Set Fire to my Atmosphere

Chapter 8

Rowan was now on the verge of a mental breakdown. The last one he had was when Aelin's bloody shirt was laying on the sand.

"What if there's a collar on her?" Gavriel asked from behind Rowan.

"Then Maeve's life is forfeit," Rowan said with lethal rage. They hadn't planned on killing Maeve yet, their first priority was getting Aelin back.

"What about Aelin's life?" Gavriel responded, at this Rowan turned around, looking the Lion straight in his eyes.

"The King of Adarlan overcame it, Aelin can too," Rowan kept telling himself that since he found out she was in Morath.

They had been journeying to Morath for a few days now, only stopping to sleep. Lorcan and Rowan often going through their plan to get in and out of the dangerous mountains alive or atleast with Aelin alive. Gavriel was always off hunting food as they couldn't stop at vendors without looking suspicious.

Lorcan had somehow convinced Rowan to wait until Manon and Dorian arrive with the Crochan witches, if they found them already. Gavriel dispatched a message to the witch a few days ago urging them to come help as they were closer then anyone in Skull's Bay.

"Rowan, come here!" Elide yelled from his right. She was now staring at a boulder in front of her foot.

"Are you ok?" Lorcan called after her.

"There's something underneath this," Elide said to Rowan and Gavriel who were now heading her way. "I can't lift it." Rowan's eyes flickered up at her then down at the boulder. Indeed, there was something white, paper?

Gavriel pushed it away while Rowan knelt and stared at the envelope.

"I can smell him on that," Rowan said.

"Fenrys?" Elide asked.

"Yes," Rowan said back already opening the envelope.

"Then how come you couldn't scent him anywhere else?" Elide wondered out loud.

"He probably transported to this specific spot," Lorcan answered from behind her. Elide only shook her head.

But Rowan couldn't hear them as he began reading the words on the paper.

Rowan, please don't come. I am grateful, so grateful for the time I got with you, with my mate. I don't deserve you but yet the Gods decided I get the privilege.

I need you to be a king to our people, I need you to be a brother to Aedion and a friend to Lysandra. I don't want to hear that you are suffering because of me, your happiness is mine.

No one has ever cared for me as much as you do, no one has ever held my hand through the night like you did. You treat me like an angel, and I've never felt that way.

I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you, to whatever end, and there's no limit to what I can give you. Even if it's my life.

"Fireheart," Rowan whispered. He let the tear on his face hit the paper.

"Rowan," Elide placed a hand on his shoulder, no doubt having read  the note from behind him as he was kneeling on the ground.

"We need to go, we can do this without the witches," Rowan said, willing his voice to be steady.

"We can reach there in a few hours if we run," Lorcan suggested. Rowan nodded and braced Elide's foot, as she would not allow Lorcan too.

"To Aelin," Rowan said before launching into a sprint.