Page 112 of Beneath the Flames
“Is this about the others?”I asked.
He came to a sudden stop, eyes flashing.
“If you think that makes you a monster, Rhydian, then you need to think again.”
“I killed them.All of them.”
I shook my head.“Were you telling the truth that Carrow tortured them?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed.A single nod.
“Then it sounds to me like you ended their suffering.Carrow was the monster, not you.”
“I kidnapped dozens of humans, and it led to their horrible deaths.How can you not think I’m a monster?”
“Okay, yes, the kidnapping isn’t great, but sometimes, desperation breaks and twists all of us into something we were never meant to be.I might not like that you did it, but I understandwhyyou did.”
Rhydian scoffed, as if my words were foolish.
“Just…tell me what to do,” I pleaded.“How do we stop this?”
Rhydian resumed walking, ignoring my plea.What did I have to do to get him to be honest with me?
Maybe I could ask Nico—
“Just leave it alone, Maren.”The sadness in his voice stopped me like a cold bucket of water dumped over my head.He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair again.“I will…” He hesitated, biting his lip, as if the words he was about to speak were painful.“I will do my very best to find a way to send you home.Before the last petal falls.I’ll ask Carrow to open the portal if I have to.You don’t deserve this fate.Eroth’s fate.”He didn’t need to addhis fate.“You’ve done enough.”
“But—”
A wave of his hand cut me off.Rhydian turned and walked away.“Don’t follow me.”
***
My dreams were fitful and restless, and I woke up every hour drenched in sweat that night.Dreams of different kinds of beasts haunted me, laying waste to Eroth before coming for me.
In my dreams, I tried to stop each beast.I screamed myself hoarse, tried bargaining with the monsters, even offered myself as a sacrifice if only it would leave Eroth and the rest of Avalea alone.
Nothing would quench each beast’s bloodlust.They appeared to only desire power and destruction.They wanted no part of me.It had a sinking feeling settling in my gut, though I wasn’t entirely sure why.
The dreams—nightmares—kept coming, and after the sixth one I gave up on sleep for the night, the sheets and blanket utterly drenched in sweat.
I stared at the ceiling in the dark, feeling the breath pool in front of me despite the dying fire in the fireplace.Rhydian’s magic must have weakened even more for it to be so cold inside the castle.It had always been cold, but notthiscold.
An ember popped, making me jump.
Calm down, Maren.You’re safe.Everything is fine.
I tried to reassure myself, but I knew it was a lie.If Carrow could just waltz right into the castle, I wasnotsafe.If Rhydian’s magic was weak enough that the very air was so frigid it stole the breath from my lungs, everything wasnotfine.
A shiver settled into my bones, and I silently cursed the damp sheets, which weren’t helping matters.
A soft whispering made me freeze.I strained my ears, listening for it again when a quiet voice sounded through the door.
“Are you awake, Maren?”
It was Nico.
With a wince, I slid from the damp bed, donned a thick robe, and opened the door to find a dejected Nico.Despite the cold, he wasn’t wearing any extra layers, though his breath clouded the air between us as he sighed.
