Conviction's King | Damian Book 1

Chapter 17

So I tell her. Not everything, not even close, but I... try.

She purses her lips as I turn to check to see if the couple is still there.

Yup.

"So you're from an alternate timeline?"

I nod. "Yup. And I was a horrible person."

"Was I there?"

Feeling like I'm walking on thin ice, I nod again. "Yes."

"And?"

"And what?" I ask, laughing awkwardly, trying not to be so loud.

"Annnnd what about me?"

I snort. "Who's the narcissistic one now?" I quip gently, not really wanting to explain her role in that timeline.

"What was I like?"

I look over at her, my turn to study her. "Just like this. More serious because of stuff you went through." I look down. "Stuff I put you through."

"So you knew me," she says with a nod. "How well did you know me?"

I shake my head and look through the cracks. The couple is leaving.

"We can go now," I say, my voice sounding extremely loud compared to the whispering we've been doing.

"You didn't answer me," Cressa-la says, watching me. Still guarded.

"And I don't think I will," I respond, not turning back to her as I watch the couple leave.

"Did you hurt me?"

I make a rude noise. "I destroyed everything you loved. Or I almost did."

"Did I hate you?"

I hesitate, unable to look at her. "You would tell me you didn't."

She is silent for a moment.

"Okay." She finally says. I turn to her. She's not looking at me, but she's nodding slowly, processing. "Then it means I didn't hate you."

Something shifts inside of me and emotions break through. I have to turn away to hide my face as I slip into the water past her, reaching out to help her in. She takes my hand and splashes in, wincing from the cold. For a moment I say nothing, watching her as she adjusts to the chill, her glow slipping through, brighter than before. A light, not a glow. It's divine.

"My legs," she whispers, looking down. She reaches into the water and touches the scales poking through pieces of skin on her calves tentatively. "Scales."

"Do you honestly believe me?" I ask. "About everything?"

She looks up at me, slightly confused. Shrugs. "At least for right now," she says. "I don't think I'll fully believe it until I wake up tomorrow and still have these scales on my legs."

I take a deep breath in, my throat clogging with emotion. A bright green glow begins to spill from my pores, bits of Cressa-la's cyan mixing in.

"My glow is only one color," she says. "Why do you have two?"

I look at my hand holding onto her arm, sparks of blue bursting forth.

"Because of you," I tell her, my voice heavy and breathy as I attempt to rein in my emotions. "You saved my life. A few times, actually."

She stares at me for a minute, then mutters to herself, "So I really didn't hate you at all."

Her gentle words nearly send me over the edge, but I swallow down my emotions and try to keep my gaze from her. I dip underwater, pulling her with me, letting the salt water press against me from all angles. When I pull her up to the surface, she sputters, pulling her hair from the slits in the back of her neck.

"Careful,"I say, trying to stay monotone so I can keep myself in control. My hand squeezes hers as I know I need to let go, but I don't want to. I don't want to let her go. I don't want Tamir to have her, I don't want him to even see her, but...

My heart cracks as I pull her forward and stay back.

I need to let her go.

I release her.

"I'm... going to stay here for a bit," I tell her, my voice quiet over the ebbing and flowing water. She stands from the water and up to the sand, pulling her weapons from the brush around the end of the beach. "You should probably wait until you've dried off some before you head home."

She watches me, silent.

"And make sure you cover your legs. Don't let anyone see you."

"Are you okay?"

My eyes find hers and I begin to glow, my jaw clenching.

"Go before someone sees you," I say.

"Hey," she says, her face serious. "If something's wrong, talk to someone about it. No one should keep negativity inside."

I frown, swallowing hard. With a flick of my tail, I pull myself beneath the water and swim. I let the current take me. I let the water wash away every thought plaguing me. I can't have her. Can't do that to Tamir. Can't do that to Cressa-la...

'Frick,' I mutter to myself, stopping in the middle of a bed of coral reef. I sink to the ground, feeling like hitting something, like letting my emotions explode out of me. My entire body glows brightly, drawing the attention of the fish around. They keep their distance but several of them come out to see what I am.

I exhale, water exploding out my gills and mouth.

'I thought you said you didn't like to see me in anguish,' I tell the voice, feeling defeated. 'But I'm still feeling it.'

No answer. I grit my teeth and let my body sink the rest of the way, sitting on the ocean floor, sand and rocks beneath me. Not far off is the Sivoli Clan, Tamir's birthplace. His parents welcomed him home with open arms but he rejected them, knowing he'll one day have to take the throne in place of his father. The pressure was too much for him and he couldn't face them.

Just beyond that is the Murlan Clan, Cressa-la's family's home. Her father hated her because her mother died when Cressa-la was born. Or so they all thought. Her mother had become another pawn in Morgiana's scheme, just like everything else.

Just like me.

And she was happy to toss me aside when she was finally done with me, leaving me to die at the hands of Amawa-na's wrath.

I was so stupid.

But this time, it's different.

I'm different.

I'm going to make this second chance count.

'I'm going to stop you, Morgiana,' I say to no one. 'No matter the cost.'