Page 114 of A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty

My heart thumped erratically, my stomach tumbled, and my knees went a little weak. I wanted to drag him below deck and have my way with him.

Would it always be this way between us?

His eyes met mine, sharpening with dark promise, and I forced myself to glance away.

We were in the open water now, and Lorian’s winds began to calm, the glyphs taking over and wielding the natural winds.

Across the ship, Rythos was staring into the water, his shoulders hunched. He was surrounded by friends and family, and yet in this moment, he looked alone. I knew what that was like. I’d spent my life feeling alone in my village. Taking stumbling steps across the ship, I made my way to him, my stomach already churning.

“Lorian told me you get seasick,” he murmured. “This part won’t last long.”

I had no idea what he meant by “this part” since we were days from the hybrid kingdom. But I nodded anyway. The others wandered away, while Lorian stopped to speak quietly to Galon.

“You could have used your power on everyone who saw you arrive at that island,” I said.

“You could have as well.”

I reared back. Should I have…

He put his hand on my arm. “Relax, Prisca. I would have asked if I thought we needed your help. I was prepared to involve you if the worst happened. My cousin would have warned us.”

I thought back to her strange smile and the way she’d just watched us, as if fascinated by our stupidity. “Truly?”

He laughed. “Yes. Oh, she would have made me pay for it. But my cousin is still loyal.” His smile faded. “Think about what you would do if we were all captured by Regner. How you would do anything to keep your friends safe.”

My heart pounded at the thought, and Rythos nodded at me. “That feeling is what I can create. It’s not just that peoplelikeme. It’s that they think I’m their friend. And when I pull that power away, it’s as if they’ve suddenly lost a deep, trusting friendship. As they come to their senses, they feel the betrayal that one feels when they realize they never really knew their friend at all. And that friend has been lying to them from the moment they met.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“That your power doesn’t feel good to use.”

He looked vaguely amused. “Your power rips your body apart. I’ve seen your face covered in blood when you stretch time for too long.”

“Yes, but it’s different. There are no long-lasting effects…unless I leave someone dead, of course.”

He laughed at that. We were silent for a long moment. My stomach twisted, and I took a moment to focus on the horizon and breathe through it.

“It helps that I’ve experienced that feeling,” Rythos said into the silence. “I’ve lived with that emptiness. When my father disowned me, most of my so-called friends turned their backs on me. All except Fendrel. I was no longer close to power in their eyes anymore.”

“They didn’t deserve you.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Thank you.”

He said the words, but I could tell he didn’t truly believe me. His family and friends had turned their backs on him all those years ago, and he was still wounded from it.

I met his eyes. “I think the true measure of someone is not how much power they have, but how they choose to wield that power. You choose not to make anyone feel the way you felt. If you’d been a small person, you could have lashed out. You could have used your power on them and then left.”

“Don’t think I didn’t consider it. Besides, most of our power was also taken when Lorian’s uncle…”

“Something tells me you would have wielded whatever you had,” I said wryly, and he laughed.

I watched him. I hadn’t realized until today just how much power Rythos had. “Your father didn’t just disown you because you chose to go work with Lorian, did he?”

“No. Even with the little power I had left, I was a threat to his rule. And to my brother. It didn’t matter that I didn’t want to rule on that island. They knew that if I changed my mind, I could turn the council on them with a smile and a few words. My power was too dangerous.Iwas too dangerous. Because I could overthrow them.”

“But you were his son. You told him you didn’t want the throne.”

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