A Soldier of Shadows
Page 26
My heart felt like it shattered into a thousand pieces as he moved further away from us.
I heard the strained voice of River’s mother to my left.
“No, River. Please! This makes no sense.”
I had been so fixed on my son that I had been oblivious to what was going on between River and her family until now. River’s mother had her daughter wrapped tightly in her arms.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” River said, her voice subdued. “I just… need to stay with him.”
“But why?”
“He… he’s my friend. The best I’ve ever had. You don’t know how much Ben has put himself out for me. If it wasn’t for him, I doubt I’d even be alive right now. I-I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t stay with him.”
I was taken aback by River’s words. I’d had no idea that she and my son had formed such a strong bond.
She’s actually willing to leave her family to stay in The Oasis?
I could hardly believe that she would do that for my son.
Then the truth began to sink in about what must have happened that second before the witches vanished us from the desert.
River must have realized what Ben was doing, and she let go of her mother’s hand too.
Despite my grief, I felt a sense of relief. Ben might not want any of us to stay with him in The Oasis, but at least he seemed to be allowing River to stay with him.
As I stared at the girl continuing to explain with passion to her family why she had to remain by my son’s side through this, in this Godforsaken place, I was overcome with affection for her.
As River detached herself from her mother and took a step back, I was unable to stop myself from running up to the girl and pulling her into an embrace. My face still wet from my tears, I kissed her cheeks. Clasping her hands in mine, I looked into her beautiful turquoise eyes.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
She gave me a small smile, then hugged me back. I found myself drawing comfort from the firmness of her embrace and when she let go of me, there was a sense of resoluteness in her gaze.
“I promise you, Sofia,” she said softly. “I’ll do everything I can to help your son.”
I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling. I thought my heart might burst as I experienced an indescribable gratitude for this young woman I barely knew. River could never know how much those words meant to me.
She let go of my hand, then hugged her mother, brother and sisters one more time—wiping the tears from her sisters’ cheeks—and then moved toward my son. She slipped her hand into his and then, after one last goodbye, they disappeared within the boundary.
Chapter 17: Ben
Although it had been an agonizing experience facing my family, telling them what I’d done and that I didn’t know when I might be able to see them again, it was also strangely liberating. At least now they knew what the situation was.
When I’d first left The Shade, during those months that I was away, it had always played in the back of my mind that my parents didn’t know where I was or what had happened to me. I had brought no phone with me, so for all they knew, I could be dead. The thought of them worrying had been a constant stress. Now they knew, and although they were clearly horrified, they didn’t have to suffer the added fear of the unknown.
I couldn’t have felt more grateful to River for the way she had comforted my mother when my mother had needed it most. I glanced back down at River’s pretty face as we stepped back through the boundary. Her eyes were set forward in determination. I realized I had never known a girl as strong as her. Even my sister, for all her bravery… I honestly wasn’t sure that she was capable of carrying herself with the same levelheadedness as River.
I didn’t know exactly what had made River the way she was—I guessed it was rooted in her upbringing, and the difficult childhood she’d had—but at that moment, I didn’t think it was possible for me to adore or respect a woman more.
Although Aisha, who’d brought us up to see my and River’s parents, was still waiting for us within the boundary with a look of slight impatience on her face, I stopped River in her tracks. I slid an arm around her small waist and raised my other hand to support her head as I tilted it backward and kissed her deeply. No words from me were needed. I could see from the look in her eyes as I raised my head again that she understood what her gesture had meant to me.
Then I resumed my hold on her hand, and we closed the distance between us and Aisha. I could’ve sworn a scowl crossed the jinni’s face on witnessing my display of affection for River, but it passed quickly. Aisha cleared her throat, flicking aside a lock of her curly black hair.
“Was there anything else you wanted?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “But first let’s return to your atrium.” I’d already decided that I wanted to spend as little time as possible in the upper atrium to avoid bumping into Jeramiah, Michael, and other unsavory characters, so I had requested Nuriya to allot me an apartment down in the jinn’s abode.
“As you wish,” Aisha replied smoothly.
A thick mist appeared from nowhere and surrounded us, and the next second, we were standing in the Nasiris’ gardens, a few feet away from the border of the sparkling swan-dotted lake.
“And now?” Aisha asked, raising a brow.
I paused, pulling my mind away from thoughts of River and my family and fixing it on my next move.
