Kingdom's Vice Series: A Voyage of Vengeance ( #2 2015)

Chapter Eleven

"It seems to be wearing off," I say with a sigh, dipping my toes onto the cold cement floor with my legs dangling from the bedside.

Alec is swift beside me, his arm slinking around my shoulders and pulling me close to him again. "What is?" there's a twinge of pain in his voice, only small, but enough to send a jolt through me. A sharp pang.

I turn to him and meet his eyes, "My empathy." I let out. "The more I see myself being the person I was before, the more I start to lose her. I almost killed a guard the other day, and I know I wouldn't have hesitated to kill him if it meant saving Jasmine."

"Skaya,"

My eyes widen, "And Duhamas...oh—he was the one who told me about my gift. He noticed it first. And now I...now I fear it may no longer belong to me. Do you think—"

He lightly presses his finger to my lips, his eyes locked on mine. "No, I don't. I never did. He has a good heart, Skaya. We both know that. And he wasn't the first to notice it. I believe I hold that title."

I take his hand in mine and clutch it to my chest. "What has my uncle sent for you to do?"
He shrugs, "For the moment, I've been assigned to watch the shoreline in case of any remaining scouts across the sea from Katan. Nothing I can't handle." He assures me as he slips off the bed and out of his robe. He pulls his breastplate out of the cupboard by the door and slides into it, the velvet undershirt peeping out underneath his collar.

"Here, let me." I say, getting up and fastening the leather straps on the side. I say nothing while I adjust the straps and polish the silver; I just admire him in silence. He grins and keeps his eyes on my hands as they snake about him like chains.

"You fret too much, my love." He whispers, his eyes so calm they wash over me with a stillness I never felt before. "I really wish you wouldn't. Is there anything I can do to keep you from fearing the things you decline to admit?"
I wish you could.

"Skaya,"

Just stay as you are. Never change. Promise me we will stay as we are, never changing. We vowed to forever—promise me we'll stay that long.

He steps back, his face hurt as I see the sting in his eyes—wounded eyes. "Where would I go?" he asks me almost as if he's angry, and deep down, I wish he was. It would save me from having to decipher the pain on his face—the pain I cannot bear to watch consume him. "Where in this world would I go without you, Skaya? I don't break my vows, not even in death. Do you not trust me?"

"Of course I do, I just—sometimes people change...for better or for worse. Whichever it is, I'm afraid, Alec. I've seen people come and go from my life—turn into monsters and angels...into nothing. I don't want to lose you—to time or anything else."

He pulls me in, without warning and kisses me. I kiss him back, not even caring about anything else in the room—the buzzing in my head or the whispers in the corridor. He pulls away smiling against my lips and he says, with his hand on my cheek, "Is that enough to convince you?"

I giggle and nod before falling into his kiss again. "Yes," I mutter. I pull myself away from him, and rest a hand on his armour, patting it lightly. "Be careful." I whisper to him, my eyes searching for the Kennah boy I knew before, the boy who was too scared to fight with a blunt blade, who fought for his people until the Light almost left him. He's still in there somewhere, only the outside is a shell.

"Always," he smiles before opening the door to reveal Duhamas leaning against the doorframe, seeming utterly bored. "Ah, Duhamas." Alec greets him. "Don't look so jaded when your wife is carrying your child!" he slaps him on the back. "For the Light's sake! You look like hell."

Duhamas chuckles as he moves around him, stepping into the room and out of the doorway. "Your Allerian is certainly starting to show now." He slaps him back. "You have my greatest congratulations on your new position in the King's Guard. May you serve the kingdom well."

Alec leaves and I tense when Duhamas comes close. I start to back away and soon find myself pinned against the wall.

"Don't.." I croak.

He holds out a hand, as if to surrender himself. "I've come to make peace, Skaya. I deeply regret the things that I said to you. I lost my temper. I shouldn't have said what I did."

I scowl. "No, you shouldn't have."

"Do I have your forgiveness?"

I cross my arms and sigh. "It would be awfully difficult to endure eternity holding a grudge against you, would it not?"

He chuckles and brings me into his embrace. We say nothing. All I hear is breathing, mine and his. Surprisingly steady.

"It was you, wasn't it?" I ask, my voice muffled against his shirt.

I can feel him frown. "What was?"
"Alec and the Guard."

He smiles, "He deserves it. He's a true Allerian now, regardless of his birth or blood. He's as much an Allerian as the rest of us. The Light shines on him with as much favour as you or I. It only seemed fair to have him serve the king in a way that is honourable."

"Thank you,"

He pulls away with a sigh and his eyes linger towards the doorway. His body tenses suddenly and I find myself stepping backwards, as if in fear of him.

"What is it?" I ask cautiously, slipping out of his line of touch. "Is something wrong?"

His breath shakes as he recollects himself and I feel my mind pulsing against his. I try to push my way into his mind again.

You're shutting me out, I say softly, my eyes locked on his tortured face and my lips sealed.

"It's better that way, Skaya. I don't let people in, but if and when I do, everything changes."

You're afraid, aren't you? Did something happen with Faeore?

He nods sadly, his jaw line clenching as his fists curl. "Yes," his voice breaks at last and he lurches for the door.

Duhamas, wait! What happened with Faeore? Willy you not tell me?

He shakes his head, "There is no time. To say it would make it true, would it not?"

I smile, The truth is only so to the one who believes it to be so. Nothing has to be anything, Duhamas. Where there is Light, there is choice and there will always, always be Light.

He warms his face with a sweetened smile and nods to me. "Thank you, Skaya. I always knew your gift was something worth admiring. Your name will grace these halls," he gestures to the room, the white walls, the lush green that extends beyond the window. "for all the time that remains in this world. Though time may not decay for us as it does for Meyn, one day, we will turn to dust, but our memories will live for those who cannot, for those who still hold on to the hope of yesterdays and brighter tomorrows.

If the world were to crash and shatter into a million pieces, our bodies broken and fed to the forests where no Meyn dare to trek, your name will be whispered in the winds north and south, east and west—never to die. You've earned that, Skaya. The people love you, and though I have swung my words towards you like I would a sword, I promise you my words did not sway them. They are as hopeful as ever, Skaya. Keep it that way."