35. Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Five
Malina
“ S hit.”
I rummaged through my rooms, searching every nook and cranny for any coins. Though I knew there weren’t any to find. I had spent the last of my money last night on a glass of something strong and a bowl of stew at The Whispering Axe.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.”
Sure, I could ask some of the Scholars to help, but I wasn’t one to take handouts. And I certainly wasn’t going to ask Nikan. He would just think I was using it for more demid.
I needed to go on a mission. One job should get me through the next few weeks if I kept my spending minimal. Nikan would probably welcome the break, since he’d been doing all of them on his own. And I had enough demid stored up to last me a few days while I was gone.
I knew I didn’t need to spend so much on alcohol, but it took the edge off and added to the effects of the demid. The combination was perfect to make me forget everything while it lasted.
With a plan in place, I quickly bathed to wash off the scent of males and taverns, then rushed down to Eamon’s study.
“Oh, Malina!” someone shouted cheerily as I made it to the bottom of the stairs.
I turned to see Brixey, one of the historian Scholars, waving with one arm while holding a stack of books in the other and walking toward me eagerly. She was the youngest female to willingly go through the Raith and become a Scholar. She had thick brown hair that flowed down to the middle of her back, and it was always kept half-up with some random object holding it together. Today, it was a long stirring spoon. Her rich brown skin glowed against the beige Scholar attire, matching her sweet brown eyes. She was bright and lively, and that annoyed me at this moment.
“Hi, Brixey,” I greeted with a forced smile. “I can’t really talk right now. I’m on my way to see Eamon for a mission.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Are you feeling better then? Nikan said you hadn’t been well,” she said with a concerned look.
Good to know he didn’t tell everyone what was actually going on. I’d hate to be subjected to every text in the library about the negative effects of demid being thrown in my face. Not that it wouldn’t be done out of love, but I didn’t have the capacity to deal with anything like that.
Her voice lowered, and her eyes softened. “Malina, how are you doing after—”
I’m not doing this right now
“I’m fine, thank you. It was nice to see you, but I need to get going,” I said curtly then turned and walked away.
“He’s not there.”
I stopped and turned back around.
“Eamon,” she clarified. “He’s been away in Bhara.”
“Ah. Why?” I asked.
“I don’t know. No one does.” She shook her head and shrugged, causing her to almost lose control of the stack in her arms.
That was odd. He always told everyone where he was going and what he was leaving for.
“Alright,” I said slowly. “Do you know when he’ll be back?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know that either,” she said, sympathetic to my disappointment. But then she perked up. “Nikan is here though. He just got back. I think he’s leaving again soon, but you could probably catch him.”
I really didn’t want to. I hadn’t seen him in a few days since he came in to tell me about Daegel coming back. But maybe he was busy enough that he’d want me to take a job off his hands. Like the one he was about to leave on.
“Thanks, Brixey,” I said with a wave and briskly left.
“Let me know if you ever want to talk or hang out…” her voice trailed off as I went back up the stairs.
I made it back to the residential level and went straight to Nikan’s rooms and knocked.
“Come in,” he called from the other side.
I entered to find him in his leathers and cloak, standing at the table with his bag atop it as he was packing it. He turned to face me, and his eyes reflected surprise for a moment.
“Mal. Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Uh, I went to go talk to Eamon, but he isn’t here, and I heard you were back. I was wondering if I could take your mission. I know you’ve been busy, and I’m ready to take on a job again,” I said firmly.
His eyes stared into mine for a moment before he turned back around to continue packing with a disappointed look on his face. “No.”
“What?”
“I said no. You’re not going on any missions.” There was no room for arguing in his tone, but I didn’t care.
“Why?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I think you know why,” he said flatly.
I rolled my eyes. “I can function just fine. I did the last time.”
“No, you can’t and you didn’t,” he clipped as he spun around. He leaned back against the table with his arms braced on the edge. “Mal, the demid fucks you up way more than you think. You can’t go off on an official mission while you’re on it, and Gods forbid if you took it while you’re there and you pass out in the wrong place.”
“So, what? You’re going to make me stop so I can do my fucking job?” I asked with a sneer.
“As much as I would love that Mal, I can’t make you stop. You clearly have to do that all on your own. I could take you away to the end of the realm, but you would still find a way to get your fix. This isn’t something anyone can do but you. And when you’re ready, I’ll be here. But until then, you’re not going anywhere.” He wasn’t berating me, and his voice was gentle but firm.
“I need to work, Nik.”
His lips thinned. “You need to get better. If you want to eat, you can come here, and I’ll feed you. Unless…”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. “Unless what?”
