Page 70 of The Rose in the Shadows

“Who am I?” He laughed, slapping a hand against his chest in mock offense. “I’m the one person in all the realms who truly cares for you. Clayton won’t, not as I can. You must understand that the Descendants of Zion will always stand in opposition to those of Hyrax. This is a fact that has prevailed since the Gods began having children.”

“You make it sound as if we have no free will in this. As if we are nothing more than victims of the animosities of our ancestors.”

“Perhaps you are not so far removed from Hyrax as you imagine. The Descendants are already intrigued by you. How long until that intrigue becomes fear? Hatred, even. They will turn on you as they turned on your God.”

“No!” I cried, standing so suddenly that my magic launched out and threw my chair across the room. It splintered against the stone and fractured. The man stood as I did, his eyes gleaming with as much passion as I felt.

“You don’t need them to be strong, Theadora! You were strong before they ever found you.”

“I was trying to kill people when they found me!”

He laughed, the sound echoing across the cavern and creating a piercing pitch that surrounded me and had me covering my ears in desperation.

“There is still so much you have yet to understand. So much knowledge you are still holding yourself back from.”

“That’s not true!” I insisted, hating the fact that I sounded like a petulant child.

He looked over at me with exasperation before finally running a hand over his face, falling back into his seat, and summoning a new chair for me with a wave of his hand. As I stood motionless, he sighed and pointed towards it. Grinding my teeth, I sat.

“You don’t believe me,” he noted. “I understand why you don’t. These people mean something to you. This Clayton means something to you. I had hoped you would trust me, that you wouldn’t have to learn these lessons the hard way.”

“What do you mean? Nothing you say makes any sense.”

“It will in time, child. In time, the Descendants of Zion will show you their cruelty. They’re all the same. They have destroyed everything the House of Hyrax has held dear throughout history. I don’t want to watch them destroy you.”

He lifted his wineglass, twirling the stem in his fingers as he stared at the scarlet liquid thoughtfully. For a moment, we sat in silence, each pondering over what the other had said.

“Clay won’t hurt me,” I insisted, finally.

I knew that in my soul. Clay had shown me time and time again that he would keep me safe. Even if his dedication to me was because of nothing more than my bloodline, he had proven that I could trust him.

“I know you believe that.” The man breathed. “I believe otherwise. As I said before, a son of Zion will never love the daughter of Hyrax. You are headstrong though, you will needto see their barbarity for yourself. I wish that wasn’t the case, but I hope when you do see it, you will finally trust my advice.”

“And what is your advice?”

“Stay away from Clayton Vail.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Iwoke from the nightmare suddenly, damp with sweat and scratching absentmindedly at the Mark on my chest. Were these nightmares some kind of manifestation of guilt over what had happened that day on the bridge? If so, what would it take to rid myself of them? They had plagued me for weeks and left me waking up shivering, terrified, and confused. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take them. Perhaps an infirmary nurse might be able to offer something to help me sleep…

I glanced towards the foyer where candlelight was still dimly visible and I could make out the sounds of Clay and Iris speaking softly. I must not have been asleep for long. I shifted in the bed, preparing to join them, but stilled as I heard my name.

“Are we going to talk about Thea?” Iris asked with a sharpness that I was unaccustomed to hearing from her.

Clay sighed heavily. “Iris, I love you dearly, but not tonight.”

And even though I couldn’t see into the room enough to actually see them, I could picture them so clearly in my head.Iris stood, one hip popped out, and her arms crossed over her chest. Clay, exhausted from the stress of the day, sank into the velveteen chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb as his shoulders slumped.

Iris snorted. “Oh, yes tonight. I will not pretend I didn’t see that petrified look on your face when you carried her out of the blast!”

"Of course I was scared!" He replied, voice raised.

For a moment, there was silence while they waited to see if they had woken me. My better sense told me I should stand and alert them to the fact that I was, in fact, awake. It simply wasn’t appropriate for me to eavesdrop on them.

And yet, I did not stand.

“You didn’t see her in there,” Clay continued, voice softer. “She held back a wall of fire with her magic alone, Iris. She barely had the time to pull a barricade over herself before collapsing. And when I finally got to her, she passed out before we even made it out of the building. By the Gods, I didn’t know if she had just died right then and there in my arms.”

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