Villainous [Wattys 2021 Shortlist]

26: Guide

Delilah wove her way through the dancing. The wine made everything look like she was seeing through a golden haze, and her blood buzzed with it. She toyed with the idea of kidnapping Safir and forcing him to make her the wine forever.

Dante had left his spot by the willow, but he cut a dark, imposing shape among the Rtko and she noticed him instantly. He was walking to the willow the Seer had disappeared behind.

She jogged after him but hung back so he wouldn't notice her. His broad shoulders parted the tresses, and Delilah slipped soundlessly after him just as he entered a hidden cave: a gap between the willow's enormous roots.

Delilah paused at the entrance and strained to see through the blackness.

Dante's voice floated out. "Tell me if I will do it."

"I've already told you, you just haven't listened closely enough," the Seer croaked. "Night Bringer."

"Don't play games with me!" he spat, and Delilah leaned closer, bracing a hand on a root. "Will I rule all four nations?"

"If I tell you, it will affect the way you make decisions, and will therefore change your fate."

"It's not right - none of this. You don't know the future. You lie and guess. Why are you sending Safir with us? Why would you condemn him to death?"

"How do you know he will die?" The Seer did not sound afraid, and Delilah supposed it was because she was already old.

"Of course he's going to die!" Dante snapped. "Either we'll kill him, or he'll kill himself through sheer ignorance of the outside world."

"Your mind is clouded by rage and the need for vengeance, Night Bringer. But there is hope for your redemption - yours and Delilah's. You are not bound to the path you now tread." Delilah wondered if the woman knew she was listening in. "You can still do the right thing."

"I'm too far gone for that," Dante muttered.

"No, Dante. Your father made you like this - you were not born with the shadows you now carry. Delilah, too, was made. You have both been broken and twisted."

"And that is how we'll stay."

"You could perhaps fix each other."

He gave a hollow laugh. "If we have a change of heart, they'd kill us for our crimes. This is the only way."

"No. This is the only way you can see."

"I'm done. Keep your secrets if you must, Seer. I'll return and flatten this forest one day."

"Only the stars know, Night Bringer," she called, as Delilah heard his footsteps stomping closer to her.

She leaped away from the willow just as Dante reemerged, his eyes narrowing.

"Where were you?" Delilah demanded. "Don't leave me alone with these ridiculous people."

"They are ridiculous," he agreed, glancing darkly at the tree root cave. "I was just... exploring. Let's go."

The next morning, Delilah woke in the tree-den they'd returned to before the party had ended. Dante slept in the bed beside hers, and a Rtko had laid out a new set of clothes for them both. She chuckled at the sight of a bow and quiver each. So the fools were handing them weapons.

She wondered, with a sudden chill, if they'd need them to get to the Earth Opal. She'd assumed the Rtko were the guardians Kai mentioned... but what if something else awaited them?

The dull green tunic fell almost to her knees, and she tightened the woven belt around her waist with a small sigh. Although the soft leather boots were beautiful and elegant, rising halfway up her calves and decorated with swirling Rtko symbols, she longed for Pelenan fashion. She wanted fiery reds and gold - dresses that were magnificent, her old wardrobe, the stuff that caught every eye in the room.