Blaze, page 17
I followed him out and he took my hand again for safety. The streets were busy with locals and neither of us could afford to be outed as halflings. The sky had started to change from grey with fiery orange blotches to something darker. I stared up, unable to take my eyes off it.
The sky appeared black at first, but on a second inspection you could see a blue shimmer underneath, twinkling and sparkling like hundreds of thousands of tiny diamonds.
“Wow,” I breathed, bewitched by the strange shimmering.
“Indeed,” Vas replied but he wasn’t staring at the sky. His eyes were fixed on my profile. A deep flush marked my cheeks and I tried to focus on my steps because the way he looked at me made my heart pound too hard.
A little while later we entered the upper part of the city just outside the area where ordinary citizens weren’t allowed to venture. There were guards manning a high wall that surrounded the palace and the wealthier districts. Vas and I kept to the shadows as we moved through a residential street lined with unusual townhouses. Or at least they were unusual to me. The roofs were domed, with high chimneys sticking out the centre of each dome. They were certainly a lot more ostentatious than the dwellings in the poorer parts of the city.
Instead of square or rectangle windows, these had round or triangular ones. The front doors were rounded, too, a half oval shape and much wider than the doors back home.
In the distance I could hear some type of revelry, which I presumed was the Star Festival. People hooted and cheered.
Vas tugged on my hand. “We need to go before we’re spotted.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as he led me around the back of one of the houses.
“In here,” he answered, casting a quick spell to unlock the door.
“Wait,” I whispered. “What if there’s someone inside?”
“There isn’t. I swept the house with a spell and sensed no presence. Everyone from this sector will be in the palace tonight for the ball.”
I glanced at my digital watch. Six hours and forty-seven minutes until Belinda reopened the portal. Six hours and forty-seven minutes to kill a monster in the middle of a gala ball and get out before all hell broke loose.
We stepped into a large kitchen with black walls and gleaming countertops made of dark stone. There was abstract art hung all about and odd yet expensive looking furniture. The cooker was barrel shaped and silver, with all sorts of nobs and buttons on the front.
Whoever lived here was rich by Treyu standards and this was just outside the bounds of the palace. I wondered how lavish the dwellings were within the royal walls.
I ran my hand along the shiny counter. “There’s a dark beauty to this place,” I said and Vas cast me a curious look. “I just mean…I know you hate it here, but these houses and the sky outside, it’s all so unusual to me. Did you feel the same way when you came to Tribane?”
His eyes met mine, an intensity in them I couldn’t account for. “There was a beauty to be found there, yes,” he replied, and something in his voice caused my skin to pimple. Was he talking about me?
“Don’t mistake this for normal, Darya. A tiny portion of the population live in houses like this one. The rest of us are down in the mines or toiling away in hovels in the lower sectors.”
A silence fell between us. It lingered a moment too long. I felt scolded for admiring the home of people who lived in luxury while others struggled and suffered. Vas cleared his throat. “We need to wash and find suitable attire for the ball. Let’s go upstairs.”
I followed him up a winding staircase. When we reached the landing, Vas walked ahead of me and pushed open a door at the end of the hallway to reveal a lavish bathroom. There didn’t appear to be a shower, but there was a large, round, freestanding bath that was big enough to fit at least six people. After spending almost five days in the mine I’d never felt grottier in my life and staring at the spotless bathroom was like encountering the holy grail. The trouble was I had no idea how any of the nobs and spigots next to the bath worked.
Vas moved by me, going to the tub and twisting one nob, then another. Hot, steaming water began to pour from the tap and I wanted to fall to my knees like I was witnessing a miracle. I swear I almost teared up.
Vas examined some of the small glass bottles on the shelf, then opened one up and poured some into the water. A subtle lavender scent hit my nose while bubbles formed. When the tub was full he turned off the tap and glanced at me. “You can wash first, but don’t take too long. I’ll find us something to wear to the ball.”
With that, he left. I stood there for a prolonged moment, just staring at the sudsy water as though hypnotised. Then I came to my senses and quickly stripped out of my clothes. The only personal possessions I had on me were my watch and the sepial dagger. I placed both on a shelf before climbing into the wonderfully warm bath. I submerged my entire body under the water, rubbing the suds over my skin to wash away the dirt and soot. My muscles instantly relaxed. A steamy haze fell over my vision as I lay back, allowing myself a few moments to enjoy the soak.
This was the kind of luxury I was used to back home. It was the kind of luxury I liked having in my life, and yet, I couldn’t help thinking of the road ahead. If I had any sense at all I’d determine never to return to the Blaze after tonight, but I just couldn’t stop thinking of all those people, the endless suffering.
My mind drifted to Jalio and the others who’d escaped with him. Had they been apprehended yet, or were they still free? What did they plan to do now that they were out of the mine? Would they kill the Dicteps and start a revolution, or would they leave Treyu and start new lives elsewhere?
From how Jalio spoke, I imagined it would be the former. He wanted to change things in this city, and if it meant people were no longer trapped to work in the mines then I assumed it would be for the better.
