Rorin.
Rorin
“Did you hear the noises that night up in the mountains?” Millie leans over to Bennett, her voice hushed. “The horses were completely spooked. What do you think it was?”
“Oriks.” I answer.
Her eyes widen from across the fire, and I swear I see a flicker of a smile cross Max’s lips. “Like the er – giant monster people?”
Bennett barks out a laugh at her reaction, and she shoves at his shoulder. “What is so funny? You saw them out on the battlefield with us. Those things were massiveandaggressive!” She tilts her head over to Max. “We could’ve been raided or killed in our sleep!”
His stare lifts from his bowl of food along with his shoulders. “But we weren’t. Besides, it’s an unfortunate consequence to going on a quest. There’s always a risk of being raided or dying.”
“Just ask my traveling companions.” The five of us stiffen at the princess’s voice, and Max’s bowl sparks before clattering to the ground. “Oh, that’s right, we can’t because they’re dead.”
“That’s your own fault.” He grits out. Millie reaches over to his hand, her Wield glowing lightly around her palm as she squeezes his fingertips.
From over his shoulder, I can see her face, her expression remaining neutral as she mulls over his words.
“Should we be wary of anything like that out here?” Will asks, his voice hesitant.Always the cautious one.
I shake my head, “no. It’s only long stretches of desert from here on out until we get to Sabel.”
“Why Sabel?” Again, her grating, high-pitched voice sends us all back into silence none of us wanting to dignify her question with a response. Not appreciating being ignored – she tries with another one – “therearemore kingdoms in this realm. What makes you so sure that your queen is in Suram?”
She speaks exactly like her father, only the tone is a fraction more feminine, and every time she speaks, my Wield reacts. It’s hunger to feed on something, er–someone– is plain as day. “Why do you know something?” The words come out sounding more like a growl than a question.
Max surprisingly chimes in and cuts her off. His face is stony as he focuses on the overlook wall in front of him. “Ezra may be a lot of stupid things – but reckless isn’tusuallyone of them – and your father occupies half the kingdoms in Allora.” He must have seen my facial expression because he repeated the word usually with exaggerated emphasis. “He’d want her hidden, sure, but not behind enemy lines.”
“Every line outside of Obsidian is enemy lines to her,” I mutter.
“You think I don’t know that, Rorin? You think I’m not worried about her? About what Ezra might bedoingto her?”
My blood heats at the thought of all the things he could be doing. I’ve lost sleep over it – over the ideas of his hands anywhere near her… and what I’d do to him once I found them.
I was a better, more reasonable man before her.
Bennett claps his palms against his knees, pushing up from where he sits. “So we’re sure the course should be set to Suram?” He asks tentatively.
“Suram has the trade markets – and that’s the only place I was told would freely sell magic-binding tonics.” I reply.
Max scrubs a hand down his face, “makes sense. Without a Wield of his own and without killing her,” the thought has bile flooding into my mouth that I have to choke down, the act singeing my throat, “Ezra would have to be using something to control her. Otherwise, she’d have already destroyed him, and Eveera would be at home sitting on her throne.”
I huff, my nails digging in and out of my palms.If only.I think.
Thankfully, the princess didn’t open her mouth anymore after that conversation, and I put Will and Bennett on a rotation to keep an eye on her. Having the two of them babysit helped keep her from death’s door at the hands of Max and me.
My Wield writhes more uncomfortably underneath my skin now that I’ve been using it more frequently, but it’s manageable. Or itwas. Since our unfortunate happening upon the princess, it’s become unbearable, so I’ve banished myself to the cold desert air. I’m hoping the chill will have the same effect as a cold shower and simply shock my system into behaving.
I can hear the five of them shifting and whispering inside, the casted glow of what little fire we had left already snuffed out. My eyelids start to fall heavy to the cadence of their voices, and I coax my heart slow down. There’s a certain anticipation risingin me the closer we get to hopefully finding Eveera, that makes it harder to sleep.
Right after we returned and I was made de facto king, I was anxious to leave again, to get a start on searching for her. But Felix wasn’t too keen on my leaving as quickly as I arrived. He’d said it was because Obsidian needed me and that he would be the one to lead the search, but when I brought it before the council, not a single one of them argued with my proposed absence.
Not that I blame them. Not when my family has cost them so much.
That’s right – remember what your family has done to hers? And yet you dare hope she will reciprocate anything burning inside of you?My conscience chides, the echo of my own voice filling the space where the presence of hers used to be.
I wasn’t aware of how accustomed I’d come to having the damn woman berating and insulting me inside of my head until the connection was no longer an option. Lifting my wrist, I twist it around until the glow of the moon casts a spotlight on the intricate brand.
