Conviction's King | Damian Book 1

Chapter 1

As always, people watch me, weary. As I walk by, whispers surround me. I was the man who stopped the world from turning. I was the one who killed millions.

I am the villain of everyone's story.

Morgiana was the puppet master. She died, finally, but she lives on in my head, haunting my dreams, my nightmares. She forced my hand when I would hesitate. She threatened me when I would refuse. Following her orders became second nature, and yet her name isn't on anyone's tongue. Only mine. And Cressa-la's.

Some people are still weary of her too, and the powers she used to possess. The powers she took from everyone, the powers she placed back into the earth and moon.

The magic she stole and got rid of.

Once again, I find myself wandering the island alone, weaving through the trees. I used to be a hunter in the Revli Tribe before I began plotting against Tamir to steal Amawa-na. Before I dropped him from the cliff on our side of the island, before I believed I'd killed him. I'd already been under Morgaina's thrall at that point, but I knew deep inside me I needed to resist.

I didn't listen.

"Damian!"

I turn, startled, to see a blonde head running over to me. Behind her is a taller, older brunette, three years yonger than me.

"Damian, can we help?"

Lily-flor beams up at me and Jackie shifts shyly behind her, unable to meet my eyes directly. I shift my spear in my hand and place the butt of it against teh ground.

"Don't you think Cressa-la will be worried?" I ask, looking down at the ten and twenty-year-old standing before me. "And Tamir?" I add, eyeing Jackie. It's obvious she has a crush on me, but... she's not my type. I'm actually kind of repulsed by the thought of dating Tamir's younger sister—even if I was interested. It feels wrong, somehow. And Lily-flor... I don't think she completely grasps what it is I did when she was, what, five? Six? I kidnapped her and used her against Cressa-la to get her to comply with my demands. Her presence always makes me feel guilty... but that's not to say I'm not grateful for the companionship.

"They're busy," Lily-flor grins. "Tamir's making Cressa-la something nasty. She's having these weird cravings."

"That's how it is when a girl gets pregnant," I tell Lily-flor. "She eats things that are absolutley disgusting."

Lily-flor shrugs. "Well, I didn't want to make it. It's against my better judgement with cooking."

When I don't say anything, she goes on. "Besides, my dad taught me how to hunt and clean the animals."

I snort. "When did you start calling him dad?"

Taking that as an invitation, both girls fall in-line with me as I begin walking. "And you do know he never hunted when we were in the same tribe together when we were younger."

"I know," Lily-flor says.

"He said he gathered sticks," Jackie says, wrinkling her nose. "That's so stupid."

I smile.

"And I started calling him dad when it felt right," Lily-flor says, stuck on my comment. "Same with Cressa-la. They adopted me, after all, so why not?" Then, her mind shifts gears as my eyes sweep the trees. Several squirrels scamper overhead. So many... "How are babies made, anyway?"

I stumble over myself and nearly fall, catching myself with the end of the spear on the ground.

"You don't know that and you're how old?" Jackie teases. "Well, there's a guy and a girl, and—"

"Hey," I interrupt, feeling my face turn red slightly. "Let Cressa-la and Tamir tell her," I tell Jackie, her eyes widening with embarrassment in front of me. "The Initi Tribe is different than the underwater world. It might be well-known beneath the waves, but up here, it's sacred and something shared between a married couple. When the married couple decides to tell their child, that's their decision, alright?"

Jackie nods furiously, sputtering a quick, "Sorry," and looking away.

Lily-flor grumbles something, crossing her arms over her chest as a funnily angry look crosses her face. "I'm almost thirteen. I'm old enough to know."

"That's not for you to decide," I tell her, feeling like such a grown-up. It wasn't that long ago that I was her age... with two best friends... one I thought I killed.

I clear my throat. "If you really want to know, ask Cressa-la and Tamir."

"Do you love my mom?"

This time I really do fall, tripping over my own feet. My head actually breaks a few twigs hanging from a tree and I land on a bush with sharp thorns.

"Really?" I mutter. I take a moment to gather my thoughts, exhaling slowly as I look up at Lily-flor. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because you look at her like Tamir does,"she says with a shrug. "And she's the only person you talk to about your problems, like your nightmares and stuff."

I furrow my brow, Jackie looking completely uncomfortable. "Um... Lily, maybe we should leave him alone."

"How do you know about that?" I ask, feeling exposed, suddenly.

Lily-flor shrugs, an impish gleam in her eyes. "I like to eavesdrop, into her conversations especially. There's a lot of people that still don't really like her, but she doesn't care. She's always been a loner."

"You've eavesdropped into my conversations with her?" I ask, my eyes narrowing, but Lily-flor doesn't budge. Jackie, on the other hand, takes a step back. She knows who I am. She's heard the rumors and has seen first-hand into what I used to be possible of, even if I don't have any powers anymore. "Lily-flor, those are private."

"Not if they're in my house or on my island," she says stubbornly with another shrug. "Now that my mom's pregnant and powerless, it's my turn to protect the island."

I stare at her, still on the ground. This ten-year-old believes she can protect the island? From what, squirrel-overpopulation?

"I think you've had one too many daydreams, Lil," I comment, getting myself ready to stand up, when she shakes her head.

"Nope," she says, lifting up a finger.

What I see makes my stomach bottom out.

A spark of pink light ignites on her fingertip.

"I'm still a One."