Focusing back on the present I studied the bottles of soap and shampoo that lined a small shelf near the tub. I reached out and grabbed a few, giving them a sniff before deciding which ones I’d use to wash my hair and body. They all smelled sublime. Whoever lived in this house had good taste, even if they were ruthless, demonic bourgeoisie.
I was so busy luxuriating that I didn’t hear someone knocking on the door until it opened and Vas stepped in. I stilled, so surrounded by steam and bubbles that he thankfully couldn’t see much of my body.
“I’m not done yet,” I told him, my voice unsteady.
“I was knocking on the door and you didn’t answer. I thought you’d fallen in and drowned.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Well, as you can see I’m quite all right. And I need a few more minutes, so please—"
“No, time for that,” he said and my eyes bugged when he began to strip.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I’ve shared my sleeping chamber with you for the last few nights. Surely, you won’t object to sharing a bath. It will save us some time.”
I lifted a wet, sudsy finger. “Sharing a bed and sharing a bath are two very different things, Vas. For crying out loud, I’m naked in here!”
His lips twitched like he was suppressing a grin. “Don’t worry. I’ll be naked, too.”
“Vas! That’s not—” Before I could finish the sentence he was almost nude. As soon as he was shirtless and reaching for his pants I averted my gaze. I sensed his satisfaction at my embarrassment as he climbed into the tub, thankfully situating himself on the side farthest from me. I chanced a peek and his bottom half was obscured beneath the water. His top half, however, was bare and distractingly muscular. His attention was on the taps, which were far more intricate than the ones in my dimension. Suddenly, new water flowed in. I could feel the old water being suctioned out but the level didn’t go down at all.
“What kind of technology is this?” I asked, impressed.
“It’s a water refreshing system. Only the rich have it,” Vas replied, casually moving through the water and stealing some of the bottles of shampoo and soap I’d used. I flushed at him choosing the same ones as me when there were at least a dozen other options.
I stilled when he came near me, then relaxed again when he retreated to his side of the tub. I should leave. I’d finished washing but I was frozen in place, half because if I climbed out Vas would see me naked, and half because…well, I wasn’t entirely sure what the other half was. Masochism? Morbid curiosity?
I found myself staring at Vas as he lathered up some soap in his hands and ran it over his shoulders and chest. He must’ve sensed me looking because his eyes flicked up. I immediately glanced away.
“Sorry,” I muttered, staring down and making sure the bubbles were still obscuring my nakedness. To my relief nothing could be seen below my shoulders.
“What are you sorry for?” I lifted my gaze and found him arching one eyebrow.
“For ogling you. Or whatever. Just ignore me.”
His mouth curved. The edges of his eyes crinkled, making them appear so much warmer. It was rare to see him smile like that. “Ogling?”
“You know what I mean.” I swallowed thickly and pretended to wash some non-existent dirt off my arm. Silence fell before I asked, “Did you ever…” I trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.
Vas glanced at me. “Did I ever what?”
I cleared my throat. “Um, what I meant to ask was, did you ever have a partner in the mine? You were there for such a long time and I just wondered if—”
“I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you’re asking,” he answered with a bemused expression.
I flushed. “Right, no, of course you aren’t.”
“I had a few lovers,” Vas said then sighed. “After a while I gave up on love. It seemed futile in such a brutal place. There’s only so many times you can see a person die of hunger or dehydration before you harden. That part of me was closed off for a long time until…”
His eyes met mine but he didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. I knew what he was going to say. That part of him was dead until he marked me.
We were quiet again. I sat in the tub, silently listening to him bathe and keeping my eyes well and truly to myself. When I finally looked his way again he was reclining in the water, his head back, eyes closed as he enjoyed a soak. He looked…peaceful, serene even.
It was at odds with the fact that we were going out tonight to commit a murder.
I couldn’t help letting my gaze wander over him, the regal upward curve of his horns, the straight, masculine slope of his nose, the water droplets that beaded on his skin, his mouth…
“You know what I can’t stop wondering about,” he said, breaking the quiet and stopping me in my tracks from having impure thoughts about his mouth. My gaze flicked to his just as he opened his eyes.
“What?” I asked. Why was I so breathy? It was just a bath, and he was all the way on the other side of it.
“I can’t stop wondering about that vision of the future Sarasin showed you,” he finished and my pulse spiked.
“Oh,” I said, frowning. “Why would you be wondering about that?”
“I have this odd sense that there’s something you’re not telling me.” His gaze was probing.
I froze in the water, my eyes widening at the intense, scrutinizing way he regarded me. “Vas,” I said, emitting a shaky breath. “Now’s not the time to talk about that.”
He moved a small bit closer and nerves fizzled through me. “So, there is something?”
I trembled because he kept moving closer until there was barely a foot between us. We were both naked and it was far too much stimuli for my tetchy self to handle.
“Darya, tell me,” he whispered, and his deep voice hit a low place in my stomach.
“I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it.” I certainly hadn’t been ready when Sarasin showed me the vision.
I backed all the way up until my shoulders met the edge of the tub. Vas had no qualms caging me in and I gasped when I felt his arm brush mine. There was something about the water and our nakedness that made his touch feel electric.
