Page 105 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

“I’ve seen how powerful you are,” he says. “Back during that first trial, when Tommen almost killed you, you blasted him with your full power, right? Manipulated his fear?”

I nod in confirmation.

Draven holds my gaze with dead serious eyes. “Did you know that he pissed his pants?”

Shock pulses through me, and I draw back a little.

“Yeah,” he confirms. “You made him so afraid that he pissed his pants.”

“Oh.” I blink at the colorful forest before me as that thought swirls inside my skull. “No wonder he had such a grudge against me.”

Silence descends over us for a few seconds.

Then Draven heaves another sigh. “You can do things like that, and yet you always hold back.”

“I don’t always hold back,” I retort, my voice coming out sounding petty and defensive.

“Almost always. Instead of fighting at full power, you make yourself less. Why?”

His words echo what Isera asked me earlier as well. Why don’t I use my powers to make other people lose so that I will have a better chance at winning?

“I don’t know.” I squirm a little as uncomfortable feelings snake through my chest. “It’s just… We’re all trying to get out of this town and I just…”

“You always put everyone else’s needs and wants ahead of your own. You always take care of everyone else. But who takes care of you?”

“I do.”

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. And as soon as I’ve spoken them out loud, my heart clenches in pain as if an iron fist has squeezed it. I drag in a strained breath, and rub a hand over my heart, as if that can help ease the tightness inside my chest.

It’s the painful truth. I always try to make sure that everyone else feels comfortable and at ease. But no one ever does the same for me. No one has ever put my needs and wants first.

Clearing my throat, I try to sound normal as I repeat, “I do.”

But the words come out like a frail whisper. And I hate it. So I shove the ache in my heart aside and instead reach for something else. Some other kind of emotion. Anger. Why did he need to ask something like that? Here? Now?

“Why do you even care?” I snap before he can respond. Anger laces my voice, making it a little less brittle. “Why do you care if I fight to win or not?Youare the one who is trying to make sure that I lose. So what gives you the right to ask me something like that?”

He opens his mouth to retort, but then he just draws his eyebrows down in a scowl and snaps his mouth shut.

We continue walking in incredibly tense silence after that.

The hours drag on.

Once we’re past what must at least be midday, my legs wobble with every step. I’ve had precious little to eat in the past two days, and my body consumed most of the energy from the fruit yesterday when it healed the burn wounds on my arm. I stumble a little as I take another step.

Draven’s hand shoots out and grabs me before I can fall.

“What’s wrong?” he demands.

I don’t want to admit to any weaknesses, especially since he doesn’t even look tired at all, but I know that hiding it out of stubbornness and pride would just be plain stupid.

“I haven’t eaten a lot,” I admit. “And I had some burn wounds that needed healing, which consumed most of the energy from the food I found yesterday.”

His eyes flash like lightning. “Burn wounds?”

“I was in a fight for the rings.”

Anger flickers across his features. Then he abruptly grabs me by the arm and starts pulling me deeper into the forest instead of continuing along the river.

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