"Would they even reach our shores?" She tilts her head like a curious bird. "Last I knew, demons couldn't swim from the mainland here."
She is prepared to watch the other kingdoms fall. "Why does it sound like you're on her side?"
"We're Hydrans. We – "
"Don't spout that brainwashed bullshit at me, Thalia," I push her off me, taking a step back toward the window view of the kingdom beneath the sea. "Answer me. Are you with her?"
"What do you want me to say?" A rogue tear slips down her cheek. "I'm not brave like you, Eris."
"I didn't leave Hydra because I was brave," I say. "I left Hydra fearing for my life. I saw it as the only way to survive. There was nothing brave about it."
Her body trembles. She bites her thumb. A nervous tick she's had since we were children.
My heart breaks for her. I've seen our mother for what she truly is. I've tasted freedom, despite losing it in the end. I won't go out without a fight, but Thalia is right. She's not like me. She's so desperate to be perfect, to earn our mother's love, that she has lost herself along the way.
I lift my arm. "Here. Heal me."
Her eyes widen. "If I heal you, it will speed your trial date – "
"But you won't incur mother's wrath."
We stand in complete silence, staring at one another. I breathe her in, fearing this might be our last conversation before my mother inevitably snuffs out my life. I twirl one of her hip long braids in-between my fingers before sliding my hands up on either side of her face.
"It's ok, Thalia." Tears slide down my cheeks and before I know it, we're both crying. "Heal me."
Forty - Eight
Shaye
Anxiety kept me tossing and turning in my bed all night long. When the sun peaked over the desert horizon, I stood in my window and stared at the arena where Bastian would be fighting in just a few hours. As if the city is abuzz by the prospect of gruesome entertainment, there's movement throughout the streets the moment light streaks into the avenues. Some stop at vendors to grab finger-food as they make their way to the stadium to get a front row seat.
It's all anyone has been talking about since we were brought here. The Beast of the Midori would finally meet an end deserving a monster. I would be alongside them had Bastian not rescued me and Nyx. It's not lost on me how this looks. I wouldn't have needed rescuing had he left me the hell alone, but there's something swirling in him I can't ignore or deny. There's guilt, remorse, and worse, realization that everything he was told was a lie. I know that feeling all too well. Maybe I'm a fool forsympathizing with him, but I believe there's still good in him. Buried by a lifetime of horrors and abuse and misplaced trust.
How would I have turned out if someone like Vesper had gotten to me instead of the Harland brothers?
Bastian can't undo all the wrong he's done but maybe he can help set things back on the right path. General Naziri doesn't agree with me, hence Bastian being in a fight-to-the-death in the first place. I might be lying to myself, claiming I want Bastian to live so he can be an asset in this war as a strategic decision. But the truth is, I desperately want the boy I once knew to still be in Bastian somewhere. I want him to redeem himself, to have a second chance. But redemption might be too good for someone like him.
A now-familiar knock on my door signals it's time. Hani helps me with one more round of ointments, but my burns are fading and healing. I still have a long road to recovery, but I'm at least making progress. Today's ensemble is still loose and flowy, but red just like Hani's.
I arch a brow. "We're both in red today?"
"We're all in red." She fastens the tops of the ointment jars. "It's tradition for everyone to don crimson for a fight-to-the-death."
I glance out my window once more. She's right. Everyone is in red. "What is he facing?"
Hani joins me, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Acruscorpio."
My eyes widen when I search her face and find glimpses of horror. I've lived in Midori most of my life. Though I was never permitted to leave the confines of my home, I was well aware of the dangerous creatures lurking beyond our walls. And acruscorpiois one monster I had hoped to never see in person.
The creature has six legs and the venomous tail of a scorpion. Its back is hard, as if it has armor protecting its spine. Its face is something that will haunt children's nightmares. Fangs andpinchers for a mouth, its beady eyes are on the side of its head so it can get a good look of its surroundings. The worst part is how quickly it moves. No matter what it grabs you with – legs, tail, mouth – injury will be unavoidable. I've heard accounts of skilled warriors being pinned to the ground beneath these foul creatures and being stabbed in the face and chest by its poisonous tail.
I think back on Bastian's beast form. A mixture of a bear and a wolf. He has sharp claws, brute strength, and endurance, but what he lacks is speed. My stomach sours. There's a good chance he doesn't make it out alive. It shouldn't bother me as much as it does.
Hani swipes the tear I hadn't realized slipped down my cheek. "You care for this beast?"
"He was once my friend," I whisper, gathering myself. "And I loved him dearly." Though not the way I thought I did.
"Come," she ushers me toward the door. "It's time. Maybe fate will permit him to live."
