Chapter 13: A Flicker
A/N: Sensitive subject matter discussed in this chapter. Even the connected song may be a bit sensitive for some people, so take care.
Song Connection: "A Flicker"
The group travelled a few miles down the road before stopping to rest. After the interaction with Lord Zephyr, most of the group was at least a little shaken. The entrance to Limboris was only a few hours away, and they still had plenty of light left, so Isolde made the decision to take about an hour to allow everyone (including herself) the chance to rest before continuing onward.
"Are you okay?" Elias asked his partner as he grabbed a blanket from a compartment below their seat, wrapping her up in it, despite her grumbles that she could manage.
"I will be," she acknowledged. "Maybe a nap… Not that it'll take away from nearly being strangled to death, but…"
He smirked, brushing her hair from her face. "Glad to see your dark humor hasn't changed despite a near-death experience."
She returned the smirk, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "At least one of us is consistent." She reclined against the front seat, fully wrapping the blanket around herself. "Wake me up in an hour, okay?"
"Will do." He stepped down from the carriage, removing his hat and tossing it onto the floor next to the front seat, using his fingers to comb through his wind-tossed hair.
"Hey, guys," James began as he, Jaime, and Ember exited the carriage, all stepping onto the ground, "I'm gonna take Jaime for a little walk. He can stretch, walk off any cramps, and have some… What was it Isolde said? 'Personal time.'" He looked toward Ember. "Not like that," he laughed, seeing the amused expression on her face.
"Well, I figured," she responded almost playfully, trying to keep her mind on anything except what had happened not too long ago.
"Hey." James gently touched her arm, smiling softly at her. "It's going to be okay. I don't think you'll ever have to worry about that Zephyr guy again. Now, just focus on you and Jaime. We're almost there, Ember."
She nodded, seeming appreciative. "Thank you, James…"
Elias watched as James offered Ember a quick hug before leading Jaime away toward the woods. He cleared his throat, watching the other blonde look at him. "So… What happened back there… Kinda crazy."
"Yeah…" She frowned, folding her arms. "I could have gone the rest of my life without knowing the truth about Jaime and me, but now that I know it… It makes a lot more sense…"
The male sentry hummed distractedly as he made his way to the back of the carriage, rifling through his bag. "Explains why you and your brother did all the stuff you did, or…" He withdrew what appeared to be a scratched bottle of vodka, with the etched label clearly worn down. "Or whatever…" He unscrewed the lid and tipped the bottle over, pouring the contents into the hollow lid and taking a sip. "Ah… I needed that." He grinned toward Ember, who eyed him curiously. "Isolde doesn't normally like me drinking on missions, but if you won't tell, I won't."
She shrugged, leaning against the carriage. "You're a grown man. You can do whatever you want."
He chuckled. "That's so true…" He poured some more of his drink and drank it down. "It definitely is relaxing after all the stuff we just went through. Want some?" He shook the bottle a bit in her direction, frowning lightly when she shook her head. "You don't drink?"
"Not vodka," she clarified. "My family was more of a wine and dine family. But right now, I think I'll suffice with some water."
"There's a stream over there," Elias told her, nodding a little past the trees. "I'll walk with you over there." He followed her as she began walking, forgoing the lid for the bottle itself, taking a heavy gulp of the sharp contents. "Ah… I didn't know how much I needed this…"
Ember didn't respond as she approached the stream, kneeling next to it. She cupped her hands, gathering some of the fresh water, and slowly sipped it, enjoying the feeling of her thirst being quenched after all the action recently.
Elias felt his mouth going dry all over again as he watched the blonde woman gather more water, some of it trickling down her chin as she drank. A few droplets had also made their way into her hair, as it was falling around her face and arms like a golden blanket. But what really drew his attention was the not-so-subtle curve of her body in the medium-length white dress. She'd worn no stockings and simple shoes, so her upper legs were visible now that she was kneeling, just adding to the physical appeal of the former queen. He smacked his lips a bit, his thirst returning (and not just because of the dryness of his drink)…
Ember sighed as she finished drinking her fill of the cool, fresh water, and she moved to stand up. However, she nearly fell backwards as her foot caught on a rock. She gasped when Elias caught her by the hand, pulling her to her feet. "Thanks…"
"Mm-hmm…" His cheeks were tinged pink as the alcohol ran through his system, but he somehow managed to stay focused. And right now, his focus was on Ember. "Hey, I have a question," he told her, his speech ever so slightly slurred.
