Page 56 of Crown of Flame
I think of Serena’s fleeting smile, and how beautiful it was when, even in hardship, I could ignite it.
“I have my reasons.”
He gestures for me to come, and I approach, looking out over the vast abyss.
“There is a reason we fear to descend into the fiery pits,” he says. “I’ve heard that in the depths before the elders go to rekindle themselves, you can hear whispers… see lights into another realm, where monsters tread.”
I nod, wondering how many of his ‘fanciful stories’ are true.
I could chalk this up to nothing but a story. But then I would be abandoning Serena.
And I long to rip open the elves, devouring their essences. I’ve developed a craving.
“And you think this creature went back that way?”
He studies out into the depths, deep in thought.
“I thought it was strange that he did not burn up,” he observes, before turning to look at me. “Will there be more like that one coming here? I did not care for him.”
“Not if I can help it.”
20
SERENA
Stay focused.
I don’t know what’s more exhilarating – tricking Aldris into believing I am nothing more than an unfortunate victim, or slowly but surely freeing myself under his slimy nose.
He drones on about his so-called perfect plans, sprinkling in his dashes of xenophobia against humans. As he talks, my fingertips prod at the expertly tied knot behind my back.
It doesn’t take eyes to know it’s a tough one, but being able to see it would certainly help in determining where to start. Then again, I’m not exactly at liberty to look, and if I begin craning my neck, it’d only serve to anger the piece of trash pacing back and forth in front of me.
Slow and steady, I repeat in my mind.
“By the gods,” Aldris chuckles, beaming right at me. “Do you know what it’s like to be within an arm’s reach of your goal?”
Yes, yes I do, I think, eyeing his damned neck as I imagine snapping it with my freed hands.
“No,” I answer, feigning a deep sadness as I drop my gaze. “I only want freedom for my people. And as long as you lot exist, that’s never going to happen, is it?”
My face contorts as I squeeze a tear out of my eyes, putting on an act to distract him. Ket trained me in the act of fake-crying.
But now Ket is gone, his soul probably too corrupted to even join an afterlife.
The sight of my tears brings great delight to Aldris. He reaches out and wipes it from my eyes, marveling at the liquid on his thumb.
“Human blood, sweat, and tears are what we will build the Prazh colonization on.”
I watch his lips curl into a smile. How I can’t wait to carve it off his face.
He spins around and continues babbling on about his plans, trying to brainwash me into aligning with his goals. But I don’t care about his misguided religious beliefs, or his ambitions, or his views on power structures.
I manage to unravel one of many knots on my binding, one step closer to my liberation. Immediately, I fumble around for the next knot, but the snapping of Aldris’s thumbs catches my attention.
A red-hot sense of panic comes over me when I meet his glare. I must have been caught!
“Well, don’t you agree?” he spits impatiently. “Do you see how much better it would be for you to stand united with our kind rather than fighting us? Your children could know magic. And not the magic of those foul unnatural witches… real magic. Real power.”