Chapter 188
~ NYSSA
The candidates were younger men with soft features, each with excited glints in their eyes. The air in their little camp was filled with eagerness and nerves. I expected to see a couple hundred soldiers but to my surprise, there were less than fifty.
"The process is rigorous," Rowan explained. "So many start but not many get to this stage. At this point they’re practically guards already."
"Then why the final test?"
"To be sure that they can hold their own in a battle. There are rankings among the soldiers. Not everyone will be a war soldier, some will be at the border and some will patrol the packs. This final test will let us know where to place them."
They sat in a circle, listening intently the entire time Rowan spoke. It was amazing to see just how much they revered him up close. They held onto his every word in complete silence.
By the time we left, the sky was pitch black, and I was yawning in the passenger seat.
Rowan glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "I wanted us to stop somewhere for dinner. Will you be able to keep your eyes open?"
"Yes, of course, I—" I was cut off by a loud yawn. "Ignore that."
His brow rose in amusement. "You’re exhausted, Nyssa."
"I’m not I promise, I just..." I yawned again, louder this time. "Okay maybe I am. Can we just order in?"
"Of course."
I must have fallen asleep at some point in the car because the next time I came to, I felt like I was floating. I peeled my eyes open and locked eyes with Rowan who was staring down at me with an amused grin.
If I wasn’t so exhausted, I would have felt more embarrassed.
"How long was I out?" I murmured, glancing around our living room.
He must have carried me in from the car.
"Not long," he admitted. "I let you sleep in the car while I waited for our dinner to get here. Do you still want to eat or would you like to go straight to bed?"
"That depends on what’s for dinner."
"Would you like to see?"
I ended up eating dinner, despite the fact that I was yawning the whole time.
Exhaustion tugged at me but at least I felt full. By the end of it, I was so exhausted that I must have passed out on the couch... again because the next thing I knew, I was dreaming.
I knew it was a dream because I had never seen a sky with such a violent shade of red.
It looked like veins stretched out across a black canvas, and the moon, it was such a pale white color that it almost seemed alive.
Around me were trees and darkness as far as the eye could see but something was wrong. There was something in the air, something so terrible that it made the hair on my neck stand on edge.
"Run!" something whispered, right by my ear.
I turned sharply, trying to make sense of it but there was no one. I was all alone.
The voice came again, louder this time, further away. "Run you fool!"
I took off in the direction of the woods, not caring where I was going. Branches snapped where I moved, and my skin caught on sharp thorns but I did not stop.
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind me, getting closer and warm air brushed against my neck. I did not dare turn, whatever was there, it was not friendly.
I willed myself to wake, pushing as fast as I could go with the sound of my heart hammering wildly inside of my chest as my vision blurred.
My leg caught on something hard and I went flailing forward, my hands thrown out in front of me to catch my fall.
My head slammed against the hard ground, my vision blurring as spots danced.
Behind me, I heard a low growl as footsteps slowed, circling me, as if prey. I swallowed thickly, palms growing clammy.
I will not be prey.
I turned, teeth bared as a snarl left my lips. It was my dream and I would hold my own. I would not be killed by a th—
Every argument, every word, every last bit of fight bled out in front of me as I locked eyes with... well, with me.
I woke with a gasp.
Strong arms shook my shoulders and my eyes fixed on intense grey ones, searching my face with furrowed brows and pursed lips.
"Are you alright?" Rowan asked, his voice hard. "You were shaking in your sleep. You wouldn’t wake up."
I groaned, my hand coming to rest on my pounding forehead. "It was a dream."
"What kind of dream?"
"I don’t remember," I murmured, swinging my legs off the bed. "Excuse me."
I rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I did not want him to see the dishonesty in my eyes.
I did remember. In fact, it was as clear as day. I could still see it; my hair, tangled and matted, my skin gaunt and pale, my eyes bloodshot, and the abnormal hunch in my shoulder.
There was no recognition or sense of humanity in those eyes. It was me and at the same time, it wasn’t. I looked more animal than human, but that wasn’t what terrified me.
No.
The most terrifying bit of all was my face, drenched in blood and the thin layers of skin that dangled from my fingertips.
I sighed, locking eyes with my reflection only to jerk back in fright as a small scream escaped my lips.
"What is it?" Rowan asked, storming into the bathroom. "Are you alright?"
I could not speak, all I could do was stare straight ahead, my heart hammering wildly in my chest at the violent red streaks in the corners of my eyes, like the ones I saw in the sky in my dream.