Red as Ruby

Chapter 25

Damien, who had been standing stoically in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest, finally stepped forward. His normally light blue eyes were now like cold dark sapphires as he met my gaze. "You're wrong, Heloise," he replied, his voice steady.

My heart pounded in my chest as I mustered up all my courage. "Am I? Or is it that you were okay with letting people die for the kingdom and not giving them a choice, Damien?" I shot back, my voice rising in volume. The room went silent, the air thick with tension.

Damien swallowed, his gaze faltering momentarily before regaining its steel. "I would never willingly let people die," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"But you knew, didn't you?" I persisted. "You had an idea of what was going on. You knew there was a risk, but you didn't do anything to stop it. You didn't tell the people the truth." My voice echoed in the silent room, my accusation hanging heavy in the air.

"I..." Damien began, but his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I had an idea, yes. But I didn't know for certain... I didn't know the details until it was too late," he admitted, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I regret that now. I regret not speaking up sooner." His voice was filled with remorse, but it did nothing to mend the fresh wound in my heart.

"I was trying to protect you all," Damien continued, his voice barely above a whisper. He was grappling for words, an oddity for someone who always seemed to know what to say. "To protect the kingdom. I thought... I thought I was doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" Kalara scoffed. Her fiery red hair matched her temperament. "The right thing would've been to trust us, Damien."

"I...I didn't know who to trust," Damien replied, his voice strained.

"Trust isn't about knowing, it's about believing," Anwen retorted, her voice gentle yet firm. "You should've believed in us."

I felt a sharp sting in my chest. "He didn't believe in us because he didn't want to," I said, bitterness seeping into my voice. "It was easier to hide behind lies."

Damien's gaze met mine, his sapphire eyes pleading for understanding, but I turned away, not ready to forgive.

Caelie, the smallest but toughest among us, spoke up. "We're not your enemies, Damien. We're your allies. You should've remembered that."

"And what now, Damien?" Liora, ever the pragmatic, asked. "How do we fix this?"

Damien was silent for a moment, his face pale. "I don't know," he finally admitted, his voice barely audible. "I don't know what happens now that Heloise hasn't finished the Blessing. I don't think that we can return to Diamond's Deep without it."

"I... I made a bargain with Rubina," I confessed, my voice trembling as I confronted the six sets of eyes fixed on me. "In exchange for my life, I promised to owe her a favor."

A collective gasp filled the room, and silence followed. I could see the shock transforming into questions in their eyes, but I continued before they could voice them.

"There's more," I admitted, my voice steadier. "Something... something is tainting, poisoning, the land, at least that's what she said. She told me that I need to 'heal' it."

"Hold up, hold up. You did what now? You made a bargain with a god? Are you crazy?" Caelie exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in disbelief.

I shrugged. "It seemed like the only option at the time," I muttered, my voice barely audible over her loud protests.

We all fell into a contemplative silence, each lost in our own thoughts. The flickering light from the nearby hearth cast long, dancing shadows across our faces. Damien was the first to speak up. "Rubina did not say anything else? No hint to what she could mean with 'healing the land'?" His voice echoed in the room, filled with tension and uncertainty.