The Raven's Reflection

Chapter 33 - Shepherd's Promise

"How's he doing, Kinsley? ...Kinsley?"

Kinsley jumped slightly at the sound of her name. Jordan was staring at her. "Huh?" she asked, realizing she had fallen asleep as the sun was now coming up. The car was stopped.

"How is he?" Jordan repeated.

Quickly collecting her senses, she looked down at Cerno. Seeing the sunlight starting to wash across his blood-covered abdomen seemed worse than seeing it in the artificial lighting of the car's dome light. She took his hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, her fingertips pressing against his pulse point. "His heart rate is slow, but the beats feel solid."

There was a soft knock at Kinsley's window.

"Good morning, Sam," Zakkari said as he stepped out of the car and stretched. "How are you feeling?"

"Loads better," he replied.

Kinsley opened the car door and looked up at Samuel. Besides his clothes looking rough, his face had been cleaned up.

"Alice and a few others are making breakfast. You should come eat," he said.

"Yeah, I will," she said, carefully sliding out from under Cerno as if trying not to wake him. She crouched down and brushed hair out of his face before leaning in and kissing his forehead.

"How's he been?"

"Unchanged, for the most part," she replied as she fixed the strap on her tank top. The morning air was already warm. "I think after I eat something, I'll see if his body will accept any more of my source," she murmured out loud in thought, staring back at Cerno as she softly picked at her lips. "I gave him what I could last night and he responded well to it. Maybe I might be able to give him enough later that he'll wake up?" Kinsley looked up at Samuel, looking a little hopeful.

Samuel smiled at her. "Go eat, Kins," he said softly. "I'll watch him."

Sometimes she wished she couldn't hear thoughts. Samuel couldn't close himself off to Kinsley like Cerno could, and she could hear his doubt. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself before she turned away from him. "Do you want me to grab you something?"

"Thanks, but I can grab something after."

It didn't take her very long to grab two bowls of grits and scrambled eggs and return to Cerno's side. After handing Samuel a bowl he wasn't yet expecting but was a bit excited to receive, she sat down on the ground and leaned back against the rear tire, keeping herself close to Cerno. "I have to talk to you about something, by the way."

Samuel eyed her. You really are pregnant? he asked mentally as his mouth was full of hot food.

"Yes."

Samuel froze.

Kinsley deadpanned at him. "No," she scoffed truthfully before she gave her grits a little bit of a mindless stir, it being obvious that there was a lot on her mind. "No, it's something that happened yesterday and I'd rather you know about it now instead of when we get to Saorsa." She hefted a big sigh then looked up at him. "Marissa is here."

Samuel coughed, choking slightly on a piece of egg. He quickly swallowed it to avoid choking further. "Why?" he asked, trying to regain his composure. His question was more in serious concern rather than complaint.

"She snuck onto the second coach with everyone and I didn't know until we were in Tolatheid and she approached me. Cerno outed her at the banquet in front of the entire court and her father wasn't going to be able to save her from being exiled or Squared...so she ran. She had overheard about the transports and knew it was going to be her only way to escape Ralnsah safely."