Chapter 17
Aubrey glanced away from him. Biting her lip, she remembered what the villagers had told her when she arrived the first time. They had treated her much the same as they were treating Nathaniel now. She had only thought of herself. Sure, she had left to get rid of her curse, but it was for her. She was tired of blurting the truth, tired of wondering how her words would affect the others. Now, she understood that it was not just her that she needed to care about. It had made her reckless. Not caring what happened to her, she had done things that were not meant to be done. Now, she understood how her actions affected people more than her words. Her journey had allowed her to see this, but Nathaniel had always had things handed to him.
With him now away from everyone he knew, it would be different. He wouldn't be able to rely on the others. He would be able to think about his life, to wonder if what he was doing was right. He would have time to change himself, if that was what he wanted.
"Aubrey," someone whispered in her ear.
Without turning, she knew who it was. "Hey, Alin."
"Do not let it dissuade you," he mumbled. "He doesn't care for just himself. We both know that."
"You cannot be sure."
Alin grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. His eyes connected with hers. "Are you dead?"
"No," she answered, feeling confusion take over.
"Where is Nathaniel?" She pointed behind him. "Where are his eyes?"
She looked over Alin's shoulder at the man and found his eyes on her. "On us."
"No, Aubrey, on you."
"It means nothing," she disagreed.
Alin let out a sigh. Leaning forward, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Where is he now?"
She blinked in shock. Alin had kissed her; her friend had kissed her. She opened her mouth to say something, but Alin was suddenly pulled away from her. Nathaniel stood in front of her. Reaching his hand out, he ran his thumb over her lips. "Not him."
"What?"
"You do not belong to him," Nathaniel mumbled. He glanced into her eyes, and she gasped. His were a swirl, like her own usually were. Did he realize what this meant? He was getting closer to his power every day. Soon, she would have to teach him how to hide his signature.
"Aubrey." She broke eye contact with him to glance over at Alin. "Do you understand now?"
"I think I do," she whispered as the comforting feeling of Daisy wrapping around her leg kept her grounded.
"Good," Alin mumbled before glancing over at Nathaniel. "I did it to make a point."
"I do not like your points," Nathaniel said in a clear, emotionless voice.
Alin took a step towards them before stopping. Something flashed in his eyes and Aubrey knew he was thinking about talking his way out of the mess he had created. Instead, he turned towards her and smiled. "Maybe you should tell him."
She shook her head vigorously. "No."
"Brey, love," he said in his soothing voice. "Telling him will change nothing."
"It's your secret," she told him. "If you want him to know, you tell him."
"You are part of it."
"Will one of you tell me what is going on?" Nathaniel asked, interrupting their argument.
"No," Aubrey told him. "I will not tell you anything. If Alin would like for you to know, then he can tell you."
"Tell me a secret, Aubrey," Nathaniel said. Repeating his statement, he said, "Tell me a secret, Aubrey."
"Nate, don't," she whispered, feeling the hurt he was causing her to take over.
He glanced down at her and shook his head as if he was clearing it. Taking a step back, he bit his lip. "I am sorry. I do not know what I am doing. I heard your brother..." he trailed off, his eyes never making eye contact with anyone.
"If you ask three times, I have to answer."
"Aubrey," Alin called out, making her glance over at him and forget her conversation with Nate. "Tell me a secret. Tell me a secret. Tell me a secret."
"I've killed a man," she blurted before snapping her hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened, tears filling them as she gazed accusingly at Alin.
His expression turned from shock to deep regret. "I thought you would say the first thing on you mind. I thought you would tell him. Brey, please, I am sorry."
She ignored his words. Turning her back to him, she ran through the village. Houses passed her by her in a blur as tears flowed down her cheeks. Why had he forced her to admit to a secret? If he truly wanted her to tell Nathaniel his secret, he should have been more specific. A dark house caught her attention. She could already fill her image begin to falter; it was what happened when she let her emotions get the best of her.
Darting into the house, she stepped over fallen debris. Finally, her eyes landed on a safe spot to sit. Alone in a mass of dirt, sat a bench. Maybe she should have thought about why that was, why the bench glowed an odd red color. Maybe she should have stopped and wondered why it was the only clean item in the room, but she didn't. Plopping down on it, she only had time to let out a tiny scream that sent Daisy scurrying away from her before she was flung into the magic portal.
Nathaniel looked at the agony on Alin's face. "Why?" he asked, not understanding why the man had not told the secret himself.
Alin looked at him before glancing back towards the village. "I made a vow to myself that Aubrey would be the only one I would ever tell. If she tells you, I would not be breaking a vow to myself."
"You hurt her," Nathaniel accused.
"I know. You do not understand though-"
"Quiet!" Nathaniel shouted as a queasy feeling hit him. "She's gone," he mumbled before his voice rose in panic. "I cannot feel her, Alin. She's gone!"
"What do you mean?"
Nathaniel ignored the man's question as he ran through the village. He was following her essence. Briefly, thinking back on what the mysterious woman had said about Aubrey, he realized that it was her magic that he was following. Her emotions must have caused her to let her guard down, because he could easily see where she had been. Following her tracks into a dilapidated house, he stopped.
No matter where he looked, he could not find her. Her trail had ended here, but she was nowhere to be seen. A hissing sound brought him back and caused him to glance to his right. Daisy stood there, as large as she could make herself in the house. She was hissing at a nearby object, which was blocked from his view by the moody dragon standing there.
Nathaniel took a step towards her, and she turned to hiss at him. He took a step back, raising his hands in surrender. "I want to find her. Where did she go?"
Daisy shrunk. Whimpering, she scurried over to him before her figure wrapped around his leg. Its tiny head turned towards the object Nathaniel had not seen earlier. Confusion took over; it was a bench. Sure, the thing was beautiful. The gold carvings in the legs could attest to that, but there was nothing special about it. Aubrey was not there; she was not waiting for him on that bench. What had Daisy wanted him to do?
The dragon seemed to let out a sigh before unlinking herself from his leg. Its teeth bit into his clothing and it pulled. He had no choice but to take steps forward until he was standing directly before the seat. Daisy went back to her spot, but instead of staying still, she began rocking as if she wanted him to take another step forward.
He let out a sigh. "You want me to sit?"
She smiled at him, showing off more teeth than he wished to see. "Sitting it is," he mumbled. Turning his back to the thing, an uneasy sensation began to take over. He ignored it though as he began slowly lowering himself onto the seat.
The door to the house was thrown open. Alin stood there with a panicked expression. "Wait!" he yelled, but it was too late. Nathaniel had already sat down.