Page 224 of The Wishing Game

"Yes. So you see why I am here and why it was urgent to meet with you. I will need the exact location of the vial so I can protect it."

The king shakes his head.

"I cannot tell you. I vowed to never disclose its location."

"You do not seem to understand the gravity of the issue," Ze speaks slowly, his voice chilly.

"If I tell you, I will perish. It is the same for everyone else who vowed to keep their artifacts safe."

"Damnation," Ze mutters, suddenly standing up. "Elias's desertion is a prime example of how to get around it. He did not have to break his vow to give the chalice to the demons. And his high priestess aided him. Weneedanother safety mechanism in place."

"You..." The king's eyes bulge in his head. "You dare imply we would betray Aperion?"

"I am not implying anything. I am saying you could."

The king sputters as he stares at Ze, clearly offended by his remarks.

"Does anyone else know where the artifact is located besides you and your high priestess?" Ze repeats.

The king shakes his head, his cheeks reddening with frustration. "We both made a vow, Commander..."

"Perhaps. But two people knowing the location is two too many, and I do not like to take any chances."

"W-what are you going to do?"

"What I must, Your Majesty. We will all do what we must. This meeting is adjourned. Please relay to the temple that I will be visiting soon."

"You cannot!" The king rises to his feet, coming closer to Ze. He's at least a head shorter than him, a fact that makes him even angrier as he stares up at Ze. "Males are prohibited from entering the temple."

"And the high priestess is forbidden from leaving the temple," Ze adds drily. "I do not see any other recourse. She will not come to me, so I shall need to go to her."

"You... You are abastard, Azerius. I should have you executed for merely implying what you just did."

In less than a second, Ze's entire countenance changes. His hand shoots up, his fingers curling around the king's neck as he lifts him up in the air.

"And you seem to be forgetting who you are speaking to," Ze drawls in a low voice. "I do not care about your lofty title,Your Majesty. Kings come and go. The only reason I am going after your high priestess is because you might still be useful to me in the future. But do not stand in my way, or I will get that location out of you, vow or not."

The king's body trembles, his expression a mix of fear and defiance. But as Ze's words sink in, he releases a deep sigh as he lowers his head in a sign of submission.

Ze releases him and takes a step back.

The king mutters something beneath his breath before he storms out of the library without looking back.

"You struck a chord, Commander," Maros adds with a shake of his head. "You should expect resistance at the temple. I doubt His Majesty will let this slide."

"I always expected it, Sigmore," Ze replies smoothly as he exits. Maros follows suit, and the door to the library locks with a click.

I release a deep sigh of relief as I stretch my body, a little tense from keeping myself frozen to the spot.

The conversation I overheard was as confusing as it was revealing—at least when it comes to Ze's behavior with others. And therein lies my conundrum. Hecanbe nice. But ninety-nine percent of the time he chooses not to be.

"Interesting choice of reading material," an amused voice rings out.

I scramble back, my eyes wide as I watch Ze grab my book, his brows going up in surprise as he reads his name. "If you are curious about me, human, you need just ask. These... accounts can be embellished."

"So you didn't execute all those people?" I fire back, still trying to get my bearings together from his sudden appearance.

"This is merely a fraction of the people I have executed," he mentions casually.

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