Paradox Interluder (Usurper #2)

13.

Kaid's eyes flashed open with a racing heartbeat, sweat dripping from his curls. His eyes flashed from normal to violet hues, back and forth, before blinking and realizing where he was. He wasn't quite familiar with the interior decor of Shailud's palace, but this was certainly it.

A conversation ran through his head, one he was trying to remember in the void. Red hair. Elegant stance. Jessamine's mother. She had sought him out in the void, but what had she asked of him? He couldn't remember, and didn't know why. Not until realizing a hand on his shoulder had awoken him. He relaxed at the touch, before hearing a voice he didn't expect.

"You alright? You were having a vicious nightmare," Sabine asked.

Kaid didn't expect Sabine to be here of all things. He remembered Cadize healing him up. He didn't remember Jessamine by his side. His confused eyes met Sabine's before glancing down at his healed, relatively healed, left arm. There was no growing back a hand. Cadize wasn't that powerful.

Reality finally set in. He thought he had come to terms of losing his hand, in reality, he had been in the denial stage of his grief. There were things he could do not do anymore, things he had taken for granted or so used to. While it was not his dominant hand, this weakened him, wounded him. However, there wasn't time to properly grieve and wallow in pity.

"I'm okay," Kaid breathed out, slowly rising to sit up, "where's Jessamine, is she alright?"

Kaid noticed Sabine pull her hand back at that question, the softness in her face fading. He hadn't known he had somehow proven Jessamine right, that the first thing he'd ask for was her. Kaid just didn't know what was going on, he half expected her to be by his side, or at the very least strategizing their next move. Kaid also realized Sabine had interrupted his 'nightmare', which was beginning to explain his slight brain fog.

He couldn't blame Sabine for that, though. She always acted out of good intentions.

"She's been waiting outside the room, has been all day," Sabine answered, "I told her I needed to speak with you alone, make sure you are alright."

"I'm okay," Kaid assured her, still confused but took a deep breath, "Sabine, I have to apologize."

"I've been lied to before," she shrugged, acting like it didn't wound her.

"Not just the lie. The lie was meant to protect you, to protect everyone here. I meant using you. I didn't want to use you, but I needed to make sure my presence here remained unseen. You saw what depths they'll go to try and find me, to lure me out. People got hurt because of me," Kaid insisted.

"Yeah, well, I can't blame you. You learned from the best," Sabine clenched her jaw, insinuating he had learned well from Jessamine, "I want to know what happened."

"Pestilence stole Jessamine, cut off my hand-" Kaid started, before seeing Sabine raise her hand to silence him.

"The Paradox. The Time Paradox you started. I want to know why you did it," she corrected him. Kaid knew only a few knew the real details of what had happened. All knew Kaid had been the initiator of such a cataclysmic event, one he didn't see coming. Very few knew the truth, and it was perhaps for the best. Even if the truth revealed itself to the world, Kaid doubted many would believe it.

"Payne, Jessamine's advisor and Royal Investigator, was using Jessamine's generous offer of turbines as a means to poison the population, whether the water supply, or combust to kill hundreds. He meant to do so and place blame on Jessamine, who knew nothing of this plan. So, I had to stop him," Kaid explained, but saw it didn't satisfy her.

"So, she knew her own advisor was trouble and didn't do anything?" Sabine scoffed.

"You still stand beside Shailud, despite knowing his true intentions at ruling," Kaid retorted back, slowly rising from the bed, "And for that, I do not judge you for. But you cannot judge Jessamine for it either."