Curse Breaker (2)

40

My body trembles uncontrollably as I squeeze the excess water from my coat. The edge of the river we dragged ourselves onto is indented by our footprints, evidence of our struggle to pull ourselves from the icy water.

Despite the calming pull of the river saving us from having to put much effort into swimming away, my lungs burn--from the cold or the escape, I'm not sure. I glance up to Casimir, shaking his boots filled with water. Rivulets of water streams down his arms, his sodden clothes weighing his whole frame down. At least the dirt and grime from the cave have been washed away.

Casimir catches my eye, his own lips purple. With one last shake of his boot, he moves towards me, reaching out to touch my chin, tilting it side to side in inspection.

"We need to keep moving to keep warm," he says, pulling me closer to wrap an arm over my shoulder as he glances to the sky. "We were in that cave for a while, the sun will be setting soon. And I don't like the look of those clouds."

A chill crawls down my spine. "Do you think another wave of the cloud is coming?"

"I don't know," he says. "All I know is that I don't want to be here if it does. Do you have the map?"

With trembling hands, I pull the backpack from behind me, handing it towards him and watching as he rifles through the belongings. We have one shelter in case of the cloud rolling through, one water canister, and the map, the one only I can read, safely rolled in the scroll. A few drops of water have seeped through, dampening the edges, but it's barely damaged. Casimir opens it, nodding to me over his shoulder.

"A little help?" he suggests.

I shuffle closer, wrapping my arms across my chest. "We should wait," I suggest. "For the others. Lei has the other map."

"We're not waiting."

"But--"

"You heard Killian, Frey. Go to the mountains, he said."

"We can't go without them!"

"We can and we will." He turns to look down at me, a frown tugging at his lips. "Whoever those people were... they weren't going to help us. We were severely outnumbered. If we wait, we risk getting captured ourselves."

My mind screams in panic. He's not wrong. There were many more with Hana than we saw, their voices echoed through the cave as their shadows' loomed through the waterfall. But the thought doesn't deter me, it only fuels my desire to turn around, to help. Because Juem is a healer, not a soldier. Lei was injured, and Killian... the thought makes my stomach clench.

"No." I shake my head. "They wouldn't leave us if the situation was reversed. Not like that. Killian wouldn't--"

"Freya." Casimir's expression softens. He puts a hand on my shoulder. "They wouldn't leave you because they need you. They need you to find the hyacerite. They need you to stop the cloud, to put an end to Ereon. That's the only reason they wouldn't leave us. Don't let yourself fall into believing they are in this for anything other than themselves."

My eyes burn as his words settle in my chest. Killian rises to mind, his softening gaze as we spoke in the mouth of the cave, his gentle touch, words that made my heart soar. The truth is, I don't know what's true--what Killian told me, or what Casimir is saying right now. But it doesn't matter, I realise, because whether or not what Killian claims he feels for me is true, I can no longer deny the way I feel for him.

"We'll meet them there," Casimir says. "That's what they said. We'll meet them there." Over my shoulder, a shout echoes through the trees. Casimir grabs my hand, tighter this time. "Freya, which way?"