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I get to my feet and start to pace up and down the length of the room as I consider what to do next. I have to make a decision, and I have to make it soon. Before Lorelai actually hurts someone.
And if she does hurt someone, that is the end of her. They’ll kill her. And you’ll lose two of the people you love most in the world. Lorelai and Zalith.
I walk swiftly out of my chambers and head for the staircase.
And I stumble over Lasta.
“If you don’t stop doing that I’m going to wring your neck!” I growl at him as I catch myself before I fall down the staircase.
Lasta laughs out loud and leans back against the staircase railing.
“Why are you in such a hurry? Are you looking for someone?” His voice is wry and filled with mirth, but his eyes are hard and his mouth is grim.
“Don’t fuck with me now, Lasta,” I tell him in way of answer. “I don’t have time for you.”
“You need to find her and take care of her.” Lasta’ posture doesn’t change. If I couldn’t see his face, I’d assume he was having a casual conversation. Lasta continues speaking conversationally. “Because if you don’t, I will.”
His voice is as matter of fact as if he is telling me about a new security measure he has created for Zalith.
“Is that a threat?” I want to kick myself for the way my voice shakes when I answer him.
Lasta laughs again and straightens his posture. He runs a hand through his hair. I become aware of how well-matched we are in height and weight.
“It is a promise. I am a guard to the royal family. And unlike you, my loyalties aren’t tainted by the promise of what is probably very mediocre sex.”
“If you hurt her…” I speak through gritted teeth. But Lasta cuts me off.
“It isn’t a matter of ‘if’. It is a matter of when I hurt her. Because I will. Someone has to. I can’t believe you were stupid enough to bring her literally into the royal castle. What were you thinking? She has spent so much time in the wild that she’s less than human!”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course I do!” Lasta isn’t bothering to keep his voice down, and I flinch at the booming echo of his words. “I know exactly what I’m talking about! She’s only had one thing on her mind since getting here. You can see it in her eyes. You can see it in the way she moves.”
Lasta takes a step towards me. “Get to Zalith’s office now, and go do your duty as royal advisor. Because I’d bet you this entire kingdom that that is where she is right now.”
As Lasta finishes speaking, he pulls a sword from a sheath that hangs loosely around his waist.
I don’t miss the implication of him carrying his weapon indoors.
He’s getting ready to kill Lorelai.
Lasta walks away, leaving me standing on the landing above the staircase.
The potential consequences of Lorelai’s actions race through my mind as I consider what I am about to do. It won’t matter if she is successful or not at attacking and killing Zalith. Whatever happens, she’ll be killed for it. That’s why she has to be stopped before she gets close to Zalith.
And I have to be the one to stop her,I think to myself, and I break into a run. I make it quickly down the stairs and throw myself over the railing, when I realize I’ll have to go down another four flights of stairs to get to Zalith’s office.
I clear nearly five feet of air and land lightly on my feet. My tail curls around my feet as I listen intently to the space around me.
I don’t think Lorelai could have attacked Zalith yet, because I would have heard something. Zalith is an excellent, trained fighter, and Lorelai is just feral.They’re going to make some noise.
I start to walk towards Zalith’s office but stop at the sight of an open side door that leads out into the castle grounds. The sun has set, and the light is low, and I can hear fire crackling in the torches that are attached to the walls outside the castle.
I can hear the murmur of the servants as they complete their tasks for the day, and I can hear, in the distance, the raucous laughter of the castle guards as they change their shifts for the night. Standing there feels like an age, although I know I have only been standing there for less than a minute.
My hand goes to the knife that hangs at my belt, and I squeeze my eyes shut as I imagine using it on Lorelai. To stop Lorelai.I don’t think I can do this,I think to myself.
A stray leaf from a tiphe tree has blown into the corridor from outside. It swirls around before coming to a stop at my feet. I step forward and step onto the leaf, and I hear it tear apart with a crunch.
