Chapter 9 Wrath
WRATH
It was early in the morning when his guest snuck out of bed and quietly got dressed before she slipped out the door.
Hawk was awake but pretended to be asleep because he was still deep in boyhood.
When manhood arrived, he wouldn’t shy away from the awkwardness of a one-night stand, would walk her to the door and have no issue saying goodbye.
Tension was a by-product of unmet expectations, and if he correctly set them at the time of their meeting, there would be nothing to hide.
I returned an hour later, when he was fully dressed and his hair was damp from the shower he’d taken. He was in his uniform and his armor, and when he slid his blade back into his scabbard across his back, I appeared before him.
It took him a second to process what his eyes tried to tell his mind, and when that realization set in, he quickly jerked back as his eyes widened in a panic. That was everyone’s reaction the first time they saw me, even Kennt’s.
Except Lily.
He took another step back as he quickly sized me up, as he tried to understand how I had appeared out of nowhere.
He didn’t ask who I was, so he seemed to piece it together, the only explanation for my ability to appear from literally nowhere.
“My soul isn’t for sale—and I’ll kill you if you try to take Lily’s. ”
My borderline poor opinion of his character changed when I heard the brave thing he said. “Lucky for you, I want neither.”
“Then what do you want, demon?”
“I’m a god, not a demon.”
“Then what do you—”
“Silence your words, and I will tell you.” I raised my voice in a way I never did with Lily.
Lily believed she’d witnessed moments of my wrath, but she hadn’t witnessed any of it at all.
From the first moment I looked upon her face, I’d tended to her like a flower in winter.
Touched her with the utmost delicacy. Brought her the sunshine when it rained.
Watered her roots during the harshest drought.
Cared for her like she was the only blossom in my garden.
And everyone else got a much different version of me.
“A great war comes, not only for the Southern Isles, but all your neighbors and allies in this hemisphere. The victor of that battle has yet to be decided, and you waste precious time arguing for a crown that may not even exist shortly. Because the history of the Rothschilds may shortly be erased. Your father may succumb to his injuries because you were too busy thinking of your own power rather than his delicate life. Your mother and sister may be raped and forced into bearing children they don’t want because precious time was spent arguing over something that your father had already decided.
Do you want to be remembered as the child who didn’t get what he wanted?
Or the general who served his queen to victory? ”
Hawk didn’t take another step back, but he watched me with a face tinted red in rage or fear.
“Your father made his decision—and it’s a very wise decision. Any hope you have for victory is under her rulership. Accept what’s already been decided and raise your sword for her crown—or expect another visit from me.”
“Why have you blessed her with such gifts?” he asked like he hadn’t heard a word I said. “What do you expect in return?”
“I grant her my army and my strength freely.”
“But why—”
“Because I believe in Queen Lily Rothschild of the Southern Isles—and you should too.”
His eyes flicked back and forth between mine, reminding me of his sister in the way he kept his spine straight, even though he stood in the presence of evil. “Of course I believe in her—”
“Then prove it, Hawk Rothschild.”
“I would die for her.”
“As her brother. Not her general—and that’s what needs to change. While your heart is full of bravery and courage from your Rothschild blood, you lack the depth and experience that your sister possesses. You’re unfit to rule, and since no one has been kind enough to say it to your face, I will.”
“Kind enough?”
“Kindness and cruelty are one and the same sometimes.”
He continued to stare at me, somewhat winded, his thoughts hidden behind his eyes.
“You will not speak of this conversation to Lily.”
“Or what?”
“I will offer no punishment if you do, but if you want to prove to me and the world you’re ready to serve your sister as a general with her as your queen, you will keep it to yourself. You will take this opportunity to rectify your ways and lead in this war.”
His eyes remained locked on mine, clearly unsure what to make of me. “What do you want from her?”
All of her. For an eternity or the blink of a mortal life. “As I said, our goals are aligned.”
“Aligned enough to provoke a mortal who’s never sought your audience?”
He was smarter than I gave him credit for. Had a quick mind like his sister, critically analyzed situations at lightning speed because he didn’t give in to the panic like so many others. Suspicion danced across his eyes.
“She’s my ally in this war.”
“But gods don’t care about the wars among men.”
“Heed my warning or don’t. Choice is yours.”
“I don’t believe you. What do you want with my sister—”
I vanished from his presence, immediately masked by the darkness of Xian, a loud shriek coming from somewhere in the distance, far into the black forest that only those who were mad ever tread.