Fate and Destiny (The Fated Series, #2)

Chapter 80 - Darius - Just Maybe

"What about heartbeats? Can you feel those?"

I smile against the warmth of the lowering sun, happy to answer the many questions from the men about my newfound powers. "Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?" Ezyrn asks. I glance at him and his hazel eyes, feeling how easily the natural breeze slips in between the strands of his loose ash-brown hair. It's nice to feel the wind without being the cause of its direction and force.

"I can feel your every breath, which in return will tell me the quickness of your heartbeat based on the quickness of your breathing. If you're breathing evenly then you're content. Quicker means either frightened or ready for an attack, slower means uncertainty and cautiousness, and so on. The speed, as well as the quality of air going into your lungs, will tell me what I need. But no, I cannot feel your heartbeat directly unless I use the element to push against your pulse."

Hassan who's got the long hair taps his horse into a trot to pull up beside Clarice. "And what of you? Can you feel our heartbeat?"

He asks his questions with such curiosity and respect for her that I can't help but feel proud of all of them. They've been kind and welcoming to her and her company though it took them a few moments before their tension left their body. They didn't know how to talk to her at first, as they very well know of her past and the abilities she had, and the names she carried. They were anxious, scared that if they said the wrong thing the Ebony Nightingale would come out and murder them coldly. Once they realized that she wouldn't hurt them, they began asking their questions and leaning in towards her to hear her answers. They no longer keep their horses at a distance, letting the animals walk as close or far as they please from each other.

She's grown more relaxed as well, and Gods and their Saints it's still so weird to feel her calmness without that slight threat of a killing machine beneath the surface. I used to feel the beast sleeping within her, now I feel nothing. It's unsettling, but a part of me knows that the beast is only sleeping deeper in its den, waiting to be awakened. I may not be able to feel it, but I can see it in her eyes.

There's still hope.

"It takes a moment, but yes, I can feel your heartbeats," she answers. Weylin and Arcane shift in their saddles behind us, and I can feel them start to force their breathing to be steady. "You see, there's water in your blood, and if I focus hard enough, I can feel it move in your veins and arteries all throughout your body. It takes a lot of energy and focus for me to even attempt to control your heart rate, but with more training, I may be able to one day do it without breaking a sweat."

I smile at the sudden paleness of Leal and Enver beside me. The hazel and amber-eyed brothers are so easily spooked, but they hold a sword well and plant their feet. They're good men, they just have a large capacity for fear.

"What does it feel like?" Diurin asks both of us. "Being able to sense the world around us, I mean."

Clarice and I share a look before she looks back at him. "It's...strange, but freeing, in a way. I mean I can feel every living thing within a mile of us. There's a family of bunnies over there," she says, pointing west. "Huddling together for warmth in their burrow. There's a pack of wolves looking for food behind us, but they're heading back to their home by the river. Oh, and the river itself is slowing its current with there being no rocks for the water to rush over. It's like seeing the world through a thousand eyes with half a thought."

"But it's not all wonderous," I comment.

"What do you mean?" Octavian questions. "How could seeing the world through a thousand eyes not be entirely wonderous?"

"Because though we feel life and every joy of it, we also feel death. We can feel when death is near, or when it's breathing down someone's neck or taking the breath right out of their lungs. We feel the absence of life where death has walked, and if the wind blows wrongly or stills or the sound of water suddenly becomes hollow and empty, we can feel life slip away to its call. We can feel your heartbeat slow and stop. We can hear the calls for help from the people that we cannot get to in time. Life is prosperous, yes, but it's only so because of the death that it's made from."