Page 10 of The Puppeteer and the Poisoned Pawn

“Say that again when my balls are no longer attached to my body.”

I wince.

“He does that, y’know? Makes the punishment fit the crime. Decides what body parts would wound your ego the most.” Warrose huffs out a laugh.

I do know. An unwanted visual of Albatross’s face pops into my head. The thick pink scars that spelled Dessin. The marks where his mouth was sewn shut. He is rather creative; I’ll give him that.

“He’s not going to hurt you because he knows that’ll only upset me more.” It’s getting harder to form a sentence from my labored breaths. I’m practically wheezing.

“What he did wasn’t vindictive, Skylenna. You don’t have a clue about the weight he carries while he keeps you in the dark. It guts him. But he has to do it. And honestly, you’ll feel like an asshole when you realize why he had to do it.”

“Hey! Aquatic bastards! I’m stuck!” Niles shouts. Warrose and I turn around, treading in place.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

Niles is also treading in place but struggling to keep his head above water.

“My foot! It’s caught on a root or something.”

Warrose growls under his breath. “I’m coming.”

“Take your time. I’m only drowning.”

Ruth floats beside me, trying to keep her breathing under control. She glances at me with red-rimmed eyes and mouths,“I hate this.” I snort.Me too.

Before Warrose reaches Niles, a golden object emerges to their right, slow and daunting. Niles yelps with a mouthful of water. It’s a head, a beautiful face, brown skin, and wide eyes. Forest boy. The man from the Naiadales. The Emerald Lake colony.

“Oh shit!” Niles wails, flapping his arms away from the man.

“It’s okay!” I shout as I thrust my arms through the water to get closer. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

“He tried to kill me!”

The Naiadales man lifts a thick curly root from the water, chopped unevenly on either end. He cut Niles loose. “Free,” he says, a soothing whisper.

Niles stares at him, pink lips parted, wet hair falling across his forehead.

“I am Rydran.” And he’s gone, sinking back into the water, feet flushing him away from our circle of exhaustion.

4. Unforgiven

Ruth and I sit across from each other in the dining hall, hair dripping in our laps, pruney fingers, and wearing baggy men’s clothes.

It’s as if Aurick’s mansion was repurposed for a massive dining room. Cherrywood rib vault arches and walls carved in intricate designs. There are five rectangular tables that seem miles long, decorated with silver platters of roasted pigs, steamed vegetables, and platters of freshly baked bread. It booms with the sound of laughing men and clanking silverware.

“People are staring,” Ruth comments, taking a small bite of a strawberry.

“That’s because there aren’t any women here. They’re probably thinking of ways to get you and Sky—”

“Would you like me to tell Dessin how that sentence was going to end?” Warrose glares at Niles, digging his fork into a pile of broccoli.

“Eat your food, kid.” Chekiss sits down with his plate, giving me a shy smile.

I turn my attention back to Ruth, watching her shove food to one side, picking apart a piece of fruit until it’s small enough to be guilt-free. My stomach twists. Is this how I looked back with the Stormsages? Brainwashed?

And even worse, I can’t do for her what Asena did for me. I can’t tell her that eating until she’s full is acceptable. Because we aren’t in the North Saphrine Forest anymore. We’re in the heart of Demechnef. The source from which these ridiculous societal standards came.

But as I attempt to turn away and focus on Niles and Chekiss bickering, I catch Warrose studying how Ruth moves her food around. He nudges her with his elbow.

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