Solar Reign

X X I I I

ANDORRA WASN'T a pacer. If she had been, she would have been walking the expanse of her bedroom with the way her nerves tied up her stomach. She didn't really want to talk with Kyle. Didn't really want to see whether or not he could actually destroy her memories without access to his powers.

She tried to shake off the fact that the person she really wanted to confide in wasn't there. She hadn't seen Nohx in a couple of days since she had practically fled from him. That too had her tied up in knots; she had to just hope that no matter what happened soulmate wise, he would choose her.

It was too easy though for her mind to conjure up the dream soulmate for Nohx. Andorra couldn't stop picturing Aihfie with her poisonous smile and her narrowed eyes. The way darkness clung to her, the way she displayed power just as easily as Nohx did.

A stupid bout of jealousy, that was all it was. And Nohx had already waved away her worries on that front. It wasn't that Andorra thought Nohx liked Aihfie. It was that Andorra was worried Aihfie would be a better fit.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Stop. He loves you and you know it. She reminded herself other things needed her focus. A sharp knock at her door reminded her of what she needed to do. And then, maybe after she was done with Kyle, she could go see Nohx.

Callum stood stone faced on the other side of the door. A smile flirted against Andorra's mouth. "Are you still mad at me?"

The look Callum shot Andorra was deadly. It made a laugh bubble out of her throat as they descended the stairs. Messing with Callum was the highlight of their relationship, she decided. He was so funny about how he reacted.

"You'll have to forgive me at some point. You're supposed to be my best friend." Andorra flicked his back, hard enough to just be annoying. Callum quickened his pace after shooting her a dark look

"You're not a very good friend to me," he gritted out. "You left me there with Vulara. I can think of a human word that would describe what sort of person you are for that action."

Andorra couldn't stop the second laugh from exploding in the hallway. "What do you know about human insults?"

"Enough." Callum led them to the stairwell that would descend into the dungeons. "I could spell it out for you. B-I-T-"

"Hey!" She whacked his arm. "I can think of a human word to describe you as well. It starts with an A..." The stairwell door closed behind them, and the nerves from earlier fluttered low in her stomach.

Callum's mouth flattened. "I think you should finish that word, Princess. See what happens."

"Hey now, that's Queen to you. Besides, there is nothing you can do, since you oh so noblely tethered your life to mine." She flashed him a grin. She could see what he was doing, and it was thoughtful. Strange how attune Callum could be to her emotions. She hated that Callum wasn't a better friend to the others around him. She hoped, truely, that one day others could know this version of him.

The version that would distract Andorra from doing something she didn't want to do, just to ease her nerves.

"Semantics." Callum opened the door at the bottom of the stairwell.

In the first cell, Kyle sat on the ground. His eyes were covered with a blindfold, which surprised Andorra. She eyed Callum with the silent question: Did you do this?

Again with his thoughtfulness, not that he would admit it.

Kyle could certainly hear their footsteps, but he was wise to say nothing as he sat there, hands bound. He looked a little bit broken, which should have bothered Andorra a little bit more, but she remembered herself down in the very same cell. Could remember how broken she had felt. Could remember how terrified she had been.