I could move freely now that the Gulsha has worn off completely. My skin felt itchy, as if little creatures were burrowing in my skin and running through my veins. The jittery feeling only seemed to wane when I was pacing — so that's what I'd been doing for the last two hours while my babysitters disappeared.
They locked me inside the room before they left in a rush. There were no windows in this cage and I'd bitten my nails down to the skin already, my blood welling up where the skin had torn a little too deeply.
Each time a droplet formed, I wiped it away with the inside of my shirt. There was something different about me, that was for sure. But I didn't really want to be that different.
Human with a touch of some weird ability to hold a deadly stone, sure. But a different race entirely? I wasn't sure I could handle that. And yet, each time Evound or Dikan, or even Vas called me half-ling, it sounded true. Right down to my bones, I could feel the rightness of their words.
But I could also feel the loneliness of them. I saw the scattered seed casings on the ground and dropped to my knees. I snatched each casing I could find, hoping that I could spare the human servant from having responsibilities in this room at least. I tossed each piece into the fire and watchedthe remnants of their poison making disappear.
Not that my keepers would allow anyone or anything into their chambers right now. I definitely freaked them out with my honesty. I looked up at the ceiling again feeling the pulse of the Kriyfem above me.
My fingers ached to reach up through the floor and touch the metal. It was a moment later, when Vas stormed back into the room, that I realized I had been attempting to do just that. The door smacked against the wall hard and I jerked in surprise almost toppling off the chair I was standing on. My fingers which had been splayed out toward the ceiling a second ago came down hard on the tabletop to keep me upright.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Honestly?" I asked. "I don't know. I don't really remember getting up here." I stepped off the chair and backed away from the table. "I can sense it up there—"
"Try to keep yourself restrained when we go up."
"We're going upstairs?"
"Yes, Evound wants you to meet someone. Here," he flung a armful of clothes at me. "Get dressed, you'll be acting as a servant when you leave these rooms. Dress and keep your mouth shut."
YOU ARE READING
Flock
FantasyThe Kryjia have taken up residence amongst the human population, using them as laborers. They are mining a special, ever-cold metal for reasons beyond human understanding-a metal that humans can not physically touch without intense injury-until one...
