Kapitel 258: Dark Thoughts and a Cold Heart
Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.
Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?
When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe it was because he was too eager, reckless, or crazy. After all, he also endured the harrowing treatment she put him through on the island. Any sane person would've been broken - at least partially.
Whatever caused that dumbness, now he'd paid for it. And Katherine hoped he'd continue to pay, there, in this beautiful space with floating lights. Truly, the sight was not something she'd chosen as punishment, yet the loneliness was. The isolation from all living things. The hunger, possibly. The thirst without a drop of water in sight. And she wondered what else a person without her restoring magic would have to endure, as Kate had told her that she was the sole reason Katherine could survive in that dimension for a longer period. She hoped it was really bad. And then, after days and days of struggle that she couldn't see, she hoped that he would die.
Dark thoughts like this filled her mind while she wandered aimlessly along the canyon's floor, supporting herself with one hand on the rough wall, and gazing back from time to time to make sure nobody saw her. The night was her biggest helper right now, hiding her from possible pursuers.
Yet after a while, she grew tired again. She didn't even know where to go, and what to do. Her clothes were rags, burned, dirty, and sweaty. Fresh blood still coated the fingers that had held the stone and her trousers were uncomfortably stiff with the dried version of it. She really hoped she didn't kill the man, but she was not so sure. At that time, she didn't have the choice to go easy on him. She had to knock him down, for she could not fight two people at once.
When her tired legs couldn't take her any further, Katherine opted to hide between a high boulder and the canyon's wall. Here, she'd be hard to spot even if day approached. She crouched down, her back to the wall, the arms slung around her legs to keep her warm should the night grow even colder. With her head resting on her knees, she fell into a deep sleep.
.
For others, however, was the night not over yet. Nathaniel met little resistance in the tunnel under the mountain. Loki was without a leader, their members headless chicken, and though a few soldiers of Dragsa defended them, they mostly covered the retreat, and were not intent on fighting to the death. That was why Nathaniel didn't feel the need to use his dark magic, apart from swatting a few arrows out of the air.
Questioning Loki's people, however, proved to be a futile effort. He found nobody who remembered a woman like Katherine, a woman who was not part of the researchers - because yes, Loki also housed a rare few female researchers. Instead, he found out about the last position of Loki's leader, and after much effort managed to reach the cave. There, he met some dazed researchers loitering about. They didn't even try to fight him, only answering his questions with empty eyes. Nathaniel had the feeling that had he asked them to, they would've bound their hands and feet themselves and waited for the day of judgment. However, he didn't have the time to care about them hearing that his pregnant wife was somewhere out there alone and exhausted. If they were still there when he returned, he'd decide what to do then.
That was the moment where his magic had a role to play after all. Standing on the canyon's floor, Nathaniel had a hard time overlooking the whole terrain, and since nobody but Katherine should be there, maybe wounded and in peril, he used Blacky for detection. He spread the magic thin to avoid triggering too big a reaction of Katherine's in return, though that, in the end, was exactly what he aimed to use for finding her. He just hoped that the magic wouldn't touch her stomach and cause pain to her and their child.
And it worked. The reaction was so small in fact, that Katherine didn't even wake up from it. Just her body lit up like a firefly lighting up the night. Then it was dark again, and Nathaniel, a torch in hand, ran to the spot he committed to memory. He could only breathe freely again when he saw her crouched frame sleeping peacefully behind a boulder.
Witnessing her miserable state, his heart arched. Her long black hair was tousled, almost akin to a bird's nest. Dry dust, burned patches, and mud freckled her clothes. And blood. Oh, there was blood. In the dark, it could hardly be distinguished from the dirt, yet he smelled it. The tang of metal was a common taste on his tongue, and when he went on his knees, he could also see it.
The sprinkles on her hand were one thing, the healed scratches on her arms and face harmless. Yet Nathaniel's frame stiffened completely when he discovered the amount of blood that darkened the area between her legs. His breathing stilled, and he pressed his eyes close. Pain contorted his features, yet when he opened his eyes again, only a deep sadness and gentleness were left.
Tenderly, he cupped Katherine's cheek in a gloved hand. Her skin against the leather painted a stark contrast of white and black.
"Don't blame yourself too much," he whispered. Then, taking care not to wake or hurt her, he laid down the torch and carried her in his arms.
The way back was lit by the moonlight, yet it couldn't brighten Nathaniel's thoughts. From time to time, his jaw tightened, and he looked at Katherine with a sorrowful expression. Every time, this was followed by a sigh, and once he mumbled: "You almost made me believe it as well... but it seems I am truly a harbinger of death. No life will grow in my wake, even if it is you who carries it."
As if she could hear his pain even in her sleep, Katherine snuggled deeper into his arms, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Deep breaths fanned his skin with soothing warmth, yet it didn't suffice to heat up his heart. Slowly, ice spread in his veins.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
Freakzilla
Freakzilla For the German readers among you: I wrote a new book! It's a kindle edition called "Aus den Archiven des Teufels: Eden". I don't know if the adress below will be censored by webnovel, but I'll try anyway. My pen name there is Z. Freak.
I need to warn you though: it's an urban/dark fantasy story and not a romantic one, so it's not garanteed that you'll like it, even if you fancy this one. Anyway, I'd be happy if one or two of you are interested ;)
amazon.de/dp/B0CBW142G6
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