Talon urges Nura to ride, heedless of her arguments, and together they leave Hold Kepfew behind. And her husband.
All Nura feels is the cold. The cold of the night. The cold of the drifting snow. The cold of not having Rephas by her side. The cold of knowing they've left him behind to the mercy of a golden-eyed monster.
Coldness is better than the gaping hole that sits under her ribs, tucked where her heart should thud.
She focuses on the cold.
Pounding hooves makes Nura lift her head and cast her gaze to the rolling hills around them. Her numb hands tighten around the reins and ahead of her Talon turns his head towards the noise, eyes narrowed.
The horse and rider crest the hill, moonlight washing them in equal amounts of shadow and light. It catches on curls of dark hair that brush against broad shoulders swathed in a heavy coat.
Talon lifts a hand in greeting and Nura's shoulders slump, some of her tension draining as the rider nears them. "Canaan," Talon murmurs and the other man dips his chin, eyes that are as black as coal flicking between them.
"Those that followed have been dispatched," Canaan says, his voice deep and rough.
Nura glances behind them, her gut churning. They were being followed and she didn't even realise. How swept up in her own grief she must be.
"Nura, this is Canaan. The archer who aided us."
She turns back to the men with her lips pressed together, unable to even offer a word of thanks for fear of bursting into tears.
She's certain Priestess Eylvi raised her to be stronger than this.
How much has she suffered through? She was born into a war, surrounded by nothing but hate and blood and fear. Will this be what finally breaks her?
They continue riding, the men talking quietly between them. Nura doesn't want to hear more secrets, she doesn't want to tumble further into this struggle. All she wants is Rephas to be safe and she has no idea how to accomplish that.
Her best hope is Talon.
Nura nudges her horse forward as her heart thuds against her ribs like a desperate bird trying to escape its cage of bone. But it can't escape, she can't escape. Nura must do what she's always done; endure.
"What are you planning, brother?" Canaan asks, black eyes darting to Nura as she rides beside them.
"I sent a letter to Elice," Talon replies. "There was a possibility I wouldn't make it out of that manor and I needed Elice to know everything that had happened." He glances at Nura, his light eyes meeting hers as his eyebrows pinch together.
"Rólin hasn't been able to contact her in years. How did you find her?"
"I never lost her."
"Who's Elice?" Nura cuts in, but Talon glances away from her at the question.
"I asked her to come to the cave," he continues. "You may have the chance to meet her, Nura."
"Do you think she'll come?" Canaan questions.
Talon lowers his chin, his gaze going to his scarred hands that clench in the reins. "After what Rólin did to her, I think she'll jump on any excuse to tear him apart."
There's silence for a moment as those words settle in the air, the simmering anger in Talon's tone making Nura swallow.
The silence is broken by Canaan, "Rólin asked you to track us all down, didn't he?"
A lengthy pause follows before Talon nods. "For whatever reason, Rólin wants the inner circle to be together again."
Canaan laughs, white teeth standing out against his light brown skin. "Maybe he's finally planning to kill us all and couldn't resist his usual theatrics."
Nura frowns. "You work for Rólin too?" she questions, struggling to wrap her head around the conversation.
"I'd consider the term 'working for him' to be a little bland," Canaan replies with another chuckle, but there's no humour in his dark eyes.
"Rólin believes we're his property," Talon murmurs, shifting in his saddle.
"How many of you are there?" Nura questions even as her throat constricts. Does she really want these answers? After staring at the shadows in her husband's eyes for so many years, does she really want to know the reasons behind them? "How many are in this inner circle?"
"There are seven of us under Rólin's command. But there are eight if you include Empress Lila."
Nura's lips part as she stares at Talon, but he keeps his gaze ahead, towards the darkened forest they ride towards. "The Elven Empress is part of this too?" Nura can barely form the words with how absurd they are.
"Power is power," he says, inclining his head. "Sometimes it doesn't matter who offers it, and Rólin was the one who helped put Lila on the throne during the Abyssal War."
Nura presses her hand to her stomach and shakes her head, having no idea how to process such information. If Rólin really is so influential, then how in all the Abyss is she meant to get her husband back?
"There's a lot you don't know, Nura," Talon continues.
"Clearly," she bites back, frustrated with him, frustrated with the world, frustrated with herself. What has she gotten into?
"Rólin knows you're a part of this now. There isn't going to be an easy escape."
"Elice won't be pleased," Canaan says.
"Elice always feared this day would come eventually, but she believed in the inevitability of it."
"Then all we can do is hope her wrath doesn't extend to us."
Something flickers in Talon's gaze, but it's gone before Nura can understand what it is.
The cave is nestled amongst vines and shrubbery that Talon and Canaan tear through, illuminated only by the fickle moonlight that pierces through the thick foliage overhead. Nura feeds the horses, trying to distract herself from the overwhelming thoughts that plague her.
Throughout their marriage, Nura only ever wanted to help ease Rephas of his suffering. She thought understanding it, discovering the things hidden in his past would help her in that endeavour. But all that's been accomplished is the realisation that as a simple healer, she's inadequate.
