I gasp, “Stop! It’s me – it’s me!”
My heart pounds wildly as I struggle under him. I’m trapped, forced to breathe in the spicy scent of furious energy coming off him in plumes, dry and chalky, like I’m inhaling mouthfuls of dust.
For a moment, he doesn’t move. His chest heaves with ragged breaths, his blue eyes wild with fury. His lilac hair clumps around his face, hiding his full expression, but his anger is unmistakable. It’s his flaring nostrils. The flattening of his lips.
He loosens his grip, and his chin dips down as though he’s embarrassed. “What the hell are you doing?”
I’m still pinned, but I don’t push him away. It’s a confusing swirl of emotions – the way my body prickles at the coolness of his bare chest, and how my lips are drawn to his, mere inches away from mine.
“I-I thought you were having a nightmare,” I lie. “I just wanted to help.”
“Did you use your talents on me?”
“No. I didn’t.”
Taron hovers over me for a few more seconds, then he lets go of my wrists. I’m surprised when he doesn’t immediately back away.
“You’d better not be lying,” he says. “Because if you are…”
“What? You’ll kill me?” I bite my tongue, but I don’t regret challenging him. I can’t help but be intrigued by Taron’s anger, even more so now I’ve seen the making of his hard exterior. He’s a monster – I was right about that. He has to be, from what I saw. Standing by as Madame Vera snuffed out innocent lives. Assisting her.
But not all monsters are of their own making, and I don’t think Taron is either. There was something strange in the way he held that man down, like his movements weren’t his own. Then there was Madame Vera’s command.Immobilize him.Her voice rang with all the confidence of someone who knew Taron would follow through. No matter what.
I’d hoped a glimpse into Taron’s mind would give me answers, but I’ve only come away with more questions. Madame Vera found him when he was a boy, hungryand alone on the streets. She did something to that boy, twisted him and tore him apart, before putting him back together using only the most broken pieces.Why didn’t he run? Escape?
Taron’s expression hardens, and I’m worried he can read my mind. I swallow, exhaling a shaky breath. Then he stands, looking down at me on the floor for a long moment, his chest still rising and falling with the remnants of his adrenaline.
His gaze lingers on my wrists, where he held me down, but he says nothing. He only turns and climbs back into bed.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he warns, and I stay where I am for a few more minutes without moving.
I watch him in the dark, the shadows of his inner demons no longer dancing against the ceiling. The cabin continues to echo with the sound of waves crashing against the ship, but it’s the silence between us that’s louder.
When I finally, quietly, climb back into my bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin, it’s like I never moved. I’m still staring at the ceiling, still unable to sleep. My thoughts swirl, flashes of the visions playing before my eyes. In spite of the glimpses I saw tonight, in spite of the moments we’ve already shared, the truth is I don’t know Taron at all. He’s a stranger, and he’s wrapped in secrets darker than I could’ve ever imagined.
Games Master’s Post
30th Day of Mors Half, Stellar Year, 1200
Citizens of the Triumstellar Accord,
What a magnificent spectacle the Obsidian Banquet was. Our competitors graced the palace halls, blissfully unaware of the night’s true purpose. As promised, this Stellar Year’s tournament is brimming with surprises. Firstly, twenty-four teams would be whittled down to twelve with an unexpected first trial.
Our competitors were swept from gilded gardens to perilous ocean waters, where a creature born of nightmares awaited: a grotesque abomination with razor teeth and sinuous, blood-slick tentacles. Triumph certainly favoured the bold.
Young Prince Cyrus and his steadfast teammate, Gideon Kepper, outpaced the competition to claim the first of twelve spots aboard the ship bound for Aurora Isle. Our favourite fiery twins, Gigi and Gunther Beck, displayed a ruthless show of dominance by torching several dinghies, and let’s not forget Kara DeLange and Savannah Dlamini, the only team to sever one of the creature’s tentacles entirely. If only all tales were so illustrious…
Our privately trained pair, Maeve Speck and Wren Hull, only seemed to falter under pressure. Bless them. Aft er Maeve toppled overboard and narrowly escaped drowning, the pair clung to survivalthrough luck alone. How long they can endure remains to be seen.
A moment of reverence for the two surviving teams retrieved from the waves by the Principal Guard. Although the stars did not choose them to advance to Aurora Isle, they were worthy of the Reckoning in every right. The sisters, Brandy and Leah Ponte, both promising sandshapers at Harenheart Academy. Dante Wick, a prodigy Flora set to become a botanistfor High Princess Seleneira, and their teammate, Kai Liu, from Wrisha.
Rest in peace to the following competitors:
Lucy Bronte and Uma Hassan (Solara)
Luca Romano and Hana Zhang (Wrisha)
Soren and Marjorie Jensen (Astraloria)
