“Open. Your. Eyes.”
I take a breath. “No.”
He gives an angry snarl, a sound of frustration vibrating in his throat, before he says, “The creatures that infest this darkness won’t give a fuck if you’re afraid of heights. You need to see them coming.”
A sigh pushes at my chest. “I see more than enough.”
Too many visions, leaving my mind exhausted.
As for my hand resting on his face, it was only the briefest vision that made me raise it. But, to my relief, it was my Oracle power, preceded by a flutter of warmth in my chest.
I foresaw a white sword and a spray of blood. That was all, but it was enough.
“Your hand is not soft,” the Iron King growls, but he hasn’t pushed me away, and for now, I’m frozen where I sit, unable to move for fear of falling.
I tell myself I’ll lower my hand when I feel safer.
Then I remind myself, I may never feel safe.
To his statement, I reply, “We only ate when we worked. The work was hard.”
“We?”
“My father and me.”
The Iron King is quiet for a moment. “You speak of the dead man back there.”
I don’t feel the need to answer since he didn’t ask a question. Not that I have to answer everything he asks.
Some questions will have consequences.
Some answers should not be given.
The difficulty is knowing which.
“Was he a good father?” the Iron King asks.
It’s a surprising question. Certainly not the question I thought he’d ask.
I want to cry an emphaticyes. Father loved me and protected me. He taught me to work hard and care for others. He pointed out the beauty in the world amidst all its viciousness. But it’s such an unexpected question, spoken in such a quiet tone, that I’m on my guard.
Some answers should not be given.
Carefully, I ask, “Definegood.”
The king’s speech is halted. “Was he…kind?”
“Very.” My forehead crinkles. “Except when he was being tough on me.”
The king’s armored hand tightens against my side. “Did he beat you?”
My eyes widen. Some answersshouldbe given.
“Never,” I say. “He never hurt me.” But I can’t stop the sudden well of tears behind my eyes. I squeeze them more tightly closed before the tears can fall. “Only by dying.”
Father thought he’d have more time. There was still so much he needed to tell me, so much I desperately needed to know about the blade.
He told me to unwrap the blade, and my path would be clear. But he also warned me that the blade could affect my Oracle visions, and he didn’t know what manipulations I might experience.
