me in his arms. I can only pray that we are doing the right thing as my doubts swirl through me. The only thing I am certain of is that my life will never be the same again.
The hallways are blessedly quiet, and I get the feeling that the Mother has something to do with that. I expected to have to hide from the guards, since they must be looking for me after my spectacular exit from the great hall.
I feel small in Vaeril’s hold and he carries me easily. My arms are wrapped around his neck, and in this position my head is resting against his chest and I can hear his heart beating. It sounds calm and steady, unlike mine which is pounding in my chest like it’s trying to rip its way out of my ribcage. We’ve stayed silent since we left the underground room, which is probably for the best. I’m worried that if I open my mouth all my uncertainties will come flooding out.
What am I doing? Am I safe with Vaeril? I’m escaping with the enemy of my people, what am I doing?
The thoughts just keep circling around in my mind, but I take a deep breath and focus on my connection with the Mother. She wouldn’t let me do this or encourage me if I was doing the wrong thing, right?
A jolt of fear shoots through me so hard that I think I’m going to pass out, and I grip onto Vaeril’s arm tight enough to bruise. “Stop,” I whisper, barely loud enough for even me to hear, but he hears me and freezes. Looking down at me, he sees my fear and his eyes widen.
“What is it?” he asks, as he lifts his eyes to scan the area, but what he doesn’t realise is that it’s not my fear I’m feeling. The Goddess mark on my arm is glowing, my skin almost rippling, and I realise She is sending me someone else’s fear as a message.
“Someone’s in trouble.” My whisper is a little louder this time, more sure.
Vaeril frowns at me, his confusion and frustration evident. He darts into an alcove so we aren’t in full view, and I think he’s going to put me down but he doesn’t, instead keeping me tucked in his arms. “What do you mean?”
“We have to help them.” Images are filling my mind now, and I know I’m seeing through the eyes of the person who’s fear I am feeling. No, not just any person, a child. A low growl rattles through Vaeril’s chest, and when I look up at him, I’m not really seeing him, the images still flooding my brain.
“We are in the middle of an escape!” He’s angry now, and I know I’m pushing my luck, but this is too important to ignore. “Do you know how long I have waited for this moment?” He could easily leave me here, he didn’t have to wait for me after I freed him. It’s not fair of me to ask this, but I can’t stop myself.
“They’re hurting children.”
There’s a pause followed by another low growl. His grip tightens on me, and I can feel him looking around as he peers out of the alcove.
“Fine. Where?”
I don’t answer him, just pointing the directions as they come into my mind, as if the Mother is sending them to me directly. I continue to watch the snippets sent to me through the eyes of a child, and a large man comes into view. I would recognise those tattoos anywhere. “Tor,” I whisper, as the child looks around.
It’s chaos. Two guards lie dead on the ground, one of them half in the fountain, his blood turning the water red. Tor is fighting off three guards with only an axe, his movements almost inhumanely strong as he battles, bellowing as he buries his axe into the neck of one of his opponents. Placing his foot on the fallen guard’s chest, he yanks back the axe before turning to his other opponents. He quickly finishes off the last two before turning to the child, sheathing his weapon as he kneels down in front of me- no, not me, the child.
“You’re safe now,” he starts, his breathing ragged, but the sound of many marching feet echo around the courtyard and cut him off. Pushing up to standing, he growls and pulls out his axe once again as guards swarm into the courtyard.
All of a sudden, the images disappear, and so does the