Marks of the Past - 15

Chapter 15

Great, I thought as I sat with my hands clasped in my lap. Now not only does the Prince of Miryir think I’m an idiot because I can’t even walk up steps, but I also might have accidentally killed him. 

As if I didn’t have enough on my plate already. 

Luckily, Aron kept that stupid smile plastered on his face as all of us - except Nik and Kyle - gaped at him. He didn’t seem to care. 

“Nik,” Chelsea murmured under her breath. “You’re friends with a prince and you didn’t tell us?”

“He’s not my friend,” Nik growled just as Aron said, “it’s not that big of a deal, really.”

“Not that big of a deal?” I gasped, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. “Your a prince. One day, you’ll be sitting on the throne to Miryir and you don’t care.”

Aron laughed again, a sound that made me want to vomit and blush at the same time. 

“He won’t be on the throne,” Nik said. “Aron’s the sixth in line for the crown - the chances of him sitting on the throne are slim to none.”

“I could just murder my entire family,” Aron said with a shrug, somehow keeping a straight face. 

Somehow, our disgusted looks must’ve been enough for him to give in. 

“I was kidding, my friends,” Aron sighed, leaning back against the seat and crossing his arms. “It was a joke. I don’t even want the crown.”

“We’re not your friends,” Nik repeated. 

Aron’s gaze darkened. “Can you drop it?”

“Not until you drop the act.”

“Look, I tried to be pleasant to you. I hoped we’d avoid this little argument - for Kaleb’s sake. But no, you have to bring it up.” The mirth was gone from Aron’s voice now, and his eyes lost their sparkle. “I thought you’d be happier to see me.”

“The last time I saw you, you told me you never wanted to see my face again-”

“Oh, here we go. Let me guess, I’m such a bad person because I said things I’d regret when I was grief-stricken and drunk. Can you blame a man?”

“Yes.” 

It was like watching one of those housefires that occasionally started in the Republic. One house would go up in flames, but if it was too far from a water source, there’d be a losing battle between buckets of water and the fire. Watching Nik and Aron go back and forth was just like that - except I didn’t know who to side with. 

One on hand, Nik had saved me from the Redemption and I’d started considering him as my friend. And then he’d lied to all of us about our “ride” and completely neglected to mention he was on first-name basis with a prince. 

But then there was Aron - a boy I knew nothing about besides who his parents were. Why did he make me blush, then? Was it because maybe he reminded me a bit of James? 

I pushed the thoughts away. There was no choice here - Nik was my friend and Aron was not. I had to trust that whatever reason Nik hated Aron for was logical. Somehow I doubted that was the case, but… 

“So,” Chelsea began, but a look from Nik cut her off.

“Let the girl talk,” protested Aron, voice still icy. “If she wants to say something, let her say it.” 

Chelsea hesitated before speaking. “How did you two meet?”

“Seriously?” Nik groaned, sending a glare at Chelsea. “Don’t answer that, Aron. She doesn’t need to know.”

“Why not?” Aron asked, pretending to be indifferent. “You haven’t told them have you?” 

“Shut up,” Nik growled. “It’s my private life, they don’t need to know.”

“They don’t need to know?” scoffed Aron. “I can’t believe you can sit here - next to Kaleb’s brother - and lie to all of these faces.” 

“Nik, what is he talking about?” asked Jonah. 

“Nothing,” Nik responded.

“Nothing.” Aron gave a small and bitter laugh. “Do you want to tell them or should I?”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Nik insisted through gritted teeth. 

Aron laughed again, this time turning to face the rest of us. “Nik killed Kyle’s brother - Kaleb - in cold blood.”

“That’s not true,” Nik said quickly. 

Aron shrugged. “That’s how I remember it. He looked so scared when you used him as a shield. You didn’t see his face, Nik, but I did. I’d never seen Kaleb afraid before.”

“Shut up!”

“And when that last arrow hit him in the chest, that scream was like a thousand swords being driven into my brain, but I bet you savored it-”

“Aron, please-”

“Yet here you are, in my carriage, begging for my forgiveness - all after you killed my friend. What did you tell his brother? His mother?”

“I’m not doing this right now-”

“You can’t hide from me, Nik. I should have you killed for treason but I’ve been generous-”

“Kill me then,” Nik roared, his cheeks flushed and his fists shaking. “Kill me and then you can go back to your palace and let the blood wash away the blood. Forget that I ever existed. Do it.”

