Chapter 66: Unspoken Truths Anna POV

“Elara, how do you know so much about this?” I asked, watching her carefully as she brewed a mixture over the crackling fire. The earthy smell of herbs filled the small cabin, mingling with the faint dampness that seemed ever-present in the rogue lands.

She didn’t look up immediately, her hands expertly working as she stirred the mixture. “You pick up a lot when you’ve lived as long as I have,” she said, her tone measured.

I tilted my head, studying her. “You don’t seem that old.”

Elara chuckled softly, finally looking my way. Her eyes, a striking shade of silver, seemed to hold secrets as old as the land itself. “Looks can be deceiving, child. Age isn’t always counted in years.”

The vague answer left me more curious, but I didn’t press her. Something about Elara demanded respect, even when she was being knowingly vague.

“What about the mark?” I ventured, brushing my fingers over the faint sign on my wrist. “You said you’ve seen it before.”

Her countenance darkened somewhat, and she put the ladle down with a determined move. “I have,” she revealed. “But not often. And never without consequences.”

“Consequences?” My stomach twisted.

Before she could answer, the door cracked open, and Lucas came in, his presence filling the little room. He looked better—stronger—but his eyes showed his pain.

“What are you two whispering about?” he inquired, his voice light but tinged with something I couldn’t quite place.

“Girl talk,” Elara answered breezily, but there was a knowing glitter in her eye as she turned back to her concoction.

Lucas lifted an eyebrow, his eyes moving between us. “Seems like more than that.”

I crossed my arms, feeling defensive beneath his inspection. It’s nothing. Simply put, history.

“History?” He folded his arms and rested against the wall. “It’s funny that I always hear about it last.”

Elara said without trying to hide her smirk, “Perhaps because you’re always sitting in a corner brooding.”

Lucas’s jaw tightened as he snarled. “I don’t brood.”

“Yeah, you’re not,” she stated in a sarcastic tone.

Lucas’s eyes jerked to mine as I couldn’t control the little giggle that came out of me.

He said, “I’m glad you’re entertained.”

I rolled my eyes and muttered, “Come on, Lucas. You can’t be so serious about everything.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” he replied. “It’s not you who sits here, useless, watching the world fall apart.”

Elara let out a dramatic sigh as the stress in the room increased and wiped her hands on her apron. “Enough of this. You two are wearing me out.”

Both Lucas and I gazed at her, taken aback by her directness.

“Pardon me?” I said.

“You heard me,” she said, turning to look straight at us. “Anyone would be driven insane by the way you two dance around each other.”

Lucas stood straight, his face cautious. “What are you discussing?”

She waved a hand dismissively and added, “Oh, don’t play dumb. Anyone with eyes can see it. The conflict, the snatched looks, and the way you both ignore what’s in front of you.”

My face flushed with heat. “You’re making things up.”

“Am I?” she asked, her eyes sharp.

Lucas shifted uneasily, his usually assured demeanor wavering. “Whatever this is, now is not the time for it.”

Elara crossed her arms and grinned. “And, hmm, when will it be time? Once both of you have become so enmeshed in denial that you are unable to act normally?”

I started to object, but my words would not come. Although she wasn’t totally incorrect, it felt impossible to admit it.

Lucas whispered softly, “Elara, stop it.”

“All right,” she shrugged. “However, don’t come to me in tears when it’s too late.”

Lucas and I stood there in awkward silence as she returned to her work.

Lucas mumbled as he made his way to the door, “I’ll… check the perimeter.”

With my heart racing, I collapsed onto the nearest chair as he walked away.

Elara whispered softly, without raising her eyes from her work, “You’re scared.”

“I’m not afraid,” I said without thinking, even if it sounded phony.

She looked at me sharply. “Anna, you’re not good at lying.”

I shifted my gaze while twitching my fingers along the hem of my sleeve. “It’s difficult.”

She stated simply, “Most things worth having are.”

I stayed silent, my mind a jumbled mess. Although Lucas was annoying and invasive, he had also put everything on the line to keep me safe. I also knew in my heart that I was experiencing more than I wanted to recognize.

Elara’s voice interrupted my train of thought. “You ought to speak with him. Have a serious conversation with him.”

“And say what?” My question was hardly audible above a whisper.

She advised, “Begin with the truth.”

The fact. The word lingered in the air, and I questioned whether I had the courage to face it.

As the cabin fell silent that evening, I found myself standing outside and looking up at the sky. I hardly noticed the cool air nipping at my skin.

“Have trouble falling asleep?” I turned to see Lucas resting against the doorframe as he spoke behind me.

I answered, “Something like that.”

He took a careful step closer, as though he was testing the waters. “You haven’t said anything.”

“You have too,” I replied.

Although it didn’t reach his eyes, he gave a quiet laugh. “All right.”

We were silent for a moment, neither of us saying anything.

“Lucas,” I murmured at last, a little tentatively.

“Yes?”

The words stopped in my throat as I paused. But before I could say anything, a howl from a distance broke the quiet and made me shiver.

Lucas stiffened, searching the darkness with narrowed eyes. “We’re not by ourselves.”

The brittle moment between us vanished in an instant, to be replaced by the icy reality of the impending danger.