Shadows of Avarice - Book #1 (BxB)

Chapter 52

Dariya and Xia took shelter at the entrance of the cave for the night. While the witch was gone for now, they didn't want to spend time in her lair. Even dead, Elvira held some of her powers. Xia didn't question it. He didn't understand how magic worked. All he knew was that he now had the means to save Osiris.

They didn't speak much during the night, and Xia could barely sleep as his mind raced. Maybe there was another way to save Osiris without risking his life, but he was afraid of returning to that cave. He had something that Elvira wanted and though she couldn't take it by force, she could do other things with her magic. She could break him.

He also couldn't believe that the witch was his mother. He was curious about his real parents and the reason why they left him behind when he was a baby, but he never imagined that it was for such devious means. Even after twenty-six years, the witch was using him. She put on an act that she cared about him, but her soul was the only thing important to her. He didn't want her to have it back, but he also wanted to save Osiris. How could he save Osiris without risking his life? And if what Elvira said was true, Xia would die regardless of his choice.

When morning came, Dariya and Xia set out once more. It was finally time to return to Rasea where Osiris awaited them. Xia wanted to see the sultan again, but the reunion felt bittersweet. He was scared of seeing how far gone Osiris was because of the curse, and Xia was scared to risk his life. He didn't want to die. His family was expecting him to come back victorious, but now there was the chance he wouldn't come back at all. He wouldn't have the chance to say goodbye to them.

Dariya noticed Xia's silence as they walked back to the kingdom. The man who was full of life at the beginning of this journey was gone, and an empty shell was left. He didn't need to say the words for her to know what he was thinking about.

"Xia . . . are you really going to risk your life to save him?" Dariya asked.

He was silent for a moment as he contemplated his choices. With a sigh, he finally answered, "I don't know what else to do, Dariya. Unlike the witch, I don't have any magic to reverse the curse. And if I gave her what she wanted, there was no guarantee that she would help me. She played her cards, and this is what she dealt me. She wants me to die."

"It's not right. You've been her pawn since the day you were born. But Xia . . . I don't think you should give up your life. I know you love Osiris and I know his curse is getting worse, but there has to be another way. We can keep searching until we find it," she suggested.

"And what if there is no other way?" That was a possibility as well. They could search for years, but there was no guarantee they would find any other cure. Even if they did find another way, could they save Osiris if his humanity was gone? Xia didn't want it to be too late.

"Then don't save him. You have a family waiting for you. I don't want to return without you just to tell them that you're dead. They love you. You're more important to them than Rasea. If Rasea falls because of Osiris, then so be it. Your life is more important. Just go back to Ambria where your family is waiting for you." She didn't want to see him die. Her suggestion might have meant all of Rasea would suffer, but Xia shouldn't be the one to risk his life for that.

If Xia returned to his family, he would be safe. It might hurt now, but he would heal one day. Rasea wouldn't be the first kingdom to fall because of its ruler. Zuvelia was destroyed a few years ago because of its king. Rasea was on the verge of collapse as well. Osiris hadn't been a stable ruler for a long time, and it was all thanks to his curse. He lost many people he cared about because of it, and Rasea suffered. As selfish as it might seem, Dariya would rather see Rasea fall than see Xia dead, even if Rasea was her home. As a traveling merchant, she wasn't in her home kingdom much anyway. She and her family could stay in Ambria for a while where it was safe.

Xia didn't agree with her. He gave a sad smile as he said, "That's not fair to all of the people currently living in Rasea. There are many families who call this kingdom their home, and they won't have anywhere else to go if Rasea collapses. Osiris cares about his people. He doesn't want to see them suffer, and I don't either. Besides, Osiris is more important than me. He's in charge of a whole nation, while I am just a lowly thief. When he regains his humanity and no longer has to worry about a curse, then he will make Rasea a great kingdom."

There were people Xia didn't want to suffer as well. Amani and Shiva were still there, as well as Soraya. They would be doomed if Rasea fell to ruin, and he didn't want anything to happen to them. More importantly, he didn't want anything to happen to Osiris. If his curse became too much, then the people could step in. He didn't want Osiris to be hurt anymore because of his curse.

There was only one thing Xia could do. Before it was too late, he would save Osiris. Xia sighed. "Dariya . . . I love him so much. I can't abandon him when he needs me."

She looked at him pitifully, unsure what to say. When Xia's mind was made up, nothing could convince him otherwise. She might not have known him for long, but she knew he was stubborn.

She bit her lip as she tried to hold back the tears. "I don't want you to die, Xia."

"I know . . . I don't want to die either. Let's return to the palace. We'll figure out things from there," he said, not looking in her direction.

Silently, they made their way back to Rasea. It took some time to cross the desert and make it back to the city they had known for their whole lives. Upon passing the city gates, the atmosphere felt different. The streets were quiet unlike how Rasea usually was. The sun might have set, but normally, the city was still bustling with people. Even as they passed the market, it was eerily quiet.

Dariya couldn't help clutching Xia's hand as they walked through the streets. "W-what's happening? There's no one around."

They had been gone for a couple of weeks and things changed this drastically. Xia had a bad feeling as he looked up at the palace.

He tightened his grip on Dariya's hand. "Let's hurry to the palace."

As quickly as they could, they ran to the palace that Xia had called home not that long ago.