Belekoroz growled, shadows pulsing around him. “You can hardly compare me to the likes of Sha’am.”
“Ah, forgive me,” I said with mock sympathy, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I forgot you are afraid of him.”
“I am not—”
He was in front of me in an instant, his rage a living, breathing thing between us. Traces of his power escaped him as his corporeal form frayed at the edges, shadowy veins twisting and churning beneath his pale skin. The air around us crackled with dark energy, the shadows deepening and swirling in response to his fury.
“I am the most powerful of the Aurea,” Belekoroz snarled.
The words hit me with the force of a hammer blow, demanding my deference. Finally catching a hint of the burning resentment and jealousy I ignited in him, I realized I had been right. He would love to get rid of me.
And still I stood firm underneath the onslaught of his magic and his ire, my Light flickering over my skin in agitation. I used just enough power to resist cowering in front of him. Giving in to the violent urge that whispered insidiously that I should retaliate would not help my plans. It served me well if he thought my magic was weaker than his. If he underestimated me, he was more likely to make a mistake. And when he was furious…
My gaze boldly meeting the pools of dark fire Belekoroz’s eyes had become, I said, “The most arrogant, perhaps.”
My hopes of pushing him to his breaking point were dashed as he regained control, the haughty sneer returning to his lips. Theshadows around him seemed to settle, the dark energy receding slightly.
“You can’t deny there’s only one of our brethren who could hope to match me in power.” He laughed mirthlessly, circling me like a predator its prey. “And I assure you, if we ever fought one-on-one, I would be victorious.”
“Don’t be so sure,” I snarled, my pride stung, my gaze never leaving him. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
To my surprise, my words made Belekoroz freeze, his expression of nearly comical confusion shifting first into astonishment, and then into terrifying glee.
“Oh,” he crowed, the wild light in his eyes dancing with unwilling mirth as he stared at me as if seeing me for the very first time. “Oh. This is golden.” Even white teeth sank into his full bottom lip before he shook his head in lingering disbelief. “You thought of yourself,” he said, grinning as if he had caught me at something forbidden and was rejoicing in the fact. “And not of my brother, your mighty king.”
I realized I had made a mistake and frantically tried to salvage what I could. “No, I meant—”
“You think you can take me on.” Belekoroz left no room for diversion. “That is incredibly interesting.”
My breath caught in my throat when his hand came up between us once more.
“Have you been keeping secrets, my little queen?”
The touch to my cheek was not skin-on-skin but a whisper of his magic. Even he did not dare more. I reacted without thinking, my power flaring up, a sharp slap in response to his insolent caress.
“I think that is enough for today,” I snapped, furious at myself for letting him provoke me. A part of me longed to get away from him,to flee his vexing presence until I could calm myself and regroup. “I want to go back now.”
Despite the painful bite of my Light into his skin, Belekoroz’s face remained coldly amused. “Oh, I angered you. That was not my intention.” He tilted his head and shrugged, another smug smile on his face. “Or perhaps it was. I often can’t help myself among all you stuck-up, self-important little—”
“Do not worry,” I interrupted icily. “For you to anger me, I would need to care about your opinion of me… or anything else about you, for that matter.”
My insult made him press his lips together, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Spoken like a true daughter of the Allfather,” he forced out. “He and Aramaz must be so proud of you.”
Suddenly, I felt ashamed. Not because I cared if my words had hurt him—I most certainly did not. No, it was because my volatile emotions were jeopardizing my plans to expose his true nature and have him exiled from Aron-Lyr.
How could I truthfully tell Aramaz I wasn’t to blame for Belekoroz’s actions when I had provoked him as much as he had provoked me? Besides, wouldn’t it be wiser to learn as much as possible from him about this fascinating place before making a move? I might really be able to find a way to create my guiding lights here.
“Should we return to the entrance of the Other, my queen?” His overly polite inquiry ripped me out of my agitated thoughts.
I had to do something. Had to rekindle the intrigue I had sensed in him earlier somehow, or this might be my only venture into the Other.
“Race me?”
The words escaped my lips before I could think, my corporeal form falling away just as quickly. I plunged into the currents of magicflowing around us without hesitation, flying recklessly over the endless plain beneath me, the Abyss a mere blur.
But the one I was competing against had traveled the Other for ages, knowing every trick to ensure his victory. Darkness soon closed around me, Belekoroz’s mind brushing against mine in an open taunt as he overtook me.
I couldn’t let him win; his gloating would be unbearable.
