?“For being mine. For not saying I am yours.” She straightens and steps away from me, but the contact isn’t lost for long as she turns and then wraps her arms around my neck as she buries her nose into my chest. “I’m glad you are who you are.”
?I wrap my arms fully around her waist and keep her against my chest as we continue swaying. I doubt our tempo is matching the music vibrating against the floor, but I don’t care.
?Not as my fated is here with me.
?Not as she’s finding comfort in me.
?Not as she’s relaxing in my arms.
?Nothing else matters but right here, right now. Even if she wishes to do just this for the rest of the night.
?“Forever,” I whisper against her temple. “Every lifetime.”
?“Forever,” she promises. “I’ll make sure we get a true lifetime.”
Forty
Percius – March 15
I am reminded, once again, why I hated this place so much. And it is not because of Ms. Prectoylousi and her droning classes about metaphysics and different definitions depending on which universe and reality you’re in.
?I’ve been sitting in this exact seat – the same one I had been in exactly one month ago – watching the same group of ten sitting in the same table pouring over the same notes they have for the last three hours.
?I swear, I didn’t even study this much when I was in attendance. It’s ridiculous. They still have tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before their first exams. No way do they need to be doing this much for only five classes.
?I shift my position in the chair as the distant sound of the bell rings twenty-four times. Unholy gods, it’s midnight and none of them look like they’re even thinking about getting up to leave. And the amount of books they have stacked up – no. Scratch that. The amount of books little miss “or I’ll kill every single person before me” has stacked up.
?She had been in and out of the labyrinth of books for a straight two hours, only popping back to throw books down. I tried listening when one of the other students asked what she was researching for, since their presentation was finished, but she didn’t answer.
?Now, with her pouring over a very old tome, I’m more than half tempted to go over and ask myself.
?None of the books she brought back looked familiar, though I’m sure most of them are not in English. They’re too old, and I can feel magic imbued through many of them.
?Finally, Callahan – who has been silent sitting beside her – looks at her and asks what she’s looking for. She’s flipped through every single book with lowered brows and a concentrated expression.
?“I need to find the Queen of Ashes and Shadows,” she says, half distractedly as she continues flipping through pages.
?Every head that had been buried in a book looks up and stare at her.
?“Who’s that?” the high fae asks her.
?“She’s a queen on another world in a far universe who decimated an entire mountain range when she was a child.”
?I’m not joking this time. . . who the fuck is this girl?
?The lightning mage glares at her. “And do you care to elaborate? First off by why you’re looking for information on her and how do you know about her?”
?Mavyn sighs and shuts her eyes for a moment before sitting back in her chair and gesturing towards the books.
?“There is a world called Pontorum that was created many, many years before this one. I believe it was the third or fourth world ever created after a war between a god and a devil. Currently, in that universe, there are no gods. They were forgotten when this girl was able to turn an entire mountain range into ash. At the center of that mountain range, the highest peak, there was this oasis where the gods would come down to rest, but within the rest of the rock monsters reigned.”
?I sit up in my chair and rest my elbows on my knees to listen. I had always been partial to fairytales and whispered stories growing up. They were my escape from the torment of my father and his rage and punishments.
?Mavyn rubs her eyes and slightly shakes her head. “I don’t know all the specifics, just that she had seen what was within the mountain and decided to take it out on the gods who let monstrous things happen. She destroyed their oasis and after that the gods disappeared from that universe. She became known as a monster, a Queen of Ashes and Shadows for what her magic could do. Even though her kingdom has been a true peace for all and everyone is welcome.”
?Mavyn looks down at the books and frowns.
?“They say she’s a storyteller. A keeper of things forgotten.”
