9. Esther #2
He watches me steadily, as if disbelieving that I did so, willingly.
He holds his hand out at the side, and a vine whips from the forest and into his palm.
My breath hitches, stuttering when he wraps it around my waist and yanks me in tightly.
I look up at him, and he continues to glower, his hands are busy knotting.
“How can you use magic without chanting?” I ask. Have the Fates brought me to my kind? Is there even any more of my kind left to be discovered?
“What curse do you harbor that allows your magic to eat you from the inside out and draw dark beasts’ attention?” He yanks at my waist again, making a point that he won’t divulge his own secrets when I won’t. Regent steps away, and I look down at the makeshift belt.
He rounds the fire, inspecting the meat once again.
I curl back in front of the flames, watching him carefully.
Regent pulls out a knife from the inside of his leather jacket, and I take a closer inspection, appreciating him for the power he is.
Although much is hidden by his long cloak, I know there’s raw power beneath it.
The tops of his fingers are battered with scars, the bottom of his hands callused from years of training.
His copper eyes are almost unnatural. His presence unsettling and ominous.
With swift movement, he spins dirt from the ground, and it spirals into a cemented plate.
“Nifty trick,” I say as I pull Grimace into my lap.
“I don’t do tricks,” he replies as he hands over the plate. I grow uneasy by his dominance, mostly because I want to wipe the floor with his face.
“What do you plan on doing with me? Handing me in yourself? I’m sure someone such as you might appreciate the coin.”
He silently encourages me to take the plate. I do, and then he walks back toward the fire and speaks. “I plan on taking you to an auction.”
My mouth goes dry.
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m certain I can acquire a much higher price on the black market than doing the noble thing by handing you in.”
I scoff, shocked. “You can’t be serious? I won’t fetch any price. Auctions are for beasts and—”
“Oh, how sheltered you’ve been, little greer.
This world is not all fine materials and righteous justice.
But you don’t have to worry about that; all that you need to know is that you will be there.
First, you need to survive the trip,” he says, placing food on his own plate before walking back toward his mare.
“But as it so happens, this one does specialize in beasts, magically infused items, and artifacts.”
Grimace’s tongue rolls over his lips, and I pull a piece of the carved meat from my plate and dangle it above him, my teeth grinding as I do everything to rein in my temperament.
I can’t explode now when he’s actually answering me, and the more intel I gather, the more it works in my favor.
Grimace snatches the meat greedily and scampers off with it behind a nearby tree.
I keep a watchful eye, unsure of what other beasts lurk in the shadows, not trusting my invisible chains to pick up on all of them now.
Then realization dawns on me, my hand freezing. What if he plans on selling Grimace?
As if reading my mind, Regent adds, “He won’t even go for a copper coin. It’s you I’ll sell.”
I quirk a brow. “Well, I’ve been called many things, a beast is not one of them.”
“You don’t need to be a beast. You only need to appear as one on the day. Nothing but a decoy, and then you’ll find out what the Fates have in store for you. Don’t take it personally, little greer. It’s just business.”
Don’t take it personally if I slit your throat in your sleep. It’s just business. Immediately, the soldier on Master Kain’s boat comes to mind, and the moment I held my blade to his throat. I hesitated then to kill him. This time, I would not. But it sobers my mood.
“You said you hear the Fates?” I ask, not at all comfortable with bringing them into conversation since I’ve never truly believed in them before. But I can no longer decipher what is real and what is not. “What do they say to you?”
He stares at me for a long time, unearthly with a menacing presence.
“The Fates revere Neina, treat her as an older sister. And I loathe Neina.” It’s very rare I hear anyone loathe the god of life and light.
“Whatever they say, I do not trust. They cannot lie. But nor are they above leaving out finer details, and oh how they like to meddle.”
“You sound as if you know of them personally.” I try not to sneer, mostly at myself for even encouraging this conversation.
I’ve never held reverence for the glorified stories of the gods, even when Master Kain held such faith.
Not once have I seen their blessing or influence assist me.
Though it’s not the first time I’ve heard the three gods referred to as sisters.
“Are the Fates not equal to both Neina and Felia?”
Regent’s upper lip curls. “The Fates are but two little girls playing with the elements. But as for their sisters, no, they have always favored Neina, which has implored Felia’s wrath.”
“We told a secret,” one of the voices said.
“We are not meant to share,” the other advised.
“If you started hearing voices after being dipped in Lake Mahoori and think it’s the Fates, you’re wrong.
You’re only going slightly mad,” Regent says dismissively.
“All you need to worry about is doing as you’re told and not hindering me any further than what you already have.
We stay away from villages and cities. Whoever this Dahlia woman is, it would appear she’s very driven to find you.
And I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen until you’re no longer my problem. Until then, rest.”
He stands abruptly, his food untouched, and walks toward the jungle.
“Where are you going?” I demand after him.
“Don’t worry, Denva, I’ll be close by to make sure nothing grabs you from the dark. You can sleep easy tonight.” His form fades into the darkness, leaving me to search the jungle once again.
Well, that’s sure as fuck easy for him to say. His mare stares at me, begrudgingly, but in time rests her head. And why does he call me Denva? What does that even mean?
I roll my shoulders back, the cold slowly leeching out of my bones.
I’ll make sure this asshole of a bandit doesn’t even reach a point where he can try to sell me.
Fucking asshole.