Page 62 of Ruined Kingdom

Lexi turned to me as we entered the rowdy dining area designated for the guards and guests. “How about you get supper with me here?”

Kaine and I always had our meals in his private dining room, but since he hadn’t been home in time to sit down and have dinner with me the past few nights, and I had to eat alone, I was quick to agree to Lexi’s proposal.

After we dished up our food, the staff behind the table with all the trays of food seemed surprised to see me getting food here but smiled warmly. I asked one of them to inform Tieni that I wasn’t dining like usual tonight.

Even as we walked past the tables spread out through the massive hall, with many of the guards sitting together at most of them, the laughing and chatting faded slightly. And I realized a lot of them were looking at me curiously.

I kept looking straight ahead of me, pretending not to notice, but I felt my cheeks burn and my feet wanting to move quicker.

“Sophia! Lexi!” Sharra waved at us from a table to the side. “Over here.”

Lexi led me to their table, and as I reached it, I noticed Berrok sitting next to Sharra.

This is an unlikely duo.

He greeted me with a wide smile as I put my tray on the table right across from him, returning his greeting with a bit of a confused expression.

And they’re sitting quite close to each other, too, I couldn’t help but notice. The creature hunter and the Siren…

“Is everything all right?” Berrok asked, leaning forward so the others wouldn’t hear, even though Lexi and Sharra were focused on their own conversation already.

“I—I’m just surprised seeing you two getting along,” I said, laughing.

He smiled and nodded. “Believe me, I’m still watching my back around her,” he joked, but then his expression turned serious. “But I asked because I can tell you’re carrying a greater load than usual… Just know that you have friends and that we want to help however we can.”

I considered him for a few moments, contemplating whether I should confide in him or not. But when I looked to the other two, who were looking at me with big, urging, and expectant eyes—having heard what Berrok had just said—I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“All right then,” I let out on a huff of defeat. “You wanna know what’s been buzzing around in my head? I was visited by the Goddess Helene the other night, and she told me that I had to make a sacrifice in order to save Kaine, the Forest of Sorrows, as well as the mortal world—no fucking pressure, right?” I said, throwing my hands out in frustration while trying to keep my voice low enough so the other tables around us couldn’t hear. “She can’t tell me specifically what it is, but I just know it’s something horrible that must happen to me or someone I love…”

They stared at me with open mouths and stock still eyes, and I felt myself sink further into my chair, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on me.

Saying it out loud hadn’t solved anything—if anything, the burden felt even more real now—but at least I wasn’t carrying it alone anymore.

What if I fail? What if I find I don’t have the strength to do what needs to be done?

Sharra surprised us all when she abruptly reached across the tabletop to take one of my hands in hers, looking into my eyes with something I could only describe as fierce determination.

Then she turned her burning gaze on Lexi, Berrok, and back to me. “Don’t worry so much about it, Soph. We’ll help you figure it out.”

17

SOPHIA

“Soph… Wake up…”

A faint voice was calling out for me, but I was sleeping too deeply to be stirred awake.

I wasn't sure how much later it was, but eventually, my eyes fluttered open to see the rising sun bathing my room in its golden light.

It reminded me of a spring morning rather than a winter one.

I suspended the belief for a little longer as I lay there in bed—the belief that we still had all the time in the world. But when my eyes, as if by themselves, slid to the thing on my bedside table, it became impossible to keep the illusion going.

My stomach roiled and throbbed as I watched the rosebud Helene had given me. It had already bloomed, and the petals were beginning to look wrinkled and drained of life.

I reached out for it, but I paused. I dared not touch it. Instead, I turned around and faced the other way. Only after doing that did I notice the long, beautiful dress hanging from my closet door.

Without anyone telling me, I knew exactly what it was. A ceremony dressed for the Binding of Souls. It was nowhere near as ornate as the previous one, but I didn’t care.

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