Dora's stomach laid tight against something hard. Her breath caught short briefly again and again in a quick rhythm. The pain that had echoed down her back from falling from the horse was no longer there but the pain at the nape of her neck stung.
She had felt the ache before she was able to open her eyes to see the dark dirt ground below her. The sun had vanished. She managed to raise her head to see Adonis walking next to her, before the pain became too much and she had to hang it from the trodding horse again.
"Uhhhh.." She managed to grunt in frustration.
"You're awake!" It was Adonis. The horse slowed to a stop and she felt Adonis's hands on her hanging shoulder a moment later "Are you okay?"
"Me?!" Her voice sounded angry with the horse digging into her stomach "Are you okay? Do you remember what happened?" She slowly climbed down from the horse, surprisingly landing on both of her feet.
When she rounded to the other side of the white mare Adonis' face had lit up in a way she'd rarely seen, "I do. It's gone isn't it."
Dora couldn't help but smile back at him nodding her head, "There's not even a scar." Dora looked up and down the dark road and even tried to peep into the even darker woods, "Where is Swan?" The pink scar stretched across her hand down her arm, a reminder they wouldn't be able to part.
"Aphrodite said we were only one more night away but I was still frozen. She kissed me and promised she'd be back." His face reddened but Dora couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or anger.
The white mare picked up their pace, their bags still hanging from its back. "You know who Aphrodite is?"
"I couldn't sleep last night. I heard everything. I wanted to stop when I heard you in pain but I was stuck walking. I heard about what happened with Apollo. I heard her tell you you're evil. I heard about Hades. I heard it all and I couldn't say or do anything." The words came rushed. The vain in his neck strained down to his shoulder. "I don't want to sleep Dora. I just want to get her back."
Dora nodded, "Yeah me too."
A slim figure walked toward them in the distance with that swing in her hips that was unmistakably Aphrodite.
"I found a river up the way." Her hair was still dripping wet as she stood in one of Kore's altered dresses so the waist was exposed on both sides. "We can set a fire and sleep there tonight. The horse needs to rest."
"You left us to go swimming?" Dora asked unable to hide the disbelief from her voice. The look on Aphrodite's face made her immediately regret questioning her. She had left them to play in Athens all night. Hypocrite much?
"I needed to speak with a friend so I washed up in the river as I did just that." There was a gleam in those violet eyes that made Doras stomach curl, "Should we light a fire and lay out some blankets?"
"We're not sleeping."Adonis yelled out. "We're going after Kore now. I'm done with your games. I'm done with your persuasion."
Aphrodite strutted toward Adonis grabbing his one shouldered tunic and pushed her face into his. Adonis managed to grabbed her shoulders to shove her away before she could do or say anything else.
She closed her dropped jaw quickly, obviously taken aback by the rejection. Even Dora's brows rose in surprise.
"The river is the start of a fulls day walk. If you want to risk your life walking through these dark roads be my guest but I won't be going which means Dora won't be either."
Adonis and Dora glanced at one another. She knew exactly what he was thinking. It was him who moved first, rushing toward Aphrodite so fast she didn't have time to think about what was happening. She was over his shoulder before she could blink. Dora quickly grabbed a cloak and ripped a long piece to tie together her hands.
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Bringer of Death (Cruel Gods 1)
الخيال (فانتازيا)Kore has fought to follow the rules. To stay hidden in the shadows. To be a rose in a simple garden. Until the night of the sacrifice. The same night that had put her on this very path five years ago. The night of Hades. Now she finds herself in t...
