Celeste's life is far from the enchanting fairy tale one might expect from a princess. Her father, a ruthless and self-absorbed king, leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake. To seal alliances and maintain his power, he arranges for Cele...
'I wouldn't know, actually. It was the first and last time.' I look at her in total amazement. My gaze shifts from Alisha to Novak and back.
'What do you mean?'
'It was my first time with a man, and I didn't enjoy it. I don't think it was Novak's fault; he did his best. I think it's more that I...' She sighs and looks away.
'That your preference leans more towards women?' I ask as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place. She lets out a sigh and nods.
For a second, I can't contain my surprise until more pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and the information no longer seems so new. It explains why she has shown no interest in men over the past few months and why she was so convinced that Novak and she posed no threat.
It makes me half-turn to the crowd behind me, my eyes scanning the women and then turning back.
'Okay, is there a nice woman among them?' I ask. Immediately, all her nerves seem to disappear, and she blushes again.
'What? No, I'm not looking,' she says, shaking her head. I laugh and am about to continue until my eye falls on Elien, deep in conversation with the girl next to him. The pitcher of beer next to him has already lost its foam.
'I have a feeling someone else should go get beer,' I sigh.
'Maybe he does like women after all,' Novak concludes, and we all laugh deep into the night.
-
'Too bad it didn't work out with Elien and that girl,' Novak says as he inserts the needle into my spine. With my hands clutching the blankets, I grin.
In the end, Novak went to get beer when Elien was still at the bar with that girl after an hour. I still blame Novak for the fact that Elien ended his conversation five minutes later after Novak returned. I didn't catch exactly what was said, and both gentlemen, one with an irritated look, the other grinning, didn't want to tell.
'It's entirely your fault,' I mutter into the pillow as the pain fades into the background, and Novak removes the needle from my skin.
'I wouldn't know why.' I can't see him, but I know he's grinning.
I turn onto my back on our narrow bed. The tavern we were at yesterday didn't have a room, so we had to navigate through the vomit-soaked streets of Runcast in the dead of night to reach the nearest tavern that did. Alisha decided to share a room with Elien, and I ended up with Novak.
Novak gets up from the bed, stashes the needle and the half-empty bottle of viante. I stare at his thin upper body due to the lack of a shirt. His ribs are more visible than when we were last in Runcast.
We've all lost weight in the last few months, and we all realize that the journey must come to an end.
Novak seems to be deep in thought as he picks up his black sweater from the floor.
'We never really talked about what happens when the list is complete,' he remarks, as if we were having the same thoughts.
I let myself fall backward and gaze at the wooden ceiling where a spider has built its home.
'True.'
'Sometimes I forget that there's also a final spell.' I nod in agreement. The spell for which we need all those souls returns often, but each time, I try to push it away as quickly as possible.
Although death doesn't scare me, the idea of slitting my own wrists and sacrificing myself to the gods in the hope that they approve of the offering and I survive is no picnic.
'Are you afraid of that spell?' It's the first time he's asked.
'Yes,' I admit for the first time.
Novak remains silent as he gathers the last few items from the floor and packs them into our bags.
'Have you thought about how we're going to kill your father and Christiaan?'
The options for Christiaan have gone through my head so many times that I've lost count. Even before I fled the castle, ideas were racing through my mind, and in hindsight, I should have done it then.
'I don't think we have time to come up with a well-thought-out plan for my father. When the opportunity arises, we have to take it. As for Christiaan, I'm not sure yet.'
'Who would you prefer to do it yourself?' Sitting up, I look at Novak to answer the question that had confused me months ago. That question has also crossed my mind many times, and the answer remains uncertain.
'Not my father if I don't have to. That man needs to die that day, but that blood means I'll have many more deaths on my conscience, including my mother.' Novak nods slowly.
'Christiaan deserves a slow, painful death, but I'm not sure if I want to be the one to do it. I want to witness it, I want to have a part in it, but the final blow, I'm not sure if I want that. I want to let him go, completely let him go, when death comes for him. Whether I'll ever be able to do that if I'm the one who kills him, I don't know.'
'Okay, then we'll do that.'
We both remain silent as I get dressed, we gather our last few things, and leave the tavern.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
