He grabs his dagger with a fierce grip, thrusting it into his belt with a determined force, as he begins to clap slowly. “It’s good to see you.”
My chin pulls inward. “Excuse me?”
He takes a knee, blowing a loose, brown curl that must have fallen from his bun and arching his back. With a swift motion, he lifts his chin, allowing the light to hit the scar slashed across his face.
“I needed to see for myself if it was truly you.” His chest rises. “My Queen, we have waited for you. I can take you to the sea when the time is right and show you the army that is ready to fight for you. We have been planning this for centuries. My father before me as well as his. Now I am here, to fight alongside you.”
I scan the room, taking in the ash that has covered the floor as well as the one man that still lies face down against it.
“I don’t understand… you just tried killing me with these men?”
One side of his lips tug into a soft grin. “I never did such a thing. I stood over here the whole time, watching.” His gaze drops to the man that is still unconscious. “I had to lie to them, tell them we had a job to do, to kill you. I needed them to risk their lives so I can see for myself that you are her.”
“And this.” I gesture out towards the ash-covered floor. “This tells you I am who you are looking for?”
His eyes lock onto mine. “This tells meeverything.”
“I still am unsure if I am who you all are waiting for.”
“You are, we can show you.” He takes a stride forward. “We have thousands ready to take the throne for you. The battle games need to end, the curses need to end…youneed to end this.”
My head swiftly shakes. “I still don’t have all my memories back.”
“You’ll get them back.” His chest fills with air before nodding. “You will survive and be a chosen eight. Nothing in that battle game can destroy you and after that… after the Queen begins to trust you, we will head to the sea and I can show you everything.”
I cross my arms, tilting my head to the side as I examine him. “And why should I trust you?”
“Because the elder sent me to you.”
My shoulders relax, feeling my heart thump against my chest. “How do you know the elder?”
“That’s a story for another day.” He adjusts his suit jacket before striding to the door. “Two…” he pauses as he catches sight of the body that still lies beside my ash-covered boots, “maybe three down. Only a few more to go before you can reside here in the Pyre for good. Then we take the throne.”
“Who said I wanted the throne?” I shout, catching him before he leaves. He grips the doorframe tightly, glancing back towards me.
“You never wanted it, but the Gods made you right for it.”
He nods and swiftly leaves. I hear his boots loudly beat against the steps as he makes his way down. I fall to my bed, bouncing until it settles under my weight. My hands cover my mouth while my elbows dig into my legs. But my eyes lock to the ground, absorbing everything that just happened.
“What the hell happened here?” A voice startles me, making me flinch as I grab my chest.
My eyes lock onto Kaine’s. He stares at the ash and man in my room. I rise, lifting my hands and taking small steps towards him.
“They attacked me,” I breathe out. “I had to protect myself.”
“Damn, Ren.” He crosses his arms, but then, his eyes widen. I hear a sudden creak in the floor, boots scraping against it with a violent, rugged growl echoing in my room.
Black shadows coil around the walls, consuming the golden light that once bathed the room, darkness absorbing every last bit of the sun’s rays. It's as if the day has been violently smothered out, replaced by the darkest night I have ever seen. Shadows erupt from Kaine's hands like a crackling whip of lightning, slicing through the air as it grazes past my head with a force that whips my hair against my face.
I stand paralyzed, caught in the grip of pure shock.
He told me he would never use his curse unless it were to fight for the Realm, to protect the Realm yet… here he is, standing in front of me and wielding the darkness.
His deep-brown hair catches in the powerful wind of his shadows, and I lock eyes with the man that was once unconscious, the man I decided to let the Gods dictate his fate.
I suppose they decided pretty quickly if he were to live or not.
And they chose…death.
