Page 126 of The Divide that Binds Us

“If you weren’t so busy being creepy and weird, you’d know I have zero time to do that.”

She nods, losing the smile.“Hmm, I see.”

“Mildred.”I close some of the gap between us, opening my arms.“You want to go to Naven by destroying Zeala.You’re risking so much, for what?”

“My heart is with the people, always for the people.Naven is an alternate world full of bliss and prosperity foreveryone.We are owed that world now more than ever because the Light will come and strike Zeala again.”

“And when that happens the Superiors will have a plan in place to keep everyone safe.You must trust them,” I say.

Mildred’s derisive smile returns.“Do you trust them?”

Wind passes as I consider the question.It’s tough when the world fell apart from the Era of Chaos and divided into six islands, and I haven’t always said the nicest things about them.

“I do.”

“So, why haven’t the Superiors stopped me after all this time?Surely everything I’m doing is frowned upon and punishable by death,” Mildred chortles, steepling her hands.She casually sways over to the left, so I move to my left until we end up circling each other.The wind is behind me, sending massive blows of icy air through my bones.

“I...uh, I—”

“If the Superiors aren’t stopping me, then do not fret.I’m doing the right thing by ensuring happiness is given to everyone in Naven.I was chosen.My vision for the future is bright.”

“Mildred,” I pause, wondering what non-cliché thing I can say so I don’t sound like a character from a movie or book.

Visions of Evangeline’s smile cloud my thoughts.I miss her beaming over vegetarian options in the cafeteria, or throwing her arms around my shoulders, or arguing with Billie until she’s splotchy red in the face.She always used us to hoist herself up since she’s too short to see and we’d giggle and let her.

What if Spirit Users die because of this?I can’t take that chance, no matter what the hell the Superiors are doing.

I stare her down.“I know about Nancy.”

A crack in Mildred’s smug expression.A twitch ofsomething.

“I know about Peter Reid.I’m sorry for your loss,” she says.“I miss Nancy the way you miss your father.”

My heart quakes as I gulp, trying to stay strong.Five years later and I’m still not over his death.To hell with Ultima and Cedric.

“Look, it’s obvious you hate Spirit Users, and this directly affects them.I have a friend—”

“Evangeline Springtown, the treeling,” Mildred finishes, eyes narrowing in on my vulnerability.Skylar’s presence rustles within me.Doubt simmers in my blood.“I don’t hate Spirit Users, but they’re too emotional for me, so I’ve only had a select few by my side.I want everyone to be happy, even you, dear Alice Reid.”

“M-Me?”

Mildred opens her arms with a huge messy smile spread across her face.Her hair whips and claws at her high cheekbones.

“Of course.You think what I’m doing is crazy?There are slaughterhouses on each island that quietly disposes dragons on a regular schedule, and I don’t mean the sick ones with euthanasia.It’s a dirty secret in the monarchy that lives long and strong.None of the rulers associate with it, so they turn their backs and let others handle it.A fun way to ‘control’ the world.It’s great for blackmail; only downside is I can’t use them or I’ll lose my leverage.”

Skylar’s stillness worries me, but so does accepting Mildred’s words as the absolute truth.What kind of person would I be to let this happen?

“But if a lot of dragons lived, there’d be an abundance of life, growth, and prosperity,” I counter, clenching my fists.My jaw shuts firmly, quivering wrath clawing up my throat.

“Sure, this made sense pre-Era of Chaos, but now?Monarchs love when other islands depend on them, and theylovewhen their citizens need them.Prosperity for all means no gain for the greedy.”Mildred glowers at me with a sarcastic pout.“This all doesn’t mean a thing if the Light still strikes and kills a whole island.This vision is real.”

My blood anxiously boils over thinking about the slaughterhouses, the monarchs, Naven, Superiors—all of it.

“My purpose is multilayered as you may have realized, but my main concern is giving everyone a happier life with no strings attached.Spirit Users can be Spirit Users with however much power they want, and everyone else can thrive and be happy in eternal bliss with no pain, no death, and reuniting with lost ones.Dragons are welcomed in Naven and will not carry the burden of holding all of life within them like they do on Zeala.”

My hands twitch for the need to snap and summon Skylar, but the weight of this information is also throbbing in my head.“You can’t possibly know all of this and no one else.This is absurd!”

“You believe I’m the villain in your story.”Mildred frowns, crossing her arms with her feet planted shoulder-width apart.She stares wide-eyed and unblinking with a blank face, ready and set to kill.“That’s unfortunate.You’re debating on whether to summon your companion, but I’ll murder all the dragons right now if you do.”

---