The door behind Nora closed with a soft click, and silence reigned in the humid room once more.
Ailyn whistled a breath of relief. Watching Nora and Arden fight was always so tense; their relationship dangled from a thin thread Ailyn wasn't sure she wanted to snap all of a sudden. Yet at times like these, pointless bickering was the last thing she should have to deal with. Nora was not the only one who detected the flaw in the boys' plans; they strayed far from the initial purpose of this whole nightmare.
That was why she had called up a much more efficient idea.
She didn't want to blurt it out before. Coming face to face with Salo had dulled her confidence and consumed every last drop of certainty that was left in her drained body. There was always the alternative of bringing Bela to Kage, a long, torturously slow alternative. By then, the search party would have found the Kingfisher themselves.
Ailyn was ready to made a deal with Kage himself. She had thought it out during her rest; if she simply threw herself out in the Mushan market she was bound to be noticed. Eventually, she would be brought to Kage, and then the deal would be made. Her freedom for the Kingfisher. A royal fugitive for an heirloom.
Of course, that assumes he cares as much as he says he does. She was basing everything on the prince's words, which may or may not have been fiction. Yet something in her told her that she was worth sacrificing. And part of her didn't even mind that.
Salo marched to the window, balancing his chin on the center of his open palm. His eyes sparkled under the light reflected on the little drops of humidity racing down the glass, contrasting with his olive skin like timber against emeralds. The usual crease between his brows had retired, replaced by a few placid wrinkles on his forehead, like ripples on a still lake. Ailyn knew Salo was not the guy that would have made her mother proud. He was a thug, a lowlife, not a duke like she had wanted.
Somehow, she didn't care.
I'm not betraying Kage, she reassured the low voice scolding her inside her head. This is not like what we had. For once, she agreed with the irritating thoughts. Kage had never made her feel that way. This pure bliss. This reassurance that everything would be alright, as long as they were together.
"What's on your mind?" the princess cleared her throat, trying to forget what she had just pondered. They would not be together for long. "What is there to be smiling about?"
"I'm not smiling," he objected with a scoff.
Ailyn glanced at his mouth. The corners of his lips were clearly tipped up. "You don't have to lie about happiness. It's rare as it is."
"You seemed quite happy at the palace."
The girl's lids fluttered as she fiercely shook her head. It was true, her life at the palace was delightful. Maybe more than it should have been. "Where is that coming from?"
"You don't seem happy anymore." Salo brought his fingers to his lips, brushing them against the soft cushions. "What did you have there that you don't have here?"
At first the question seemed silly. She had clothes, money, a house. She had a roof above her head, and now she was a homeless runaway wanted for treason. Everything was at her disposal then. Soon, however, she realized that was not what he meant at all.
Ailyn inhaled as much air as her lungs allowed. "I had--"
"The prince?" he cut dryly.
She puckered her lips. Maybe. But she could never reveal that. "No. You didn't let me finish."
"Go ahead, then. What is it that you miss?"
Her lips curled into a scowl. Salo knew what it was. He did not even have to wonder. Yet he wanted to hear her say it, that the man who was making their life a living hell at the moment was what she wanted the most, after running away from him a million times already. Because all of the luxury the palace life possessed wasn't nearly as tempting an idea of love.
Salo had gotten his answer. The light quirk of his lips vanished. "So that's it. He is it." He thrust his hands in the air and hauled them back down almost immediately, as if he didn't know what the correct way to react was. "I don't understand. After everything he has done to you? Look at yourself! You are a wreck!"
Ailyn swallowed, the muscles of her throat tensing. "He did it because he knew it would not kill me."
"He did it because he knew it would!"
"But it didn't," retorted the princess, and as she inhaled sharply her chest convulsed with the promise of a sob. Don't you dare cry now.
Salo cringed at the sound, and his features softened. His eyes darted to the floor as he gnawed on the flesh behind his lips for a split second. He's anxious, Ailyn realized, bringing up a trembling hand to rub her forehead. And it's my fault. "How?" he breathed, low enough to camouflage the tremor of his voice. "After he has pursued you, attacked you, planted darkness in your soul for all that's holy, how do you still prefer him?"
Ailyn's gaze snapped up, catching Salo's narrowed glance. It wasn't soured like one would expect. It was somber. Wistful, remembering some easier times. As much as she wanted to reply, to declare he was wrong in his face and offer him the relief he deserved, all that came from her ajar lips were forced breaths grazing her throat.
Salo gathered his lips, nodding gently as he finally faced the girl. "You need to learn the difference between forgiveness and affection, Ailyn. One you ask for, and the other you earn." His gaze returned to the blurry glass. "It's not wrong to forgive your enemy. But love him? Yes."
