Välikirja: The Wyvern's Pact

Chapter Eleven - More Answers, More Questions

I've decided to join this year's NaNoWriMo! And that month will be dedicated to Välikirjä. Yes, there is a chance that the book will be done by the end of November, but I won't rush things just to finish this, because this story means so much to me. But I do know that this will help me write even faster. I work best when there are deadlines.

Any of you joining the NaNoWriMo this year? Add me as your writing buddy! My username is Cattleya Amber! ♥

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Chapter Eleven - More Answers, More Questions

          "So you've made up your mind? You decide not to give him a chance?"

          I turned around to follow the sound of her voice, though I wasn't certain if she was really behind me. I couldn't see a thing. Everything was just black, and all I could hear were our voices. Mine and Carina's. Somehow, this drove me crazy, sent my fingers running wildly through my hair and tugging it roughly. This dream, this nightmare, this vision, whatever it was...

          "A chance he never deserved?" I knew who she was talking about. She was talking about Aiden, that pathetic excuse for a man. Why would I waste another second pondering and deciding whether I should think ill.of him or not when the truth had already been laid explicitly in front of me? He was the type of man who could never be forced to do anything. He would not see to his end of a deal, and he wouldn't care if others hated him. If he had a right to do things his way without caring about what others thought, then I had the right to think of him the way I chose.

          "You think he doesn't deserve another chance?"

          "Of course, I do! It's all I can ever think of! All he does is prove to me how right I was not to believe his lies."

          "Lies? Can you give me an instance—just a single one—where he lied to you, really?" I heard her let out an exasperated sigh that had a trace of annoyance. She muttered, "Because all I see is prejudice."

          I stopped for a moment and tried to remember a concrete moment where he lied to me. One of the most unforgivable, most rage-inducing lie came to my mind. My nails sank into my palms as I balled my hands into fists, blood trickling down my skin.

          "He said he'd feed Safia if I had dinner with him," I whispered, remembering last night's dinner. I felt guilty over the fact that no matter how hard I tried to deny it, last night was the most satisfying night my stomach had ever experienced. "All he did was anger me, make me admit the fact that I still...hate him."

          "You hate him," she echoed. "You hate him! See? You're being biased, Koshka. You're not being fair to him." I felt an invisible force push my shoulder and make me turn around. "You're not even sure if he really was lying. For all you know, he could be feeding Safia by now."

          "And for all I care, he might not."

          "Why are you being so pessimistic? Why not hold on to the possibility that he's going to keep his end of the deal?"

          "Because he lied to me before," I replied, another memory flashing in my mind. "Before everything started, when Safia and I were back in Aethelgard, he showed up by my window and offered help. At first, I didn't know why he was there, but he told me that it wasn't me who needed him; it was Safia. Then I asked him to help me save the both of us—me and Safia—from the people in Aethelgard."

          Everything started flashing in my mind like it was trying to take me back to that time when I still wasn't indebted to Aiden, when I still hadn't condemned Safia to this torment.