Chapter 11 #2
I scan my surroundings as we head toward Xavier’s place.
It might help me evade the Prince of Fire.
If there’s a time when he becomes suspicious, I need to learn the locations and areas where I can hide.
I jot down a few cafes and shops with entrances when I notice black smoke near the eastern walls of the Kingdom of Flesh.
Pointing, I say with mild curiosity, “What’s that? ”
The smoke reminds me of the smoke that engulfed Elden Keep when I was on the boat. My kingdom turned to ash so quickly. But aside from the orange flames, the flames here are darker.
A shudder creeps up my spine.
“Fire elemny often have a short fuse. A fight must have broken out somewhere over there, and some building got caught up in it,” Xavier explains.
“But don’t worry. A guard nearby or one of the Knights of Eraminia will head over and sort it out.
” Xavier raises his hand over his eyes and peers closely at it. “It seems to have died down.”
The Knights of Eraminia are the force and driving power. Classified as elite warriors, among them is the mutt. Each possesses perks and abilities that instil fear in anyone who dares to cross their path.
Kylie points to the elemny roaming the streets and questions why they act differently. They seem more professional, walking with a clear sense of direction. There are no beaming smiles on their faces, and most of them lack excitement.
Between the elemny who live here and us, we definitely stand out.
Sara switches into tourist mode, snapping pictures of everything catching her eye.
Like us, tourists gaze in wonder. A few even gesture towards the horizon, drawing my gaze to the castle.
Its high walls stretch across the sky in the distance.
Towering and impenetrable, the iron doors rise majestically.
Dreary ash drifts onto the pointed towers, and one in particular catches my eye.
That tower houses the Queen. Even thirty minutes away, the tall tower wall displays vibrancy. Green shrubbery hangs over the railing, and Sara mentions she can smell pine from here.
I don’t want to kill the Queen, but she’s my only other option if I can’t reach the king.
Staying with Xavier longer than I planned will turn me into nothing more than a shell, and the urge to hurt him will grow stronger until it becomes a bloody mess.
So, if I can’t reach the king, she is my next best bet.
It’s a thirty-minute drive from where Xavier lives. I’ve mapped out the route I plan to take. There’s a taxi bay near Xavier’s place, and I’ll be heading to the Crimson Hotel. From there, I’ll walk to the castle, leaving little trace of where I’ve been.
My thoughts drift to whether King Ragan will recognise my voice when I see him. Would a fuse snap as he remembers telling the fire elemny they could—
I scratch the irritable itch tingling across my waist.
Deep breaths.
“We’re here, baby,” Xavier says, tightening his hold on my hand. The tone of his voice makes me snap a look at him. He glares and tilts his head to the left. Xavier’s parents are at the door, beaming smiles on their faces.
I release my hold on Xavier’s hand and step forward. His mother pulls me into an embrace. Heat radiates from her skin and scorches my arms, leaving a streak of sweat when she finally releases her furnace-like grip.
“You’re even more stunning in real life,” Xavier’s mother—Erin Clark—says with a radiant smile. She then places her warm hands on my cheeks and leans in with curiosity. “Your eyes are dazzling! Enchanting.”
My face must be red because it throbs.
Erin Clark steps back, apologising for keeping her warm hands on me for so long, and gestures to her husband, Tyler Clark. Unlike the warmth Erin exhibited when she hugged me, Tyler seems uncomfortable with my touch, given that he’s an earth elemny.
“You’re a very cold water elemny,” Tyler Clark says, rubbing his arms after we hug.
I smile, turn to Xavier and say, “I hear that often from Xav.”
“I don’t mind,” Xavier says with a smug smile.
Of course you don’t.
“Hey, Dad,” he says as he hugs him. “How long are you in Flesh for?”
“Fifty-seven days. Your mother and I are moving to Willow Gardens soon. Be sure to sort through your belongings while you’re here. Your grandparents are planning to turn your room into a guest room.”
“Can’t we just throw it all in storage?” he says, rolling his eyes and scratching his head.
We enter the home when Sara asks for a drink. Humidifiers are placed in the hallway, kitchen, and on tables throughout the house. Sara pulls off her mask and breathes more easily. Her watery eyes dry up, and she looks much better.