Aron smirked, but there was something dark hidden behind it. “No, Nik. I’m going to make you live every day, suffering for what you did. I hope that every time you look at that little boy’s face, it reminds you of how you killed his brother. And I hope that the thought tears you apart, piece by piece.”

“Nik,” I whispered, trying to catch his attention. 

Aron was just like James. He was a rich, entitled boy who thought he could say whatever he wanted without consequence. I couldn’t let Nik dwell on his words. 

“Is this true?” Rave interjected. Her lower lip wobbled and her eyes threatened to spill over with tears. “Nik, did you kill Kyle’s brother?”

“I … “ Nik began, his voice cracking. “You weren’t there, Aron. You didn’t hear the rattle of his voice in his throat.” He looked away but kept talking, kept forcing those awful words out. “He told me to. Kaleb told me that the only way for me to escape was to use him like a shield. I told him no, I’d rather die. He grabbed me with his bloody hands and told me I had to get back to his mother and let her know it was okay for her to leave. Then I had to take care of Kyle.”

“You ran,” Aron pointed out. “I would’ve made my father be merciful on you. A year in prison, that’s all you would’ve had.”

“I ran because I couldn’t bear to be here anymore,” Nik cried, tears spilling down his cheeks. “Not with you - who blamed me. Not near the snow that reminded me of him. And I knew that with the rebels increasing, I had to get Kyle out before the draft. I intended to leave him in the Republic but he was so scared…” 

“You can’t speak of him that way,” Aron muttered, shaking his head. “You have no right to be here, to be here with his brother-”

The rest of Aron’s statement was cut off by a sharp cry from Nik, who lunged at the prince with a knife drawn. Aron managed to dodge the blade, but there was still a sharp rip as the seat was torn open. The two boys dropped to the floor, wrestling each other. 

There was blood then, and I knew that one of them was going to end up dead. 

Just like what had happened on the docks, I let my instincts take over. An icy cold shot through my veins and to my fingertips. I reached towards Aron and Nik on the ground and somehow managed to grasp both of their right wrists. The cold feeling dropped away and both boys fell limp a moment later. 

The carriage went silent. 

I sat back slowly, a bit dizzy but otherwise completely okay. 

“Leila,” Chelsea whispered a moment later. “What did you do?” Her voice was shaking and I realized with a start that she was scared of me. Of me. 

“I dunno,” I mumbled in response, unsure of what to say. That a feeling had overcome me and somehow I’d managed to knock two boys out with a single touch? As if the Shadows didn’t have enough reasons to distrust me. “Hidden Arts I guess?”

“Look,” Jonah said softly, pointing at Aron and Nik. I followed the path of his finger and sucked in a breath when I realized what I’d done. 

The marks were small, barely visible. But on the wrists where I’d touched the boys there were two identical, white fingerprints. I reached out as if to brush away the marks - thinking maybe they were just smudges of dirt or something. 

Chelsea grabbed my arm before I could touch them. “You’ve done enough,” she said, still trembling. 

The words stung like a blade, and this time no one came to my aid. 

The driver was a little freaked out when he found his master unconscious in the back of his carriage. The sun was beginning to set outside the carriage when we slowed to a stop. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone look as scared as the driver when he saw Aron slumped against the seat. 

The next thing I knew, we were all standing in the middle of the dirt road, Nik and Kyle lying side by side on the soft grass beside the road. 

“Does anyone know where we’re actually supposed to be going?” I asked.

And they ignored me again, as they had been ever since I’d first knocked Aron and Nik out.  

To be honest, I was already super stressed about the whole thing. It was bad enough Aron had helped me up the stairs in the first place - if he had any magic I would’ve absorbed it and we would die sooner than later. Now it was my fault that both the prince and Nik were unconscious and we had no idea when - or even if - they would wake up. 

“Check his bags and see if he has a map,” Chelsea suggested after a while. 

“Lucky the driver thought to give us the bags,” I commented, though my words were only met with silence. 

I resolved not to speak again until Nik woke up. 

Chelsea dug through Nik’s bag for only a minute before sighing. “Nothing. All he has is blank parchment and a few weapons.”

Jonah frowned. “Well we can’t be too far from wherever we were supposed to end up.”

“So what, we just walk?” 

“Do you have any better ideas, Chels?” 