“I have a question,” River said.
I heard the strained voice of River’s mother to my left.
“No, River. Please! This makes no sense.”
I had been so fixed on my son that I had been oblivious to what was going on between River and her family until now. River’s mother had her daughter wrapped tightly in her arms.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” River said, her voice subdued. “I just… need to stay with him.”
“But why?”
“He… he’s my friend. The best I’ve ever had. You don’t know how much Ben has put himself out for me. If it wasn’t for him, I doubt I’d even be alive right now. I-I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t stay with him.”
I was taken aback by River’s words. I’d had no idea that she and my son had formed such a strong bond.
She’s actually willing to leave her family to stay in The Oasis?
I could hardly believe that she would do that for my son.
Then the truth began to sink in about what must have happened that second before the witches vanished us from the desert.
River must have realized what Ben was doing, and she let go of her mother’s hand too.
Despite my grief, I felt a sense of relief. Ben might not want any of us to stay with him in The Oasis, but at least he seemed to be allowing River to stay with him.
As I stared at the girl continuing to explain with passion to her family why she had to remain by my son’s side through this, in this Godforsaken place, I was overcome with affection for her.
As River detached herself from her mother and took a step back, I was unable to stop myself from running up to the girl and pulling her into an embrace. My face still wet from my tears, I kissed her cheeks. Clasping her hands in mine, I looked into her beautiful turquoise eyes.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
She gave me a small smile, then hugged me back. I found myself drawing comfort from the firmness of her embrace and when she let go of me, there was a sense of resoluteness in her gaze.
“I promise you, Sofia,” she said softly. “I’ll do everything I can to help your son.”
I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling. I thought my heart might burst as I experienced an indescribable gratitude for this young woman I barely knew. River could never know how much those words meant to me.
She let go of my hand, then hugged her mother, brother and sisters one more time—wiping the tears from her sisters’ cheeks—and then moved toward my son. She slipped her hand into his and then, after one last goodbye, they disappeared within the boundary.
Chapter 17: Ben
Although it had been an agonizing experience facing my family, telling them what I’d done and that I didn’t know when I might be able to see them again, it was also strangely liberating. At least now they knew what the situation was.
When I’d first left The Shade, during those months that I was away, it had always played in the back of my mind that my parents didn’t know where I was or what had happened to me. I had brought no phone with me, so for all they knew, I could be dead. The thought of them worrying had been a constant stress. Now they knew, and although they were clearly horrified, they didn’t have to suffer the added fear of the unknown.
I couldn’t have felt more grateful to River for the way she had comforted my mother when my mother had needed it most. I glanced back down at River’s pretty face as we stepped back through the boundary. Her eyes were set forward in determination. I realized I had never known a girl as strong as her. Even my sister, for all her bravery… I honestly wasn’t sure that she was capable of carrying herself with the same levelheadedness as River.
I didn’t know exactly what had made River the way she was—I guessed it was rooted in her upbringing, and the difficult childhood she’d had—but at that moment, I didn’t think it was possible for me to adore or respect a woman more.
Although Aisha, who’d brought us up to see my and River’s parents, was still waiting for us within the boundary with a look of slight impatience on her face, I stopped River in her tracks. I slid an arm around her small waist and raised my other hand to support her head as I tilted it backward and kissed her deeply. No words from me were needed. I could see from the look in her eyes as I raised my head again that she understood what her gesture had meant to me.
Then I resumed my hold on her hand, and we closed the distance between us and Aisha. I could’ve sworn a scowl crossed the jinni’s face on witnessing my display of affection for River, but it passed quickly. Aisha cleared her throat, flicking aside a lock of her curly black hair.
“Was there anything else you wanted?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “But first let’s return to your atrium.” I’d already decided that I wanted to spend as little time as possible in the upper atrium to avoid bumping into Jeramiah, Michael, and other unsavory characters, so I had requested Nuriya to allot me an apartment down in the jinn’s abode.
“As you wish,” Aisha replied smoothly.
A thick mist appeared from nowhere and surrounded us, and the next second, we were standing in the Nasiris’ gardens, a few feet away from the border of the sparkling swan-dotted lake.
“And now?” Aisha asked, raising a brow.
I paused, pulling my mind away from thoughts of River and my family and fixing it on my next move.
“I have a question,” River said.
