Fragile Hearts (TID - Will Herondale fanfic)

Chapter 64: The Small Welsh Town

ELEANORA'S POV
  I'm starting to really wonder if I will die of exhaustion.

  "Will," I say. He slows slightly to ride beside me, shooting me a concerned look. "We need to stop. Our horses. . ."

  We had passed Welshpool and the England-Wales border sometime around dawn. I remember little of the journey—due to exhaustion—only a continuous, tortuous progression of places: Norton, Atcham, Emstrey, Weeping Cross, diverting ourselves and our horses around Shrewsbury, and finally, finally the border and Welsh hills in the distance. They had been ghostly in the morning light, everything shrouded in mist that had burned off slowly as the sun had risen overhead.

  Will had said that he guessed we were somewhere near Llangadfan. It is a pretty road, laid over an old Roman byway, but almost empty of habitation apart from the occasional farm, and it seems endlessly long, longer than the gray sky stretching overhead. At the Cann Office Hotel he had let us stop and take some food, but only for moments. I savoured those moments, though.

  Will seems to know where we are slightly.

  Before he can reply, though, his horse suddenly topples. He falls from the horse, Tessa's pendant from Jem falling to the ground and Will slamming the ground beside it roughly. My eyes widen as the horse almost falls on Will, too exhausted to scream. Will rolls just in time to avoid getting squashed by the horse.

  "Will," I breathe out, half sliding-half falling off Xanthos. I rush to his side with all my strength just as he manages to heave himself up and crawl to Balios. The horse had collapsed, I realise.

  Will nears him and flings an arm around his neck. "Balios, Balios," he whispers, stroking the animal's mane. "I am sorry. I should not have ridden you like that."

  "We can't go on," I say, swaying on my feet as I help him stand.

  Will looks at me and nods, drawing out his stele. He makes a vision rune on his arm, then looks down the cliff to the village.

  "We should be able to rest there," He finally says.

  I nod, forcing out a tired smile.

  Will's hand brushes my cheek softly.

~

  We find a public house easily, and hand over our horses to the stable boys. Will gets us a room and I crash on the bed almost instantly. I distantly feel Will's arms circling around me, and him whispering something to me. We fit perfectly together on the bed, my back against his steady chest, his arms around me, his chin over my head.

  I sleep so soundly I don't even wake up when the people outside start screaming. I feel Will shaking me awake, and my eyes open slowly, blinking in the light.

  Will is beside me on the bed, sitting up. It's then I hear the screams. I jump off the bed, pulling out a seraph blade.

  "What's going on?" I ask Will, who shakes his head, pulling out his own blade.

  "We need to go," Will says, walking over to the window and twitching one of the curtains back to look out.

  From behind him, I can see a grey haze covering the town. The red patches in the town.

  "Fire," I exhale.

  Will points outside. "His creatures."