“My dear Gabriel,” his father said, looking at him, “and lovely Scarlet,” he glanced at Scarlet. “I am afraid Tristan has fallen in battle.”
Gabriel blinked. “What?” His voice broke.
“Tristan is dead.” His father put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, squeezed briefly, and moved past him out of the room.
Scarlet stared straight ahead with a pale face.
Gabriel froze, his body growing numb as he stood wide-eyed and stunned.
Tristan was dead? Tristan could not be dead.
Gabriel could not breathe.
Finding his legs, Gabriel stormed out of the gathering room, charged to the stables and mounted his horse.
He rode until the forest ended and then he rode more. Quick and angry, the sound of hooves beneath him was no match for the roar of his soul.
Tristan was dead.
His brother, his very first friend. Dead.
Gabriel had never felt so alone.
He stopped riding at the riverbank and jumped from his steed angrily. Wanting to scream, wanting to fight, wanting to break everything that was whole.
Frustrated, he gathered a large stone in his hand and threw it into the passing water. The river gave way to the weight of the rock and washed over it as the stone sank to the dark depths of the river floor.
He hurled another giant rock, and then another…and then another. He threw and threw, heavy stones flying through the air in anger and injustice, hitting trees, hitting the water. Breaking branches, breaking the waves.
And when his arms grew tired, his threw some more. He heaved until all the large stones around him were dug up and hurled away.
And then he fell to his knees.
Sadness ripped through him and left his mouth in a cry of rage.
Sinking his fingers into the upturned earth around him, Gabriel stared at the ground.
He had lost his best friend.
Scarlet walked down the stone hallway that led to the field as a stream of tears coated her face. People in the castle stared at her, guards turned their eyes from her.
She was not supposed to cry so openly. She was not supposed to break in half.
But she did.
She broke in half, one side of her soul severing completely and withering within her. Tristan was dead. Her love was dead.
When she reached the field, she headed to the trees. She walked. She ran. She stumbled.
She wanted to leave it all behind. The castle, the servants, the food…the emptiness of life.
Were it not for her mother lying on her deathbed within the castle walls, Scarlet would have fled forever. She would have made her way through the woods to live as a wild woman. Alone, angry and empty.
Instead, she sobbed aloud letting the forest wrap her up in the shadows of the trees. She laid her head against the broken leaves beneath her as she cried.
She would never be whole again. Pressing her palm flat to the ground, she let her tears fall to the dirt as half of her soul died forever.
48
Friday afternoon, Scarlet found herself in Heather’s car as they darted through traffic on the way to the cabin. Heather was convinced Scarlet needed to see Nate.
Scarlet was not.
After leaving a tall, thick trail of dust, Heather parked her car at a haphazard angle in front of the cabin. Bursting through the front door with Scarlet beside her, Heather dramatically announced, “Scarlet is broken!”
Scarlet shook her head. “I’m not broken.”
“What?” Gabriel met them in entryway, looking at Scarlet in concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” Scarlet slowly walked into the living room, her body aching with every movement as she laid down on one of the large couches.
“You are not fine, Scarlet. You are broken.” Heather turned to Gabriel with big eyes. “She was wheezing and coughing and moaning during sixth period. Moaning! Do you know how hard it is to explain to your economics teacher why your best friend is moaning during his supply-and-demand lecture?” She shrugged. “Someone needs to fix her.” Heather looked around. “Where’s the nerdy, little immortal?”
Nate entered the living room from the back hallway and shot Heather a dirty look. “I’m not little. I’m average-sized. And five hundred years ago I was actually considered a large man. But then humans started eating well and evolving and, suddenly, I’m no longer the tallest guy in the room—”
“I don’t care about the evolution of Nate!” Heather snapped. “I care about Scarlet.” She pointed to the couch.
Kneeling beside Scarlet, Nate pulled the small flashlight out of his pocket and looked in Scarlet’s eyes.
“Ah, come on, Nate.” Scarlet groaned. “Don’t make me go blind.”
He ignored her. “No flashes lately?”
“No.” Scarlet closed her eyes as more pain rolled over her.
Nate furrowed his brow. “How long have you been in pain?”
Scarlet opened her eyes. “A week?”
“A week?” Nate shook his head. “You should have told me sooner.”
“But I’m not having any weird flashy eye things and my nose isn’t bleeding. I thought I had the flu or something. But then the pain just didn’t go away, and…now it hurts. All the time.”
Nate looked at her with a grim expression. “Where does it hurt?”
“Everywhere.”
He scratched the back of his head.
Scarlet paused. “I think I’m feeling Tristan. I think…Tristan is in pain.”
Nate tucked his lips in.
Scarlet continued, “At first, it was really mild, but now it’s like…it’s like he’s hurting so much that I can’t ignore it.”
Nate rubbed a hand across his mouth and stood up. “Well, that’s disturbing.”
Disturbing?
Not the encouragement Scarlet was hoping to hear.
Nate said, “I think you should stay here this weekend, just so I can observe you. I’m not sure what this new connection you have to Tristan is doing to you.”
“Can’t I just…can’t I just go to Tristan? And see if he’s okay?”
Nate furrowed his brow. “Do you think you could find him?”
“Yes.” Scarlet was positive she could find him. All she’d have to do is follow the pull of his heart. Which was strong. And heavy.
And painful.
“You can find him, the same way he can find you?” Nate tilted his head. “Interesting.”
Scarlet moved to sit up. “If I just go to him—”
“No,” Gabriel said quietly from his post beside the couch as he looked into Scarlet’s eyes. “Tristan left to keep you safe, Scarlet. You can’t run after him just because he’s in pain.” Scarlet saw Gabriel’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Being near Tristan could hurt you.”