"What?" she asked, releasing his hands and stepping away from the water, lest she nearly fall in again.
"W-Well, hey, just… Just sit down for a bit. Let's talk. I just wanted to get to know you a bit."
Ember frowned uncertainly. "But… What if James and Jaime-?"
"They're fine. Probably…frolicking in the flowers and chasing butterflies or something. Here." He plopped down under a tree, patting the grassy ground next to him. He grinned as she sat near him, trying to maneuver her dress in a way that it fanned out around her. "So. What's your favorite color?"
Ember couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped her. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or his own strangely childish nature that prompted that question, but it was innocent enough. "Red. Always has been."
"Why red?"
"It's bold and vibrant, kind of how I always wanted to project myself to be. It's also a color for passion, fire, and even courage, I've heard."
Elias grinned, pointing at her. "And blood."
Ember's smile faded from her lips as she played with the hem of her dress.
"And love," the sentry continued, 'walking' his right forefinger and middle finger toward her, slowly tapping up her leg to her knee.
She batted his hand away, frowning. "I wouldn't know."
"Nonsense," he laughed. "I know you've felt it before…" He patted his chest, though he grunted when he realized he'd probably hit himself a little too hard in his state. "The… The boom-boom of the heart when someone you want to throw on the bed and have your way with is near…"
"Elias, stop. I don't want to—"
He waved a hand, cutting her off as he interjected, "Why are you trying so hard to save Jaime?"
She blinked at his question, scooting back a bit to add some distance between them. "What do you mean?"
"He's killed a… A bunch of people, Ember. He's… He's not a good guy." He took another drink from his bottle before wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
"He did it for me. I was the one who started all of that mess, and he got caught in the middle." She ran her fingers through some of her hair, nervously tugging at the waves. "He… He didn't deserve to be in the state he's in. If anything, it should have been me…"
"And…" Elias set the nearly half-empty bottle next to the tree, turning his mildly blurry attention to Ember. "What exactly do you expect to happen…if you save him?"
Her head tilted a bit. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…" He gestured vaguely behind them: down the same road they'd been traveling the last few days. "You know the Conjuror's Board is gonna make you and your brother stay in some…secret land either in or around Limboris, right? You can't…go back where you came from, and as far as I understand it… You can't go anywhere else either. That would be so miserable to me: not being able to travel anywhere else. Ever."
The blonde girl shrugged, tugging at a loose dandelion, making the soft fragile seeds on top slip off and flutter away in the gentle breeze. "I don't care. As long as I have Jaime with me, I don't need to go anywhere else…" A soft smile appeared on her lips as she brushed her hands against the remaining stem of the dandelion.
Elias frowned at her words. "Why do you talk about him like that?"
She looked up at him, appearing confused. "Like what?"
"Like he's your… Your soulmate or something… He's your brother, Ember, not your husband."
Ember's eyes narrowed as she drew her legs behind her, as if preparing to stand. "I know that—"
The sentry reached out, grabbing her wrist, keeping her in place as his gaze stayed on her. "Do you? 'Cause with the way you talk about him, it almost sounds like you've got…" He snorted, "Feelings for him or something…" He tugged her to him, startling her as he pushed her up against the tree, hovering over her as his hot breath whispered over her skin. "It's not your fault, Ember," he mumbled, taking a handful of her hair and pulling at it, enough to make her uncomfortable and even groan softly, which was a beautiful sound he wanted to try to repeat if possible. "You don't know any better. With the way you were brought up… Of course you were only around Jaime. You never had an opportunity to…to discover true feelings for anyone else…"
Ember gasped as he lowered his body closer to hers, pressing very intimately against her, her dress slipping up her thighs as the sentry practically grinded against her. "E-Elias, stop…"
"I can help you feel something much stronger, Ember," he whispered huskily, surprisingly coherent for someone who'd had so much to drink (almost like he did this enough to build up a tolerance). "Like your name, I'll…ignite a fire so strong in you that you'll… You'll forget about everyone and everything around you, including Jaime…" He lifted a hand to her cheek, brushing it as he could tell she was blushing—in shame, in fear? He wasn't sure. "Every inch of your skin will tingle with a burning sensation, and… And you'll feel a sense of…euphoria and pleasure unlike any other…" He moved forward, his lips just barely ghosting over hers, before he felt a strong slap across his face, causing him to fall over. His mind was a bit cloudier as the alcohol had begun to really set in, but it hadn't fully blocked out his cognition.
