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The humor left me when I regarded Imogen again, finding a knowing gleam in her eyes. “I don’t know…” I answered honestly. “The mission didn’t go as planned, and I guess this is the perfect place to evade reality.”
Letting out a heavy breath, Imogen nodded. “I can understand that. Becoming a warrior isn’t easy, and our first kill always defies the idea of who we are versus who we will be.”
Her statement left me cold. “How did you—?”
“The chief came by earlier.”
Fuck. Confused, I searched her eyes. “Why would he come to tell you what I did?”
“Why do you think?”
“Honestly, I have no idea.” Gripping a rock from the ground, I threw it towards the waterfall, watching it skip along the water.
“He stopped by because he knows you find comfort among the Dragons, so he thought you would end up either with the babes, or up there.” She pointed to the honeycombs. “But, only in here would you find outstanding advice.”
A chuckle escaped me, seeing her eyes sparkle with amusement. “I can’t argue with that logic.”
Her words forced me to see Kingston in a new light. He knew me better than I gave him credit for, maybe he didn’t hate me after all.
“Are you ready for a recount of my life’s experiences?”
Turning to face her, I folded my right leg up, and rested a forearm on my knee. “Bring it on.”
“Good answer.” She smiled, but it disappeared as the memories clouded her vision. “I became a warrior at seventeen, and was thrown right into the action. Back then things were different however. We were still trying to free much of the land that we can now travel safely across, and our kingdom was under the leadership of the king and queen.”
“Princess Evanna’s parents.”
She nodded.
“How old are you, if you don’t mind my asking?” I knew Kingston was the oldest among the warriors, the other generations having died in battle, leaving the fight to their sons and daughters. Yet, Imogen wasn’t as young as the guard, but she was definitely older than Willow.
“I’m thirty-seven,” she answered, playing with the leather strap of her boots. “Raithian’s army was spread across a grand part of our world, so the battles were many and frequent. I was able to come out unscathed from the first ones, never truly leading the fight, since the youngest were mostly used to provide aid afterwards. There was also this guy—”
I grinned. “Ah, a steamy affair. I get it.”
“It wasverysteamy.” She winked, but longing entered her gaze. “He declared himself my shield, and made sure nothing happened to me whenever we were out there. Cameron and I eventually paired, becoming truly inseparable. When our first real battle came, we got separated amidst the chaos. I tried to look for him but it was impossible. I went after one of the Warlock King’s men, one on one, using my training to corner him until he dropped his weapon, and my spear pressed against his heart. I had him there, all I needed to do was plunge the blade and end his life.”
“Did you do it?”
Her red curls bounced with the shake of her head. “He begged for his life. Swore he would leave the Dark Empire and disappear in the desertlands. That he didn’t want to fight anymore, and I didn’t want to kill him, so I let him go.”
“He surrendered, so that was the right thing to do.”
“I thought so too. Until later in the battle, when I came face to face with him again… and watched him slice Cameron’s throat open with his sword.”
My breathing halted. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry.”
“Me too.”
“What did you do?”
“What I should have done from the start. I plunged my spear into the sentry’s heart.”
Pain gripped her voice and I couldn’t even imagine going through that. If something happened to Evie… God, I couldn’t think about that.
“Unfortunately, death is a part of life, especially now,” Imogen continued. “And whether we like it or not, taking someone’s life also means the loss of who we were before our weapon struck true. The important part is, we get to decide who we become afterwards.”
Silence stretched for several moments while her words captured my mind.
