Luckily, I didn’t have much ti to think about Ethan in the next few days, as they flew by thanks to Seraphine’s company. She had been to all sorts of different places and had lots of fun stories to tell.
“You should have seen his face, dear.”
I leaned in. I was so drawn to her story that I put down my fork.
“Don’t stop eating, Ro. The food will do you well.”
She patted my hand, and when she saw put food in my mouth again, she continued, “The big bad wolf thought of himself as a monster, but at the sight of his pup being born, he passed out upon the floor.”
Our laughter fluttered through the air. Seraphine concluded, “So no matter how tough n seem to be, you never know what to expect when they see their baby for the first ti.”
Suddenly, the joy of the story dissipated, and I felt a pang in my heart.
I couldn’t help but wonder– what would Ethan’s reaction have been if he were there to witness the arrival of his own child?
“Seraphine” – I tried to distract myself from thinking about Ethan, so I changed the topic – “have you ever been to the West continent?”
“Only once. A large portion of it is covered by desert, but the coastal cities are quite prosperous. Why? Do you want to go there?”
“Yes, at least to visit.”
Maybe, the further away I was from Ethan, the better.
“Well, right now is probably not a good ti, what with the war. The Isles are the best place to be for the mont. Speaking of that– we’ll be arriving at port this afternoon, thanks to the good weather.”
“Oh... Seraphine, I’m going to miss you.”
“Don’t be sad, dear.”
She thought for a mont, and then pulled out a piece of paper.
“Here, let write down my sister’s address for you. When you get settled in, stop by. We’ll take a look at the baby and make sure you have everything you need. I’m planning to stay in Avondale for a little while.”
She placed the piece of paper with her address in the palm of my hand and closed my fingers around it. Her kindness ward my heart, and I fought hard not to let my tears drop.
“Thank you!” I replied softly. “Perhaps I should head back to my room to get ready.”
***
My eyes scanned the horizon.
I was finding peace with where I was. The sea was beautiful, and with land in the distance, I knew that a new Chapter of my life would start soon.
I inhaled deeply when my feet hit solid ground again.
The pier was busy with the flow of people coming and going. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but first things first, I needed to find a safe place to spend the night.
It was almost sunset, and everyone seed to be in a rush, as if they all were eager to finish up the day and go ho.
Letting my feet guide to nowhere in particular, I ventured down the pier, letting my eyes take in the scenery around . I was amazed with the busy and lively atmosphere and was excited to start over in a place like this.
Turning a corner, I halted suddenly, almost having run over a small, crying child.
As I bent down to see if she was all right, I saw that her face was stained with tears. Her sobs broke my heart.
“Are you alright?” I asked the little girl, kneeling down to her eye level.
“I... I want my mommy...” she sobbed.
“Don’t cry... I’m sure she’s around here sowhere.”
She nodded her head very slowly. She couldn’t have been more than eight years old. Poor girl– I imagined she was terrified being separated from her mother.
She slowly took my hand and looked up into my eyes. “Will you help find her?”
I was hesitant.
I didn’t know this place or where anything was located. But I also couldn’t just leave her all by herself on the street. Maybe soone who knew the area could be a better help.
“I’m not sure, sweetie. Maybe there’s soone that works on the docks that can help you find her,” I replied softly. “I don’t really know the area, either.”
The little girl quickly shook her head “no” at my words. “Those n that work the docks are scary. Please don’t make go with them. Would you please take ?”
I could tell that she was terrified, and I knew that, if she were my child, I would want soone to help her, too.
I stood up, nodding my head. “Of course.”
The little girl didn’t waste another mont as she slipped her little hand into mine and began to walk with down the cobbled streets, looking for a woman whose description I didn’t even know.
“I think she went this way,” the little girl said as she let go of my hand and ran off into the distance.
“Wait, where are you going? Please slow down!” I called after her, hurriedly following behind.
As I turned the corner, I ca to an empty street. The girl was nowhere in sight.
“Little girl... where are you?” I called out again, hoping that she could hear and that she hadn’t gotten herself into trouble.
I searched the street with my eyes, but I was slowly realizing that I needed to turn back. I had no idea where I was, and I had detoured from my own path in order to help her. Maybe I could alert the authorities that she was missing.
As I walked back down the path and turned at the corner, I ca face to face with a group of unruly looking n, their eyes gleaming with dark intentions.
Stepping backwards, I realized I made a mistake by helping that child.
“Well, well, well... what do we have here?” one of the n said as he approached slowly. “You just happened to run down the wrong street, didn’t you, young lady?”
Fear rushed through as my eyes scanned my surroundings. There was no one here but and these n.
“Please don’t co any closer,” I pleaded. “I don’t have anything that you would want. Please just let go.”
I trembled in fear as he continued to approach , followed by the four other n. Their dirty, worn clothing was covered in stains, and there was a stench coming off of them. I pressed down the nausea as my brain raced, trying to figure out a way to keep myself safe from them.
My fingers fumbled over the bag at my side. All of the money that I took from Damian was in it, as well as the jewels from Madalynn.
I had planned to use them to help settle down, but if this stuff could save ... I would give it to them. I could always find another way to make a living. I didn’t mind working.
Taking the bag off my shoulder, I quickly held it out to the man. “Please, this is everything that I have. Take it and let go.”
The man laughed, and his comrades joined in.
Snatching the bag from my hand, he tossed it to one of his n, who quickly began to go through it. He wasn’t paying attention to it, though. Instead, his eyes seed to linger on my neck.
As my fingers quickly went up to it, I knew that he was eyeing the necklace that Ethan had given .
It was the only thing left of him that I had.
“Hand it over,” the man growled, his eyes narrowing at as he held out his hand.
“No, please. It’s the only thing I have. I’ve given you everything else. Just please let keep this.” I was pleading with a man who didn’t care.
Before I could react, I felt a blow on the side of my face that knocked to the ground.
I cried out in pain, wrapping my arms around my stomach protectively as the kicks and punches ca one after the other.
“You dare speak back to !” he roared as he hit my face again. A tallic taste filled my mouth and caused stars to dance before my eyes.
It had been a long while since I was last beaten, but the feeling was bitterly familiar.
Still... I had hoped that people would perhaps be different here. At the end of the day, though, they all seed to be the sa.
I couldn’t fight off the darkness that was threatening to envelop .
But then, the pain stopped.
As if from a great distance, I heard yelling and the pounding of feet. Dimly, I realized that the n who had been hurting ran off, and a new circle of people surrounded . Their figures were blurry against the setting sun.
As the warriors drew closer, I blinked, and my eyes shot around warily, trying to figure out what was going on. It was then that I saw a familiar face among them.
An explosion of fear and a rush of relief rocked my already-foggy mind.
The face I had been so worried about seeing was staring down at as the darkness began to pull away.
Had he co to save ? But how could he be here?
“Ethan...”
The mumbled words left my lips as my consciousness slipped away.
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