AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The warmer the ring got, the closer I knew I was tohim,though I honestly didn’t want to reach him.
A loud horn sounded next to me suddenly, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Need a ride, beautiful?”
I turned to glare at the man inside the death trap. He smiled while I glanced around to find who he was talking to, apparently, it was me.
“A ride?” I mumbled at first, but soon I understood what he meant. “No, thank you. I have two rides back at the bridge.”
Leaving him perplexed behind me, I continued to walk along the strange city. Strange. It was the only word I could use to describe this place and everyone in it. He yelled something else at me as he rolled by, but even if he forced me, I wasn’t getting into that death beast.
The ring began to throb when I reached the rectangular building that protruded from the ground. It wasn’t any kind of palace or fortress I could recognize, but the inside sure looked like a dungeon. I hated the way it made me feel, like I was a prisoner. It was beyond me how people walked into that place willingly.
Pulling the chain out of my sweater, I gripped the pulsing ring tightly, watching it as I approached the door. Blue threads of light began to course through the Dragon shape, like it had done every time I came here in the past few days. Every time it was nearhim.
When I peered through the glass wall, my eyes immediately found him. He was in the same place where he usually stood—behind the short wall, and surrounded by his brethren.
A mixture of scorn and confusion flowed through me, like it had the first time I saw him. I had expected to find an older man. His skin wrinkled and weathered, eyes hazy by the shadows of wisdom, and his hair grey by the time past. And yet, he looked young, as though not a single moment had transpired. He looked exactly like the man on the torn painting that hung crooked in theHall of the Forgotten. Too young.
How could that be?
Growing up, I heard innumerable stories about the Harbinger of Justice, but not a single one had mentioned that he was immortal.
Reluctantly, my eyes lowered to my palm, but whether or not it made sense, the threads of light awakening along the ring couldn’t lie. Only one man could trigger that reaction.
Cursing the gods under my breath, I mentally prepared myself to enter the dungeon, and followed the horde of people inside it. Just like my previous visits, there was a line of disciples waiting to speak to him, which told me the Harbinger held power in this world too.
Joining the line, I waited, watching as they all paid their reverence to him. His followers gave him some sort of valuable paper as offering, receiving a sacred drink in return for their devotion. I huffed, disgusted. If only they all knew what a filthy weakling he truly was, they wouldn’t worship him.
The throbbing of the ring became fierce in my palm, and I glanced down to notice that the light almost covered the entire Dragon. I supposed I should be happy that I had done what my aunt asked of me. I had found him. Yet, the thought of what I must do next, was enough to steal the weak desire I had to actually accomplish it.
When the woman before me received her sacred drink, it became my turn to worship.
Over my dead body!
I had half a mind to tell him off and return to my world to save my own people. I didn’t need him. I wanted to curse him to the fires that be, but I knew Amma wouldn’t have told me we needed him if we didn’t.
“Oh, hey. You are back,” the Harbinger of Justice greeted. His lips stretch into a dazzling smile with each word, softening his features and illuminating his greenish-yellow eyes. It felt as though he was glad to see me here.
Caught off guard, AGAIN, I blinked, taking a small step back. Why was I so intimidated by him? So he was the legendary Harbinger of Justice… who cared? He had abandoned us when we needed him the most. That lost him any respect I could ever feel for him. I hated him. I despised him… so why couldn’t I just tell him that?
Instead, my throat became dry, and my pulse raced out of control as he smiled at me. Suddenly, my stomach began to flutter uncontrollably, like I had swallowed a hundred bugs and they were trying to fly their way out of me.
“You know, I was hoping to see you again,” he confessed softly when I didn’t answer, leaning over the short wall. “Are you okay?”
My sense returned with his question, and a bout of anger replaced the fluttering in my stomach. “Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” I demanded, hands fisting.
Confusion instantly captured his expression. “Oh. I’m sorry. It’s just the way you acted the last time you came, I thought maybe I said the wrong thing. That I had scared you off or something.”
“I’m not scared of you!” I snapped; I didn’t care how powerful he was. Though, to be honest, a part of me was unsure of what he meant. “I’m not scared of anything, for your information,” I seethed, pointing a finger at him, just to make it clear.
His mouth opened and closed like he wanted to reply, but no sound came out. Seeming unsure of what to say, he glanced at his brethren behind him, the men just looked at me perplexed. Apparently, they were as speechless as he was.
“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke, glancing at the disciples who waited behind me for a chance to revere him. “I greatly misunderstood the situation, and I definitely didn’t mean to insinuate anything or somehow insult you… I—” Sighing, he rubbed his face with both hands. “Would you like something to drink?”
Taken aback by his humble apology, I looked into his genuine eyes, and the fight immediately left me. “I’m sorry, I was wrong to come here,” I admitted, knowing I would never be able to trust him enough to help us. “You can keep your sacred drink, I will never revere you, not after what you did.”
Pain coursed through me with the words, because it didn’t matter how desperate we were, or how much we needed his help—and it burned my throat just to admit it—I could never accept it. We would find another way to survive.
“Damn, sheis crazy,” someone mumbled behind him.
Disappointment fell over me, and I walked away yet again, leaving the dungeon.
