Chapter 68
I attended a Tithe this dae.
Since his pah’s absent, Kaan sat on the bronze throne, accepting offerings, giving back to those who had little to offer in the first place.
I watched from the back of the hall as he spoke with each of the folk with such raw grace and fairness it reminded me of the way Mah and Pah used to run their kingdom, feeling a deep pang of homesickness at that thought …
Pah didn’t respect King Ostern. He said their values didn’t align. That Ostern had little care for anyone who couldn’t hear the elemental songs.
I watched Kaan offer a young, struggling family a plump sack of gold and decided Pah would’ve respected King Ostern’s eldest son.
Kaan saw me from across the vast space, our eyes locked, and I’m certain the world stilled.
I felt so bare before him, infused with a fiery heat that had nothing to do with the ever-present burn that scalds this place. Certain my body was going to sizzle from the inside out if we did not collide, struggling to see much else through the haze of my unquenched desire.
I moved behind a pole before anyone noticed, desperate to catch my breath that had suddenly fled.
I know the things I desire are forbidden.
I’m all out of reasons to care.
For almost two phases, I’ve existed in this Stronghold like one of the shadows …
I’m done living the life I’ve been told to live and not the one I want for myself.