Page 20 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

“Does he frighten you?” I say. “I can kill him if it makes you more comfortable.”

I raise my hand. Her eyes widen, growing wild with fright and intense fear. “No! Please don’t!” She grabs my arm and holds on tight. “I’ll tell you everything”—another glimpse goes to the man behind the bar—“if you extend the offer to my tether.”

The fire elemny behind the bar rolls his sleeve up to his elbow, revealing his mark. Kaneko does the same, showing the identical marking that binds them. What a pitiful sight. They cling to each other, not to save their lives but because they are tethered. Why did the gods and goddesses give such a curse on elemny?

Sighing, I lean back in the chair and rest my elbows on the armrests. I glare at them when the other man rises from his cowardly position and says, “And me too.”

I snap my fingers, and flames burst from his body. Kaneko barely blinks. She’s likely thinking, “Better him than us.”

“Tell me,” I then say.

We sit there for a while. He proves to be more helpful and resourceful than she is. Her only duty was to sneak elemny within the walls. His job was to keep them hidden until a spot opened for them to transition into their new lifestyle. Interestingly, they’ll go to great lengths to assist someone they’ve hardly known—a silent yet bold commitment.

“And you say there’s more beyond Flesh?” I ask Kaneko after she accidentally reveals the smugglers operating in Oceanview Harbour. I couldn’t care less, as Oceanview Harbour is a Free City. There are no rules holding sway there. Anyone can live there.

“Yeah,” she replies, even knowing her tethered lover tightens his hand on hers. Clearly, he wants other smugglers outside of Flesh kept hidden, but it seems Kaneko is desperate for them to survive, no matter the cost.

It’s…repulsive.

“Any names?”

“They go by the name Old Wolf, and they’re the leader,” Kaneko says. “No one has met them, but they are the ringleader. Old Wolf was the one who gave us the jobs and paid us.”

I grimace.

A ringleader in Oceanview Harbour. Why there? Kaneko doesn’t seem to lie. It’s clear from her tether’s expression. But now I’m intrigued. What’s in Oceanview Harbour? Why is this old wolf working there, of all places?

I pull the paper with the names closer and say, “And are these all the names of the elemny you helped into Flesh?”

“Yes,” they say with a confirming nod of their heads.

I get up from my seat and tuck the paper into my pocket. Kaneko lets out a sigh of relief as her partner drapes his arm around her and grins.

“I have to kill you now,” I say.

Their eyes widen, and the little colour they have drains from their faces. “What! You promised you’d let us go if we told you everything?”

“Did I?” I muse. “Do you recall my making a deal?” I step out of the booth, fold my arms across my chest, and tilt my head to the side as flames curl around my shoulders. “Do you have it in writing? My deals are only concrete in writing—everyone knows that.”

“You fucking dick!” Kaneko spits, raising her hands as she struggles to bring moisture into the air. It’s more or less impossible. Smoke covers Flesh, so no water elemny can weaken us in our lands. “No wonder you aren’t well-liked! Not even your own fucking family likes you!”

“I never said I wanted anyone to like me,” I say candidly. “And I never claimed to care about what my family thinks of me. I do my job, and I do it fucking well. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have got all I needed to know from you two.”

She raises her hand, but when Kaneko realises she can’t conjure a drop of moisture, she seethes, “One day, Prince Reen, someone will give back tenfold for what you do to others, and then you’ll see.”

With a twitch of my brow, I raise my arm and slam my fist into his chest. She gasps, blood spattering out of her mouth. Her lover falls to the ground, clutching at his heart, while Kaneko looks down at the claw of a hand puncturing her chest before settling her gaze of hatred on me.

Hate is always a reaction when someone is in the wrong. They harbour hatred towards others instead of taking a moment to self-evaluate their own demons and consider where they may have gone wrong in life. Every elemny I kill has the same look in their eyes before they die—utter hatred. And you know what? It’s a satisfying sight to see as I rip my hand out of her chest and leave them lying there, dying in each other’s embrace.

I need to speak to Toma. I have to make him aware that he needs to find a water elemny to take over Kaneko’s duties. I’m sure he’ll find someone suitable. He’s the most sociable and well-liked guard in Flesh.

I’m sure it’ll be an exciting conversation. I wonder whether he’ll bring another smuggler on, then vanish within a day, or pretend to be clueless until one day he slips up.

I hope he runs. A good hunt is something I enjoy. Unfortunately, it has to end like this. He’s a good man to chat with, but that’s all, isn’t it? A well-regarded man can be deceitful and break the law. If he runs, I may find out who this old wolf is, which sounds entertaining.

“Oh, hey,” Toma says, his eyes flicking to the young woman and then back as he raises his hand. I shake my head and tell him there’s no need; I just need a moment to confirm my suspicion of him.

I tell him I killed Kaneko because she was smuggling elemny with illegal weapons within Flesh, which is against the law. He looks surprised. His eyes widen, and his jaw drops. He’s a talented actor, but I see his arms stiffen.