Page 63 of Hair, She Bears
“You kidnapped me. I don’t owe you anything.” She ripped her arm from his weakened grasp, turned away, and crawled toward the opening in the thicket.
“Have you no sympathy?”
Zenna froze. She glanced over her shoulder.
“Sympathy has no place in your business,” she replied.
“My business,” he snorted. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t beat that horrible trait out of you.” He coughed, and blood bubbled on his lips as his breath came in shallow gasps.
“I will ask your son what he thinks your fate should be.”
“Malik survived?” Mother’s head rolled toward her, surprised etched into his features.
“He did.” Malik’s deep voice came from behind her. He crawled through the opening on his elbows, dragging his legs behind him, and collapsed beside Zenna.
“How did you…”
“My father has been preparing me for that kind of pain my whole life.” He lifted his head and grimaced. “You didn’t come back. I was worried.”
“I was held up.” She retrieved the vial from her pocket and held it out to him.
“What did he want?” Malik growled, glaring at Mother.
“Compassion.”
“A strange request from a man who has none.” Malik pushed up on his forearms and took the vial. Popping open the top, he held Mother’s gaze and tipped the vial, swallowing half the powder. He gagged and thrust the vial at Zenna. After a minute, he sat back and stretched his leg in front of him. Inspecting the injury, his eyes lifted to Zenna. “If I don’t finish the vial, it will leave a scar.”
“I don’t mind your scars,” Zenna said, her eyes on his.
“Are you asking me to spare his life?” Malik tapped the bottle against his chin. “To give compassion to someone who never showed it to either of us?”
“If you let him die, you’re no better than him.”
“He took your life!” Malik slashed his hand at Mother and growled. “Take revenge.”
“I have.” Zenna wrapped her fingers around his wrist and lowered his hand. “He will always owe me his life.”
“I will only do it because you asked.” Malik’s gaze slid across the small area to his father. “If it were up to me, I’d leave you for the crows… I know you’d do the same to me.”
Malik crept forward, the vial clutched in his hand. He stopped beside Mother’s head and lifted it, setting it on his lap. Tipping the bottle, Malik tapped the remaining powder into his father’s mouth.
Mother shuddered, his eyes closing, and he exhaled a long sigh. Opening his eyes, he shifted, rolling to his side with a grunt, and his dark gaze found Zenna.
“Stay with me, together we can rebuild this empire.”
“I’ll never work for you again,” Zenna said, her voice calm. “My debt has long been repaid. I want nothing further to do with you.”
Malik dropped Mother’s head back on the ground and crawled toward Zenna.
“Carlyle will be through the briar before we return.”
“I knew he was a traitor!” Mother sat up, his hands swirling a complicated pattern in front of his chest. Nothing happened. He repeated the action, a snarl curling his lip. Again nothing. Mother lifted his hands in front of his eyes and gasped. His fingers shriveled, his chalky skin stretched thin, displaying a grim outline of his bones. “What the hell?”
“She warned you,” Malik spoke quietly, his back to his father. “You stole what wasn’t yours and used your gift to hurt people. You’ve been found unworthy of the powers lent to you. She took them back. The amount of Votras Alute coursing through your body may have restarted your heart after you died, but the suffering you are about to endure will be much worse than anything you’ve ever done to one of your victims.” Malik turned around and stared at his father, an unreadable expression flowing across his face. “You have a great number of enemies, many who spent the past several years as birds, trapped in small iron cages beneath the compound. They will stand against you... with me.”
Turning away, Malik jerked his head, indicating for Zenna to head toward Carlyle. She nodded and ducked under a low bramble. As she crawled forward, a low growl stopped her heart. She spun around just as Mother lunged for Malik. In Mother’s hand, glittered a small dagger. He sank it into Malik’s side. Malik collapsed.
Zenna screamed, scrambling toward them. Mother raised the knife again and slashed toward Malik’s heart. Zenna dove forward, knocking Mother’s arm aside. The knife flew from his hand and buried itself between two rocks.