“Darya, what did you see?” he quietly demanded and my nipples beaded beneath the water. How was he managing to spike my nerves and turn me on at the same time?
My throat tightened. I wanted to tell him, because then maybe he’d understand why I’d come to Oreylia. Why it was so important that I helped him escape. “If I tell you,” I said, apprehension thrumming through me. “You have to promise not to start acting different.”
“Why would I act different?”
“Because there are things that…transpire between us in the future, but that doesn’t mean I’m anywhere near ready for similar things to transpire between us at this particular moment in time.”
Something like confusion, then dawning realisation, then surprise flashed across his face. Finally, he rumbled, “I promise I won’t act different.”
He was right next to me then, our shoulders brushing. I felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed, but maybe if I just told him, got it all out in the open, it would be less awkward in the long run.
“Well,” I began and Vas’ eyes glittered, locked on mine. I had his undivided attention and it was jarring. “There were a few parts to the vision. In the first part we were here in Treyu. It just happened, in fact. The vision showed us in that house in the lower sector. I saw us staring out the window at the city. Then, in the second part we were back in the mine, planning some kind of mass escape for the miners.”
Vas’ expression faltered. “We were back in the mine?”
I nodded. He frowned. Clearly, he didn’t enjoy the idea of going back there. Not when tonight we were making our big escape. Silence elapsed for a few moments before he said, “That’s where all this talk of revolution has come from. You’ve already seen it.”
I shook my head. “Not entirely. Only a glimpse, but I can’t rid the idea from my mind now.”
“What else?”
“We were in the mine, talking to hundreds of people and trying to convince them to escape.”
“And did we convince them?”
“Yes, I think so, but then the vision changed to something else before I could see what happened next.”
“What did the vision change to?”
At this, my cheeks heated and I tore my eyes away from his. “Um, so, in the next part we were in bed.” If I had the option to disappear I would’ve taken it. The silence that followed was deafening.
Vas’ voice dropped low. “In bed?”
“Yes,” I stated. “Together. Please don’t make a big deal. I’m not going into details.”
He chuckled deeply, enjoying this far too much. “Oh, I think I’m going to have to insist on details.”
“Vas,” I whined. “Please.”
“Darya,” he growled bossily. “Details.”
I made to move away but he caught my chin, his eyes blazing hot. My throat ran dry as I tried to summon some words.
“You were doing things to me,” I whispered. “With your mouth.”
“Fuck,” he breathed and I was so caught up in my embarrassment that I didn’t immediately notice how much closer our bodies were. His thighs pressed to mine, and if he moved another millimetre his hard chest would brush my naked breasts. The next thing I knew his hands were cupping my face. “What else?”
I flushed, feeling far too surrounded by him. His intense focus was overwhelming. If I thought telling him about us being in bed together was nerve-wracking, telling him the next bit was going to be even worse.
“In the final part of the vision, it was years into the future,” I began. “You weren’t there. I was in the Yellowbranch Forest outside this picturesque little house buried deep in the woods and a small boy came out the front door.”
Vas frowned like he hadn’t expected that. “A boy?”
“He looked about five or six. He also looked exactly like you. And me.”
15.
Time seemed to stop moving after I said it. Vas still held my face in his hands and he tilted it back, forcing me to look at him. “Our son? In the future we have a child?” His voice was full of awe.
The very air around us seemed to thicken as he gazed into my eyes in stunned disbelief. “I think so,” I whispered.
His expression smouldered, his focus moving over my features before fixing on my mouth. “You promised you wouldn’t act different,” I reminded him gently. “Just because things happen in the future doesn’t mean anything is going to change between us right now.”
My words dropped a cold bucket of water over him and his hands fell away from me. “I remember what I promised you, though I had no idea that what you were about to tell me would be quite so earth shattering.”
“It was just a vision. It might not happen. People can make different choices, change direction,” I said, trying for casual.
“And is that what you want to do? Change direction?” he asked, a tendril of frost entering his voice.
I drew a deep breath and stared him directly in the eye. “Would I be here if I wanted that?”
He gazed at me, his head slowing shaking from side to side. “You really did come to help me,” he said, like it was suddenly clear to him that I didn’t have an ulterior motive this time around.
“I came to help Sven, too,” I said because I couldn’t stand the tension, nor the thought of him realising that he meant something to me. More than I cared to admit. “It might be senseless because he’s done some terrible things but I came to care about him as a friend while we were in the prison together.”
“And is that how you feel for me? You care for me as a friend?”
“Vas, don’t…”
“I just want to know how you feel about me, Darya. You must feel something if you came all this way.”
“I care about you, yes,” I said, setting him straight. “But I’m still going through a rough breakup. I’m not ready to contemplate anything else right now. Whatever I saw in the future is a long way off, so let’s just focus on the here and now.”
He studied me for a long moment, not saying anything. After a while he retreated to the other side of the tub. I realised that there was one part of the vision I hadn’t yet told him. I hadn’t told about us saying ‘I love you’ to one another. But that could wait. There had already been more than enough revelations.
