No Way Hom6
1110 Words
Aylin's POV
I hadn't expected another day to pass within those four walls.
Morning sunlight filtered through the barred window. The room was quiet except for the distant sounds of hammers striking timber and people calling to one another outside. I sat on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly tracing the fresh bandages wrapped around my ankle.
The fever had broken, whoever treated me knew exactly what they were doing.
I rose carefully and crossed to the window. The colony was already alive. Men were repairing roofs while others hauled stones across the courtyard. Women stirred enormous pots over open fires as children ran back and forth carrying buckets far too heavy for their tiny hands.
Not one of them looked like the bloodthirsty rogues I had been taught to fear. They looked tired, hungry and broken.
An elderly man struggled to lift a bundle of wood onto his shoulder. Before he could lose his balance, Dorian appeared from nowhere and took the weight from him without a word.
A strange feeling settled inside my chest. Why would the leader of an entire colony carry wood for an old man? Kings did not work, they gave orders. The Kael I knew had never touched so much as a grain sack.
He barely noticed the servants who laid his meals before him. Yet here was the infamous Dorian Blackwood, his hands covered in dirt, laughing quietly as he helped repair another family's roof.
I turned away from the window. Nothing about this place made sense anymore.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
Before I could answer, the door creaked open.
A little girl stepped inside, no older than six years. She had dark curls tied into two uneven buns and held a small loaf of bread against her chest.
The moment she saw me, she froze.
"So you're awake."
I blinked.
"I am."
She continued staring, her large brown eyes wandering over my silver hair before settling on my face.
"They said you were dangerous."
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
"Do I look dangerous?"
She thought for a long moment before shaking her head.
"You look sad."
The words pierced deeper than any blade.
She wandered farther into the room without waiting for permission.
"I've never seen hair like yours."
"I've never seen yours either."
She giggled.
"My name is Michelle."
"Aylin."
She repeated it slowly.
"Ay... lin."
"It suits you," I said.
She beamed with pride.
Outside, a woman's voice echoed through the corridor.
"Michelle!"
The little girl's smile disappeared.
"I'm coming, Mama!"
She hurried toward the door before stopping halfway.
She looked back at me one last time.
"I hope you stop being sad."
Then she disappeared.
The room felt colder after she left.
I walked to the door and slowly turned the handle. Locked, I tried again, pushing my entire weight on the wooden frame but it was still locked.
With a sigh, I crossed back to the window. And the truth is, even if the door had opened... Where would I go?
Every forest surrounding this place was unfamiliar. Every road belonged to strangers. The only man I had ever known on Earth had cast me aside without looking back. Freedom meant nothing when there was nowhere to run.
Suddenly, another knock sounded.
I frowned.
"Come in."
The door opened again. This time a guard stepped inside. Helmet, armour, sword.
The guard quietly shut the door behind them before checking the corridor.
My pulse quickened.
"What do you want?"
The guard remained silent.
Instead, slender fingers reached for the helmet.
It slipped free.
A cascade of fiery red hair tumbled over familiar shoulders.
"Ira?"
She rushed across the room before I could move.
I threw my arms around her. For the first time since leaving Olympus, I allowed myself to cry.
"I thought I would never see another familiar face."
Ira held me tightly.
"I couldn't stay there while you suffered."
"Mother sent you?"
Her smile faltered.
"No."
I stepped back.
"What do you mean?"
"I came without permission."
A knot formed in my stomach.
"Ira..."
"I am taking you home."
Hope burst through me so suddenly that my knees nearly gave way.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Come."
She hurried to the door and placed both hands against the lock.
A warm golden light spread beneath her palms.
The air trembled, nothing happened, she frowned, her glow intensified. The wooden door shook slightly before becoming still once again.
"No..."
She whispered the word more to herself than to me.
I stared at her.
"What is wrong?"
"Nothing."
She pressed both hands against the lock again.
This time silver light burst through the room.
The walls vibrated.
The lock glowed for only a heartbeat before the light shattered like broken glass.
A violent force threw Ira backwards.
She struck the floor with a painful cry.
"Ira!"
I rushed to her side.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
She wiped it away before forcing herself upright.
"I don't understand."
She stared at her trembling hands.
"I should be able to break a mortal lock."
"It's not the lock."
Her breathing became uneven.
"It's something else."
The confidence that had carried her into the room slowly disappeared.
She looked around as though seeing the place for the very first time.
"The Goddess was right..."
My heart sank.
"What did Mother say?"
Ira closed her eyes.
"She told me there was a force standing between you and Olympus."
She laughed bitterly.
"I thought she was making excuses."
Silence settled between us.
She suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"If I cannot break the door, then I will take you myself."
Before I could answer, she wrapped an arm around my waist.
A brilliant silver light exploded around us.
I felt my feet leave the floor for the briefest moment.
Then everything collapsed.
The light vanished.
Ira screamed.
Another invisible force hurled us apart.
I crashed against the bed while Ira struck the opposite wall.
The entire room shook.
Outside, voices erupted.
"What was that?"
"I felt divine energy."
"Search the building."
Ira's face drained of colour.
"They sensed me."
Heavy footsteps thundered along the corridor.
She hurriedly picked up her helmet.
"I have to go."
"No."
Tears blurred my vision.
"You can't leave."
She cupped my face with both hands.
"I promise you, Aylin."
Her own eyes glistened.
"I will find another way."
The pounding footsteps grew louder.
Ira placed the helmet over her head, straightened her armour, and slipped through the door just as voices echoed outside.
I stood frozen in the middle of the room, listening as the footsteps faded into the distance, my hope turning into sorrow.
- Writer
