Page 20 of Of Daggers and Deceit

He looked me up and down with both intrigue and distaste, likely wondering how the Rose and I were even related, especially with her sitting at the peak of our hierarchy. The first sign of advancement of our kind, the first Omega to not have a shifted form. Pure, they called her.

When he didn’t stop staring, I crossed my arms over my chest, placing a small barrier between us. His mouth thinned, suddenly wary, as if he remembered my gift and his proximity to me.

“I suggest you get going. He will not tolerate tardiness.”

Nerves rippled inside me; it was only two hours until 6 pm. I would have to pray to Omni not to mess this up with such little time to prepare.

The guard’s eyes narrowed on me, as if aware of my internal thoughts.

“Don’t engage your power at all in the Inner Ring. My orders are to shoot immediately if you do not follow a directive.”

I sucked in a breath slowly, shakily releasing it as I nodded my head in confirmation.

“I understand. Thank you.”

He didn’t care to acknowledge me further, which annoyed me, because I’d gone to the effort of being polite despite his earlier words. He simply turned and left back the way he came, leaving me standing there at the door, a shaky hand still on the knob to steady myself.

The first thinning was two nights from now. If tonight didn’t work and I couldn’t convince our Supreme, it would be either my mother’s life or my own which would be forfeit.

Iwas twenty minutes early when I stepped up to the golden iron gate that marked one of three entry points from our ring to the inner one. I was incredibly nervous, and it was hot tonight, my clammy hands raising the golden token to show the guards I had been invited. A token was the only way to pass through to the Inner Ring, and rarely, if ever, was it granted. That, alongside the occasional town meetings in the quadrant or, much worse, if an execution was taking place were the only reasons an Alpha was ever allowed to step foot into the Inner Ring. I had never seen an execution; my mum had forbidden it and chosen to hide me at home instead. No longer a child and with Riley drawing Zander’s attention to our family, it was not something I could ignore. My eyes drifted towards the pink-tinged podium beyond the gate, and I swallowed. I hoped I would never have to witness something like that.

Ithrew my head back as I waited for the guards to confirm my invitation and squinted up at the looming white building that marked the centremost point of our city, completely covered in always blooming, blood red roses. The building itself was so tall, I couldn’t seem to crane my neck back far enough to see its summit. I could only just see the edges of the glowing rose at its peak. I’d always thought of it as lavish and entirely unnecessary, but it was our city’s emblem.

“Commander, the Gifted has arrived. Granting entry and escorting her to the second gate,” the guard opposite me spoke into the device on his collar before he opened the gate, stepped aside, and gestured me through. I didn’t miss how one hand remained fastened to his weapon in my presence.

The second gate marked Zander’s notorious estate beneath his beloved white tower covered in roses. It was a spectacle in itself, and though I was fearful, a small part of me was excited to experience it. From my knowledge, no other Outer Ringer outside of Riley had ever set foot in it.

Guards flanked me on either side as they walked me through the Inner Ring of the Haven. I hadn’t been in the section they were taking me, so I couldn’t help but look around with awe-filled eyes as I took in the boutiques, the eateries, the bars, and even their grand, ornate medical centre. My cheeks bloomed with colour as I noticed Omegas stopping to stare at me, as would be expected. I looked down at my dress, aged from overuse, and my flats, which were scuffed from the sand, in such stark contrast to the furs and soft fabrics of this ring’s fashion, not to mention the cobblestone paths, brilliant white buildings, and clean streets.

I swallowed down my shame, instead choosing to focus on my purpose, allowing it to drive me forward. Everything I was doing was to save my mum.

The heady perfume of thousands of roses drifted towards me, drawing my attention to the grandness of the Supreme’s estate up ahead. A second rose hedge surrounded his garden, which ran like a border around his towering home, marking the core of our city’s power. The guards seemed to have tripled in numbers around the base, though they immediately escorted me through the second gate. There was no time to process the transition of environments, because I was suddenly immersed in what felt like a fantasy land in comparison to where I lived. This was our Supreme’s personal grounds, and I felt entirely out of place.

I glanced around at the array of colours, vines, bushes, and hedges that made up the Supreme’s rose garden. Everything was so lush, full, abundant. Water tinkled from elaborate fountains as flowers bloomed and thrived and sculptures writhed in naked forms. Even the gardens were trained to grow as he pleased, so perfectly manicured and artfully placed. But even as I looked around at so much exuberance and so much life, the exact opposite of what the Outer Ring offered, the space felt banal to me, less lived in and too refined for my taste, though I supposed it would suit Riley’s. She was born to live a life like this.

