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How to sever this unbreakable tie to Zurie...
How to escape her wrath and, thusly, my death.
Despite the raucous noise filling the amphitheatre, I could only hear the soft, wet kiss of a blade meeting flesh and bone, the slap of the head smacking against stone, and the solid thunk of a body hitting the stone dais.
Shlick.
Smack.
Thunk.
Shlick.
Smack.
Thunk.
By the time the last body fell, my chest was heaving. Not from physical exertion but from the swelling tide of emotion. Guilt so powerful it had nausea crawling up my throat. My hand shook as I gripped my blade and quickly gave Zurie a cursory but mandatory bow before striding off the dais. The crowd roared behind me all the while.
The moment I made it around the first corner of the corridor exiting the arena, the contents of my stomach fled me. Mostly bile, as I hadn't been able to eat much this morning in anticipation of the morning's event.
I swiftlywilledit away as I attempted to catch my breath. Approaching footsteps echoed softly moments later. The sensation of familiar magic reached out to me in a comforting and inquisitive caress.
I rushed down the corridor, hoping the lingering scent of my vomit wouldn't be noticeable at a distance, and nearly slammed directly into the approaching fae male who towered nearly an entire foot over my five foot ten inches.
"Hey,"Malekai asked, bracing my shoulders with his large hands to study me, "You ok? You look pale…"
My voice came surprisingly steady. The heat that always radiated from Malekai's skin, no matter how icy the weather, poured into me from where he gripped me, easing the chill that had come over me.
"Of course."
Malekai's expression pinched dubiously.
My throat worked on a swallow as I stared up into his remarkably handsome face, tight with concern. Malakei, just like everything else about him - from his perfectly coifed flaxen hair, sun-kissed skin, and facial features that were otherworldly in their perfection - was like liquid gold. Complimented by the mesmerizing greens and blues of his eyes, only paralleled by the crystalline seas of Atratus' southern shores.
My eyes scanned the long corridors to confirm what my ears and magic told me: no one was nearby. Even so, my words came out little more than a whisper.
"I just…"
I shook my head, already knowing his thoughts. We'd had countless conversations regarding how I had grown to feel - to know - we were fighting on the wrong side.
My chest ached with disappointment as the words left my mouth, knowing very well Malekai didn't share my concern. His loyalty to Zurie remained as unwavering as the coin she put in his pockets. Yet, on the same token, I also knew he was loyal to me. He would betray her if it meant protecting me if it came down to it. If it meant sacrificing his own life to do so. His loyalty to me was only matched by my own to him.
Thanks to the last 100 years of serving in Queen Zurie's army together.
We had saved one another's lives on nearly countless occasions during the war against the Kahlohani people for their precious land and natural resources.
The primary resource being the precious aetra plant.
After Zurie had exploited and fully depleted the mainland of its natural resources, the Kahlohani Islands were now the only place in which the realm’s most precious natural resource flourished.Aetra, which could be digested fresh, boiled down, and reduced for various uses, had magical and medicinal properties.
For the fae, like Queen Zurie, it made their magic near inexhaustible and enhanced them exponentially. It made them god-like. Even though they naturally possessed a remarkable control of magic, it was a finite thing. The magic in their blood and in their essence had its limitations. Like any muscle, it could become exhausted. And they wanted more. Few races of beings could rival their power without the assistance ofaetra.
And without any other natural resources left for Zurie to exploit and make profit,aetrawas her lifeline. It was all that remained to ensure her grasp on the throne.
There were a handful of wielders that aetra had no magic-enhancing effect on. As a Sanguiniti, I was one of them. Blood was the only thing I required for my power to be… formidable. However, it did make a difference what type of blood I feasted on. Human and animal blood, due to the minuscule amounts of magic it contained, did little to sustain me or enhance my power. I needed the blood of awielder. Any individual or entity capable of wielding magic.
Malekai, unlike most fae, didn't needaetrato enhance his magic. The power he possessed was terrifying enough without it. He'd tried it before, and I witnessed its adverse effects on him firsthand. It was overwhelming, as though his power consumed him. He had an ungodly way of manipulating fire… That combined with the sheer brute strength, swordsmanship skills, and the keen intelligence he possessed… I'd always wondered if perhaps he had some distant ancestor that had been somethingother,somethingmorethan just fae. Especially considering his family had come from Hades originally. Anytime I'd asked, he'd always just shrugged it off.
