Shadows of the Night | BOOK 2 DRAFT

17

17.

Elias walks with a slight limp, bodyweight primarily on his left side. I stay a beat behind him and slow my pace to match his. The passageways through the cave are too narrow to walk side by side, and surprisingly, it's a relief. The air between us buzzes with tension. And after yesterday, I don't know how to feel. The last time Elias lit up like that he was upset with himself. But comforting him feels wrong somehow. An invisible string ties me to him, and I have to do whatever I can to cut it loose.

"Have you been here before?" I whisper. In the dead quiet, it feels wrong to talk normally.

"Aside from the time I came a couple of months ago? Once, a few years ago."

"Was it always this... quiet?"

"Always." We continue forward, deeper into the cave where the lights strung along the roof become less frequent. "The Elders stick together, but they don't live in regular shifter villages. Once their children become of age, they go off and join their own villages."

"What about Malik?"

"Malik doesn't live here," he says. "He leads another shifter village over the mountains. But he grew up here."

"He told me you were friends, once."

Elias doesn't say anything for a few moments. Then, "He lived in the mountains when I was a young boy. Back when all the Elders lived there."

We come to a stop at the end of the passageway, before a doorway carved from the stone. The room stretches around the corner, so I can't see past the doorway. I turn to look at Elias. He's staring down at me, eyes dull. It makes my heart ache. His eyes used to glow so brightly in the darkness.

"Why did the other Elders leave Ana if they're supposed to stick together?" I ask.

Before he can answer, someone appears in the doorway. In fright, I step closer to Elias, our arms brushing. "Elias." It's Elder Rosemary. She wears a long red dress, her grey hair decorated with purple flowers. "Where is Malik?"

"He's occupied," Elias says.

She pauses, her hand on the doorway. "Well, thank you for bringing her. You may leave us."

"I'll stay."

"You would simply be bored, child," she says, waving a hand. "Besides, you need to rest. Healer Abrams said you were quite weak."

He opens his mouth to protest, but I put a hand on his arm. "I'll meet you on the beach and help with the nets?"

He looks at me, then at the hand on his arm, and gently brushes it off. "Okay," he says reluctantly. "I'll meet you on the beach."

I swallow, stepping into the room and gazing around. Much like her hair, it's decorated with different pots of flowers. Elder Rosemary hovers by the bench. "Tea?"

"Oh, thank you." I take it from her, the cup warming my fingers. The elder takes the seat opposite me, an identical cup in her hands. "You wanted to see me?"

"You grew up with the hollowers. I am intrigued by you." She notes my expression and laughs. "I do not mean to scare you."

"I'm not scared."

Her face, once cold and intimidating, transforms with her kind smile. The tension in my shoulders eases. "You have had quite an... interesting year," she says softly. "Plucked from your home and placed in a shifter village."

I take a sip of the tea, my throat dry. "It wasn't so bad," I say.

She laughs. "You are far too polite, Milena. I know my kind can be a little... hostile towards outsiders."