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“Maybe.”
“Oh. Where are you from?” He pushes up against the bookshelf until his chin rests on a line of books and his large eyes gleam directly at me.
“Protheka.”
“Is that down south?” He wiggles at this possibility. “My brother goes down south all the time. He’s been all over. There’s nowhere on Galmoleth he hasn’t been already.”
“I guess you could say it’s south.”
“Did the soz’garoth make you?” He narrows his eyes. “You don’t look like a dazoneth.”
I decide to take that as a compliment, although I don’t have the faintest idea what a dazoneth is. They could be perfectly lovely.“I’m a human. I don’t think there are many creatures like me here yet.”
I keep the bitterness from my voice. This kid doesn’t need a play-by-play on how I betrayed everyone who ever trusted me. His small hand tentatively reaches across the shelf towards mine, and I let him give my hand a poke. He recoils in glee, smiling wide.
“Oh, wow. You’re real.” He laughs. “I thought maybe I read too much and started dreaming. I don’t leave this room much.”
“No?”
“I can’t believe you don’t even have horns!”
His glee is contagious, and I can’t help but laugh along. “Nope. No horns.”
“I’m Akos.” Akos wiggles through the shelf until his belly sits on the books, and his hands hold him upright on my side of the aisle. “What’s your name?”
“Laura.” Somehow, I’m smiling as wide as he is. I can feel the burn in my cheeks as my lips stretch wide. “It’s nice to meet you.”
42
REJ’THOREK
When I arrive home, I am beyond exhausted.
I’m not afraid of effort or hard work, and if it felt like I had accomplished anything important, I might be energized. But instead, my days often feel like I’m just shuffling around, ordered to attend to one mind-numbing task after another.
It’s the cost I must pay for being part of the royal family, I suppose, but it drains my energy in the worst way. I know that I have duties to attend to, but sometimes I wish they could feel more worthwhile and less…transactional. Like I’m always just checking a box somewhere, doing purposeless tasks because someone said that I must.
It’s hard to explain how tiring it can be, treading water through so many unfulfilling days. I like to picture myself rising above it someday, taking on a challenge that finally brings satisfaction. But that dream seems just as elusive most of the time.
In fact, the only thing lately that’s come close has been the girl. I’m sure her appeal will wear off before long, but at least for now, she offers a certain newness. It doesn’t replace the search for purpose, but it dulls the pain of it.
A temporary reprieve.
As I walk through the house, I hear voices. One is Akos, my younger brother. His voice is excited and enthusiastic, and I can’t help but wonder what he is up to. I feel a twinge of jealousy that I know is silly but can’t avoid. I’m so spent and dull, and he’s got a certain zest in his voice that I wish could be mine.
I follow the sound of his voice, stopping outside of the library. There’s no doubt that he’s in there. I’m about to barge in, intent on discovering the source of his joy, when I’m frozen in my tracks.
Another voice answers him. It’s so different than any on Ti’lith, soft, melodic, and lilting. I know that it’s the girl from yesterday, and I wonder why I didn’t notice it before.
Did she always sound like that? I ponder it for a moment and realize that her voice isn’t just pretty. It’s happier than yesterday, lighter. Yesterday, she was screaming for her life, and afraid of what was happening to her. This is what she sounds like when she’s relaxed, enjoying Akos company.
I decide that I don’t mind it. I wouldn’t have known that I cared about her comfort before now. But it turns out that it appeals to me, and I find myself suddenly motivated to make it last.
I listen in on their conversation a while longer. I don’t want to disrupt them. I think that I’m afraid that if they learn of my presence, it will take that magical quality out of her voice.
As they talk, my ears perk up, cataloging their words. She doesn’t just sound good. She’s rather witty and intelligent, to my surprise. She has a certain humor that captivates me, not like the standard demon interactions. I thought that she was coming home with me as a plaything, akin to a new pet. But she’s more than that, I see now.
I’m listening so intently, caught up and hanging on her every word, that it startles me when Akos calls out for me. He spots me outside the door, as I’ve gotten so distracted that I’ve forgotten to stay hidden. I jump to attention when he says my name, the moment broken.