She was quiet for a moment. “I guess not. Should we head in the direction the carriage went?”

“Probably. Heading backwards will only take us back to the docks. We just have to hope we don’t end up at a crossroad.” Jonah heaved a sigh before sending a look at Kyle and Nik, probably wondering which one he would be forced to carry. 

“I’ll have the plants carry them,” offered Rave in her delicate voice.

“Are you sure?” Jonah asked, his eyebrows raised. “That’s a lot of magic and-”

“I can handle it,” Rave insisted. 

She knelt beside the road and I saw her magic in action as she seemed to whisper to the plants. The grass under Kyle and Nik began to grow rapidly until it swelled under them like a large mattress, lifting them off the ground. 

Rave bit her lip. “If we’re going anywhere, we might as well start walking before my magic gives out.”

“Of course,” Jonah said, shouldering one of Nik’s bags. 

I silently grabbed the other and we set off along the road, dirt crunching beneath our feet as the sun sank lower beyond the horizon. 

Surprisingly, we didn’t have to walk for long. 

I don’t think we even made it a mile before Rave’s knees gave out and she crumpled to the road, pebbles biting at her skin. 

“Rave?” Jonah murmured. “Are you alright? Do you need to rest?”

“One of them is fighting back,” she responded. “I … I can’t tell which one, but they won’t let the plants do their thing. Their struggle is draining my strength.”

“We can carry them from here,” Chelsea offered, but Rave shook her head. 

“One of them is awake, and I think we all know which one.” 

She picked herself up off the ground and gave a small wave of her hand so the grass parted. 

Both of the boys tumbled to the ground, but only one of them groaned when they hit the ground. 

“Nik!” Chelsea breathed when she saw him wince. She rushed towards him, but Nik held up a hand to fend her off. He rubbed his head with his other hand, grimacing like he was pained. 

All your fault. You’ve done enough. A wave of guilt washed over me. 

“I’m not feeling well,” Nik muttered when he saw our confused looks. I didn’t miss that his eyes lingered on me, and neither did Chelsea. 

“Get away from him,” she said to me, her voice calm but firm. Harsh, like the flat of a blade. “You heard me, Leila. Get back. We don’t need you nearly killing him before he’s even been awake five minutes.”

I took a few steps back, her words stinging my skin like a whip. 

“Chels, you don’t mean that,” Nik said, but even he seemed unsure. His eyes flitted back to me, but I couldn’t read his expression. “Leila…”

“It’s fine,” I interrupted. “I’ll keep my distance. And when we’re done saving Kyle, I’ll leave.”

“You don’t mean that-”

“Yes, I do.” My voice was decisive, though my heart felt like it was splintering. I didn’t want to leave the Shadows. I didn’t want them to hate me. 

But they did - and for good reason. 

His eyes held my gaze. “Stay with me for this part, at least. I need all of you here for where we’re going next.” Was he pleading or was he just saying it? I couldn’t tell. 

“Where are we going next?” Jonah asked, arms crossed. 

“Just over that ridge is a temple, and on the valley below it is a cabin. We’re going there.”

“You’re in no shape to be going anywhere on your own,” Chelsea argued, but Nik held up his hand to stop her. 

“I’m walking, and Leila is walking with me. We need to talk. Alone.” He sent me a look that I couldn’t decipher, but my pulse was already quickening. Was he angry? Terrified like the others? Did he want me to knock out all of our enemies, because I didn’t think that was a possibility. 

He got to his feet, wobbling a little before steadying himself. Chelsea and Jonah shared a worried look but said nothing. 

Rave waved her hands like she was about to lift Kyle with the grass again but Jonah caught her wrist. “Let me. We might need your magic.” He picked up Kyle instead and set off down the road in the direction Nik had pointed us. 

Nik waited for me, but I caught Chelsea sending me a dark look in response. 

I tried to ignore her. 

“What did you want to talk about?” I asked quietly when the others were far enough ahead that they wouldn’t be able to hear. 

Nik stumbled forward and I instinctively reached out my arms to catch him. 

I don’t know what was wrong with him, but I thought that Nik was drunk or something because he ended up leaning against me for support, his legs buckling occasionally. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “What did you say? I think I’m still half asleep or something.”

You think, I wanted to say. It probably had something to do with how I’d knocked him out. Out loud I repeated my question, still keeping my voice low. 

