“I’ll be back soon. Don’t die on me just yet. You may actually serve your purpose.”
The cell door squealed open and then boomed its finality when it closed. Seconds later, the convulsions dissipated, and I drifted back into unconsciousness, finally allowed some peace.
Chapter 32
Slate
“That’s it.” I encouraged the princess. “Just like that. Perfect.”
“Ugh, why does it feel so awkward when I hold it like this?” Gray complained. “Why can’t I just grip it this way instead?”
I deadpanned. “Because you’re not swinging a noodle. You’re swinging a sword, Princess. And it’s hefty.”
“Gods, men and their fucking swords.” The princess rolled her eyes. “I much prefer daggers and knives.”
I chuckled. “I know. Which can be your weapon of choice, but you’ll need to know how to properly wield a sword in the event that’s your only option.”
The training room was full of Kinetics of varying ages present for their afternoon session. Gray always did better when it was empty early in the mornings, but the king had upped her training to twice a day. In recent weeks, she had grown in skill and had progressed to learning the basics with blades.
Immediately after my questioning with Amethyst a month ago, she had held off on my interrogation when someone informed her of important developments down in the prisons. I wasn’t off the hook yet, but she wanted to see how everything played out before she dragged me before the Inquisitor. Ever since, I’d been waiting with bated breath for another knock on the door by the king’s second-in-command.
Chrome hadn’t been seen or heard from since that day. An entire month had gone by without a word or sight of him. Peri and Onyx had relayed to me what had happened down there; how Chrome had forced them to leave as he weakened from an unusual form of magic. My guess was that an Endarkened had been depleting him.
I showed Onyx the photo Chrome had sent me, and he’d paled at the sight. We both showed our fathers, and they were currently trying to rally leaders from surrounding domains to overthrow King Forest diplomatically.
“Well, I’ll just make sure I’m strapped down enough with smaller blades so that won’t be an issue.” She shrugged as if the solution was that simple.
“That’s nice and all, but it doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes, you might need to steal an Elemental’s sword and incapacitate them long enough to get to your smaller blades. Especially if you’re pinned or in a tight spot.”
“Yeah, but—” she began to argue.
“Ah, look guys!” Golden’s mocking tone came from behind me. “It’s the delicate little princess playing with toys that exceed her mental capacity.”
I stiffened, rage simmering dangerously below the surface. I remembered when Gray confessed to me about the time he’d targeted her in front of our peers after training.
“You’re interfering with the princess’s training session, Golden. Leave,” I said, the threat veiled beneath my low tone.
“Well, it’s fair of me then to challenge her to a sparring match,” Golden returned. “It’s training, after all. Maybe she’ll learn a thing or two.”
Where in the gods was he getting his moxie?
Gray’s icy glare pierced through Golden. A few months ago, I imagined she’d have been locking down her fear in an expressionless mask. But in our world, fear was sniffed out by wolves’ noses. Even then, I wanted to pay back her abusers.
I ground my teeth together, wanting nothing more than to step in for the princess and fight this battle for her. The drive to protect her screamed at me to do something, and once again, I had to stand by and watch Gray be treated with disrespect. Thank the gods I had my newfound glamour intact to hide the steely glow I knew emanated from my hands.
Gray’s nostrils flared, and she dropped the sword on the sparring mat, her upper lip curling upward in disgust at Golden.
“Just the two of us, Princess.” Golden then cut his cunning smirk to me. “No interference because that would be a breach of our code.”
“Princess,” I said formally in front of others. “Remember what I taught you,” I urged. Walking to where we stood shoulder-to-shoulder, I leaned over and murmured into her ear, “And make him fucking bow.”
For the first time since I met Gray, she looked lethal. Since her training, she now had a life about her. She had a long way to go before she was ready for the final test, but I believed she could hold her own against Golden.
“Come on, then. Let’s show everyone how weak their adopted princess is,” Golden taunted, holding his arms out wide to his sides. “How the throne should never be handed to someone so entitled and unworthy. Even the king himself thinks so.”
My chest heaved. How bold of someone to speak to royalty like that. If the king wasn’t hellbent on publicly showing his disdain for her, Golden’s bravery to come at her would be non-existent.
Gray shook out her hands by her thighs. The black leggings she wore would afford her plenty of mobility while the white tank clung to her figure, so it wouldn’t be something for him to grab onto. Her vibrant blue currents raced up and down her arms and neck, increasing in speed as her anger grew. She adjusted her hair into a tight bun while spearing Golden with an animalistic glare.
