Ch.8

Rissa stared at the group standing in front of her. They had probably arrived, whatever it was, in the middle of the night—just as she had. Either way, it didn't matter. Her mind felt numb, unable to focus on anything for more than a few moments as if she had forgotten something important. Someone who cared about her. Someone who worried about her.

The image of her mother came to the forefront, and tears began to fall from her eyes. Rissa clenched her fists against them, trying to clear her vision as she tried to think about the last time she had seen her. She had been so strong back then. Yet now . . . Now all Rissa felt was weak and broken inside.

"So you want me to let my father die," she said. "Is it as easy as that?" She began to walk around the group, taking in Evander"s appearance once again. He looked different, but not for long. In a moment, everything was back to normal. This must be a dream, she thought, watching as Celene joined her group.

"It is a risk," Celene admitted. "But I have no reason to trust you, and with your help, we can find an easier solution." She seemed calm, speaking slowly and clearly. "For all we know, she's already gone by this point."

Rissa frowned. "What do you mean? When did she leave?"

"I don't know for certain, but . . ." Celene paused. "I think she left last night."

"Last night? Are you sure?" Rissa turned to look at Evander, who had been listening silently during their exchange.

"Of course I am." He flashed another smile as if this whole situation was perfectly natural. "She could not have walked through the forest in a single night. No, there were people and horses, and supplies. They had come here. That would have been impossible if she was just passing through."

"If you know my mother is dead, why are you still talking to her?" Rissa asked. She couldn't understand how Evander could be so calm. Couldn't she see what was happening to him, too? Or perhaps she was just mad at them both, though she doubted that.

Evander looked away, his hands buried in his pockets. "Because it is . . . important." He stood up slowly, brushing off the dirt and grass. "We should move on before someone else shows up. Then we will discuss this further." He began walking towards the tree line, and Rissa hesitated for a moment.

"Wait!" She called out after him, forcing herself to walk forward. "I came all this way . . . I can't leave now. Maybe it is"t over yet."

His footsteps stopped, and he turned back towards her, sighing.

"Why not?" he asked. "It doesn't change anything."

"I don't care about that. I" ve been trying to save him since I found out about the sword! He had given me a chance . . . just give me a few more days." Her voice cracked, but she tried to keep going. "Please?"

Evander stared at her blankly, blinking as if this was something completely new to him.

"But you can't possibly know that he was coming to the city." He shook his head. "I heard someone say your father was dead . . ."

"Not necessarily," Rissa said, holding onto his arm tightly. "Now, please . . ."

He pulled away, his eyes brightening with anger. "You knew I could not let that happen, so you used me to trick me! So that I would kill everyone, including Celene and yourself, in the process. Because of your lies, now I cannot trust myself. Why have you done this? What do you expect to gain from it?"

Rissa tried to hold her temper, but she had no idea how to answer him. Everything he said made perfect sense, and yet there were still a million questions crawling through her mind.

"Then talk to me," he went on, pointing back to Celene. "Talk to me like a normal person, because I"m starting to feel as if you aren't one. You want answers; I have them. If my father was"t coming, why did you leave early yesterday? I could have talked to her again, instead of assuming you all had. And why should we trust each other?" He pointed at Rissa and her companions. "It should be us against you."

He kept walking, and Rissa caught up to him quickly. For once, she didn't find herself sobbing; instead, she was quiet, fighting for control of her emotions. She watched him closely, waiting to see if he would explode, but he stood his ground. Rissa bit her lip, considering the best way to approach him. It was strange that Evander seemed so different from when they had last met, though not surprising. Whatever spell had been cast over them must have worn off, or at least weakened a little. That gave her the chance she needed to keep talking, to save her father.

"I may have . . ." she began. "But I haven't lied to you."

Evander didn't reply immediately, and she stopped dead in her tracks, watching him carefully. "Please don't make me think you are lying. Because the truth is, I can't trust any of you, especially after everything else has happened. Do you think I could forget that? How could you?" He looked away, shaking his head. "I don't know what we" re looking at right now, but my gut tells me it isn't real. Not a dream, nor is this even my home anymore. So why should I talk to you?"

Rissa turned around, surprised to see Evander standing behind her. The wind had begun to pick up, sending the leaves in front of them flying up into the air, and Rissa leaned forward to shield her eyes as they swam with tears.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You know where your home is . . ." She hesitated. "Or did they send you here to replace me? Is that what this is about? You were just a pawn in their game. Is that all there is to it?"

Evander shook his head. "That is the case at all." He reached for her, cupping her face with his hands, but she pulled away.

"So how does this work? Have you found another place to take me?"

He chuckled softly, waving his hand as he took in the small details around him. "No," Evander answered. "It would be like that, would it?" He stared down at her, his expression unreadable. "I want you to come with me, wherever I go."

Rissa went numb inside. He still couldn't believe that she had travelled here on her own, which meant . . . She lifted her head, trying not to cry. "Of course, I came here alone," she said quietly. "Do you think I would allow you to enter a city that was already occupied if I did not?"

He pulled her back into his arms, wrapping her up tightly. "I have been searching for you since we met, trying to find a way to save you. I have failed, but I haven't given up."

"And here you are!" She looked away from him as the tears continued to fall. She felt ashamed; she had hurt someone who cared about her more than anyone else in this world. Maybe even more than her father. The one person in the entire world whom she couldn't depend on. "Why couldn't you just leave me be?"

He held her close. "Because you needed me more than I needed anything else, and I want to prove that you are worth saving." He kissed her hair. "You have been my whole life. I will never leave you again."

This wasn't the conversation Rissa wanted to have. It had been easy enough before when they were both confused, but now that she knew what she knew . . . But, despite her reservations, she felt comforted by Evander" swords. If he thought she was important, then maybe she could forgive him for being such a bastard. Besides, he didn't seem angry anymore, so perhaps it was over. Maybe the others would agree.

"I hope you don't mind," Rissa said, pulling away to look at his face. "But I have one condition."

"Yes?" He smiled.

"How did you know that I . . . Well, that I had feelings for you? And not just any feelings, but the kind I couldn't hide from the others? That I would . . ." Her voice began to shake, and she cleared her throat. "That I would do anything to save you?" She looked down in shame, unable to finish the sentence.

Evander frowned, cupping her face gently with his hands. "I told myself that the longer I stayed by your side, the less I would care about other people." He laughed. "Little did I realise that you had feelings of your own."

Rissa had no idea what to say. This . . . this was unbelievable. But her anger, which had only lasted a few moments earlier, had melted away along with her tears.

"Then I guess this means . . ." she started, hesitating before smiling tentatively at Evander. "It means that we still have some things to discuss."