The room fell silent. Ailyn's dry lips were opening and closing, like a fish desperately gasping for air. The thick quiet stretched to engulf them in a blanket of stillness, which conjured chills instead of warmth. He's right, a little voice in her head squeaked, but she smothered it before it could mock her any further. She knew, of course she did. Somehow, after everything he had done, Ailyn still wanted the best for Kage. She wanted for him to be okay. She still cared, undoubtedly.
But Salo was mistaken about one thing, and she had been wrong too; Ailyn did not love Kage. Perhaps love was the closest thing to what she was experiencing, but she felt none for the prince. Because forgiveness demanded acknowledgment of all the horrible crimes he had committed.
After the last days, she had realized; Kage was not a man she could ever truly cherish.
Ailyn examined the boy beside the window. He had abandoned all efforts, gazing at the miles upon miles of greenery outside. He had helped Ailyn, protected and defended her, saved her life even. And all he was getting in return was some petty replies and a glower.
The princess sighed as the wrinkles on her face slackened. She had to explain. She had to reassure him there was no bias or preference in her mind, and if there was, it was in Salo's favor.
I must admit what I have been denying. For his sake.
The girl shut her eyes, little drops of sweat trickling down her temple despite the freezing atmosphere. "Salo, I need to tell--"
An abrupt series of yells interrupted her, followed by a single gunshot.
Slowly, Ailyn rose from her seat. More screams. Another gunshot. Her eyes grew and grew until they were round crystal balls ogling at the doors just a few feet away from her. Oh no. Her ears twitched at the sound of hammering steps down the hallway on the other side.
"Ailyn," Salo's shaky voice called warningly, snapping the girl out of her horror. She swirled her head around to face a disturbed boy ready to smash out of the window if he needed to.
The girl twisted back around. It was as if the floor had sprouted roots to keep her feet against the wood. A thousand thoughts raced inside her head, demanding attention, yet she didn't have enough energy to pay it to each one of them. Only one stood out from the rest, helping the panic at the bottom of her stomach flourish.
One single Mushan soul knew I am here. The priestess.
The doors burst open, swinging violently on their hinges. A sudden gust of wind shoved Ailyn back on her seat, and before she could react, a large mass crashed into her.
"Sorry," Nora's voice blurted as the figure pushed off the princess. The girl was panting intensely, her shoulders shuddering up and down in a rhythmic bounce.
Ailyn's breath stuck to her throat as she looked up. A young blonde man in a navy blue uniform was rushing towards them, palms stretched open. Seyali. There is a Seyali soldier in here. The panic rising up her stomach was cut short when another squall zoomed right past her, hurling back her shoulder.
Nora snatched a vase from the table beside her and lurched toward the air manipulator, aiming for the head. The man quickly raised his fist, launching the vessel to the ceiling and smashing it to a thousand pieces. Ailyn's heart skipped a beat. He's quick. Too quick.
A groan rattled the spy's throat as she hastily yanked a paltry dagger from her corset. "Leave," she called, not mentioning the princess's name in hopes the soldier would not recognize her. Ailyn cringed at the thought. That's why he's here in the first place.
Before the girl could point out a rusty knife was no match for magic, the spy pounced on the soldier, swinging the dagger and slashing the air. Weak, Ailyn noted as she stumbled a few steps back. It won't hit. The man crossed his clothed forearms, prepared to block Nora's attack, but the hilt of the spy's weapon suddenly flew up in a sharp motion. A monstrous crack sounded from the soldier's chin and a groan from his mouth as he staggered back, swaying his arms for some balance. His left arm slowly rose.
He's either going to balance himself, Ailyn thought as she took small steps towards the door behind her, or he's going to blow us out of the walls.
Before any of that could happen, a loud bang echoed across the room and the man's hand snapped back down, hot red liquid trickling down his palm. A cry of anguish escaped his mouth, and his healthy arm snatched the bloody into it.
Ailyn twirled around to face the offender. A shaking, panting Salo was clutching a revolver in his slippery palm. Between quivers of his chest he nodded and raised the weapon triumphantly. "Found it," he breathed.
Those few moments of shock were enough. Nora readjusted the dagger in her hand and used its trusty hilt to hit the man again, this time on the side of his head. The soldier's eyes rolled back, and a twisted form of happiness bloomed in Ailyn's heart.
That joy quickly withered when the soldier's brown eyes returned to glare to the spy now gawking at him as if he had been resurrected from the dead.
