Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1) ✔

Chapter 29: Salt in the Wound

With Ace disappearing in the forest, I couldn't help but feel slightly abandoned. He was the oldest amongst us, he knew the most about the world. And he said we would all most likely die on this journey.

The entire vibe of our group shifted, turning way too serious way too fast.

"He's right." Nick fell back on the blanket in front of the fire. "We won't survive this journey. That's why King Bernard promised me so much silver; he knew he wouldn't have to pay."

"He cannot be right." I shook my head. "We have to return."

"We don't have to." Rixen shrugged, "All we have to do is find the tome and activate the spell. Nobody cares if we return."

"You've already been there and you returned safely." I countered. "So, you cannot tell me it's impossible."

"I'm a shadowman, Irina." Rixen eyed me. "Nobody saw me for the most of the journey. And even I had to cross the lake of Liu Raj. Even I had to give some parts of my identity up to reach Orathia."

"Great. That's just great." My hands dropped by my sides.

"Can someone please cook the damn boar?" Nickeltinker whined. "I refuse to die hungry."

"Nobody's dying, yet." Rixen sighed.

Danilo set up the pot for me, "There has to be a way to return."

"What happens after we cross the lake of Liu Raj?" I asked quietly, staring at the hot pot in front of me.

Rixen stared at the fire, "Just like Ace said, if we're lucky, we'll have what it takes to pay for passage. Spirit territory is ruthless and it has its own laws; laws we'll be subjugated to the moment we enter."

"Like Fae territory." I muttered. "You cannot believe anything you see there; it's all false."

The boar meat sizzled in front of me.

"Exactly." Rixen nodded. "Everyone we run into is going to try to trick us. And if we piss someone off, they'll hunt us all the way to the Frozen Sea. There is no one to stop them."

"Why are we even here?" I complained, having nothing else to say.

"Everyone refused." Danilo spoke up suddenly. "Nickeltinker and Torvald were the only two people that accepted. Rixen had no choice and neither did you."

"I could have sent my brother." I turned over the meat. "He'd be of more use."

No one countered me.

"We're free here." Rixen looked at the fire, his yellow irises taking on the colour of the flames. "No one knows we're alive, no one knows where we are. We answer to no one. If we wanted to... we could disappear. Isn't that a special kind of power?"

I glanced at the dirty hem of my purple, sparkly dress, "You cannot escape from your responsibility."

"No, but you can hide from it for a while." Rixen shrugged and finally met my gaze. "You could do whatever you wanted, nobody would be any wiser."

His walls were still up; I couldn't feel him at all. I wanted to, desperately. The fiery spark in his eyes offered no comfort. I felt see-through under his gaze. I let out the breath I was holding, nervousness squeezing my veins until I could feel each painful pump of my heart.

Here, I wasn't a princess. Here, I had no throne and no responsibilities that came with it. I had no problem being with squires and servants because they meant nothing to me. Why did Rixen feel so different then?

"Rixen," Danilo cleared his throat, breaking my thoughts, "One of us has to return. Bastia needs an heir and if I don't make it-"

I glanced up at the knight next to me. The rest of that sentence seemed stuck in his throat.