Page 16 of Sustaining
“No. Because they have no way of getting this thing to the sea, Sinister.” I hiss his name at him, and he doesn’t even flinch. The fear I have crawling through my chest isn’t at all a worry for him.
“Then I’ll throw it into the sea, too. We’ll build the Prince’s ships in a few hours, spend some more quality time with your mom,” he pauses to give a wink that has me rolling my eyes instantly, “and then we’ll…”
“We’ll what?” The quiet whisper slips from me. I don’t know why I’m waiting for him to finish that statement. Maybe because I have no idea what comes after that. I want to leave this place but I have no idea where to go.
And a part of me wishes Sinister could just name a place and we’d go. Whatever place falls from his lips, that’s where we’ll go, and that’s where we’ll stay.
And life will be perfect.
But I know that’s not how this works. I’ve spent five years roaming around this kingdom. There isn’t anywhere. There isn’t anywhere in existence where my life will be normal.
Safe.
Except for that little beam of hope Ellise gave me.
Attika.
She was so adamant that Attika was the answer. That I could build a life there, and people like me, mages like me, we’d be safe there in the quiet kingdom.
My gaze drifts down to the angry scar lining my arm.
I have to find her. Maybe not to ride off into the sunset with her, but I have to know what she knows. She found me for a reason. I know she did. And she’s been a drifter for twice as long as I have. If there’s an alternative option for me, she’s the source to ask.
“Look, I don’t know. We’ll do what we’re going to do here, and then whatever happens after that, we’ll be together.” Sinister’s bright eyes shine with intensity as he stares at me, cutting off my thoughts with the sweet sincerity in his gaze.
I feel that look sink right into me.
“Okay.” I breathe the simple word out, and Chaos’ arms wrap around me from behind the moment I speak.
“Okay?” Rime repeats, arching a pale brow at me.
“For now, just…unbuild this monstrosity. Don’t draw attention to yourselves. It’s…not good here. Being different is dangerous here. Let’s work late tonight. Tonight, we’ll set up this structure again down at the shore when everyone’s asleep.” At least then it’ll seem like it took these men twenty-four hours. That’s better than throwing this shit together in ten seconds and pretending like magic had no hand in it.
A sigh slips from my lips, and all three men look at me with a cocky smirk.
Rime pulls me against his side, his arm slipping above Chaos’ as they hold me. “It’ll be fine, Tamer. Let us take care of this.” His lips brush along my outer ear, his words breathing warmth against my skin.
It’ll be fine. He’s right. It’ll be fine.
Unless these people gather up some pitchforks and run our asses out of town before we can fulfill my promise to the Prince of Minden.
Seven
Past and Present
“Well,that took ten seconds. Now what?” Sinister glances past Rime to look at me.
Sometime around three in the morning, a demon magically dropped a full naval ship into the sea while all the villagers slept blissfully unaware. He’s not wrong, it took less than half a minute for the boards to bend and weave into the beautiful structure floating before me.
“Do it again, we need several of these,” Rime whispers in a bored tone.
“No.” I hiss turning so fast that my dress wraps around my legs with the cool night breeze. “What part of inconspicuous don’t you guys understand? Did you see the way Brenton eyed you when he saw all that perfectly cut lumber?”
The workers and my own father’s eyes were so wide, and he’d looked fearful when he’d gazed at me. He’s always worried. Always so damn worried about me.
And he should be. I’m swanking around here with an entourage of magical men who have never had to lie low a single day in their lives. And Rime, Rime doesn’t understand it. I can’t tell Rime to play it normal when the man barely has a grasp for what normal is. Normal to Rime is brooding silence. Extra brooding if he’s really putting a good effort into it.
The less and less silence he clings to, the more and more I love him.
