Young Writers Society

Valerie only stopped her horse when it collapsed on the ground. She felt horrible for treating it that way, but they needed to get as far north as possible until they reached the chasms. They must have traveled for miles when the horse broke down and Valerie was able to feel the intense ache on her legs. She collapsed on the ground beside the horse and gave it a soft pat.

The Marquess hadn’t talked since Valerie had taken him from Gabriel. Once or twice she heard him call out for help, but there was nothing special that he said. His bleeding had completely stopped within an hour, and after another half hour, his wound was completely gone. Part of Valerie thought he was just pretending to be hurt to see if she cared.

“For heaven’s sake Soleil, I know you can get off the horse,” Valerie sighed. Soleil just let out a soft breath and looked at her. His eyes seemed pale, nearly white. He looked lifeless, but he managed to frown.

“It took-” he took a breath- “- all of my energy for that. Do…you think I could… Do that… Without losing energy?”

“I think you are the most dramatic person I’ve ever met,” Valerie growled. “How much energy did it take for you to twist Gabriel’s insides? Not near as much, I’m guessing.”

“Just… Just help me down.” Soleil’s head collapsed on the saddle again before Valerie wrapped her arms around him and dragged him off. They had landed somewhere on the outskirts of the Chasms, where rocks jutted out from anywhere and no creature seemed to survive. Dust infested the wind and a single, lonely skeleton of a house sat on the edge of a hill. It wasn’t ideal, but it was all they had.

Soleil whimpered and clutched his neck. “Careful,” he told her. “I haven’t been able to grow my flesh back to normal.”

Valerie gritted her teeth. “That was… Graphic. It looks perfectly fine to me.”

“That’s because you’ve never seen real injuries.” He pointed at a small lump on the scar of his neck. “Makes it harder to breathe.”

“What do you want me to do? Cut it off?”

Soleil smirked at her. She squirmed in her seat. Suddenly, she wished Gabriel hadn’t saved them. She wished she hadn’t met either of them at all. She took a breath and stared into Soleil’s eyes.

“You can remove it, can’t you?” she asked. “If you could tear Gabriel’s skin then you can tear your own.”

“I’m not angry anymore,” he sighed. “Plus, I’ve spent the last hour healing myself. I don’t have energy to spare on it.” He nodded his head to his coat pocket. “Please. Get the knife.”

Valerie eyed his coat, where the tip of a blade showed through in the afternoon sun. She had greatly desired to kill someone and feel their blood on her hands. At one point, she had even felt the same for the Marquess. She was distasteful towards him, but she couldn’t imagine feeling his blood, seeing his bones. She didn’t want to ever again.

The Princess walked over to Soleil and held her hand above the coat. She couldn’t do it. She was going to vomit. She was going to see his blood and realize that she was as twisted and cruel as him.

Soleil cocked his head. “Don’t be so dramatic,” he whispered, his voice low and warm. “You’re only helping me if you do this. And you don’t want to be unhelpful, do you?”

Maybe how I treat you is all you ever were.

Valerie gulped.

A disappointment.

Soleil lifted his hand up with a groan and took Valerie’s. Slowly, he led her hand beneath his coat and onto the handle of the blade. She could feel his warm skin. She could have sworn she saw him blush, but she was sure she was imagining it.

“Nervous?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. She was right. His cheeks were bright red. He let go of her hand and let out a shaky breath.

“Of course not. I’ve been cut too many times to care,” he chuckled. “But you seem nervous, Princess. Does my touch send chills down your spine?”

“It’s nothing but a menace,” she hissed. She could feel her skin crawl as she thought about his disrespect towards her in the last two days. She could kill him with that knife. Her blood seemed to slow. His bones came out of his skin as the world seemed to grow dark. But the feeling disappeared. Suddenly, she realized she didn’t see that same man anymore, and it was disgusting.

She held the knife up to the lump on his neck and cut through. Small amounts of thick, white liquid oozed out, blood slowly beginning to trail behind. Soleil groaned and tried not to flinch. Valerie took in a breath and kept cutting. In a few seconds, a lump of Soleil’s skin was on the ground, ants making their way to the smell of flesh.

Valerie tore off a piece of her dress and wrapped it around his neck. She tied it in a bow, like she had before, and dropped her hands as soon as she could. She didn’t want to touch him and the pus covering his neck.

“Now,” she sighed, leaning back on her hands, “could you get angry so this healing could be over with? That was the most disgusting thing I have ever done in my life.”

“I guess that not even my injuries make you have a bit of empathy,” Soleil clicked his tongue. “But I can’t just get angry on command. Not when I have you by my side.” He smiled at her and she cursed herself for blushing. “You’re too great company.”

“I would have taken any company other than you.”

Soleil just snorted. He leaned back stiffly, his eyes beginning to water and his entire face turning blue. Valerie hated seeing him in pain, especially since he didn’t do it to himself. She wouldn’t have cared if it had come from his own actions, but it hadn’t. She was the one who commanded him to go with her, and now he was paying the price.

Valerie laid down beside him and looked up at the cerulean sky. She would have loved it if wasn’t so star-forsaken hot. She was in the most immodest dress she could have worn and she still found herself in a puddle of her own sweat. She turned her head to Soleil, who seemed to be taking in the moment with gratitude. He had long, heavy breaths and closed eyes that made Valerie think he was falling asleep.

