Page 102 of Kingdom of Rot & Ruin
It was noisy in the cave—that was odd. It had been quiet before, hadn’t it?
“What the fuck is—oh. Zephyr. Here you are.”
I giggled a bit, waving my glowing hand in front of my face and momentarily illuminating hers. Her nose wrinkled at me, and she lowered her own torch.
“You look like a goddamn candle. Where is Nisar? What did youdo?” Her voice grew increasingly more distressed with each question, but I couldn’t be bothered to care. Couldn’t she feel the power like I could, racing through my veins and setting my blood on fire? I could rule the world, I could do anything?—
“ZEPHYR!”
“What?” I shot back, my smile fading somewhat. What was she so upset about? No one liked Nisar. I felt the same as I did that one night when I’d drank too much wine. But better. So, so much better …
SLAP.
“Snap out of it! You’re covered in blood! Tell me what happened!”
My cheek stung, but it was nothing more than a mild irritation; nothing really when compared to the high, floaty feeling …
SMACK. SMACK. SMACK.
“Stop it!” A rush of magick rushed out of me slamming Shava against the cave wall. She hit hard, the air rushing out of her lungs as she hit with an audible WHUMPF.
I should help her up. I shouldcare. I liked Shava, after all. But it was nearly impossible to dredge up any concern; it was almost like there was a vacant spot in my heart where the emotion would have once been.
Shava staggered to her feet, one hand held out in surrender.
“No, never mind. I don’t want to know what you did to him. I know you didsomethingwith your bloodmagick and sorcery! The magick is changing you.”
I scoffed. Impossible. I had everything under control.
“Maybe everyone around me is the reason I am the way I am,” I bit out.
Shava laughed in my face. “Oh, yes. You poor, pampered little palace brat. Your life was so goddamn hard.” Her face turned serious. “Your hardships don’t determine your path in life. The choices you make after are what define you.”
She wasn’t making any sense, but when had she ever?
One thing was clear, though; I wasn’t stopping.
“Have you come here to scold me like a child?” I sneered.
She blinked, taken aback. “I wasworried, you idiot. It’s been six hours since you disappeared with Nisar. I had Zariah bring me here to look for you both.”
Six hours? That couldn’t be right. Surely the ritual hadn’t taken that long.
Her large eyes bored into mine, full of fear and sincerity. Something inside of me cracked. The hard, frosty interior I’d been clinging to thawed slightly, and more a moment I let myself dream.
“Why are your eyes glowing? Zeph?”
I heard her, but the words didn’t register. What would it be like to have someone who truly cared about me? There was nothing in it for Shava—I was a hunted fugitive like her. That meant her care was genuine.
She cared for me, just as I had realized I cared for her.
The girl will hold you back from reaching your potential.
A tangible force inside of me rose against the burning magick, fighting back. My thoughts cleared and a small, childlike wish left in its wake.
“Promise me you’ll stop this, Z. It scares me. Or if you won’t stop, can we research it together? I know I can’t read, but I could help.”
Her offer shook me. Unlike my fellow scribes, she wasn’t offering to help as a bid to glean and share knowledge; she was doing it because she wanted to help me.
