Page 45 of Beneath the Flames
“And…will you be helping me with these tasks, Rhydian?Sinceyou’rethe one who’s cursed after all?”
A funny look crossed his face, but I had no idea what it meant.
“If you’re already going to die, what’s the harm in helping menotdie?”I added.
“You think I’ll protect you?”He took a step closer to me, hands in his pockets.
I swallowed, surprised that I didn’t feel the need to back away from him.“You’ve already done so.”
“I only make mistakes once.”His low voice had a strange tone to it, like he didn’t entirely mean the words coming out of his mouth.Rhydian took another step closer, and a strange squeezing sensation filled my stomach.It was completely different from the fearful version that usually happened when I faced my father.
This was almost…pleasant.
No, it’s not.Cut it out, Maren.
I pushed the feeling away, determined to ignore whatever it was.Rhydian stood so close now that I had to lift my chin to meet his gold-ringed gaze.“I’ve offered to help you.Does that really make saving me a mistake?”
A crease formed between his brows as he thought about it for a few seconds.“I’ll let you know.”
And just like that, whatever foreign feeling had been invading my body disappeared as if a vat of ice water had splashed it away.
I was going to risk my life for someone who didn’t even appreciate it.The reminder was enough to strengthen my resolve.I had to get back to Mom and Lila and Joey.They needed me.For them I would climb a volcano.I would face whatever waited after that.I was going to set Rhydian, Nico, and Eroth free.
And then I was going to go home.
Nightmares roared through my mind relentlessly, ripping me down into their deep, desperate current.I fought against each wave, needing a chance to take a breath, but invisible hands held me beneath the tides.My insides burned, aching,dying.
And then whispered words had the chaos careening to a halt, everything narrowing to a single, shaky breath.
“We have to do something.”
Though I couldn’t see anything amidst the shadows, I instantly recognized the voice.Fury ripped like a flame through me, licking at my bones.
Kill them!Quickly!an internal voice demanded.
Golden magic filled my veins, eager to please, but no light would come forth.
“And what do you propose we do?It cannot be slayed.”A different voice.
The words were whispered in the dark, in a hidden room deep beneath the earth.It was a room I was unfamiliar with, one I hadn’t known existed.I watched from a corner, a secret observer in the shadows, witnessing something I never should have been privy to.
Suddenly, I knew what this nightmare was.This was the night the beast was bound, the night my kingdom was cursed.
Desperately, I lunged for my magic, but it would not answer, even though it thrashed and pushed; it, too, searching for a way out.How did I stop them?How did I stop something that hadalreadyhappened?A frustrated scream erupted from my throat, but no sound came out.
Ice crusted the walls, long crystals hanging from the ceiling, and the two females crouched in the shadows.The faint smell of sulfur laced the air, making it difficult to breathe.
The scuff of a boot on stone met my ear before they continued.“At least not slayed by us.”
“There must besomething.”
Rage, ancient and full of wrath, filled me to the brim, but still I could do nothing.My body wouldn’t respond.I was frozen in time, watching a moment in the past that had already destroyed everything come to pass once again.
The queens of the Pure Fae were conspiring against Eroth, against the Beast.
A long breath released into the dark before the harsh sound of flint hitting stone echoed in the chamber.The queens winced at the noise, but continued until a spark flared, igniting the small candle held aloft between them.They blinked against the sudden light which flickered under the weight of the suffocating cold air.
“If we can’t kill it, maybe we can trick it,” the Queen of Siris said.
