted to leave the market, to escape the suffocating press of bodies and the gnawing reminder of her own hunger, but she didn’t know where to go. 

She kept walking, her feet moving of their own accord. The village seemed endless, a labyrinth of misery. Her stomach growled, a sharp pang that made her wince. She hadn’t eaten since the scraps she’d managed to sneak from the palace kitchen, and that felt like a lifetime ago. 

As she rounded a corner, a man bumped into her with enough force to make her stagger. She gasped, the sudden contact jolting her from her thoughts, and she would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her arm. 

“Careful,” he said, his voice low and smooth. 

Amelia looked up and found herself staring into a pair of striking blue eyes. The man was tall and lean, with dark hair that fell in loose waves around his face. His skin was tanned, his features sharp but softened by the faint smile that played on his lips. 

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered, taking a step back. 

“No need to apologize,” he said, still holding her arm as though afraid she might collapse. “Are you all right?” 

She nodded, though her legs felt like they might give out beneath her. The man studied her, his gaze lingering on her face before dropping to the small bag she clutched to her chest. 

“Where are you headed?” he asked. 

Amelia hesitated. She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t tell him the truth—that she was fleeing a forced marriage and the wrath of two powerful men. “I… I’m from a nearby village,” she lied, forcing her voice to steady. “I got lost.” 

The man’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t question her further. Instead, his smile widened. “You must be starving,” he said. “Come with me. My family will give you something to eat.” 

Amelia’s stomach clenched at the mention of food, but she hesitated. She didn’t know this man. What if he was dangerous? But the hunger gnawed at her, and the thought of a roof over her head, even for a night, was too tempting to resist. 

“I don’t want to impose,” she said, though the words felt hollow. 

“It’s no imposition,” he insisted. “You’ll be safe with us, I promise.”