Veritas

Chapter 69

Aislinn slowly regained consciousness, recognizing reality from her dreamworld by the difference in her senses. In the dreamworld, she was light as air; but, once back to reality, the stark contrast of her painful body helped confirm she was awake. Without opening her eyes, she realized that she was no longer in the cave, since the ground underneath her had some give to it. Additionally, she felt the warmth of the sun in patches on her skin.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, squinting at the daylight. After a few blinks, she could register the scenery around her. Green and brown, leaves and bark, all around her was the sight and smell of the forest. It felt like home.

Home!

Immediately, she reached out through mindlink to try to communicate with her family. Unlike last time, she was thrilled to feel her words hit a wall; however, the wall still kept her away from her family. It meant they were alive, at the very least, and relief filled her body. As she let her muscles sag with relaxation, she heard a chuckle that had her sitting up quickly.

"Careful" the voice said, it's owner reaching out strong, warm hands to steady her when her aching muscles cried out against her sudden movement.

It dawned on her in the moment that the forest wasn't all she smelled. She smelled him, as expected; but...No vampire.

"Where's Drystan?" She demanded, looking up into the face of the King.

"Ah" he said with disappointment, his face falling a bit. "I was hoping you'd take a bit more time before asking, you should really be resting after what you've gone through" Darius replied, his warm hands moving to her shoulders in a gesture that made her uncomfortable.

"Where is he?" She demanded more insistently, not caring to ask about what he meant by what she'd been through.

Darius let out a sigh, looking down a bit while dropping his hands from her shoulders. "I told you he couldn't be trusted" he said by way of answer.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped back, growing more frustrated with every passing moment that she didn't know her friend was okay.

"He betrayed you" he answered bluntly, looking up to meet her eyes. "He was working for them all along...The moment the spell was broken, he realized the truth would be revealed. You had a seizure, so he tried to kill you while he had the chance. I was only barely able to fight him off and flee with you" he explained, frowning with concern as he spoke. "Thank the Goddess for the daylight, or I'm certain he would have given chase."

Aislinn's heart sank as she stared at him, looking for any sign of insincerity. She couldn't believe that Drystan had fooled her all along, nor that he'd tried to kill her after taking the time to free her from what was to be certain death. It hurt her heart to even consider that he would betray her; but, she also worried her own hatred for Darius may be blinding her from a truth she should consider as possible. Resolving to remain skeptical of both Drystan and Darius for now, Aislinn finally shook her head slowly.

"He wouldn't" she answered weakly.

"He did" Darius responded grimly before standing up. "It matters little if you believe me, though. What matters now is that we get back to the safety of the Royal Pack and determine the state of things. Kidnapping the King of werewolves is a bold move for anyone...And is basically a declaration of war. I must return to my throne to prepare" he declared firmly.

Aislinn rolled her eyes, but began to rise to her feet herself, albeit with difficulty. She'd never had a seizure before, so didn't know what the normal aftermath should be. Before she had long to ponder her sore muscles, though, that same warm hand from before rested on top of her head to stop her from getting up.