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I’ve taught myself not to dwell on things out of my control. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m human too, or at least my mortal body is. Fucking up is a part of this journey, and staying stuck on past mistakes is a lesson I’ve taught before. Now I need to live through the experience and stay true to my own teachings.
Letting that shit go.
I imagine it’s something the human survivor and her friends must know a lot about. In fact, I’ve been imagingmanythings when it relates to humans.
I’ve emerged from this Earth in a crystal vessel tosavehumans, and thus far, I’ve only interacted with the people who’ve caused the disturbance. Well, the madness of dhampir kind caused the imbalance, not the dhampir themselves, but the circumstances still apply.
I want to meet her.Reallymeet her. Maggie.
And the Queen.
She’s the one who saved Ren, despite everything he did and everything he appeared to be. The Novian saw his state of contained chaos and released him from his suffering.
Without him, my mission's outcome would have been completely different. I’d have cleansed the planet, as directed, but it would have been with a lot more loss than what we’ve had. I feel a unique sense of sodality with the woman, like if perhaps I could peel back her brain and she could peel back mine, we’d find the solution to every problem we’ve ever had.
An odd rumble starts in Ren’s chest. “Whatever do you mean, Thea?”
He knows.
He’s known for weeks that I’m eager to meet the others, his self-proclaimed enemies.
Since Norvyc ran, Ren has conjured this idea that all people who knew him from before will cast out this new version; hisauthenticself.
I’m ready to prove him wrong.
I toss a fresh leaf of spinach into the air, catching it with my mouth. “You know, silly.”
His back tenses further. I’ve been dropping subtle hints for weeks, normally following each of them with a proper seduction to sweeten the deal. Like asking him how far the base is from our home and how humans treat their neighbors, before bending to pick up a stick on the ground with my slitted skirts spread wide.
The strategy has worked wonders so far.
The one time I asked if we could pay them a visit upfront, Ren ravaged me like a naughty schoolgirl in need of punishment. Still an enjoyable method, but not as effective as the other.
I’ve worn him down since then.
“And have you thought about my concerns?” he asks, his voice stiff.
After putting another leaf of spinach into my mouth, I nod. “Yes, and I’m deciding to ignore them.”
He turns toward me, already scoffing.
I lift my palm, halting his words. “If the Queen and her group decide they want war,which they won’t,then we’ll retreat. But I will not let myself be held back by fears ofwhat if.”
Ren crosses the room, kneeling beside my spot on a beige homemade beanbag. He puts both hands on my thigh, one atop the other. “What do you hope to gain from this, Thea? Will it help you in some sort of divine purpose? Will it give you a sense of completion?”
I think about his question and what itreallymeans. Is it simply my ego that urges me to see the survivors in the flesh?
No. I don’t think it is.
If I know them, see them, then I’ll have a better understanding on what to do when I witness such a situation in the future.
Because thereareothers. I’m certain of it.
Our newest member to the cured family is a woman from the west, a place where the ocean meets the mountains. From her scrambled memories, she pulled a single nugget of golden hope.
Her hunt for the human who evaded her in the forest, and her friends who scared her away with a combination of firepower and piercing sound. If such a group of survivors exists both thereandhere… then there may be dozens of others.
Places where there are no Queens or cured to make their lives safer.
