Page 52 of The Cruel Dawn
“Are you done with me now?” Jadon shouts from his cell.
Elyn and I ignore him as we continue to strategize.
“You’re here to show mercy, Kai,” Jadon shouts again. “To teach and protect and love. I just… I need you to love me like you love all those who rely on your protection and tenderness.”
Honey. That’s Jadon’s approach right now.
Because honey works when a hammer can’t.
14
Even though Zephar frowns at me, I keep glaring at the ceiling of our tent. My chin quivers, a sign that I’m moments from breaking. That would be the worst thing that could happen in a Sanctum of Mera warriors, Diminished or not.
I take a deep breath and hold the air in my chest.Don’t cry. Don’t whine. Don’t beg.I take in another deep breath and notice just how fragrant the air is here. Sweet figs and roasted dates. A fire crackles in the pavilion’s hearth as someone sings about their mighty blade. All of this sits just a stone’s throw away from me, and right now, I feel as far away from my life here as I did standing at that pond beside my father in Linione.
My return from the abbey had been so lovely, too. A new sarong made of soft pink silk had been draped across our bed—a gift from Zephar. The old tub had been replaced by a bigger tub made for two. Another gift from Zephar.
Now, though…
Shari sits at the tent’s entrance, her tail twitching, her eyes glinting. She pants, then holds her breath, pants, holds her breath. Anxious, which makes me anxious, too.
I glare at Zephar and ask, “What’s the point of going to Eaponys or anywhere else if the ultimate evil is roaming the realm? Therealtraitor, not the one you think is standing in front of you—”
“I didn’t call you a traitor,” he spits. “I’d never call you—”
“Therealtraitor,” I continue, “is now creating stronger otherworldly that can’t be killed. Again, I saw that creature at the sea reanimate right in front of me, Zee.” I run my hands through my hair, then ask, “Do you think I was happy to hear that Vallendor will no longer exist if I don’t kill Danar Rrivae by the nightstar’s full ascent?”
Zephar sets his hands on his hips and turns away from me. “So what am I supposed to do while you’re out saving the realm? Since your father refuses to grantmeSpryte? Since I’m no longer allowed to go beyond Doom Desert province?”
“Please continue to prepare for war,” I say. “Fortifying not only Gasho and the small settlements around the desert, but also the Sanctum. This fight will have no boundaries.”
“And Eaponys?” he asks. “Will you grant me some freedom—?”
“Father didn’t give me the power to lessen anyone’s sentence.”
That may or may not be true, but I don’t want Zephar and the Diminished wandering the realm beyond Doom Desert.
“I’ll be back to help with Eaponys,” I say, touching his back again but feeling nothing—no desire, no angst. “We may need to pass through it to reach Danar Rrivae’s hiding place.”
Shari paces from the entrance and over to me, back to the entrance and back to me. Her fur spikes as she tucks her tail between her hind legs.
I squint at her. “She’s upset.”
Zephar looks over at his wolf. “Because you’re leaving again. She hates it when you go.”
I stare into the wolf’s golden eyes. “I’m sorry, Shari-My-Love.”
“No.”
I startle. Did she say “no” or did I…? My amulet vibrates against my skin, and now, it shines with a barely there glow. I look back at Zephar. “There will be plenty of fighting and destroying in the coming days. I promise you that.”
He rolls his eyes and folds his arms.
“Do you think this has been easy for me?” I shout, throwing my hands up.
He says nothing.
“I asked you a question,” I ask, louder.
