The Moon's Fangs | 1

23 | breaking point

Amelia

Reks and I stepped through his gate ring, right into the abandoned greenhouse.

Everything looked the exact same, except for the pile of sand in the middle. The pile turned into a large heap as tall as me, covering a good expanse of the center of the conservatory, ever-growing with the faint trickle of desert sand from above.

I looked up at the dim light filtering through the hole. A streak of violet light intermingled itself through the stars, like a string of fate reaching out between worlds to connect two destined souls.

I reached my hand up to trace the violet streak with a finger, wishing I really could touch it, to see where it truly led.

"You're quite the stargazer." Reks stood next to me, running his long fingers through the desert sand, still warm from the day's end. It trickled out of his palm as he looked up at the view. "Though, you can only see a fragment from this limited perspective. When this is all said and done, I can show you a view bound to take your breath away."

Just the thought of a breathtaking view of the stars sent my heart into a fluttering mess. And with him? It almost felt like he asked me on a date. Was he asking me on a date? No. Maybe?

I smiled, feeling a twinge of blush heating the tops of my cheeks. "Gosh... I don't know. I might be busy after that. But I'll let you know if anything opens up."

He gave me a bewildered look, then I laughed out loud at the sight of him, tipping my head back.

A wolfish look eclipsed his face, a half-smile desiring penance. "Oh. You think you're funny. Don't you, Outlander?" his eyes cascaded down my body in a slow once-over, sizing me up. "Don't tell me you think you can get rid of me that easily after this is done."

I drew in my bottom lip between my teeth, unable to get a good hold with the betrayal of a smile to fight against. "I just find it funny how the last time we were here, you thought me to be an enemy. Now you're asking me out."

"Would you prefer the former? I'd be happy to oblige you."

"No, no. Stars are good." I said, pulling the empty drawstring pouch off his belt. I did think that if he did chase me, I could hold out longer than last time, what with no broken ribs or the paralyzing shellshock of what I had gone through... but we both knew he'd catch me with Luk in his arsenal. My odds were annoyingly slim.

Although, the idea of him chasing me now leaned more towards a worth exploring thrill on the thrill-to-fear balancing scale. Like a game of cat and mouse.

I fiddled with the string to get the pouch open. "So, what kind of seeds should I gather?"

He turned, scanning the array of dead plants. But his gaze hesitated when falling on the inactive stasis machine in the back of the moonlit conservatory. The orb was no longer there, but the wires still laid haphazardly across the floor, attached to the nearby dais.

What a strange place to put a stasis machine.

Something about it nagged at my brain. If the empress wanted to save him, then why hide him here where anyone could have found him? Why not put him within the barrier, at the very least? Or his lab.

Just that one glimpse of it turned his light mood into cold indifference. "Think of this as practice utilizing your Guide." he said, leaving me to scrounge for seeds while he went to investigate his previous imprisonment.

I pursed my lips, squinting pointedly at the back of his head for his curt dismissal. I guess I didn't blame him. Facing something that locked him in an indefinite stasis must be taking an effect on him. I wondered what it must have been like. Did he experience a never-ending dream, or had it been like a clear-cut pause on life in that aspect too?