Page 15 of A Kingdom of Shadows

She also tells me that so I can make friends.

Except I can never make friends.

Only my brothers are my friends.

Maybe this boy can be my friend now, but he still looks scared... hesitant even.

"Does that mean you are not kind?" At last, he replies.

Although his question irritates me. "Of course, I am." I lift my chin up with confidence, then drop it slightly. "Well, only when I want to be."

His lip twitches into a smile, and I frown, wondering why I have never seen him here before. I've visited this village hundreds of times with my mother.

"How old are you?" I step forward, but he takes a skittish step back. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me," I amend and stick my hand out, hoping he will see I'm nothing of the evil sort. "I'm six."

His eyes dart toward my hand, blinking with uncertainty on whether he should take it or not.

"My hand doesn't bite." I smile. "Unless you provoke it."

That earns a small laugh out of him, and he accepts it, though he quickly frowns when I shake him with enough force that his arm flails up and down.

He goes quiet again, making me open up my other palm to show him my marble. "It's Solaris and Crello marbles, see." I point to his hand, and he looks at it.

Mine has a sun crested inside it, and his, a crescent moon shape.

"Do you believe in them?" I ask, and he stares at his hand for a while, perhaps a little too long.

"I—" he considers his words for a moment. "—Believe that—"

The memory fades into nothing before it can finish, and my mind fills with a sense of terror as new memories—ones I do remember, pop up.

Too well.

Kill it, or you leave me no choice but to set forth a punishment.

No... no.

Lorcan was the first to get bitten by me, the one to stay strong, shift, unlike me and everyone else down here, who are weakening by the day.

Something heavy floods my chest. I thrash against the heavyweight of water, but spindly hands wrap around my ankle.

Tell Darius to go after his wish.

You can tell him yourself.

Why should the queen take an interest in you? You'll end up just like your father.

Voices... images overlap, and I want to yell; I want to cover my ears to stop it.

So, let me ask you again, the Golden Thief or me?

You used me just how everyone else seems to.

After all, you're right. I do think of you only as an asset to me.

Asset to me.

Asset to me.

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