Page 44 of The Ascended
He paused at the base of a sweeping staircase that curved up into shadow, turning back just enough to deliver his parting shot. "I simply couldn't care less."
Then he was gone, and moments later a door slammed somewhere in the upper reaches of the castle, the sound echoing through the cavernous space like a death knell.
Wonderful. Just wonderful.
I stood there in the middle of that vast entrance hall, surrounded by servants who couldn't quite meet my eyes, feeling like I'd been slapped. No—worse than slapped. Erased. Made invisible.
"I can show you to your quarters," one of the Shadowkin servants said meekly, clutching one of Xül's discarded shoes to her chest.
I stared at the empty staircase, rage building in me like a tide. Icouldn't believe this. Just because I wasn't his first choice—just because he'd wanted my brother instead of me—didn't mean I wasn't worth his time. I quite literally pulled down the stars and forged them into a gods-damned sword, for fucks sake.
And he was treating me like an inconvenience. Like something he'd been forced to accept against his will.
It didn't matter. If I had to teach myself, I would. If I had to figure out how to survive in this realm on my own, then that's what I'd do. At least here, for the first time in my life, I could use my powers without restraint. There was no need to hide, no reason to hold back. There was no telling what I might be capable of when I wasn't constantly swallowing my own fire.
The gown suddenly felt suffocating—flowing gauze and metallic plating designed to make me look like something I wasn't. Something delicate.
Fuck that.
Ignoring the servant's increasingly frantic offers to escort me to my chambers, I turned on my heel and pushed back through the heavy doors. Enjoy the amenities? Alright. The iron gates were still open, and I walked through them without hesitation, making my way back down to the shore.
I clawed at the fastenings of my gown until the entire thing fell in a pool around my feet. The metallic pieces hit the sand with small, musical sounds, and the gauzy fabric billowed in the strange wind that whistled past me. I stood there in nothing but silk undergarments.
Then I tore those off too.
And I walked straight into the ocean.
The water stung with a bone-deep coldness. It tasted of salt and metal and what might have been magic itself. I embraced the shock of it, the way it drove the breath from my lungs and made my heart race. I dove under the next wave and let the silence underwater soothe the raw edges of my fury.
No voices down here. No expectations or golden eyes judging myworth. No gods deciding my fate without bothering to consult me. Only the muffled sound of my own heartbeat and the pressure of water against my skin, washing away the last traces of perfume and the paint they’d slathered across my face until I was just... me. Thais from Saltcrest, who'd grown up diving for pearls and racing her brother through surf that tried to drag us both under.
I stayed beneath the waves until my lungs burned, surfacing only to dive again. And again.
A wild, dangerous freedom hummed in my chest. I floated on my back, staring up at those distant points of light, and for once, I didn't fight the power humming beneath my skin. I didn't force it down or lock it away. Instead, I reached for it.
The stars answered. They brightened one by one, their light intensifying until the darkened sky paled beneath their brilliance. I spread my arms wide in the water, feeling the connection between me and those distant celestial things.
When I finally made my way back to shore, my hair hanging in dark ropes down my back and droplets clinging to my skin, the distant moon cast silver reflections across the black sand. As I bent to retrieve my discarded garments, movement caught my eye.
A silhouette framed in one of the castle's high windows.
A shiver ran through me. I straightened slowly, water still dripping from my hair, and looked directly up at that window. At him.
Because it was him. Even from this distance, even with shadows obscuring his features, I knew it was Xül.
I could have covered myself. Could have snatched the dress and hidden behind it.
Instead, I stood there and let him look.
Let him see exactly what he'd chosen—not some biddable girl who would bow and scrape and beg for his attention, but someone who would meet his gaze without flinching.
Eventually, I began my walk back toward the castle. My bare feet left prints in the dark sand, and I could feel his eyes tracking my movement with every step.
The servant from before was waiting by the iron gates, wringing her hands. She immediately averted her eyes when she saw my state of undress, her pale cheeks flushing.
"I guess you can show me my room now," I said, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. How utterly unashamed.
She nodded frantically and led me through the castle's winding corridors, past stone statues and doorways that led to rooms full of shadows.
