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“I’ll be out.” My response was curt.
I had no desire to be around Kaz after what he said to me last night, and Sybil’s odd behavior made me want to disappear for the whole day.
“Fine,” she snipped loudly enough that I would hear from my room.
Grabbing some bread, my weapons, and my cloak to help shield my skin from the scorching sun. I headed toward the creek. Sybil had never treated me like this. Everyone was so on edge around me.
My thoughts disappeared when I realized the creek was hardly flowing anymore. We had running water in this a few days ago. How can everything suddenly be dying around us when we have been here for seven years without it happening? What was the cause for the loss of our resources?
Maybe the end was coming, I admitted to myself. Fishing was pointless now with the little flow of water, so I turned to head back to the house. It was too hot to be out here doing nothing. I would just stay in my room, away from Kaz and Sybil.
At some point, I knew I needed to make amends with Kaz and Sybil, but I also didn’t think this was my fault. We all had imperfections and tempers often were elevated due to stress, but Kaz was out of line and Sybil’s behavior was odd.
When I rounded the corner to head into the house and froze at the front door being kicked in.
What the hell?
I grabbed my viper-handled dagger and snuck in. Kaz and Kai weren’t there, but Sybil’s soft cries made me hurry.
When I rounded the hallway, a man was holding her down with his foot over her throat. His shoulders were so broad he was turned completely to the side to fit. He pointed something at her.
A weapon.
Before the thought had even fully formed, I threw my dagger into his back. The man turned towards me. I recognized him from town meetings. His eyes froze me in place. They were completely white, void of any color, just like Sybil’s had been in my dream.
He charged at me, knocking us both into the wooden table I had made Sybil. All of her herbs and medicines fell to the floor when the table broke under our weight. The glass vials crushed under our boots as the man and I struggled for the upper hand.
His hand struck out and slapped me so hard that I fell to the floor on my back. Pain radiated from where he had struck me. Something sharp dug into my arm and I cried out in agony. He reached down, twisting my long dark braid around his hand to yank me up before I could notice what had stabbed me.
I kicked him hard in the knee and he crumpled to the ground, wailing with discomfort. His white eyes tracked my movements as I went for a weapon.
The man swiped at me with his knife, barely missing me. Circling him as he kneeled on the ground, I ripped my dagger from his back, causing another eruption of strangled cries to release from him. His silver hair was damp with sweat as my fingers twisted it back far enough that I was able to rest my dagger on his throat. His pained sobs only called to the darkness that lived deep in my chest. I wanted to make more pain fall from his lips.
There was something uncontrollable about my darkness and if it wanted revenge, it would take it without consequence. Sybil’s footsteps stopped me from slicing his throat.
Sybil stood frozen as she gaped at me. Her neck was marred and red from this asshole. The itch of my magic wanting to come forward sat under my skin. Darkness sank itself into my mind. It craved his life for what he had wanted to do. It craved pain and hurt. It would make me feel better to have him lying dead on the floor.
Why did he attack us? Food? No, it had to be something else. Something was wrong with his eyes. Darkness took away any ability to form questions about his motives.
“Look away, Sybil,” I ground out. I didn’t want her to watch this. Sybil let out a small, distressed sound before looking away. I noticed Kaz and Kai standing in the entryway of our home. How long had they been watching?
“How?” the man rasped. “You shouldn’t be this strong still.” I realized he was right. I still had considerable fae strength and speed here, when others had lost it completely. He’d lose it if he knew that I had the ability to cross the boundary, too.
Ignoring him, I asked, “Why did you come here?”
“I was sent.” He groaned as I pressed my dagger into his flesh, producing a drop of blood.
“By who?”
“Just kill me because if you don’t, they will when I don’t return with you,” he snapped.
“With pleasure.” I slid my dagger through his neck with little effort. His gargled reply ended as soon as his corpse hit the floor. My darkness retreated back into the depths of my chest when I watched his blood pool below him.
As the darkness lifted, I realized that my rage had cost me answers. Answers that only that fae had, but now I would never know because I was too consumed with vengeance. When I peered up, Sybil stood frozen in fear with Kaz and Kai. I was covered in mine and the man’s blood, but that wasn’t why they stared at me in shock.
“You’re on fire,” Kai sputtered. I furrowed my brows in confusion, but when I glanced down, my hand was engulfed in flames. I smothered it with a quick movement, as my mind raced for understanding.
Magic didn’t work here.
