Page 17 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

“If we get caught, it’s on you,” Typha says.

“Sure.”

“And if you leave me again…”

I turn to my sister and fold my arms across my chest. “What? You will do what?”

Her eyes narrow, and her jaw tightens. All the emotions of someone who despises me. Yet she would have died in my room if not for me. It’s difficult for me to grasp her irritation with me right now, when she was the one who refused to help a woman being raped by the enemy. Does my sister have any sense of morals? Or does she only care about herself and no one else?

“Never mind,” Typha says through clenched teeth.

“Good,” I reply sharply, then turn on my heels and storm down the street. The Winter Nova Hotel is nearby. They built it in front of Elden Keep and created a secret tunnel that leads inside the Keep. Dad should be behind those broad, tall walls if we can get through the hidden entry point.

I can leave Typha there while I help Dad fight back against the enemy. I will not let my kingdom fall to those wretched elemny!

Chapter 9

Pandora Hart, July 8th

A light knock alerts me that someone is on the other side of the door. As I watch the door, I open the first drawer under the basin, grab a nail file, and slip it into my back pocket. Feeling a sense of security from having something sharp, I crack the door open. My shoulders relax, and I offer a smile that—to me—seems strained when I notice Xavier looking at me through tired eyes.

“Hey,” I say as I step out of the bathroom and into the main quarters. “You should rest a bit more. You look terrible.”

“No, I don’t want to rest any longer, Pandora. We’re almost there.” As he turns away, I tilt my head and glare at him. He didn’t need to act like a jerk about my suggestion. I’m doing everything I can to keep him happy; otherwise, he’ll question the change in my personality. However, since we slept together, it’s difficult to stay sweet and caring when he behaves like those obnoxious alpha males.

Xavier believes he can control me and that I’m his to have whenever he wants. My finger hooks onto the nail file in my back pocket. A quick jab of my hand, and the weapon would slip through the side of his neck. He would suffocate, struggling to breathe. But to avoid recklessness, I suppress my thirst for life, step away from him, and ignore the feeling.

Instead, I sit up straight, arch my back, and wait for him to look at me again until he notices the woman who adores him, not someone who wants to kill him.

“Flesh isn’t the best place to leave your belongings. Make sure you have a hold of everything valuable and don’t leave your bag lying around.”

“Of course.” I touch the side of his waist, but eye the exit. “I’ll be extra cautious.”

We pack our belongings. Well, I pack our belongings, considering Xavier struggles to move much because of his fever. This works well for me because it means he’s too tired and overheated to try anything with me.

As we step out of the room, the horn releases a loud blast through the thick layer of smoke filling the air, making it hard to see more than a few metres from the ship. My ears have become sensitive to sound. Footsteps thump on the deck, and suitcase wheels roll behind them. Excited voices murmur, hissing through the brush of decaying wind. The sloshing of rippling waves hitting the ship grows timid, and I can strangely feel the ship stop at the dock.

Xavier strides ahead of me, leaving me to drag both suitcases as I mutter insults. He stops at the door three down from ours, and my smile widens until Kylie and Sara show up with sluggish looks.

“It smells so bad here,” Kylie complains.

Sara looks worse for wear. Her mask is already on, but her watery eyes make me feel for her. Earth elemny are weakest against fire, so any form of smoke in her lungs must make it harder for her to breathe.

I match Kylie’s energy, as I’m pretending to be a water element. It shouldn’t be too hard, given I’m already gasping from the intense hit of smoke seeping into my nostrils.

“What’s that smell?” Sara looks to Xavier.

“Burning flesh, perhaps?” He shrugs, and Sara dry-heaves at the thought.

Kylie wraps her arm around her girlfriend for comfort. My chest tightens at the sight of them being so loving and supportive. It reminds me of my first love…or at least the memories of him. Memories are the only things I can cling to. When I’m truly alone, I can taste Desmond on the tip of my tongue.

We make our way down the stairs to the main deck after more elemny leave their rooms. A line forms until a big enough group awaits new orders.

“All right!” a fire elemny barks from the front of the ship. He stands on the railing, arms folded across his chest, muscles tensing. His maroon eyes scan the sea of elemny as he says, “There are four exits.” He points to the banners at the entrance. “I need fire elemny to line up behind the red banner, earth elemny behind the green banner, water behind the blue banner, and air elemny behind the white banner. From there, a guide will steer you toward the Ebon Hall entrance. Make sure your passports and identification are handy for a smoother transition.”

After glaring without blinking, I lean toward Xavier, letting the smoke settle into my eyes. With a glassy, watery look, I turn to him, prompting him to kiss my forehead and whisper sweet assurances in my ear.

Kylie comes up beside me with a warm smile and says, “Don’t worry, Panda. You’ll have me.”