I wanted to see the imperfections, the signs that spaces were used and loved, but everywhere I looked, every rose was the same in size, colour, and shape. Red. Blood Red. The rose was beautiful, but it was common in a city that grew no other flower. I longed for uniqueness, the kind of uniqueness that invited wonder and awe. My mind drifted towards the memory of the beautiful flower Jakari had once given me, back when I trusted him. The Lightheart, he had called it. A beautiful deep blue, as dark as the night sky, with a brilliant luminous centre that glowed beneath the moonlight. Never had I seen anything so magical or wonderful. Even now, in a garden so perfectly designed, teeming with abundance and life, the Lightheart stood boldly above it all. Though I hated Jakari, that was one tiny gift he had given that I didn’t wish to forget. Because that flower reflected so much of my struggle, that despite the odds stacked against it, a testament to its rarity, it bloomed. It was that tiny, seemingly insignificant detail that gave me a small sense of hope to cling to. That no matter what, I would persevere. I, too, would bloom.

A hand grabbed my arm and yanked me roughly forward, one of the guards pulling me along at a quicker pace and jerking me violently out of my thoughts.

A single guard, who I’d seen with Riley a few times, was patiently waiting at the entry. The familiar guard held a serious expression, even when he greeted me and introduced himself as Sly. He was handsome, clean, well put together, as they all were in the Inner Ring. But though he remained stoic, his face mostly impassive, there was something about the way he looked at me that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. At the very least, it enabled me to shake some of the rigidity from my body. I followed him through the glass door, right up to an elevator. I’d seen one of these once before in my life. I’d never been in one, though. Everything was so silent; I swore those in the room could hear my thundering heartbeat. Sly pushed the up arrow and the doors slid open, my nerves kicking higher as we got closer to my destination.

The elevator lurched upward, and I flung out a hand to grip the wall briefly before finding my centre of gravity again and easing out a held breath. Sly remained silent throughout our ascent, pointedly ignoring my flailing arm and anxious hurried breathing, and for that, I was thankful. I was too nervous to engage with him at all, though a part of me wanted to. Instead, I fiddled with the ring on my finger as I always did to distract me. I noted that there were only three buttons on the pad: Level One, Two and Roof. I frowned at it, shocked that a building so tall would have so few levels. I suppressed a scoff. It seemed like a waste.

The elevator stopped moving, and the doors opened outward to showcase an opulent living area with a garnet lounge facing a gold-laced fireplace, a large television sitting above it. I wasn’t so much shocked by the fact that he had one; I was more impressed by the sheer size of it. Televisions were one of the few pieces of technology everyone in the Haven had access to, if only to watch the Supreme’s daily broadcasts to the city. Everything else, as I looked around, had the same feel as the garden: beautiful but not lived in. It felt underwhelming. I’d expected more.

I expressed my thanks to Sly before he dipped away and stood off to the side of the elevator, his hands joined in front of him, his gaze staring directly ahead. He didn’t acknowledge me at all after that.

Movement ahead caught my eye as Riley floated from one bench to another, toiling away in the kitchen, steam rising from the pan she was working with. Unsurprisingly, she was dressed just as formally as she always was, in a mid-length white dress with deep red jewels draped around her neck. I’d never get used to the sight of her dressed like this, not without a sharp pang shooting through me when I recalled us both sweaty and smiling from a day’s adventure out near the cliffs or being scolded for dirtying our fresh clothing so quickly. She must be uncomfortable, though I didn’t dare comment. I knew better than that now. The old Riley didn’t fit well with the image of the Rose, but the Omega graciously moving in the kitchen did.

I turned away quickly with a clench of my jaw just as the pungent smell of garlic wafted towards me, and I inhaled, recognising the scent, daring a curious glance back towards the food steaming on the stove. Riley’s eyes connected with mine at the same time, and I knew she had cooked my favourite creamy pasta, something I hadn’t had in months. She smiled, brief and warm, enabling me to relax a fraction further. I knew this was her way of letting me know she still had my back, that she was still the same person who fought, laughed, and cried with me growing up.

When she turned away again, I became unsure of myself and what to do as I shifted my weight between my feet, especially when I noticed the Supreme setting the table with wine glasses and cutlery. My fingers fidgeted at my sides. Given his level of power in our city, it was a shock to see him doing anything so tedious. I didn’t know whether that made me feel better or worse, whether I should allow him to serve me in such a way or whether I should step in and offer to do it on his behalf.

“Come and sit, Raya.” Even his voice sounded decadent, causing me to bristle slightly in anxiety, feeling even more self-conscious and less assured.

I forced myself to move towards the table and wrap my shaky fingers around the back of a chair. I would allow him to continue setting the table. Surely, as the Supreme, he would direct me if he didn’t want to do it?

“Do you have a seating arrangement?” Shit, I was nervous. Never in my life had I been so meek.

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