“Unless you tell me who your local dealer is. I know you’re getting it from someone close.”
And have him kill Dax, and my only means of access to demid? Not a chance.
I didn’t answer.
He shook his head with a disappointed look on his face. I hated that I was getting so used to seeing it. It was obvious this conversation was over when he turned back around, tied his pack, and left, kissing the top of my head as he walked out the door without another word.
He wasn’t forcing me to do anything, yet he wasn’t allowing me to do anything either. Not that I blamed him. If I did mess up, I could jeopardize the entire Roav operation that we had been working on for twenty years. I wasn’t going to admit that to him though.
And I still had a money issue.
I went back to my rooms and sat on the upholstered chair by the wall, staring at the city below thinking about what I could do.
Then an idea came to me. One I didn’t necessarily like—but one that would work.
That night, just after dark, I walked into Erryn’s Lounge. It was busier than usual, which I thought was the perfect opportunity to plead for work, making it seem like I was helping Erryn more than I was helping myself. I went over to the counter and sat down, waiting for him to come over.
He was rushing around, taking food and drinks to the patrons. After several minutes, he made his way over to me.
“Back again,” Erryn said with a broad smile. “Sorry about the wait. There are a lot of east-bound travelers tonight. What can I get you?”
“Employment?” I asked with a smile.
His brows raised. “You want to work here?”
I nodded eagerly. “You look like you could use the help.” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder at the rowdy commotion behind me.
He looked behind me just as he was being called for by multiple tables. With a resigned sigh, he agreed. “Alright. But tonight is just a tryout. Do well, and we can talk. And I guess I don’t have to call you Roav anymore. Got a name? ”
Ouch.
I hadn’t really thought of that. I supposed I wasn’t much of a Roav anymore if I wasn’t taking on jobs.
“Mal.” I forced myself to perk up and beam at him. “I won’t let you down,” I said as I hopped off the chair and went behind the counter then began taking orders.
“Let her go!” I screamed as Daegel fought to hold Kya in his grasp.
I couldn’t wield light at him, or I’d risk blinding Kya too. I couldn’t throw a dagger at him either, she was too close. He was using her as a shield like a fucking coward.
I started running closer to them, away from where I had been trying to get to Nikan. He was screaming at me, telling me to stay away from him while also screaming for Daegel to let Kya go, that he better not go back on his word.
I didn’t know what that meant, and I blocked him out to concentrate on getting to Kya, dodging the Glaev on the sandy beach.
“Malina! The Kiss!” Kya bellowed into the night.
No…
But I didn’t hesitate. I whipped around and found her bow and a black-feathered arrow, the tip dark with the Onyx Flower’s poison. I darted back toward them, my blood rushing to my head as dread pooled in my stomach.
Please let her go. Please let her go. Don’t make me do this.
Once I was close enough, I stopped and aimed the arrow at them.
“Back off! It’s over!” Daegel roared. I saw the ire in his eyes as his hands gripped Kya tighter. He wasn’t going to let her go no matter what.
I knew it.
Kya knew it.
She began pushing back against him, both of their feet stumbling on the rocky ground beneath them.
My eyes widened, and the blood drained from my face. I understood then what she was doing…
She knew she wasn’t getting away from him, and this was how she was going to stop him.
She pushed again, getting them closer to the edge of the Rip.
“Let her go! I swear to the Gods, I will kill you!” I screamed at Daegel as he continued to roar, telling me to stop.
I wasn’t listening. My eyes were glued to Kya as I watched her push them back farther.
My vision blurred, my eyes filling with tears of rage and fear with the anticipation of what was about to happen.
Kya stared into my eyes, saying all she needed to for me to understand what she was about to do. What she needed me to do.
Don’t make me do this!
But I had to. I knew I did.
“For them,” she mouthed to me.
No…
And with a soft smile that shredded my heart she added, “For us.”
I pulled back the bow string, and the tears finally broke, streaming down my face.
“Please don’t make me do this,” my whispered voice broke.
Kya just nodded, still smiling.
I released the arrow.
“For the love of Xar. You really do have problems.” The sound of a male’s voice grated on my ears.
My head was throbbing, and my body ached. I realized I was laying on something cold and hard. Again.
“Get up.” A boot nudged me, and I groaned and tried to swat at it.
The male sighed and cursed under his breath. The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it through the haze in my head.
I started falling back asleep when I felt myself being lifted and thrown over a shoulder, my head and arms dangling above the ground. I cracked my eyes open and saw the ground moving.
