Page 14 of Embers of Ruin

My rumbling belly brings me back to reality, reminding me of the fact that I haven’t eaten a decent meal in days. My stomach lets out a low grumbling sound and I flush in embarrassment, because damn my body for giving away the fact that I am barely keeping it together over here. I glance toward Onyx, my eyes widening. I don't want to seem too eager, but he has to know I’m starving. How could he not?

Onyx looks entirely unsurprised as we ride on. My hopeful expression immediately turns into a scowl. Of course he isn't surprised. Does anything surprise him?

“You knew there was a village here with people?” I ask, furrowing my brows.

His gaze remains fixed ahead. “Of course I did.”

I stare at him for a moment before rolling my eyes. At this rate, they're going to get stuck that way from the sheer number of times I've rolled them since meeting him.

“That would have been useful information, Onyx,” I huff, narrowing my eyes as we draw closer to the village.

“Would you have complained less if I told you?” he asks, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Again, I want to punch him. Gods, Onyx is handsome, but I'm fairly certain he would be considerably more attractive if he talked less. A smirk tugs at my lips and he raises an eyebrow.

“I highly doubt that. I'm going to complain all the way until you hand me over to the king, which will more than likely result in my untimely demise.”

A faint smile touches the corner of his mouth. “Untimely, really? I'm not so sure⁠—”

He never gets to finish because I throw my leather flask at his head.

His hand shoots up just in time to catch it, though I come dangerously close to hitting him square in the face. Satisfaction swells inside me and I let out a light laugh. Will I regret throwing the only water I have? Maybe. Was it worth it?

Absolutely.

In response, Onyx tucks my flask into his pack and laughs. Actually laughs, a low rich sound. The sound is entirely unexpected from him, causing a faint smile to tug at the corner of my mouth before I can stop it. I fight it, of course, because I have dignity. Some. A little. Not nearly enough around him, apparently. The sight annoys me far more than it should, yet somehow I still find myself grinning. How deeply unfortunate for me, because I hate him.

We remain that way for a moment, sharing the kind of brief, ridiculous amusement that comes from exhaustion, lingering irritation at unfortunate circumstances, and several days of forced travel together. It’s a strange moment to share with someone who kidnapped you, yet it feels almost…normal. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had a normal conversation with anyone, that I’ve grown to appreciate Onyx’s quick wit.

The road dips and the village comes fully into view, and I forget to smile because my mouth is frozen in a slight circle. Before us, lanterns glow in the gathering darkness like scattered stars in an endless sky. Wooden homes cluster together behind a gray stone wall, and the scent of roasting meat wafts through the air, making my stomach ache with need.

It’s not the food that steals my attention, though I would do unspeakable things for a bite of well-roasted meat with fresh vegetables. It is the people. A woman carries a basket of laundry toward a small house near the edge of town, and she looks…. happy. In fact, she sings as she makes her way toward two children chasing each other through the street. She appears to scold one of them teasingly, and one of the children laughs, the sound bright and careless.

As we draw closer I stare openly, in awe. No one looks frightened or hungry here. The air feels different, carrying laughter and joy, which feel like foreign concepts to me. I can’t recall the last time I laughed— aside from the laugh I shared with Onyx. These people don’t have the look of desperation and fear that is etched on the faces of my people in Elvora. My people carry the look of those who are waiting for the world to end.

“How?” The question slips out before I can stop it, because I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what I see.

Onyx follows my gaze, as his brows furrow. “How what?”

I motion toward the village with my outstretched hand. “How is this place as it is? Why is it so different from Elvora?”

“The people here are resilient,” Onyx begins, staring ahead. “They have not let this world harden them.”

“That doesn’t explain how they are surviving,” I say, scrunching my brows in confusion. I’m momentarily baffled by the fact that their community looks like ours, but feels different even from this distance. There are no lush, wide fields—no thriving crops, same as in Elvora. No healthy livestock grazing the fields. Yet this village is alive in a way that I wish mine was.

A heavily loaded wagon rolls past us and the driver nods respectfully toward us and waves, giving us a wide grin that lights up his entire face. Burlap sacks fill the back, tied tight with rope. I know that they hold grain, rice, and salt to feed the people, same as back home. There are large oak barrels that slosh as he passes, filled with what I’m sure is water.

“Supplies,” Onyx says as the man passes. I narrow my eyes in annoyance as I turn to focus on him.

I frown. “Well obviously, what else would it be? Do you think I fell out of the sky? I wasn’t born yesterday, jackass.”

Onyx smirks, biting his lip in a way that makes my stomach drop. Not now. Gods no, please don’t. I don’t need a reason to find this man attractive. “I was just pointing out that every village or settlement on this continent isn’t without the basic necessities needed for survival. I didn’t mean to offend that superior intellect of yours.”

The snide comment makes me grit my teeth but it’s also mildly hilarious, and I would laugh but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction. I settle for glaring at him instead, but Onyx appears entirely unbothered by me.

Of course he does.

By now we're directly in front of the gates, and my eyes are fixed ahead. We pass beneath them a few moments later. The thick wooden gates reinforced with black iron stand open within the wall of weathered stone. Someone has repaired sections of the wall over the years, replacing cracked blocks with newer ones. Caring for what lies within. The thought makes my heart warm, and I’m eager to get to our destination— wherever that is.