Chapter 78: Between Warmth and Storm
The thunder clapped even louder, and the darkness that enveloped the outside told Ariana just how harsh the rain had become. She turned to Zavren, surprised to see how calm his face looked despite the growing storm. Inside the carriage, the atmosphere had dimmed; the only light came from the occasional blink of lightning flashing through the window.
"The carriage had stopped because of some issue with the rain," his calm voice cut through the sound of it.
They hadn’t even gone far, and she wondered what would happen now. What about the horses? Were they okay? She knew how hard the rain was—she could only imagine how much worse it must have hit them. Was that why they stopped?
"Are you hungry?" she heard Zavren ask suddenly. His hand was still on her. She turned to him and shook her head, though truthfully, she was a little hungry. She hadn’t eaten much this morning—she had been too worried about this man beside her.
She could not help but wonder why he suddenly asked.
"Don’t lie to me."
Zavren’s deep voice made her freeze. Again, she shook her head.
His eyes locked onto hers before his gaze shifted. Another rumble echoed through the sky, and Ariana flinched slightly. Zavren pulled her closer from where he sat beside her.
"We have two options now," he said.
A long pause followed, and Ariana waited for him to continue. It was as if he was deeply lost in thought. His expression stayed neutral, his jaw ticked slightly, and his grey eyes flickered from the window, then back to her, before looking away again.
"Either we wait for the rain to stop—which I doubt will happen anytime soon—or..."