“Oh,” Nik said, sounding almost disappointed. “That. I wanted to tell you that I saw things when I was asleep.”

Yeah, there was definitely something wrong with him. 

“So, you wanted to tell me about your dreams?” I asked, trying to keep him on track. 

Chelsea sent another look back at us and I gave her a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes and turned away. 

Nik nodded drowsily. “Aron and I talked for a while.”

“You did?” How? They’d been unconscious, had they not? Unless I’d somehow connected them by knocking them out at the same time… 

“He said he was sorry for what he’d said, and I think I told him I was sorry too. I told him all about Kyle then. And I told him why we were here and he seemed to understand. But there was someone else there too.” His face scrunched up like he was trying to remember something. “I dunno who he was, but he kinda looked like you.”

This time it was me that almost tripped. 

Nik - and most likely Aron too - had seen Mark. It was the only possible explanation. Mark must’ve appeared in their weird dream because it was my magic that had caused it. Maybe he’d been attempting to eavesdrop or maybe it was because he’d been on my mind that he appeared. 

“Who was he?” Nik asked me. 

I hesitated. “A friend. Listen, I don’t think you’re feeling well. Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“Of course. I know this dirt trail like the front of my foot.”

“I don’t think that’s how the expression goes…”

“Well, it is now.” Nik paused and then yawned, nearly dragging me to the ground with his weight. “Oh, and I also wanted to ask you about the Hidden Arts. Why are they called Hidden if they’re not really hidden? And how did you do that thing you did-”

“Nik.” 

I made him stop walking for a second and forced him to turn and face me. His eyes were wide like a child’s, his mouth parted slightly in surprise. 

“You’re not okay,” I told him, unsure of why I was doing this. I think I was tired of Nik being all … broken. No, not broken. It was as if someone had given him a good whack to the head or took away his maturity or… 

“I’m fine, Leila,” Nik said with a grin that seemed to slide off his face. “I’ve never been better.”

And I’d never felt worse. Okay, that was an exaggeration - but whatever was happening to Nik had to be my fault. I tried to myself he was just tired; all of us were. Except this wasn’t just exhaustion. 

I opened my mouth to call for Jonah to put Nik under again - it would be easier to travel with him if he was asleep at this point. 

Nik clapped his hand over my mouth, drawing closer to me. 

Fear sped through my body like electricity, my muscles tensing and goosebumps prickling on my skin. He was warm in the cool air of the night, but this wasn’t him. He peeled his hand away from my mouth, eyes glistening with some unknown motive. 

“Nik,” I said again, more forcefully.

The words rolled over him with no effect. He was getting closer now, his face growing dangerously close to mine. 

And then all of the sudden his face was James’s, the dark hair and the fair eyes. 

I screamed and the world shattered away and I was backing away from Nik who was blinking in confusion. 

Jonah, Chelsea, and Rave were at his side less than a moment later, fawning over him. Kyle’s head bumped softly against Jonah’s shoulder. I could barely see Nik rubbing his temples, surrounded by his friends. 

“What did you do to him?” Chelsea demanded, wheeling on me with a ferocity I’d never seen before in her. “What curse did you use?”

“I-” I began, but my voice trailed off. As much as I wanted to tell them that it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t because deep down inside me, I knew that it partially was. The tiny white fingerprint on Nik’s wrist was evidence enough. 

“It wasn’t her, it was me,” Nik grumbled, gently forcing himself away from the others. “I mean, Leila may have knocked me out but if she hadn’t …” His voice died in his throat. “I got a bit carried away. And then back here … I have no idea what happened. Leila, are you okay - you look sick?”

“I’m fine,” I protested, ignoring his worried glances. Everyone else was still glaring at me. “Are we almost there?”

“Almost,” Nik promised, still staring at me. 

I averted his gaze, blush rising to my cheeks. When we set off again, I hung back behind the others. 

I could hear Mark’s voice echoing in my head. You’ll never belong. 

He was right. It was just him and I now, and he was dying because of me. I had to find the Cursebreaker and save both of us and everyone else too. 

And when the entire world comes collapsing around you, you can come crying back to me.

Until then, I would walk alone.

Author's Note

Wow, once again I did not see what was coming in this chapter. The latter half of the chapter has a scene where Nik and Leila speak in private, and that was also a bit more challenging to write so let me know what you think could improve it.