Page 93 of The Ruler
“Then where is your tolerance now? Why is it that you’re not curious to meet the man that makes me happy?”
“He’s the ruler of the Northlands,” she said as if that was explanation enough.
“If you think you’re any better than him, then I want you to consider what you’re doing right now. You’re using your power to control and ruin other people’s lives. The very thing you’re accusing him of.”
“You have a right to feel that way,” she said in that oh-so-mature way that suddenly made me resent her.
“And the worst part is,” I said, “that you think this will bring me back to you when the truth is that you just pushed me away.”
“I’m not pushing you away, I’m doing what any mother would do to protect her child.”
“I’m not a child.” This time I was sneering. “I’m a grown woman with free will. And you’re imposing your fears and ill-informed judgments on me.”
“Clearly you have changed,” my mother said.
“Clearly I have. It’s called personal growth and you should try it.”
I ended the call without any polite wishes of peace. In the Northlands a person was allowed to be angry and I was seriously pissed at both my mom, the council, and Khan for making decisions on my behalf.
Kya’s words about my being a warrior came back to me again. She was right. I had fought battles using words and reason my whole life, trained to think strategically and put my ego aside for the sake of fairness for all. But this time I was fueled by something else. This time I was going to battle against every ruler in the world, defending my right to make my own choices. I would play the council’s game and go back to face them to avoid the sanctions, but when I opened my mouth to speak, I would be speaking for only one person.Me!
CHAPTER 21
The Ruler’s Nightmare
Khan
It was almost ten o’clock when I walked back to our suite. After turning my options over with my closest group of friends, my mission was clear. I would pretend that I hadn’t received word from the council because I didn’t want Pearl to feel guilty about choosing us over our countries. I would also make sure that we were married within the next twenty-four hours, since the idea that someone or something could get between us scared me. Maybe then the council would see that Pearl and I were serious about each other.
Opening the door, I was surprised to see the room empty. Pearl wasn’t in the bathroom either so I called her, but got no reply.
“Boulder,” I said when I met him on my way to the garden. “Did you see Pearl?”
“No, I’m looking for Christina.”
“All right, they probably went for a walk,” I guessed and with a hand shielding the morning sun, I walked out on the large patio and scouted around the large park to search for them.
Magni came out, chewing on an apple. “Any of you pussies up for some sparring?” he asked.
“We’re looking for Pearl and Christina,” I told him with annoyance in my voice. “Have you seen them?”
“Nope.” He turned back and shouted over his shoulder. “Hey, Finn, come out here.”
Finn came out carrying a plate of food, with his mouth stuffed. “What?” he mumbled and stopped when he saw Boulder. “Didn’t you just leave?” Finn pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
“No,” Boulder said and then his face scrunched up into a mask of horror. “FUCK!!!”
Boulder pushed Finn out of the way, making him lose his plate, and I followed right behind seeing Boulder sprint through the house and out the front entrance to the courtyard.“Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!”he shouted and picked up a stone, throwing it as far as he could.
“What’s wrong?” Finn asked behind me but I saw it right away.
“Your hybrid!”
“Call it back,” Magni ordered from the entrance, and Boulder tried before he stomped his foot and roared out his anger. “It’s on manual.”
Magni ran down the three steps and pushed into Boulder’s personal space. “How does a Momsi know how to fly your hybrid?”
“Because he taught Christina,” I said bitterly, remembering Boulder’s confession to bartering with Christina.
