“You can share the bed, it’s massive.”
“That’s okay, I might have another drink or two and stare at the wall or something. Sit in my feelings.”
“Okay.”
I make it to the bathroom, then turn around and watch her for a moment. She doesn’t notice me staring.
She doesn’t realize that she just gave me yet another massive reason why I must break this curse.
I have so many more questions about my father, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear. We are not simply the bad guys for sitting around passively while everyone else suffers, like I thought. We are the bad guys because we are still actively destroying other people and their lands. It’s now my mission to uncover more disturbing truths that my father is responsible for. There must be so many more atrocities I don’t know about.
Add it to my list.
When I emerge from the bathroom feeling refreshed yet somehow still feeling dirty, I find Meela still awake, petting Lemakis with one finger. “I made him sad.”
I take in Lemakis, with his unusually drooping, wrinkled leaves. “Yeah… you did.”
She nods toward the door. “The dragon is still out there.”
“What?”
“Go look.” She shrugs.
I walk to the door with hesitation, then open it and peer out.
Daegan sits on the far side of the hallway with his back against the wall and his arms hanging over his knees, hands clasped together lazily. His head is tilted back against the wall, eyes closed, and his long neck exposed.
I stare for a moment, watching him so still, so peaceful, wondering what he’s doing.
“I have to make sure you don’t wander off and pet more windows,” he says with a low, gravelly tone that’s not quite like him. Usually his voice is smoother. Was he sleeping? I can’t understand how he could do it in that position, but with him, I wouldn’t be surprised. “You’ve become very important to me,” he adds, and it’s a punch to the gut. Because I know he just means I’m important to our mission, and that I carry something vital to it.
His eyes remain closed, his head tilted back.
I glance behind me at Meela, who’s playing with a fireball in her hand, oblivious to our conversation.
Something comes over me, making me think it’s a good idea to go out there. I take a step out quietly, closing the door behind me gently. I take another step, and another. When I’m halfway across the hall, he finally tilts his head forward, locking eyes with me immediately. They look sleepy, and like he has the weight of an entire village on him.
I kneel on the cold, onyx floor, right in front of his boots. He looks me up and down for a moment, curious.
I glance around me, scanning the halls.
“I want to tell her,” I whisper.
His eyes swirl with a hundred thoughts as he breathes in. “Why?” He keeps his voice quiet too, so only I can hear.
“Because I trust her with this.”
“Again… why? Why now? You weren’t sure before.”
I glance down, the tragedy of my friend’s story hitting me in the chest again. “She revealed something to me that I never knew. She won’t compromise this. I know it in my soul. I don’t even know if she’ll want to help. But I just feel… like this is the right thing,” I finish with a passionate whisper.
He twists his hands around slowly, studying them while his eyebrows are pinched in thought. “What good would it do us to take this risk? It’s a big one.”
“I know. And I don’t know. Maybe she’ll know something, like Gaethri did. Who knows.” I shrug, watching him mindlessly play with his hands. His strong, calloused, warm hands. “Plus,” I say, returning my gaze to his pensive face. “You and Raef have each other in this. I have no one.”
He looks up at me then, his expression a touch softer. “Is that how you feel?”
I hesitate, then nod.