Or was I moving? No, I was definitely moving.
The rhythmic swaying as I was carried off was entrancing. I closed my eyes again, not caring about being hauled off like a sack of flour.
I was shocked awake as I was thrown into freezing cold water. Gasping, I flailed until I gripped the edges of stone on either side of me and pulled myself to a sitting position. I sputtered the water out of my mouth and pushed away the hair plastered over my face.
Swiping the water off my eyes, I snarled and glared up at the male who—
“Ryker?!” I screeched.
He had his arms crossed, leveling me with an expressionless stare.
“What is your problem? Wh—” I looked down to see that I was in one of the stable’s drinking troughs.
Horses were standing at the other end with their ears perked up, probably wondering what I was doing in their water.
“Why am I in a horse trough?” I demanded.
“Because I have some things to discuss with you, and I need you sober,” Ryker said bluntly .
“You could have been a little more gentle about it, pigeon boy,” I grumbled.
I started crawling out of the trough, flopping out onto the dirt and rolling to my side. My teeth chattered, and I was shivering, curling into myself for warmth.
A wave of heat fell over me, and I looked up to see Ryker wielding warmth from his fire. Not that he looked happy doing it.
“Don’t expect me to thank you, seeing as you’re the cause.” I pushed myself to my feet and wrapped my arms around my chest. “Now, what do you want?”
He leaned in close, and I could practically taste the fury he was holding back. From the look in his eye, he could have been asking for my life, and it was then I realized that I wanted to keep it.
“I want you to tell me where you’re from.”
I paused for a moment, just blinking at him. That certainly wasn’t where I thought this was going. It was the last thing I expected him to ask me. Caught off guard, drunk, and still coming off the effects of the demid, I was stunned and speechless.
“Um… I… Wh—Why?”
Think, you drunk bitch. Think!
“Tell me where you’re from,” Ryker clipped each word with a bite.
Pompous ass.
“Tell me why ,” I pressed.
Ryker’s silver eyes flared—glowing—as his shadows erupted all around us, blocking out all light. My heart raced and, instinctively, I wielded light in my fists, bright against the impenetrable cocoon of shadows.
He was fucking intimidating, I had to give him that.
“I don’t have time to deal with your stubborn attitude, but I’m trying to be courteous right now. Where is Kya from?” he roared.
That’s what this was all about? He wanted to know that , of all things?
You know what? Fuck this. No one was around to hear, and if he wanted to know where his dead mate was from so badly, what difference did it make?
“Alright,” I sneered. “Do you really want to know? The same Nation she was deemed Worthy to protect. The same Nation that was plagued by the Glaev, driven from her home in the middle of the night, running for her life at six years old as she listened to the screams of her people being consumed right before her eyes. Nearly dying herself when she was trampled by those very same people, breaking her legs before her mother could grab her up and narrowly save her from death. The same Nation that was abandoned by its Goddess—who left their people to suffer on the Drift Islands.” I paused, both of us breathing heavily. My lip quivered as I let out more than I realized I was holding in. “The same Nation that remained in the hearts of three children who were dumped on Morah’s doorstep so we weren’t forced to have our wielding suppressed like our families. Atara.”
Ryker didn’t say anything for a long moment, gazing into the darkness of his slowly retreating shadows, swirling against the moonslight.
“Why didn’t she tell me?” he whispered more to himself than me.
I scoffed, angrily wiping the tears away from my chilled face. “What was she supposed to do? Tell the Bloodlust Lord of Oryn and risk not only her own life, but mine and Nikan’s as well? You’re bound by law. She was waiting to tell you until she was inducted as Lady of Oryn so she would have the power and influence to ensure we would be safe. She hoped one day, you’d find it in your cold heart to finally let our people have a home. She needed to guarantee she could fulfill her task for Kleio, so they may return .”
Ryker huffed. “I thought she trusted me. But between this, and her going off on her own… She didn’t trust me at all.”
“Maybe because you, as well as every other fucking Nation, turned our people away.” I crossed my arms and stared him down. All three of us held some resentment toward each Nation because of it.
His head slowly turned to face me.
I stiffened. I had never been on the receiving end of the Lord of Oryn’s lethal glare like that.
“Turned them away ?” he said darkly. “I took them in .”
The world around me came to a screeching halt.
“Those who were able to escape came over the border in Oryn. We went to every corner of the continent in search of more survivors. We found out a few hid in Dusan, but those who had refused to go to the islands had been killed. We didn’t get to them in time.” He released a heavy breath. “The Ataran people have been living in Oryn ever since.”