I take my shoes off and follow them into the kitchen. Erin Clark hands me a glass of chilled water with ice bobbing around inside. Parched, I take a mouthful when Kylie coughs beside me and complains that the water is too cold. I sip my drink slowly afterwards.
Settled and more relaxed, Xavier’s mother takes us to our rooms to unwind before dinner.
I admire how they’ve blended Flesh with Oria.
Plants creep across the charred walls, hiding them, and some even hang from silver-linked chains, with flowers blooming in vibrant colours.
They strive to balance a kingdom ravaged by destruction and violence with all their might.
Erin shows Sara and Kylie where they’re staying first. Kylie admits she might need a long, cold bath to keep her skin hydrated. Sara perks up, keen to join her. I smile at their love, but it also brings pain when my mind drifts to Desmond and the love we shared until…
Deep breaths.
“How is the fever going, Xavier?” Erin asks as we move down the hallway.
“It’s burning, but I feel better being back in Flesh.”
Erin Clark smiles at her son and touches his arm. “It’s going to get worse. Awakenings aren’t enjoyable until you finally awaken. Everything leading up moves quickly. You should sleep it off until you awaken. I don’t want you wallowing in misery.”
“I’m fine,” he says stubbornly.
He won’t be fine soon enough. When Typha was awakening, sweat drenched her. Most nights, I’d head to her room with fresh ice packs, but as soon as they touched her skin, they melted into a slushy mess.
Every elemny goes through the same process. At first, they become flushed until their skin burns. Fever sets in until sweat soaks across their skin. They then become tired, agitated, frustrated, and sore.
Erin Clark knows what she’s talking about, but Xavier won’t listen. He definitely needs to sleep it off.
With a strained smile, she opens the door at the end of the hallway and beckons Xavier inside.
She gestures towards the medals and awards on the wall, and I smile, nod, and give her the attention she craves, but I don’t particularly care for Xavier enough to engage in this conversation.
Still, I try to view myself as someone loving, but sometimes it’s tough to do when my mind wanders to plotting to kill the king.
“Why is there a door leading outside?” I ask, pointing to the sliding door leading out of Xavier’s room.
“Oh,” Erin chuckles. “He used to sneak out quite a bit when he was younger, so we put in a door to save him from creeping through the entire house to reach the front door.”
I smile, but what she said is fucking weird. Whenever I tried to sneak out of the house to party, Mum or Dad would catch me within half an hour and haul me back home. Yet, their strict rules only applied to me.
Typha snuck out all the time, and they didn’t blink or give her “the talk”. We were all aware of Typha sneaking out to drink, party, and play cruel, conniving games with elemny just for fun.
However, they controlled my lifestyle because they wanted me to be a nobody—someone without a name. This is probably why it was easy for Nancy to sneak me into Oceanview Harbour with no one questioning where I came from. I had no life on paper before Oceanview Harbour.
But I have memories.
“There’s a humidifier in the top drawer on the right.” Erin flops Xavier onto the bed, and he groans in pain. “The closet is on the right, and the door over there leads to the bathroom. Take as long as you like in there. I know water elemny dry out quicker than any other element.”
I place the suitcases beside the bed, straighten up with a smile, and say, “Thank you.”
We remain in an awkward silence until Erin finally turns her attention to her son. There’s love, adoration, and a wonderful sense of happiness at seeing her child return home—even if it’s just for a few days.
It hurts a bit because the look she gives Xavier is what I wished my parents had shown me.
Instead, they looked at me with hunger, manipulation, and thirst. They saw me as someone they could palm off to the mutt for power.
But their true intentions didn’t reveal themselves until the night my kingdom went up in flames.
It was hard for me to stomach because it happened when…
Deep breaths.
Was Erin Clark there the night my kingdom fell? Did she witness fire elemny rape women for fun and tear them into pieces? Did she see children ripped from their parents’ arms and burned alive for existing?
And if she did, how could she smile after everything she had witnessed?
I hope she wasn’t there. I’ll kill her if I find out she was.
Erin Clark smiles, and I do too, but while she sees me as an adorable girlfriend, I imagine her death if she were part of my trauma.