Page 55 of Bright Blinding Ruin

“Right. Of course. I should go.” His hand drops to his side, and he turns to walk away, but he doesn’t take a single step. A second passes, and then he turns toward me once more. Before I know it, he reaches for me and pulls me into his chest as he wraps his arms around me in a hug that catches me so off-guard, I can’t even avoid it.

“I know you don’t need it, but… go in power tomorrow, Rey,” he whispers against my head. “Go in power, beat Invictis, and come back in one piece. I need you to come back in one piece.” His arms tighten around me, and I can hear the pleading in his voice.

This man will be devastated if I don’t come back, if I don’t win.

Guess it’s a good thing I don’t plan on losing, then.

Frederick is slow to release me and take a step back, giving me some much needed space when it comes to him. I’m not dumb. I know what he was going to say earlier and what he’s dying to say now. I just…

I can’t hear it. I can’t do it right now. Me and feelings like that don’t really mix.

“Don’t you worry your pretty head,” I tell him with a grin, trying to break the seriousness of the air between us. “I’m gonna win this thing, Frederick. I have an ace up my sleeve.”

“I… don’t know what that means, and I won’t ask. I’ll go so you can get some sleep.” He bows his head as he whispers, “Go in power, my lady.” When he straightens out, we meet eyes, and I’d be lying if I say I don’t feel a certain way, hearing him say that.

Not thego in powerpart, but themy ladypart.

I’m not a lady. I mean, technically I am, but I’m not this world’s definition of a lady. A woman, sure. But a fancy lady with pretty clothes who commands everyone’s respect when she walks into a room? Not me. It’ll never be me.

But hearing Frederick say that… it’s kind of nice, not gonna lie.

I watch as Frederick leaves, and then I heave a sigh and crawl onto the bed. I think of the stakes, of what’ll happen if I lose—but I won’t. I know I won’t. It’s bizarre, but I’ve never felt more confident before. It’s like, after all this time, I’m finally accepting the truth.

My name is Aurelia Smith, and I’m here to kick ass and take names… and I’m all done taking names.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Walking through the city of Laconia while it’s still dark is odd. Eerie, almost. Creepy in a way I can’t describe. It reminds me of all those villages I saw and stayed in while traveling across the kingdom. There’s something uncanny about walking through a street and hearing not a thing, seeing not another living soul.

At least everyone in Laconia can follow directions. I’ll give them that. I was half-expecting some of them to refuse to listen and go about their lives like always.

But today isn’t just another day. Today’s the end.

I didn’t sleep as well as I hoped I would, but that’s okay. It let me wake up early, before sunrise, and that’s why I’m walking through the dark streets of Laconia’s upper district with nothing but the nighttime breeze at my back.

Down the main street, through the gates that separate the upper district from the markets. Down the stone steps, through the empty plaza. I ignore the memories that threaten to flash in my head, the ones of the day where Gladus sent magical soldiers on her behalf… the day when Prim got impaled.

In reality, it didn’t happen that long ago. It’s all so vivid in my head still, and I doubt those memories will ever truly fade. Some stay that way forever, too raw to ever heal.

Prim believed in me. She believed in me before anyone else, with every bit of her heart behind it. She had faith in me before I knew who I was, before I accepted the truth. That little girl believed in me before anyone knew what I was truly capable of.

For Prim. For my mom. For Gladus and Morimento and Morimento’s son. For everyone who got caught in the scourge, for everyone who died because their crops and livestock turned sour. For everyone who didn’t make it to today, for all the suffering those still living went through…

This is for them.

I walk through the slums, not stopping for anything. For the first time, I don’t have my trusty bag slung over my shoulders, nor do I have the Hilt of Storms. I don’t need it. The only thing I need for this battle is me.

I push out of the gates and step out onto the road heading out of the city, on the southern-facing hill. I walk a good ways, past a few abandoned farms and huts that were hit hard by the woes.

I should be nervous. I should feel anxious. My heart should be pounding a bit faster than what it is, but it’s not. I’m not nervous or anxious. The only thing I am is ready.

This was a long time coming. From the first high empress to Gladus, Morimento, and my mom; none could defeat Invictis on their own or even together. But I have something they didn’t—I am something they’re not.

I stop and stand on a cliffside and turn to face the sun rising in the distance. A small yellow ball of fire, it shimmers in the distance, ready to illuminate the world. I don’t know if it’s the same sun we have on earth. It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what’s about to happen.

All my life, I searched for a purpose. I wanted to make my dad proud and make a name for myself. Who knew that I had to fall into another world in order to do it? Now it’s not only my dad I want to make proud, but also my mom.

Krotas.

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