Page 72 of A Broken Promise

“Yet here you have not one butthreearrows,” I mumbled, now staring at the long, thick arrows against the chipped beige paint of the mud made walls. “How did you get them?” They were larger than any arrows I had ever shot.

“They were gifted to me by those who no longer exist,” Laviticus said, now finished with his sketch and measurements.

“By whom?”

“By the High Lady of the Creators. Raylin the Fair, Blessed Be Her Name.” He bowed down as he said her name, moving his hand in a swift motion from forehead to his chin and then round his face.

“I’ve never heard of her,” I stated.

“It's a shame. She was the most beautiful and courageous woman alive.” His face filled with grief and subtle sorrow. “That is, until she died.”

“What happened to her?” I took a few steps closer to the arrows. The light reflected from the black glass as if it was a mirror.

“Murdered by the Mad Queen, alongside all the other High Ladies and their courts. She gifted me these arrows not long before her death and I’ve kept them safe until the right moment comes.” He paused now, looking at the arrows himself. “It’s truly a blessing and a curse to have them, you know. A dream to use them for good, and the reality of knowingIcould never make a difference. So, I am cursed to see them every day, to always remember their potential and my complete uselessness.”

I turned to Priya, trying to keep my voice calm, ignoring the raging heart inside of me. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? This—” I motioned with my hand to the arrow. “This could change everything.”

Priya’s thick lips turned into thin line. “It could, but itwon’t.”

“I could kill him. The Destroyer General. I could kill him once and for all,” I uttered. “With this I could kill him and—”

“Notkillhim, Freckles, but only disable his power for a brief time, until he rips that arrow out and burns you to the ashes,” Priya shot back.

“Not if I shoot him straight in the heart,” I countered, my thoughts lighting up faster than a dry twig against the forest fire.

“Destroyers heal faster than regular humans, andyou… you are a terrible shot.”

“I can do it. I can kill him. I…” I knew I could.

“Enough!” Priya’s raised voice echoed through the room. “I told you once and I will not repeat myself twice. I don’t mess with Destroyers, and neither will you.”

An impasse. What was previously a small crack in the foundation felt now more like a giant rift.

The dragon within me was ready to roar. But not yet. I calmed it. Not yet.

No, the anger and the rage can stir inside of me. That so-well-built dam that I had been constructing within myself my entire life can stay put a little longer.

I bit in my words, though a sliver of anger slipped past my shields, igniting my core with sparks of defiance andhope.

Priya walked towards the door hastily, and I quietly followed.

Patience. I needed more patience. To think, to plan, to figure things out.

There is no point in arguing,I tried to convince myself.Priya is right, I said to my heated thoughts, slipping back into a familiar meek and obedient mask.

Even if I found more Basalt Glass, I would still have to find the General, approach him, and get close enough to successfully shoot straight through his rotten heart.

It would be impossible; unreal and probably completely unreasonable.But…now there was a chance. The little drops of defiance, not patience, like black ink on white crisp paper, spread slowly out. I hid those thoughts deep in me, behind all my dust-covered memories, behind every plan I ever had.

Be patient,I chanted to myself again and again. Though I could no longer ignore the corrosion on my dragon’s leash.

I took a last glance at the three black arrows as I walked down thestairs, following Priya. They were strong and proud, waiting patiently for their fate.

I would find a way.

Laviticus hurried down the stairs behind us.

Priya quickly opened the front door, the small bells chiming loudly at the rough swing.

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