AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Successful.” Lily stiffened, her eyes darting around as if she wanted to run. Interesting.
“Would you like a meal sent up? I can prepare one.” Mirijana started clearing away the tea set on the low table.
“In an hour,” I said, unhooking my chest plate and tossing it in the corner. Mirijana immediately picked it up and set it on the stand and I winced as Lily shot me a disgusted look. I’d made a habit of throwing my things all over, confident that they’d make it to the right place, but I normally didn’t have to watch the servants clean them. I removed the rest of my armor, putting it on the correct rack as Mirijana left to prepare a meal.
“Come on.” I grabbed a pair of robes, tossing them over my shoulder. Lily narrowed her eyes on me.
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
“Pass.” She crossed her arms and looked out the window as if studying the pink and coral sky. The corner of my mouth tugged up, keen on a challenge. I crept closer, and she glowered at me, her lovely face even more gorgeous when twisted in hate.
Leaning over her, I put one arm on each side of her, boxing her in.
“You’re coming with me,Sia,“ I murmured, edging nearer as she stiffened. “You can walk with me or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you.” I ran my nose over her cheek, and she shivered. “I think you know which one I’d prefer.”
She glared at me and pushed me back, her small hands firm against my chest. “Fine.” She snarled, and I chuckled.
“I knew you’d see it my way.” I grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the room.
We descended a series of servant stairs—I didn’t feel like seeing anyone from the court if they’d woken early—and hallways until we emerged in an underground cavern. The air was damp and cold, with a hint of earthy soil. Lily gasped as we stepped into the space, her eyes wide as she took it in.
The massive chamber was illuminated by glowing plants and stones that dotted the walls, giving off a soft light that made everything seem ethereal. The water stretched out before us, cool and inviting, reflecting the lights above like stars twinkling in the night sky.
“We imported the plants from Athain. We cultivate them in the hollow mountains to provide light for us. They only grow in humid areas though, so we can only use them in this room,” I explained, wanting to share a small piece of my homeland with her.
“You bastards,” Lily said, her hands balled at her sides.
I turned to her in surprise, not expecting such a vehement reaction.
“You let slaves die of dehydration while you hoard all this water for yourselves!” She hissed, throwing her arm out and gesturing to the expansive grotto.
I opened my mouth to argue, but I didn’t have a response. We’d done nothing to provide relief for the people suffering in the desert, instead choosing to use water to control the population.
“What would you have me do?” I said, my anger growing as shame heated my neck.
Lily looked up at me, her eyes blazing with defiance and wrath. “You could start by giving them some of your precious water.”
“I’ve tried that before,” I growled. “You know how they repaid me? By killing one of my best friends.”
“So you let them all die? Let the desert and the mines suck everything out of them until they are withered husks to be tossed away like trash?” She threw her arms wide. “When you have all of this! There is no honor in you Elves. You wage warfare against people that youknowcan’t stand against you since your people stole their magic and immortality, all the while lauding how incredible you are to each other. You sharp-eared assholes.”
Her eyes were narrow slits of hate as she raged at me and I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated.
Because she was right.
“Even if I wanted to change Adraedor, I couldn’t.” I edged closer to her, and she stared up at me defiantly, despite my invading her space. “You think that you’re the only person here that’s trapped? We are all stuck in a web of another’s making. I’ve just learned how to live with it.”
“There are worse things than death, you coward.”
A growl built in my chest as dark memories crowded my mind, images of dark blood bubbling on my father’s lips as he told me to run. “Oh, I know. I’ve lived them. What do you think I’m trying to avoid?”
Her chest heaved as she glared at me, before tearing her eyes away and stepping back. She clasped her arms, peering over the water, and I sighed.
“It’s just the way it is,” I said, though the words tasted like ash on my tongue. “I can’t change it.”
She nodded, and I felt a twinge of guilt. Despite her anger, she still didn’t understand how hard it was for me to be here. Attempts on my life at every turn. How the sight of Rhazien ignited a flood of memories that threatened to drown me. The constant need to protect everyone from him, even at my expense. How I was subject to my uncle’s whims, with only a false semblance of freedom, when I followed his orders exactly. I hated it, but there was nothing else I could do.