Ailyn huffed a breath of exasperation as she swiveled around. I hope they forgive me, she prayed and dashed for the door behind her with no caution left in her step.
As she collapsed on the double doors she fumbled for the handle. Even as she grasped it and slung it up and down ferociously, her desperation only grew. It's locked. Damn Bela and her secrecy.
"Ailyn!" Nora yelled, but before the princess could turn around, a great force shoved her to the cold floor. She groused, jolting up her legs. Hot tears begun offending her eyes as she flailed her limbs around. I can't lose now. It cannot end like this.
The fighting continued even with her pinned to the ground. Whooshes of air, groans of agony, bullets that only hit the wall with sad clinks. The girl managed to turn her head to the other side, only to face an even more terrifying sight.
Arden was in the room, too. He was holding a sharp dagger, slashing at a woman relentlessly. His weapon was no match for her two double-edged knives, however. Her heart somehow sank even further, as if it hadn't hit the bottom of the ocean yet. Since when have Seyali soldiers become so good? Yet only a few looks at the woman's swift motions and the man's mastery of his element was enough to understand those were not regular soldiers. They were the old, experienced ones, those who joined before Seyal's desperation for anyone who could hold a sword.
Ailyn knew Arden was one of the best in Sevin, but she had never witnessed his skill this close up before. Of course he was losing. But the fact that he had lasted more than a few seconds against a veteran soldier proved a whole lot.
As the woman swung both of her daggers towards him he ducked and instantly brought his fist out, smashing into the flesh between her waist and her hipbone. She stumbled only a few steps back, but that was enough of an opening. Arden exhaled sharply and kicked his leg onto her stomach, shoving her back. Miraculously, the soldier fell to the floor.
Hope seemed to rise in Ailyn's chest. He has brought her down. We might actually have a chance.
Fate seemed to have quite the twisted sense of humor.
As Arden was ready to plunge the knife into her skin, and as Nora and Salo were still struggling against the air manipulator, a swarm of azure uniforms burst into the dimly lit room. Five, six, seven, they kept coming, no matter how much Ailyn wondered where they had come from.
Nora halted. She shot a murderous glare at Arden with a scoff. "Tell me you didn't close the damn door again."
"I'm sorry it wasn't the first thing that crossed my mind as we were being attacked."
The battle resumed.
Ailyn couldn't watch them be defeated. She shut her eyes, trying to block the horrors from her mind, yet the sounds didn't cease. Now she could hear slashes on flesh, screams, hammering steps. This can't be happening, she thought, shaking her head as much as the magic above her and the wood beneath her allowed. Yet it was completely possible. The priestess might have helped her heal, but she still had the burden of justice on her shoulders. Once again, she was the cause of all of this.
Maybe she could make it right.
The princess reached for her power. It was buried under all the days of idleness, sleeping dormant within her soul. She moiled to seize it, and her entire body ached, but she didn't give up. She couldn't, for the sake of the rest. For the sake of herself.
A glimmer of light appeared in the distance. Ailyn shuddered in a breath. The glimmer grew and grew, along with the hope being restored in her chest. This might work, she realized, and she had the nerve to smile. The light was not so far away now. Just with a stretch of her fingers, she would be almost able to almost brush it. Her heart boomed in her chest and beads of sweat covered the entire expanse of her skin as she used every last drop of energy to reach the spark calling to her.
Suddenly, the whole room was dipped in darkness.
Ailyn gasped in a breath as the weight above her vanished. She hastily pushed her body up with ease she didn't know she possessed. Her legs held her better than they had before, and her breath was deeper, more... healthy. It was as if all fragility had left her body, replaced by a grand surge of energy. She looked down, examining her arms.
Her skin shone so vibrantly she had to look away, half blinded and half shocked.
The breath hitched in her throat. She was the only source of light in a pool of pitch black, her body full of strength there was no way could have appeared after a struggle like this. Not without assistance.
She gulped as realization dawned on her. Her muscles quivered as she ran her fingers across her gleaming skin.
She had not generated light. She had consumed it.
The consternation that had reigned over the soldiers was cut short when a yell echoed across the room. Before Ailyn could register what was happening, and before she could break away from her own shock, a weight sharply jabbed the side of her head, enveloping her in darkness much deeper than the one she had created.
***
So much about that Sunday update.
Happy new year everyone! May this year be better than the last, which sucked in many aspects for me. I was planning on updating on Sunday, but 2019 insisted on sucking even to the last week, and while on vacation a loved one got really sick and had to go to the hospital. I will try to update more often, but in order not to jinx it again I cannot promise anything!
Thank you for reading once again! Please consider voting and commenting, it helps me a ton ♥