The letters hadn't stopped. It had been weeks and I knew I needed to do something about it, I just didn't know how. I was worried about burdening the others with my own problems, so I had yet to tell any of them. They were too kind, I know all three of them would do anything to assist me in making sure my family was okay, but the last thing I wanted was for all four of us to get caught. If anything bad was to happen, I wanted to bear the full weight of the consequences.
I had procured an idea of how I could help my parents and sisters. When everyone was asleep, I would sneak out and make my way to the castle where the letters had told me they were being kept. With the help of my clairvoyance, despite the mental energy it takes, I would find them and do my best to escape with them. Even if I ended up getting stuck with them, at least I would be locked up with my family for the remainder of my life. And I would know that I did my best to save them.
I could never tell the others about this plan. If I was caught inside the castle, there was no telling what would happen to me. However, I had a feeling I'd probably be executed on the spot. If all four of us were there, every other mythical race in the entire kingdom would be doomed without us to help them escape.
I sighed aloud, before realizing where I was and sitting up straight, acting like I wasn't having a mental crisis just seconds ago. Around the kitchen table sat me, Blasius, Silva, and Menas.
"There could be others out there that can help us," Blasius proposed.
"You're right! What if I travelled to nearby Elven villages to search for other survivors?" Silva suggested.
"Not alone," Menas interrupted, "I'll go with you. It might be dangerous, so we should do things in pairs."
"Right, then Amicia and I will be here to protect each other as well, if need be."
I sat in silence, absorbing the conversation happening in front of me. My mind was too busy, replaying my plan again and again inside of my head, going through the motions of how I will save my family.
"Then we should leave tonight, gather people as soon as possible." Menas and Blasius nod in response.
❦❦❦
That night, just as Silva said, she leaves with Menas. You and Blasius see them off, making sure they have all of the necessary tools for their journey.
When they leave, Blasius is the first to sit down at the table where a freshly cooked meal sat. You, on the other hand, watch until Silva and Menas disappear from sight. Only then do you sit and begin eating.
"Do you remember the conversation we had about mates when we were still locked up?" Blasius asked.
"A little bit, yes." You begin to wonder where the conversation was headed. Was he simply making conversation? Did he have a deeper meaning?
He huffed, before continuing, "I keep wanting to tell you this, and every moment feels like the worst time given the circumstances, but even if nothing happens between us from now until the end of all of this, you're mine. My mate."
You're shocked, almost too much to speak. The only thing you can get out ends up to be a stuttering mess, "A-are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." You look up from your dinner with wide eyes to see him looking at you with a warm smile that only grows when you make when contact.
"Wow," you breathed out, "I mean, I guess I always knew, considering how I felt about you too, but ... wow."
He reached a single hand out and takes yours in his, lifting it up near his face to place a gentle kiss upon the back of it. You open your mouth, but can't find any words to express how you feel. When he let go of it, you pulled it back slowly to your side of the table, staring at it. After a few seconds, you snap out of your daze, picking up your utensils to continue eating the meal in front of you.
❦❦❦
The night air was cool. There was a light breeze that messed up my hair slightly. I felt guilty, leaving Blasius alone like I did. He had been fast asleep when I left the room, breathing heavily with one arm draped over his chest.
Before I left, I prepared a small bag with water and light snacks for my journey. It had taken multiple days to get to the village we currently resides in when we had escaped the castle, so I had to prepare for a long trip back. I had already vowed to spend as much time running and as little time sleeping as was humanly possible.
I slung the bag over both of my shoulders and made my way along the route that I deduced would take me to the castle the quickest.
At some point, the night darkened, except for the full moon almost directly above. I knew it had been hours since I had left, therefore it had to be just after midnight. I wasn't tired though, in fact, I felt almost wide awake despite getting no sleep. I was too fuelled by the adrenaline of lying to my only friends and the worry that I wouldn't get to my family in time to save them.
Heaving slightly, I stopped walking and braced myself on a tree trunk with one hand as I slung the bag off of my shoulder with the other. From it, I took a water and took a few sips.
My ears practically perked up when I hear a crack behind me, like a tree branch. Using as little clairvoyant energy as I could, I scan the energy around me but feel myself in little danger. Was it an animal?
Throwing the water back into the bag, the only thing I feel is within my power to do is run. So I do. Although it didn't quite work out as a tactic the first time I had used it—when jumping from the truck when I was first being transported into the castle—I did it anyway. I ran with all of the energy I could muster. With all of the adrenaline flowing through me, I felt invincible and lightning quick.
But, in a flash, my head hit the ground.
And all I could feel was something on top of me.
The weight of it left me unable to turn over, and with the bag on my back I couldn't decipher whether it was human or animal, but all I knew was that whatever it was, I was in trouble. With no way to escape from it or them, my thrashing around on the ground was a useless defence.
The only thing I could do was wait. Wait. Wait until I was ultimately eaten alive, killed, brought back to the castle unwillingly, or some other unwanted fate.