Page 85 of Beneath the Flames
“Rhydian, I’m not leaving—”
“Nico.”
The poor boy was trembling, his hands in fists at his sides.
I sighed, drawing in a steadying breath, hating that I had to do this to him.
“Nico, I couldn’t bear it if you found the same fate as the others did.I couldn’t stand the thought of you bearing the same fate asmine.You don’t deserve the curse.You don’t deserve what’s coming.”Though it was a lie, I added, “Perhaps you’ll be reunited with your parents.”
He tried to hide it, but I saw the burst of hope that flickered over his face.
“Promise me that you’ll leave when the time comes.I need to know that you will survive, that you’ll be safe.”
Nico hesitated, his eyes moving back and forth over my face.“I don’t want to leave you.”
I pulled him back into my arms to hide the tears that were now sliding down my face.Nico had been like a little brother to me.He’d been all I’d had for years.I despised the thought of sending him away, but I hated the thought of him dying for me even more.He was the closest thing I had to family, and I would not see him suffer any longer because of me.
“I know,” I said, trying to hide my sniffle.“But this is forthe best.You deserve tolive, Nico.I need you to live.”
I lost track of how much time had passed while we stood there, but eventually Nico wiped at his nose and pulled away from me.
“Okay, Rhydian.When the time comes, I will leave.”
Relief swelled like a crashing wave, consuming me, but I only let it linger for a few moments before I nodded, pulling myself together.
“Good.”I cleared the remaining emotion from my throat.“Now, go check on Maren.Make sure she has enough warm clothes, and bring her as much food as you can carry.She needs it.”
Nico nodded eagerly and raced to the door, his feet padding against the cold tile.
He stopped, looking back at me.“Rhydian?”
“Yes?”
“I know you don’t think she’ll break the curse.I know you think it’s hopeless.But I’m still hoping.”
Before I could respond, he left my chambers, leaving me stunned.
Me too, Nico.Me too.
By the time Rhydian knocked on my door at moon rise, I was bursting to get started on the second task.It was amazing what a few hours of sleep and a stomach full of food could do.Growing a seed in dead soil might have looked impossible, but I was determined to make it happen.I followed him through the castle halls in silence, neither of us mentioning our conversation the night before, content to sweep it under the rug like it never happened.
“So, one problem here,” I said, staring up at the moons where they infuriatingly hadn’t moved, hands resting on my hips.“There’s no sunlight.Flowers need sunlight to grow.”I raised my hands toward the dark, starless night.“How is anything supposed to grow here?”
Rhydian shoved his hands into his pockets.“That’s the beauty of Eroth’s plants.They thrive by moonlight alone.Perhaps a long time ago, it was true that sunlight was needed,but the plants here learned to adapt, growing and swelling with the rises and falls of the moons.”
I stared at Rhydian as if he had grown two heads.“Right.Rises and falls of the moons.”Barely suppressing an eyeroll, I knelt down to the frozen ground and pulled off the gloves Nico had scrounged up for me before we came outside.We were in what used to be a garden area at the west end of the castle, though it was so barren and overrun with thorny vines that I questioned if anything had ever grown here.
The ground was hard as a rock as I poked my fingers into it, trying to figure out what the soil consisted of.Back home in Minnesota, most of our farm soil was clay, but other areas were sandier and that always made growing things tricky because water would drain away from the crops.If we didn’t stay on top of keeping them watered, they always died.
That prompted a thought.“Wait.It’s absolutely freezing here.Why is there no snow?”There had been some when Rhydian first brought me here through that portal thing—my toes had nearly frozen to death because of it—but that had been up on a mountain.Down here by the castle, there was none.
“Snow mostly falls on the mountaintops now.The valleys remain in constant drought.”
I blinked several times.“And you didn’t think to mention this to me?”
“You said you were confident you could get a flower to grow.”
“You didn’t tell me the land was in a drought.”
