Page 84 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

Prince Reen hesitates, as I knew he would. His brow furrows, and he goes into deep thought, contemplating my desirable offer. I know he will consider my offer. We’re alike, even if we don’t want to think so ourselves. Curiosity will always get the better of us.

It’s in our nature and obsession.

“I’m all ears, Pandora,” he says.

“You want a satisfying hunt, and I want my freedom. So, why don’t we fight it out in the amphitheatre, and whoever survives gets the satisfaction of what they want?”

A grin broadens on his face. “If I agree to this deal, what are the rules?”

“No elemny abilities, interference or weapons. We fight with our fists, and the first to die from them, well…dies.”

“And you want your freedom if I die?”

“I want a pardon from King Walkyer himself. Once I have it in writing, we will go to an amphitheatre that won’t cause my lungs to suffocate from ash, and we will fight.”

Prince Reen taps his finger. A trait he exhibits when in deep thought.

“We will go to Oceanview Harbour. It’s on the way to the Kingdom of Flesh, and before I head home, we will go there and settle things.” His eyes narrow. “My brother won’t be happy about it, but if I contact him and you tell him that these are your terms and I am abiding by them, he will agree.”

“So?” I tilt my head to the side. “Do we have a deal?”

He wears a wicked grin, illuminated red eyes, and the dip of his head shows how sadistic he is, but it also shows his excitement over a game. “I won’t harm you until we enter the amphitheatre, Pandora Hart.”

“And I won’t run, Prince Reen.”

Chapter 37

Reen Kyong, July 18th

Speedboats and persistent parasite helicopters pursue us, causing me to lose control in this situation. Since the incident in the Fountain of Silver, where the fight between Pandora and me got out of hand, and the crystallised ice, everyone is now curious about where it came from.

News stations appear more often, mentioning an ice elemny and wondering if we have them contained on the ship. Others speculate where they came from, or if there are more, and when King Walkyer will kill them. Figuring out how to stop the rumours from spreading is a consistent, irritating hassle.

Alad, Astin, and I sit in the conference room three doors down from where Pandora is staying. I doubt she will try anything stupid, especially on a ship with nowhere to go. Moreover, her words rang true when she said she wouldn’t try to run.

For now, at least, I can trust them.

Her unfiltered mouth, though, grates on my nerves. Pandora’s vulgarity knows no bounds, and her words turn to pure filth because she has no filter. It seems she’s in her uncaring era now that she doesn’t have to maintain the pretence of being “cute”, “innocent”, and “meek” unawakened elemny.

“Why are you smiling?” Alad says with a broad smile himself.

I lean back in my chair, fold my arms across my chest, and pull my smile into a grimace. “Nothing of importance.” I wave my hand dismissively so we can move on to the topic. “Now, what will we do about the news of an ice elemny?”

Astin says in his dull, lack-thereof tone, “Report them as false. And if anyone persists, I can kill them.”

As I eye him, my eyes narrow, and a hint of suspicion works its way into my gut at what he’s saying. Alad briefed me that Astin saw something horrific about Pandora, but Astin hasn’t mentioned knowing her. He keeps his mouth shut, and sometimes, when I walk the deck and have a smoke, he guards her door. There’s some bond between them tied to Pandora’s trauma. He reminds me of an older, protective brother.

I huff a breath. Similar to how I protect Walkyer and Emmerton whenever it’s required.

“It will reflect poorly on Walkyer if there are dismissive rumours that many will know are lies. We can’t have Walkyer dealing with major falsehoods that could cause a stir with the other kingdoms. He doesn’t even know where he stands with them, and now we’re putting lies on him.” I shake my head. “No. Think of something else.”

Alad, while scrolling on his phone, says, “We can do a dummy setup. Put someone else in Pandora’s place, claim they’re an ice elemny, and kill them where they will televise it.”

“Did anyone see Pandora at the Fountain of Silver?” I say.

“Yes,” Alad says. “She was hanging off your shoulder. However, we can claim that she was in the way of this supposed ice elemny and King Walkyer—because he’s caring—instructed you to care for this elemny until she’s well.”

I shake my head. “The vermin news stations will spot Pandora roaming the ship during this trip. The first part isn’t a bad idea, but we can’t say she’s a stranger we’re caring for and that we will set her free.”