“Stupid, I know,” I agreed, sitting up.
I realized with a start that her hand was still clasped in my fingers. As the most powerful hag of Olathana, blessed by the power of the Divine, Odene was the only being in this entire world capable of withstanding my touch.
I held on to her hand with the desperation of a drowning man clinging to a piece of driftwood. The world around me seemed suspended for a moment. Even the sound of the waves moved away. The entire awareness of my body, of my very soul, narrowed to that one point of contact with another living being.
Her gaze slid to our connected hands. Thankfully, she didn’t take hers away, probably realizing how much I needed just tofeelsomeone.
I wished I could pull Odine into a whole-body hug. The only thing that stopped me from doing that was the fear that she might mock me, despite the warm expression lingering in her eyes.
“It’s been a century,” she said softly. “Exactly one hundred years today.”
Right, my fucking cursed anniversary. A hundred years of living alone in the palace that I had turned to glass. All my servants had escaped to the islands nearby, in fear for their lives. And all my courtiers had eventually migrated to my uncle’s court. I might be the King of the Olathana Ocean, but serving Prince Arnon, my uncle, didn’t come with the risk of being killed by an accidental touch, like serving me did.
“A century, really? Time flies, indeed.” I smirked, as if I hadn’t been acutely aware of every passing minute of this century saturated with horror, maddening rage, and crushing loneliness.
Odine’s hand clasped in mine had been my only contact with another living being in exactly one hundred years. Even if she did it solely out of pity, I accepted it, gladly paying whatever was left of my dignity for the treasure I could no longer afford—a touch.
Of course, she saw right through me. The warmth in her eyes didn’t cool when faced with my attempted bravado.
“Do you believe the life of that butterfly was worth the plunge, Kye?” she asked.
I felt foolish. I’d acted on impulse, but I didn’t regret the fall.
“It didn’t deserve to die. At least not because of me.” I shrugged, not letting go of her hand.
She nodded with a contemplative expression. As grateful as I was for her visit, her pity pressed heavier on my spirit the longer she stayed.
“If you’re here on a state matter,” I said, “my uncle is in charge of everything now. So...”
I glanced down at our linked hands, finding it impossible to let go, despite my dismissive tone.
Odine nodded again, freeing her hand from my grip in one gentle but swift motion, as if she knew that prolonging it would only torment me more.
“I will stop by Prince Arnon’s palace to pay my respects before I leave Lyrei. But I wanted to see you first,” she said.
“Why?” I held my hand in front of me, with my fingers still curled around the disappearing sensation of holding another person’s hand.
“I discovered a spell that would—”
“Cure me?” I blurted out, momentarily breathless with hope.
Apparently, hope wasn’t entirely dead in me yet. Who knew?
I didn’t care if she mocked me for my impatience. I’d spent a century searching for a way to break this fucking curse. If she knew something, anything...
“No,” she said firmly, crushing my hope at once. “There is no cure, my boy, and you know that. But I could possibly make your life a little easier if you manage to procure some spider silk from the Sky Kingdom.”
“I have plenty of spider silk... Well, I mean,” I corrected myself, “my uncle surely has some.”
“It has to be freshly spun silk, Kye, with the dew of the clouds still woven into the fibers to bind my magic to it. Only then can it become impervious to your touch.”
“Do you mean I’d have a fabric that wouldn't turn to glass when I touch it?”
“Exactly.”
“What for? What would I do with it?”
“Well, for one, you can make yourself some clothes.” She gestured at my naked body.
