And my freedom may as well still be mine.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
PHOENIX
The party drags on. I’m restless to be done with it. Why’s Jax taking so damn long?
Taaslord Noire is in the middle of a conversation with an Ezkai I have no interest participating in. Vera is preoccupied. All of her apprentices, too. I don’t know anyone, and I have no desire to get to know anyone.
Quietly, I make my way towards the open paneled glass door that leads me to the massive back garden. The crescent moon hangs heavily above my head, illuminating the dark sky full of stars. I catch three falling stars one right after another in a span of few minutes.
With the chatter of the party behind me, I feel more at peace. Even though I’m good at keeping my senses closed off and it doesn’t bother me as much as it did when I was little, I can still feel emotions press against me at all times, especially in a crowd this big and this aroused.
It’s good to be alone.
I descend three stairs to the ground level. Gravel crunches under my feet. I wander around the gardens, following theilluminated pathways away from the main building. While Uringi’s estate is much larger than my childhood home, it still reminds me of it.
I, too, had a big back garden where I and my two sisters spent our childhood playing. I, too, had a big house with so many rooms that we used to play hide-and-seek for hours without getting bored.
When I reach a little round white marble fountain with a statue of a man and a woman wrapped in a dance, I sit on the bench nearby. The stream of the water is relaxing, and I get lost in time just staring at the falling water.
It hits me that I’m either going to become an Ezkai General, or die. There is no way out for me. I either welcome death, or become it.
And if I am to become it, it means the man I love has to die.
For a moment I can’t breathe, my chest locked in an ironclad grip of fear.
I don’t think I can survive that. Losing Daegel, too.
I’ve lost my family. I’ve lost Vasquez. I’ve lost Roman. Even the damn Ezkai General, who was supposed to be my savior.
And now, I may lose Daegel, too.
No.
I don’t have to lose Daegel. I need to find a way to talk him out of participating in the trials.
If he drops out, he’ll be safe. We may recover once all of this is over.
I don’t know how long I sit there by myself, but my limbs grow cold. Even with gloves on, my fingers are cold. Slowly, I get to my feet and stretch. I hope Jax is done with his job by now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got distracted by that noblewoman and forgot about it altogether.
I hate the idea that we have to rely on that slick bastard to get us the gift for Oka Oya.
Nobody notices when I slip back inside. Vera’s still with Nobleman Uringi. I make myself comfortable at the bar. Just when the bartender hands me a fresh glass of whiskey, Jax reappears.
He looks at me, and then at Vera. He jerks his chin at her. I glance over to find her already looking my way. She dips her chin at me.
Excitement bubbles inside my chest, making my hands tremble.
It’s time to pay Oka Oya a visit.
III. THE STARLESS NIGHT
Old Ekiosh: Noctair Ul’thir
Often translated as: The night abandoned by witness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
