Page 44 of Lich's Mate

Immediately, I notice a dark, shadowy mark, its color smoky gray, where Kavian marked me.

So it wasn’t a dream!

The reality both elates and unsettles me. At least I know that I didn’t imagine being freed. I didn’t hallucinate a coordinated series of events to ease my trauma.

But that also means that my relationship with Kavian has changed dramatically and that I’m going to need to adjust to that.

I close my eyes as I stand just next to the barely open bedroom door. The winds bring moisture crashing against the walls of the mansion.

The visions behind my eyelid bring me peace. I see my village intact, my family, and my younger brother. I remember what it felt like to be at home. But then, the image of Kavian crosses my mind.

And the feeling remains.

I feel almost giddy at the thought that I’m really, truly safe.

But then I remember the sobering task ahead of me, and that this is only a brief reprieve. Soon, I will need to risk my life and freedom, continuing to help Kavian wherever I’m needed.

It’s necessary if I want other people to feel the same freedom I feel now. I have to fight.

Looking at Ikoth’s dusty red sky, I wonder if rain is celebrated here. This place doesn’t seem like it receives much rainfall.

It must be early morning or late evening right now, which means that there’s no reason not to go back to bed.

I am tired. And now that I’m aware I’m not hallucinating, and that last night really happened, maybe I can try to make sense of it.

But as I bring my feet back into the bedroom and feel my hand gripping the door, ready to close it, I encounter some resistance.

Why is he up so late?

I don’t want to sleep. The strange voices just down the hall have piqued my curiosity.

I realize that either the voices are Kavian and Vex, or they’re a pair of very similar-sounding voices who’ve broken into Kavian’s mansion in the dead of night.

And I need to start thinking rationally. If I question life every time I’m not beaten half to death or starved, I have no hope of living a normal life.

Plus, the slaves out there are counting on me to stay strong.

I wonder if this storm is going to delay our plans. Perhaps it will all be gone by morning.

What could they possibly be talking about, at this hour?

I know that it’s not my business and that I need to be back in bed. But I know that sleep will be impossible with so many questions floating through my mind.

My bare feet are barely audible in the hallway, my path forward guided by strange relics, suits of armor, and elaborate and pretentious paintings. Along the way, the candles guiding my feet over a long, violet carpet burn weakly, as though affected by the wind or the rain outside.

It’s difficult to hear over the weather sometimes. I would be lost in these hallways without the sounds of two voices. And the closer I get, the more certain I am that the voices I’m hearing are Vex and Kavian.

Moisture trails around the desk, the papers on its surface clearly soaked.

Judging from the volume of their voices now, the conversation seems to have turned into a debate, which has become heated.

“We’re going to get trampled if we fall in with them,” Vex says, his voice now competing with the thunder.

Kavian looks down at his desk, tapping it with his fingers as Vex talks.

“I know how much you hate his guts, but Gorran’s more capable than you realize,” Vex continues. “And you’re sentencing them to their deaths along with us if you seriously move forward!”

Kavian turns abruptly, his methodical, contemplative mood buried for something far more abrupt and impulsive.

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