Ember scrambled to her feet, brushing her dress back into place, as she glared at the man on the ground. "You're a lecherous beast, Elias. And here I thought we could trust you—someone from the Conjuror's Board. But I guess you're just like everyone else… Just like every shadow man in Exchancia, who shoved women against the walls and had their way with them while the women screamed out in pain…"
He shook his head, managing to pull himself to his feet as he leaned against the tree. "The difference here is," he began, brushing his hair behind his shoulders, "I'm offering you passion… You could be with me, and with that would come freedom. You could d-ditch that brother of yours—not that he would know any better anyway."
She frowned, shaking her head. "No. I would never abandon Jaime. I l—" She paused, realizing she couldn't say what her heart had almost urged her to say. "I lost him once… I won't lose him again. Leave me alone, Elias, and don't you ever touch me again."
Elias just shrugged and muttered something about trying to help her before heading back to the carriage, leaving the half-empty vodka bottle behind so that Isolde wouldn't scold him for having it. Granted, he was clearly feeling the effects of it, but maybe if he slept a bit, it would dull the sensation a bit…
Ember stayed back from the carriage, bracing herself against the tree. She didn't want to return if it meant seeing Elias again… Even if his acts were brought on by the alcohol, she'd seen him looking at her strangely before. She didn't want to take any chances and risk him pouncing on her again.
What Ember didn't know was that James and Jaime actually hadn't been that far from her and the sentry, and James had caught the tail end of what had occurred. He could tell that she was bothered by the interaction, as she should be, and he swore to himself that he would protect her from Elias. From Elias, of all people… "Come on, Jaime," he whispered to his counterpart, who didn't respond, as usual. "Let's get you back to the carriage so I can talk to Ember, okay?" He carefully led Jaime back to the carriage, helping him into the open door at the back, before turning back to the area where he'd seen Ember. He glanced briefly at the front of the carriage, where Isolde was still sleeping on the seat and Elias was now passed out on the floor section, and he glared at the other man. It disgusted him how he could sleep so easily knowing just how much he'd disturbed Ember…
Ember had her eyes closed when she felt a soft hand touch her arm, and she jumped as her eyes opened. Immediately, she sighed in relief. "J-James?"
"Yeah, come on. I already helped Jaime get back in the carriage, and I wanted to make sure you…were okay."
She didn't respond to his query and instead stepped up to him, hugging him tightly as he returned the hug. No words were needed. Whether he knew or not—saw or not—what had happened, it didn't matter. James had been a comfort to her since the first day of the trip, and even now, he remained so. He was the one constant she had left, and she was clinging to him for dear life.
After several minutes, James gently coaxed Ember into heading back to the carriage with him, which she did, however cautiously. Once they arrived, Isolde sat up, having awoken from her nap and appearing to look much better.
"I forgot that naps can actually help a lot," she muttered, mostly to herself, before eyeing the duo before her. "Ember?" She frowned, seeing the expression on the former queen's face. "What's wrong?"
Ember didn't respond and instead stepped into the carriage, leaving the female sentry baffled.
"Prince James, are you going to tell me what happened?"
He shrugged, figuring it was wise to avoid discussing the matters right now. "I think it'll be best to hurry up and get to Limboris, Isolde. Ember hasn't been feeling great, and I'm scared she's going to shut down." With that, he also got into the carriage, the door closing and latching behind him.
Isolde looked down, hearing a loud snore, and she rolled her eyes, shoving Elias in the shoulder. "Elias, wake up."
He jumped up, startled, before staring dazedly at his partner. "Isolde? What happened?"
She frowned heavily at him. "Have you been drinking?"
"Just a little bit," he told her, using his fingers to indicate a small amount. Hearing her weary sigh, he smiled at her. "I won't drink anymore. Promise. I just needed a little bit."
"You know what you're like when you're drunk, Elias…" She helped him up and pulled him onto the seat next to her, her gaze sharp and focused as she took the reins. "I wouldn't want you to make any mistakes… Not like you've made in the past…"
He shook his head before pausing, realizing that type of movement was probably not the best to do when in his current state. His features softened a bit, though he was clearly still soused. "You… You weren't a mistake, Isolde… And neither was…"
"I don't want to talk about this. Drop it."
The air was tense, and so were four out of the five travelers. The tone had certainly shifted, and they all (minus Jaime, perhaps) felt it. There were no guarantees what would happen when they got to Limboris, but it would only be a few more hours before they'd find out…
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Envisioning