I am alive. The Gods gave me a second chance, and I am sure as hell going to use it.
“Take him to the healing sanctuary in the Pyre!” The Queen’s lengthy finger points towards Kaine. “Immediately!”
“Stop!” Florian urgently calls out as he approaches us, raising his hands to signal the guards to pause. “He won’t have much time! I can heal him!”
Florian. No.
I stride towards his direction, almost in a trace, internally pleading out to not do it, but a guard defies the Queen's order to stand down and thrusts his spear at me.
“Away from the future King!”
“She is fine!” Florian shouts, veins bulging against his temples. “Stand down, that's an order!”
The guard hesitates briefly before lowering his spear, and we rush toward each other. I catch Skie in the distance, crossing her arms as she casually walks our way. My heart flutters wildly as I reach out to embrace him, but I stop just as fast. Our faces are mere inches apart, our chests almost touching.
My whole body aches to hug him.
But I can’t.
If I touch him, he will turn to ash, and the thought of that shatters me.
“Serene.” He stops, shutting his eyes and inhaling deeply as if he longs for the scent he has been missing from me. Even if we just saw each other before the first games. “I told you,you are her.”
“I can't be her.” My eyes dance between his. “If I am her, Koen will want me dead. I don’t know if I can live with that.”
“I’ll protect you from him. Believe me with everything I have that the woman who stands before me is who we have been waiting for since the battle…” He holds out his trembling hand, wanting to brush my strands that are filled with ash away from my face. “You are the true Queen of Azure.”
“You can have me killed for what you are saying!” My voice drops to a soft growl. “You really think Skie and the Queen will want me around if rumors spread about this?”
“I’ll keep you away from all of them. We’ll put you in the palace courtyards… I can keep you safe.”
Skie approaches and with a flick of her wrist, she starts to twist her finger around the strands that frame her pointed jaw. “How cute,” she sneers. “I’d like her as far away from me as possible too.”
Her heels dig into the gravel, while her long charcoal gown glides along the ground. “Smells like burnt flesh here.Disgusting.”
My fingernails press sharply into the flesh of my palms, leaving deep, raw imprints. But the heart-wrenching cries of Kaine pierce through my fuming haze, pulling me back. “You only have two heals left, Florian! We can take him to the healing sanctuary.”
“I don’t know if they have time for him…” Skie tugs on her strand that is wrapped around her finger. “They have many men they are trying to save from the dragons, unsure if they will want to heal a man who tried to attack a Royal guard.”
I lunge forward. “He wasn’t attacking anyone.”
She remains still despite my abrupt attempt to attack her. She doesn’t fear me. Maybe I should fear her, knowing she can take the air I breathe and turn it into a deadly toxin to kill me. Her lips curl into a sinister smile. “The healers don’t know that, but a little birdie might tell them so.”
“What is your deal?” My teeth show, hissing as I am a breath away from her. One movement of mine and she could burn, yet she stays calm. Unphased.
“You knowexactlywhat my deal is.”
“So due to your hatred for me, you would let Florian slowly die? He only has two heals, then he is taken to the sky to meet our Gods. I thought you loved him,” I hiss, feeling my throat tighten.
Her eyes dart towards me as fast as lightning. “You don’t know shit about love.”
“Ren.” Kaine’s voice shutters. “Take me to the healers. Don’t let Florian do this.”
Florian hustles around Skie and I, rushing to take the side of his friend as he grips his hand and rests it against his chest. “You know I’d give my last breath to you, friend.”
Kaine coughs, blood dripping over the bottom of his lip. If Florian doesn’t do this…Kaine dies.
“And I hate you for that,” Kaine weakly teases, his chest convulsing as he coughs.
