Scorched Starlight

Chapter Seven

Khula

Chapter Seven

Growling is nothing compared to silence.

Following my late night excursion to the Glade, which was so rudely interrupted by none other than the prince himself, of all people, I'd thought my horrific day to be over. But I discovered myself to be sorely mistaken as I'd climbed back in through my bedroom window, and immediately spotted a shadowy figure sat atop the sheets.

A mix of exasperation and fatigue led me to roll my eyes at what I'd believed to be my mother trying to make amends after our blistering conversation in the kitchen.

"Mother," I'd began, hoping an attempt at excusing my behavior would push whatever lecture this was off until the morning. "I -" Before I could find the words to continue, the figure rose in one fluid motion off of the bed, and marched in perfect ordinance into the center of the room, just across from where I stood against the windowsill, allowing their face to be revealed under the illumination of the moon.

Father.

With no notice, my mouth went dry as I noticed my knees locking into place, my breath catching, for fear the noise of my inhalation might be enough of a trigger. Avoiding eye contact, I instead focused on the garments he adorned for the nighttime. Even when not in uniform, the mans evening attire still managed to strike fear to the heart, in its blandness. A long sleeve gray shirt paired with long pants of the same hue. His hands remained folded behind his back as if he were about to address the troops, his face empty, no chance of deducing what might have been going through his mind in the moment.

"Where Were You." Not a question, nor a statement, but a gruff demand that hung in the air as I frantically spewed out my answer upon permission to speak.

"I was hungry because I didn't eat dinner, so I went into the forest for some oka fruit, I'm very sorry for leaving without permission, it's just that I didn't want to distu -"

I'd been struck hard across the face before I could finish the word.

Sucking in a painfully sharp breath, my eyes slammed shut as my hands immediately rose up to the defensive. Expecting more, I remained unmoving in my position for a few moments. Willing one eye open at a time uncovered that I was alone in the room, the only movement being the swaying of my curtains behind me in response to the light breeze floating through the open window, tickling my back as if to taunt me. I never got the chance to ask why he'd come to my bedchambers in the first place.

Not that I'd dare to.

******

I hear certain bones crack as I rise from my blankets. I grimace at the lustery floor before me, that eagerly awaits my feet touching down to begin another onslaught of life in these woods. The only excitement today brings is that it is no longer the day that came before. Rubbing the sore side of my cheek, I stare at the lit sky from my bed as I ponder. Days on a weeks end, such as today, are the only days I've not risen before the sun has. There'll be much to do, as always, and I should have plenty on my mind to keep me entertained all the while.

There's the idea that what's happened in the orchard means I might possibly be executed in the near future, the fact that it means that I am now keeping my first secret from Izara, and the fact that I am somehow also keeping my second secret from her, all in one go.

My second secret being that I have now been acquainted with the prince of Ishigaki.

The only time I had to process the encounter was on my walk back from the forest, because The General was already running on his own schedule by the time I'd returned home. And on that walk, all I'd really been able to think was that I couldn't believe it. I still don't either. I do not believe that the prince, the son of the people, and one of the people, oppressing the Fae, is a bumbling idiot?