The Marquess slid his arm around Valerie’s shoulders and attempted to pull her close. She glared at him but leaned into his touch. She had finally felt sympathy for him, but what was she supposed to do with it?

Soleil smirked at her. “Finally enjoying me? I knew you would.”

“Don’t get cocky or I’ll add another cut to your neck,” she frowned. She quickly looked away. “Besides, I assumed maybe you’d need a bit of comforting after nearly dying.”

“You aren’t the best comfort,” he murmured, “but I’ll accept it.”

“I should be. Hugging the crown princess is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Soleil just chuckled. Valerie could feel his rumbling chest against her arm, and it soothed her that he was able to laugh. Then again, he was able to laugh at just about anything. His hand ran down her arm until it wrapped around her waist, clutching her tightly. Valerie froze. She could feel his lips on her neck. She didn’t want to be kissed. A kiss from him was just as much poison as it was from Gabriel. His head moved up until it rested on hers.

“Are you alright?” he whispered, his face buried in her hair. She wasn’t supposed to like him. She wasn’t supposed to do this. He was the man her decrepit father picked out for her, and nothing good came from him. She sat up and glared at Soleil as his hand slid back to his side. He looked fearful.

Good.

“We can’t stay here forever,” she told him. Soleil sighed and frowned at her, whatever hope he had seeming to fade away.

“Don’t make me move. I feel like I’m dying as is.”

“You can keep dying while on a horse.” She stood up and dusted off her tattered dress. “We just need to make it to that shack over there. Then we’ll be out of the sun.”

“I would like to take off my coat where it wouldn’t get dirty,” Soleil said, weighing his options. “Plus, I would love to be with you in the dark.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Valerie sighed. “And that is incredibly immature. Just get on the horse and go.”

“Of course, little thorn in my side.”

Valerie gritted her teeth but said nothing. She hooked her arms under Soleils and pulled him to his feet, watching as he struggled to keep his head up straight. He shrugged her arms off of him and made his way to the horse, waiting for Valerie to get on before he did. She hauled herself into the saddle before helping Soleil up. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

“This would have been a lot easier if you were still a lifeless body,” Valerie grumbled, shrugging his head off her shoulder. He just smiled and kicked the horse’s flank, sending them up the rocky cliffside towards the building. The horse tripped and stumbled between the rocks, cutting its legs and whinnying as it pushed forward. Valerie patted its neck with sympathy when it had finally made it to the building. The shack was made of rotting wood covered in mushrooms, and a few flowers grew at its base. It had no door, its windows shattered, and the faint smell of smoke lingered on its walls. The house must have been destroyed a few days ago before they had come. Ash covered the inside and half of the roof was gone.

Valerie tied the horse’s reins to a plank of wood sticking out before they headed inside. A single bed covered in dust sat in the back, hidden by piles of crates and any remaining cabinetry. Soleil collapsed on it and traced the space beside him with a finger, smiling at Valerie.

“You’re just as tired as I am,” he hummed, his finger tracing circles on the disheveled quilt. “Why not take a break?”

“Because,” Valerie hissed, unstacking the crates and sifting through them, “we have a finite amount of time before the day ends and our powers are gone. I don’t want to take down the King without any powers.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to look through these crates until I find something mildly edible and leave.” She looked at Soleil before focusing on the crates again. She had found two charred apples and bread that were at least five months old, half of the loaf covered in mold. She tossed the bread on the floor and threw Soleil the apple. He caught it and took a large bite before setting it down.

“We’re not going to make it to the capital anyways,” he said. “It’s been five hours, and we’ve barely made it past the Lakes. How can we cross the rest of Lustreia in seven?” He clicked his tongue and tilted his head. “You should rest while you can. Someone will find us eventually.”

“So why would we stay in one place?”

“To make the best of it,” he winked. “Plus, if you get a little closer, I’ll tell you one more thing about the curse.”

Valerie bit her lip. He was conniving and evil. There wasn’t anything else she wanted to know. But she needed to. She sat down beside him and pulled her knees to her chest. Soleil grabbed her ankle and pulled her legs out from under her. He laughed, his voice husky as he began to wheeze, before laying down beside her. She shuddered but didn’t move.

“What do you want, Soleil?” she asked, running a hand through her hair. Soleil took her hands and placed them on his chest. She looked down at her hands in horror. Before she could pull away, Soleil placed his hands on hers and looked at her, his eyes pale and cold.

“I don’t want anything,” he whispered, leaning his face towards her, “except for you to have a moment of peace. I’ve never seen anyone as anxious as you. Just take a step back and calm down. With me.”

The Princess looked into his eyes. The last time she had trusted someone, they caused her nothing except fear and pain. What was she supposed to do when the same opportunity presented itself?

Valerie shifted where she was on the bed. Her hands slipped off of Soleil’s chest as she turned away from him and curled into a little ball.

“We rest for one hour,” she said. “And then we’re leaving. And when we leave, I don’t want to see any of your emotions again. Not unless they help us get there faster.”

Soleil cocked his head. His fingers were outstretched, ready to reach for her, but they just stayed where they were. Valerie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She couldn’t trust Soleil. She couldn’t trust Gabriel. She couldn’t trust her father. And, after all the mistakes she had made, she feared she couldn’t trust herself.