She doesn't stand a chance against such darkness as she is.
"Nura." Talon's smooth voice breaks her from her thoughts and she turns, tearing her gaze away from where she was staring at the horse's mane. He gestures to the cave, the entrance now revealed, though still bathed in shadow. "Let's get you out of the cold."
She nods and wraps her arms around herself as she walks towards him. He settles his hand between her shoulder-blades, his touch warm considering the frigidness that flows though her like blood in her veins.
He directs her into the cave as Canaan flexes his fingers and flame swirls into his hand. She swallows, reminded of Rólin wielding fire, but all Canaan does is light a torch and hold it above his head, illuminating the tunnel before them of the cave.
"Why are we here, Talon?" Nura questions as they walk, her voice bouncing off the damp rock surrounding them.
"This is the only place Rólin doesn't know about. It was our refuge away from him during the war."
Nura glances up at him, the ice of his eyes glittering with the flickering flame. "Why do you fear him so much? I've seen what you're capable of."
Talon lets out a breath that mists the air, dropping his hand from her back to rake his fingers through his hair. "The situation is... complicated."
"Then uncomplicated it. Tell me what's going on."
Talon's lips part, as though he's finally going to spill his secrets, but Canaan's deep voice interrupts him.
"We're here." The man presses his hand against a wall of stone and a deep groan echoes through the cave before the stone rolls away, revealing shadows behind it. Canaan steps inside and begins lighting the sconces on the wall, golden light washing over the spacious room. The ground has been smoothed but the rest is natural jagged edges with a high ceiling. A long, wooden, dust covered table dominates the centre of the room and a fireplace cuts into the far wall, filled with spiderwebs. This place hasn't been used in years.
Nura wanders further inside, her eyebrows raised. She trails a finger through the thick coating of dust on the table as Canaan disappears through one of the doors carved into the stone. She glimpses a bedroom within, carved separate from the natural cave. It would have taken years of work to construct this.
"Nura," Talon murmurs and inclines his head as she glances at him. She follows him towards the hearth where she settles down on a wooden chair that creaks under her weight. Talon busies himself with getting a fire started as Nura sets down her pack and begins procuring things to eat.
They work in silence for a time, putting water on to boil in an old pot over the fire, chopping up bread and cheese to share between them. Eventually, Talon sits on the chair opposite her, his gaze intent on the curling flames. Nura watches him, wondering what thoughts swirl around his head as he rests his forearms on his thighs and clasps his fingers together. A crease forms between his light brows.
"You insisted on saving me," Nura begins, offering him a piece of bread that he shakes his head at, "but not Rephas."
Talon's gaze flicks to her, exhaustion reflected within them.
"We were meant to save him," she insists.
"But not at the sacrifice of you."
"That sacrifice is my choice to make, not yours."
Talon lifts his chin. "I took the choice away from you because I knew what you would choose."
Nura's jaw clenches. "You have no right."
His eyes flash with a glint of dangerous steel and it sends a shiver down Nura's spine. "I have every right to want to save your life, especially after Rephas requested I do exactly that."
Nura glares down at her lap where her fingers twist and pull apart a piece of bread, frustration once again gnawing at her insides. "I don't understand, Talon."
He lets out a breath, dropping his head into his hands. "Your life is worth more to Rephas than his freedom. It was a sacrifice he was forced to make; either him or you."
"The Shadow Elves," Nura breathes, her eyes widening. "Everything they did at that village was to manipulate Rephas, that's why he wanted to leave."
"Rólin has an understanding with the Shadow Elves. They're his secret soldiers."
Nura's face twists as words come rushing back to her, questions pushing to the surface of her mind. "They answer to you too."
Talon is silent for a long moment, his face still hidden behind his hands. He seems to be trying to find the words to speak and Nura doesn't know if she wants to hear them.
All those innocent lives lost in the village to the Shadow Elves. All of the blame that was put on her. He could have stopped it all. And perhaps he did, but only when Rephas finally submitted.
"How much of it was your plan?" she dares to ask, her throat painfully dry.
Talon lifts his head until his glittering eyes meet hers, the pain reflecting within them squeezing at her already sore heart. "Don't ask me that," he murmurs.
Nura's heart seems to plummet to the Abyss itself. "Were the Witch Hunters part of the plan?"
Talon shakes his head. "It was never meant to go as far as it did. I didn't know about the village's distrust of you."
"Until the Harvest Ceremony," she fills in, remembering seeing him there speaking with Rephas.
"That was when the Shadow Elves had taken things too far."
Tears prick her eyes as the puzzle pieces begin to slot together. "You convinced Rephas to leave that night."
Talon lowers his eyes, unable to meet her gaze, and it breaks her heart.
Nura stands, unable to hear anymore without bursting into tears and she refuses to cry in front of him. "Could you please..." she begins but has to take a breath and swallow her frothing emotions. "Could you please show me where I'll be sleeping?"