Her Cinder Throne (Completed)

Chapter 72

As they walked through the long grass, Cole cast a glance over her shoulder. The guards were just now breaking free of the green mist and gathering their senses and wits together. They looked around, realizing that their quarry had disappeared, and shouts started to lift in the air as they organized themselves to start searching.

Cole had no idea what her mother had cast over them, but it seemed to be working. The guards who happened to look in their direction showed no signs of noticing out of the ordinary. And thankfully the wind had picked up and set the whole field of grass to waving, masking their movement. Soon, they were out of sight of the guards and moving into the dark away from the town lights and the guard's torches. Only the small moon and stars lit their way through the field and out into a section with lower grass and a view of the woods beyond.

After a few more moments, her mother waved her hand to one side, as if flicking water off of it. The shimmering effect of the air disappeared, and the stone faded as her mother stuffed it into Cole's pocket.

"We should be fine from here," her mother gasped out, swaying a bit on her feet.

"You used too much energy," Tanwyn said, eyebrows drawn together.

"Look who's talking," her mother replied back, barely managing a smile. "I think we're all little better than butcher's meat at this point."

Cole held her mother's arm, easing her down to the ground. "Rest for a little bit," she said. "Then we'll head for the woods and figure out where to go from there."

Tanwyn eased his wrist from Cole's hand and sat down by her mother. "My aunt will have surely caught wind of this by now. She'll be heading here soon as well."

"We'll be gone before Thijs or your aunt get here," Cole replied, her eyes already scanning the field's horizon despite what she said. It was too dark to see much, but she needed to just be sure that dark silhouettes weren't already pressing in on them.

Once she was satisfied that they were not going to be immediately captured, Cole let her shoulders relax and took a moment to let the shaking in her arms and legs subside. It was a relief to be unlinked from Tanwyn, solely because his exhaustion was not multiplying her own. Yet, she still felt like she could lay down and sleep for days. The air around them was filled with their shaking breaths and not much else. The guards at the town were too far away now to hear or see, and the animals had not yet risen for the night.

Cole should have felt entirely alone out in the fields.

But she didn't.

Some prickling sense bristled around her like a living thing. Almost as if the air itself was... breathing. As ridiculous as that sounded. But she couldn't shake the feeling of warmth breath trailing across the back of her neck even though when she turned and looked, there was nothing but her mother and Tanwyn sitting in the grass and staring at nothing as they tried to regain their strength.

Trying to shake off the uncomfortable sensation of being watched, Cole stepped forward a few paces to distance herself from the group. She stared out at the black forest on the horizon, trying to imagine in her mind how they would escape from Thijs and keep the stone safe. She knew teaming up with Queen Gethwine was the best idea to end Thijs' reign and stop his dabbling in whatever darkness he was trying to unleash, but she also had a feeling that the Eldritch queen was not going to want to pair up with a potential usurper to get rid of a strong potential ally. The chances of actually gaining Eldritch help from Gethwine seemed low. Which meant they may need to take Tanwyn's route of mutiny and coups....

She shook her head and drew in a deep breath. She was too exhausted to think of this now. They had a long night of walking ahead of them, and she didn't want to start it off with hopeless thinking.

She turned to ask her mother and Tanwyn if they were ready to head out when she saw the black cloud hanging in the air a few hundred feet away. Well, not exactly a cloud. It was a... shape. It was large, about the size of a human but not in a particularly human shape. It was morphing and liquid, like it was made of tar that was being pulled around in a strong wind. But it was completely silent, and the breeze was too gentle to move much more than some dead leaves and her short hair.

Keeping her eyes locked on the strange black blob, she leaned down to place her hand on Tanwyn's shoulder. He looked up, and when she didn't say anything, he whipped his head around to follow her gaze. She didn't see his expression, but she knew it must be as confused and worried as her own.

"What's the matter?" her mother whispered, her voice still drooping with exhaustion. She slowly looked to where they were still staring, and when she saw the black shape she slowly got to her feet. "What is that?"

Tanwyn climbed to his own feet, holding out an arm to subtly cover Cole and her mother. "Is it one of those things we met in the caves?" he asked, glancing back at Cole for a split second.

Cole shook her head. "They couldn't... float like that. And they were more solid. This is something new."

Tanwyn pressed his arm against Cole and her mother, forcing them to take a few steps back. He turned to face them and jerked his chin toward the woods. "I vote we don't wait around to find out anything about that thing."

Cole slowly nodded her head. "For once, I'm with you," she said, grabbing her mother's hand. "Let's go."

They started to turn and head further into the field, but just as they were a few steps forward, a whispering sound swirled in the air like a dust cloud.

Cole. Coooooole.

Cole froze, her eyes snapping toward her mother and Tanwyn. Both stared at her in concern, but neither was looking around, searching for the source of the sound. Just to be sure, she opened her mouth. "Did you hear that?"

Tanwyn shook his head, his eyebrows drawing even closer together. "What are you talking about? You're hearing something?"

Cole didn't even answer him, as the voice was now closer, as if someone was whispering in her ear.

Cole. Cole. Cole.

It was a slow and rasping sound, drawn out and muffled, as if the person had fallen into water or was behind glass.

She spun on her heel until she was looking back at the floating black shape. It was closer now, too close for the amount of time that had elapsed. If she only took a few steps forward, and reached out her arm, she could have touched it.

This close, she could see that it was constantly moving, like roiling water stuck in place. It seemed to be made of something like shadow, thin and wispy, but impossible to see through.

"Cole, what are you doing?" Tanwyn asked. She could hear him, and feel him tugging on her arm, but it felt far away. Almost as if it was happening to someone else.

Cole. Don't run.

"What are you? How do you know my name?" Cole asked, a sinking feeling building in her chest.

You know me. You betrayed me. It was said so calmly that Cole had trouble taking in the words.

"I don't know who or what you are. Show yourself to me," she replied.