Verange

Chapter 34

It was dark when she awoke. Someone was close by, she could hear their breathing. It was slow and steady, signaling that they were most likely sleeping.  When she opened her eyes, she was back in her own home, in her own room, and in her own bed.  But she wasn’t alone.

All the events of the night before came flooding back to her all at once and the dizziness that accompanied her sickness threatened to pull her under again. She fought it, taking slow deep breaths and slowly, it faded away.

With cautious movements, she sat up and looked around the room, searching for the other person in the room with her. It eased her heart to see that it was only Hayden, not the man who had revealed himself last night.  He was slumped over in the chair in the corner, snoozing away.

She got up and walked over to him. Even when she was standing over him, he didn’t wake. Only after shaking his shoulder and gently saying his name did he wake. Groggily, he sat up and stared up at her. Immediately, his mouth opened to spew forth the questions she knew she wouldn’t be able to answer, so she held up a hand to stop him. “Change of plans. We are leaving in an hour.  Best pack your things. I must notify the others, and then I’ll be back for you.”

“When will you pack your things?” His voice was deep and stiff, but concern was in it. It almost hurt to have to answer him.

“I never unpacked.”

He looked up at her and shrugged. With a groan, he pushed himself out of the chair. She turned and walked away.  As she walked, she reached out to Lithiana and sighed. “We are leaving in an hour. I can’t stay here any longer, knowing he is still here.”

She responded immediately, making Elis wonder if she had been sleeping. “I figured as much. Everyone was notified last night to pack and be ready to leave on a moment’s notice.”

Elis sighed softly with relief. “Thank you. Meet at my home in an hour. If I’m not there, go without me, I’ll catch up. Make sure Hayden has what he needs. Don’t let him stay back.”

A faint chuckle followed. “I’ll tie him to his horse if need be. Good luck.” And then the connection ended.

 It was still dark, no hint of the sun. Thunder rumbled nearby as she crossed the forest floor. Soon enough, she found herself in front of his home. One of the very few on the ground. She assumed it was because of his lack of a leg. It was her first time seeing this home. The one he must have built after coming back. He surprised her by walking out the front door and standing there, staring at her.

“Time certainly hasn’t been kind to you.” He spoke quietly, as he always did.

She knew what he spoke of. 10 long years of worrying had certainly put pressure on her being. She rarely smiled and had nearly permanent creases on her forehead from frowning.

 “Don’t.” Her voice broke, showing the emotions within her.

He walked closer and extended his arms, openly asking for a hug. Refusal must have clearly shown on her face, because he dropped his arms and   frowned. “I wanted to come get you.”

“Then why didn’t you?” 

This stopped him. He bit his lip and ran his hand through his brown hair. “For a long time, I couldn’t walk. Do you know how difficult it was to be bedridden for a year?”

She glared at him. “Do you know how hard it was to think you were dead? I was devastated. I didn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep.”

He looked at the ground before them. A soft breeze blew against her and for the first time, she caught his scent. It had changed, drastically. Usually, one smelled the same until they paired with someone else. The scent was shared between the two, so it was obvious two were together simply by realizing they smelled the same. Even once one of them died, the one left kept the scent until they found someone new.