Page 22 of Beneath the Flames
“But maybe if you—”
“That’s enough, Nico,” I snapped, my temper flaring white hot.“There is nothing to be done.I won’t even attempt it this time.Even if she doesn’t meet the same fate as all the others, the curse will remain until the magic that keeps the Scorching Rivers of Eroth at bay fades away, and then we will face death.All of us.That’s our future.It would do you well to remember it—accept it.”
Nico looked like he wanted to argue, with his mouth set in a firm line and a crease between his brows, but he remained silent.He was smart; he had learned better than to argue with me.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
Nico put down the stoker with a clang and stormed out of the room, though he was careful not to let the door slam.The decades had not been kind to this castle, and without the fulluse of my magic, there was nothing I could do but watch as my domain slowly crumbled into ruins.
The old me wouldn’t have cared about this castle falling into disrepair.But after years of being stuck here…I’d grown attached to it, much to my dismay.
Nico’s words haunted me long after he left my chambers.
Would truth be a mercy to the girl?If I somehow found a way to explain about the curse would that make anything better?Or would she realize she was dying for a lost cause—for no good reason?
No, Nico was wrong.The truth wasn’t a mercy.Death was death, no matter how it happened.The girl would hate me, just like all the others, and then she would be gone.
The ones who placed this curse had a twisted sense of humor.
Get a human girl to fall in love with me?The monster of their nightmares?
Yeah.Right.
The only truth was that my fate would one day match her own.
When the curse finished devouring my magic, all of Eroth would be destroyed, sinking into the depths of the Scorching Rivers beneath it.
I’d never been so cold in my life.
Even with the plethora of sticks and wood next to the fireplace, I hadn’t been able to get a fire going that might have provided some relief from the chill air.Instead, I put on the warmest clothes I could find in the closet—thankfully whatever poor soul had been here before me was the same size—and shoved myself beneath the blankets on the bed.And yet I couldn’t stop shivering.
The cold was like a living, breathing thing.It crept along the walls and floors, seeping beneath the covers and digging its claws into my skin.I even tried putting a bunch of lit candles next to the bed, hoping it would warm the air around me, but it appeared the air itself sucked the heat from the flames before I could even enjoy an ounce of warmth.
I never thought I’d miss the heat and humidity at home.
Home.
Tears welled in my eyes.I wanted to go home.Desperately.Missing my family was a deep ache that made my bones hurt.What were they doing now?Had my father hurt them?Maybe my disappearance was enough to spur my mom to finally take them and leave again, though that was probably wishful thinking.
Another shiver quaked my body, bringing me back to the present.The cold was enough that it kept me firmly inside my room all night long, my body shaking too much to even try to walk around, as much as I wanted to.At one point, panic had consumed me so completely that I nearly let myself walk right out the castle doors, into the winter tundra beyond to try to find a way home.
The urge to run, to get away, was like a jolt of electricity through my body.And yet every time I tried to move toward the door, to escape, the cold felt so heavy I could barely move a muscle.All I could do was stay in bed, shivering beneath the blankets.
I had no idea what hour it was since the entire time I’d been here it had remained dark outside.Was there no such thing as the sun?It was just those two infernal moons that hadn’t moved in hours.
It could have been the middle of the night or midmorning for all my shaking body knew.I had finally succumbed to a fitful sleep when a knock came at the door, forcing me awake again.My eyes burned, blinking against the dark.
I assumed it was either Nico or Rhydian since I hadn’t seen anyone else yet, but in either case, I had no interest in talking to them.
Clearly that didn’t matter because a moment later, Rhydian opened the door—the door I hadlocked—and came inside.
I bolted upright in bed.The words “Get out” sat on my tongue, but instinct had my lips pressing together.My mouthwent dry, and I tried to swallow but it was impossible.Words stuck in my throat, and I had the sudden sense that I was in grave danger in his presence.
That fearful, submissive side of me clawed her way to the surface, the same as when I’d faced my father’s abuse.
I finally swallowed the lump and managed to croak, “Please leave.”My fingers twisted into the blanket that I held to my chest.
