A Savior's Worth (Book #3)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

What did they do to me...

"How is she, by the way?" the man questioned, snapping Henry back to reality. "The princess, I mean."

Henry huffed. "Wouldn't you know?"

"Why would we know?" the woman's shrill voice returned.

Henry swallowed and lifted his eyebrows. If that were true, Elouise hadn't been captured at all then. She was still Goddesses-knows-where, but she was fine. She was alive. Henry exhaled in relief and shook his head.

"Never mind," he murmured. After considering something else, he snarled at the darkness, hoping the man could see his face. "If you claim you are not one of them, why do you willingly assist them?"

Silence greeted him.

Then after a beat, "Would you be quiet now?"

Henry sighed. He supposed this was where he attempted to make himself as comfortable as possible and accept his fate.

Truthfully, his only regrets were that he hadn't been able to see Elouise and Ivy one last time.

---

"You and your friends are experts at getting separated, aren't you?" Kinsey retorted as she brushed past Eldon.

Eldon bit down on his tongue and glared at her. There were many things he wanted to say. Many things he wouldn't have regretted.

"Snap out of that mood, Kinsey," Cora begged. "We are fortunate those idiots left plenty of their tracks behind."

"We are more fortunate that there wasn't any new snow last night," Iris clarified, leading the way far up ahead.

Eldon trailed behind them and the horses, too drained from the hours of walking without any rest. He didn't necessarily want them to stop, though. Every moment counted. If Iris was right—which he didn't doubt anymore—then Henry had been taken by Inferum cantivat. Eldon inwardly groaned. The women turned to look at him, and he realized he'd whined out loud instead.

Iris whirled on her heel and narrowed her eyes. "Would you like to try that again?"

Eldon sneered at her.

"Hey, none of us are happy about this," she explained, waving her arms around, "but this isn't the time to give up."

"Who said anythin' 'bout givin' up?"

"Someone should," Kinsey grumbled, earning Iris' attention who questioned what she meant. Kinsey scoffed. "It's his friends we are trying to rescue—not ours. Why're we risking our lives to help this brat?"

"It's Henry," Cora reasoned. "He's been so nice to us, Kins."

"And we share the same enemy," Iris added. "This is not just about saving Elouise and Henry; it's about putting an end to these sickening sacrifices. Look, we don't have to get along or like each other. We just need to get through this mission, finish it, and then go back to our own lives. Can we do that without constantly arguing?"

"I've always believed there wasn't anything Umbra Suas couldn't achieve," Cora chimed in, proudly placing her hands on her hips. She smiled over at Kinsey as if waiting for the taller girl to agree. Kinsey, however, only grumbled in agreement.

Iris eyed Eldon next and raised her brows.

Eldon shrugged. "Yeah, a'right."

She sighed. "Good enough." Then she turned and resumed walking.

Kinsey glanced back at Eldon. "You're lucky I actually like Henry." With that, she hurried to catch up with Iris.

Cora looked as though she wanted to say something to Eldon as well. Then she closed her mouth and shook her head, facing forward again. Eldon preferred she didn't talk to him, anyway.

They walked some more before Eldon heard his name behind him—like a distant whisper echoing throughout the trees. He turned his head and saw nothing, and then he mentally chided himself for not immediately recognizing what it was.

"Don't give up yet, Eldon," the voice said. Eldon recognized it as the one he and Elouise believed to be Ashton.

Eldon looked ahead and slowed down, letting a greater distance grow between him and the women. The weight of Ashton's ring in his back pocket suddenly felt heavier. When it seemed safe, he quietly asked the voice, "Now you talk to me?"

"I apologize for my silence. It's not safe for me to contact you like this. Believe me, I heard your pleas, and I wanted to respond—"

"If it ain't safe, why are you talkin' to me now?"

"I can sense you need someone to talk to, and that is a risk worth taking."

Eldon wanted to laugh. "Yeah... right." He started walking again, hoping—for the first time—that he wouldn't be spoken to further.

But the voice wasn't giving up. "Listen to me, Eldon, despite what you are feeling, do not give up. You're stronger than this. I know you must be."

Eldon frowned and stopped once more. Strong? If he was so strong, would he have gotten the people closest to him taken away?

"Where are they?" The words desperately spilled out of him before he could prevent them.

"I... I don't know."

Eldon sighed. "'Course you don't."

"The savior is alive—that much I do know. Believe me, if she weren't, the consequences would have already been present..." he continued to talk, something about willpower and belief. Eldon tuned him out as he focused on his own thoughts.

Eldon waited until the voice was finished to ask, "Are you Ashton Ward?"

But that was the end of that.

Ashton, or whoever, was gone again. Eldon didn't bother sticking around and calling out to see if he would respond. He wouldn't. None of the voices ever did.

Eldon resumed walking, unsure whether to take the silence as confirmation. He supposed, for now, it was better than nothing.

Cora was the only one who noticed he'd stopped, and she asked him if he was alright. He forced the corners of his mouth to rise for her sake—and everyone else's. Cora patted his back and said, "You'll see them both soon. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," he answered, nodding. "I know."