When I glanced down, I found myself dry and dressed. My eyes lifted from my feet to his face, which was fixed and impassive.
Why did he do that? It was oddly considerate of him to do so.
The man stretched his hand, the cold steel of the dagger reflecting the light. “Here.”
My squinting eyes darted between the metallic weapon and the unreadable man. If he chose not to return it, I wouldn’t have asked for it since I had stolen it, but I couldn’t understand the reasoning behind his decision. Was he handing it back out ofthe goodness of his heart or because he knew a weapon like that could do no harm to him?
Reluctantly, I curled my fingers around the dagger. I waited for him to laugh but he just watched silently as I tucked it back into my waistband.
When he spoke, his hands delved into the softness of his white linen pant pockets. “I recommend that you rest.”
Unsure how to take his words, I nodded. I wanted to thank him for the dagger and for getting me out of the water, but I opened my mouth, and no words came out. Raised to despise the gods, I could not bring myself to take a different path. More than anyone else, I should have realized that they always acted with secret motivation.
“Also, I suggest you obtain a more suitable weapon before attempting to wound a god again.” There was once more a glint in his eyes.
“I thought you couldn’t kill gods.”
“Precisely. That’s why I saidwoundrather than kill.” A smile spread across the man’s face, revealing his perfect, white teeth. “Farewell, mortal,” he added, and as the words left his lips, the arena dissolved, and I was back in my chamber.
The fairy shimmered into existence, his form flickering in the dim light, and a hesitant smile played on his lips. Without warning, a searing pain, as sharp as a thousand tiny knives, ignited behind my eyes, stealing my breath away.
“Charisma?” he offered, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. “I’m sorry I left you there, but we aren’t allowed in the presence of the gods unless they?—”
The sound of his voice brought a fresh wave of pain, and I snapped at him through gritted teeth. “It’s fine,” I said, raising a hand. “Just—keep quiet for a moment, would you?”
“Okay, of course. I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you’re not upset with me.”
With a grunt, I collapsed onto the bed and buried my face in the pillow.
Chapter 6
Shadow
The light shone unhindered, unaware of the shadow sheltered at its core. Then as something consumed the light, the shadow arose to help fight it. And so, it destroyed the balance of the world.
To restore the equilibrium, the shadow had been captured, and the light had been ignited once again. The light then became aware of what it had been keeping inside and swore not to let it out ever again.
Untilshe,a mortal,came into their world.
And there he was—Shadow, lingering at a distance from the girl who unwittingly freed him. He was scrutinizing her, noticing how detached she seemed.
She engaged in a few small discussions that ended as quickly as they began. Then, she let her eyes wander over the table. She didn’t seem interested in any of the food lying in front of her eyes, yet the visible quivering of her body must’ve told her she had to at least taste something.
Three seconds, Shadow began.
Nine seconds.
Thirteen seconds.
He then got closer to her, noticing how her slightly trembling hand wandered over the bowl containing pomegranate seeds.
Twenty-two seconds, he continued, and the darkness overtook him even more the moment she put one seed into her mouth.
While she seemed to finally enjoy something since being brought to the gods’ world, Shadowremembered.
He observed her eyes flutter as the bright, tart sweetness of the fruit surprised her taste buds. Her aureate eye gleamed as the sensations flooded her body—just as a spark ignited inside amber’s golden glow.
Had that not sufficed, his attention moved to her softly chapped lips, glistening with the fruit’s juice. If he hadn’t been staring at her, he wouldn’t have observed the ghost of a smile that crept up on her face.
