Page 44 of Heartless Enemy

“He became bitter after that,” I continued. “Saying that he had paid a lot of money for me when I brought nothing in return. So I offered to help create things from metal that already existed. To lessen his workload. He agreed to that, and taught me how to craft perfect blades and tools and equipment.” I nodded towards Eve’s hip. “It’s how I knew how to make that sword for you.”

Her gaze darted down to the blade at her hip. Then her eyes met mine again. Questions swirled in there. I swallowed, and then pressed on.

“However, because I could simply shape the metal in whatever way I wanted instead of having to forge it like a normal person, I became too skilled. Customers started praising only me. Wanting only me to fashion their items.” I heaved another sigh. “And that made him even more bitter. And jealous. And angry.”

Grabbing Eve’s hand, I led her through the messy workshop and towards one of the back rooms. Panic pulsed furiously inside me as I approached it. But I forced myself to repeat over and over in my head that I was not ten years old anymore. I was the Dark Mage King of Malgrave.Iheld the power now.

I released Eve’s hand as we reached the plain wooden door. Then I stopped.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t bring myself to open the door. But then I dragged in a strained breath and shoved it open.

“He started punishing me then,” I continued. “For anything and everything. Imagined slights that were nothing more than excuses to make himself feel better by showing me that I was nothing compared to him. That my skills with metal manipulation were nothing. Because he stillownedme.”

Next to me, Eve had gone still as a statue. All color had drained from her face as she stared into the room, and I knew that she had already figured it out. But I spoke the words anyway, because I needed to say it.

“And he punished me by locking me insidethat.” I nodded towards a wooden crate.

It was barely more than a large box made of thick wood. Now, as an adult, I wouldn’t even fit inside it. I had barely fit inside it that final year when I was fifteen and my shoulders had become broad.

There were no openings except for the slab of wood that worked as a door, which was closed. The thick bar across it was still in place. Air could just barely seep in through some cracks at the joints, but no light.

Everything inside me screamed in panic as I looked at that awful fucking box.

The madness in me surged up, pounding at my restraints and begging to be let loose so that it could slaughter everything and everyone again.

“He forced you intothat,” Eve said. There was a lethal edge to her voice now. “And locked you in.”

It wasn’t really a question, but I answered anyway because it helped distract the insanity inside me. “Yes.”

“For how long?”

“At first, he did it for a couple of hours at a time. As punishment. But then…” I forced out a long breath to calm the storm inside me. “Back then, I thought that he really was punishing me for making mistakes. So I threw everything into getting better. Into becoming the perfect metalsmith. But the better I became, the angrier he got. And the more he punished me. Eventually, he started locking me in there every night.”

Eve’s gaze snapped to me. Wildfire rage roared in those normally so sparkling brown eyes. “For how long?” she growled again.

“Years. He brought the box home for the first time when I was nine. And from ten to about fifteen, I spent every night inside it.” I swallowed as shame twisted inside my chest. “I begged and pleaded every time. Begged for him not to put me in there. Begged for him to let me out. Begged for mercy.”

Winds howled around the stone house like starving wolves. I dragged my gaze back to the wooden crate that had been my hell for so many years.

“The panic of being trapped in that small dark space so often and for so long chipped away at my sanity. Made me slowly lose my mind. Until it finally… snapped.”

Pulling the door shut, I let out a long exhale and turned back to the messy workshop instead. Eve was flexing her fingers repeatedly but turned around as well.

“One night, when he started dragging me towards that room to lock me in again, the terror and panic inside me just became too much.” I slid my gaze over the dark bloodstains. “My consciousness retreated into a safe corner deep inside my mind to protect myself, and the pure animalistic survival instincts inside me took over. I slaughtered him.”

My gaze drifted to a large stain in the middle of the room. Eve followed my gaze.

“And I didn’t justkillhim. Idismemberedhim. I summoned my magic and hacked him to pieces.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “Or so I assume. When that haze of rage and terror and panic cleared from my mind, I woke up in a pool of blood with severed limbs scattered all around me. That’s when I realized how powerful I really was. And that’s when I decided that I would never be at someone else’s mercy again. I would never be locked up and terrified again. And no one would ever take this power from me.”

I let out a humorless laugh that seemed to echo against the stone walls. Wood scraped as I kicked a broken stool away.

“So then I summoned a sword, hacked off his head, and mounted it on a spike outside the building as a warning.” I shrugged. “I assume that’s why they built a new smithy and left this cursed building to rot.”

Our boots had created faint imprints in the age-old dust and grime that covered the floor. I scoffed.

“And then I left. Went to Malgrave. Formed my own gang. Killed and threatened and blackmailed and honed my skills until the mere mention of my name made people tremble. Then I destroyed the Blade of Equilibrium so that no one could ever make me helpless again. And the rest after that, you already know.”

Silence descended over the damaged room. A whole host of emotions swirled behind my ribcage as I waited for Eve to say something. To be honest, I didn’t even know how I hoped she would react. All I knew was that I felt better now. I felt better having told someone, no, not someone, toldher, about this. It felt as if part of the weight that had been crushing me for the past decade had finally disappeared.

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